drgreg
07-22-2009, 08:38 PM
Obama is pushing Congress to have a bill out by July 28th--only 6 days from now! We need to push back and push back hard.
What can we do at this point?
I encourage everyone to DO SIX THINGS IN SIX DAYS to protect individual rights against the onslaught of statism:
1. Compose a message that reflects your position on the importance of protecting the rights of doctors and patients, freedom of choice, and fiscal responsibility in healthcare reform, in general, and objections to specific provisions, in particular, including the public option, mandates that force individuals to buy insurance coverage, mandates that force employers to provide insurance coverage, surcharges that force some groups to pay for the healthcare of other groups, mandates that force doctors to participate in public plans (examples of messages of varying length are provided at http://www.doctorsonstrike.com...)
2. Call or email or fax your legislators to communicate your message by using Project Vote Smart to get the contact information on your legislators (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com...)
3. Call or email the the leadership or individual members of the Blue Dog Coalition (an influential group of fiscally conservative democrats who may have the power to defeat ObamaCare) whose contact information is provided here (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com...).
4. Sign these three online petitions (you can find others on the web):
Protect Doctor-Patient Rights (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com...)
Patients First (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com...)
Free Our Health Care Now (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/ freeourhealthcare.html).
5. Make a YouTube video of yourself reciting “The Trader’s Oath” that I included in the Doctors Declaration of Independence (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/declaration/declaration.html):
“I swear by my life, and my love of it, that as a doctor, as a patient, as a human being, I will forever defend the right of every doctor, every patient, every human being to be treated as a trader among traders, not a slave under masters, nor a master over slaves.”
6. Get as many of your friends, family, and acquaintances to do these same things (email them a copy of this).
Our website (www.doctorsonstrike.com) provides resources to help you do these things.
The KEY here is to have an "implementation intention" -- a plan as to when and where you are going to which of these things. A review of studies by Dr. Peter Gollwitzer shows that people who do this are much more likely to do what they intended when they had an implementation intention (e.g, breast self-exams were done more frequently by women who were asked to think through where and when they would do the exam than by women who simply intended to do a self-exam; extra credit projects over Christmas break were done more frequently by college students who decided where and when they would do the project than by students who just intended to do a project. )
So, yes, psychologists often demonstrate what is commonsense: The road to healthcare hell is paved with good intentions that don't have an implementation plan!
So when and where are you going to do these SIX THINGS IN SIX DAYS to protect your rights as a patient and those of your doctors?
PS. Just this week, the fascists who dominate House Ways and Means Committee, marking up the Health bill:
Rejected 25-15 an amendment from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that would have eliminated the public plan option;
Rejected 22-19 amendment from Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) that would have prevented providers from being forced to participate in the public plan;
Rejected 21-18 an amendment from Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) that would have required members of Congress and their dependents to enroll in the public plan option;
Rejected 21-19 an amendment from Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) that would have based payment rates on the private market, rather than on Medicare;
Rejected 26-15 an amendment by Rep. Wally Herger (R-Calif.) that would have prevented comparative effectiveness research from being used to deny care based on cost.
(Source: John Goodman’s Health Policy Blog at http://www.john-goodman-blog.c....)
This statist crap should convince you that we really are in a war--one we cannot afford to loose. We are all doctors and patients now. We can be allies. I am contributing some intellectual and political ammunition. Grab some ammo, spread some around to your friends and family, and fire off your message to Congress.
I am asking for your support by spreading the word about our organization, Doctors on Strike, and our message--your message.
I've now done six things in the last few days so I know you can do it, too. (Emailing you all give me extra credit!)
Dr. Gregory L. Garamoni
Licensed Psychologist
Founder & Executive Director, Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
904-631-3939
www.doctorsonstrike.com
www.drgaramoni.com
garamoni@gmail.com
What can we do at this point?
I encourage everyone to DO SIX THINGS IN SIX DAYS to protect individual rights against the onslaught of statism:
1. Compose a message that reflects your position on the importance of protecting the rights of doctors and patients, freedom of choice, and fiscal responsibility in healthcare reform, in general, and objections to specific provisions, in particular, including the public option, mandates that force individuals to buy insurance coverage, mandates that force employers to provide insurance coverage, surcharges that force some groups to pay for the healthcare of other groups, mandates that force doctors to participate in public plans (examples of messages of varying length are provided at http://www.doctorsonstrike.com...)
2. Call or email or fax your legislators to communicate your message by using Project Vote Smart to get the contact information on your legislators (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com...)
3. Call or email the the leadership or individual members of the Blue Dog Coalition (an influential group of fiscally conservative democrats who may have the power to defeat ObamaCare) whose contact information is provided here (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com...).
4. Sign these three online petitions (you can find others on the web):
Protect Doctor-Patient Rights (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com...)
Patients First (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com...)
Free Our Health Care Now (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/ freeourhealthcare.html).
5. Make a YouTube video of yourself reciting “The Trader’s Oath” that I included in the Doctors Declaration of Independence (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/declaration/declaration.html):
“I swear by my life, and my love of it, that as a doctor, as a patient, as a human being, I will forever defend the right of every doctor, every patient, every human being to be treated as a trader among traders, not a slave under masters, nor a master over slaves.”
6. Get as many of your friends, family, and acquaintances to do these same things (email them a copy of this).
Our website (www.doctorsonstrike.com) provides resources to help you do these things.
The KEY here is to have an "implementation intention" -- a plan as to when and where you are going to which of these things. A review of studies by Dr. Peter Gollwitzer shows that people who do this are much more likely to do what they intended when they had an implementation intention (e.g, breast self-exams were done more frequently by women who were asked to think through where and when they would do the exam than by women who simply intended to do a self-exam; extra credit projects over Christmas break were done more frequently by college students who decided where and when they would do the project than by students who just intended to do a project. )
So, yes, psychologists often demonstrate what is commonsense: The road to healthcare hell is paved with good intentions that don't have an implementation plan!
So when and where are you going to do these SIX THINGS IN SIX DAYS to protect your rights as a patient and those of your doctors?
PS. Just this week, the fascists who dominate House Ways and Means Committee, marking up the Health bill:
Rejected 25-15 an amendment from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that would have eliminated the public plan option;
Rejected 22-19 amendment from Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) that would have prevented providers from being forced to participate in the public plan;
Rejected 21-18 an amendment from Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) that would have required members of Congress and their dependents to enroll in the public plan option;
Rejected 21-19 an amendment from Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) that would have based payment rates on the private market, rather than on Medicare;
Rejected 26-15 an amendment by Rep. Wally Herger (R-Calif.) that would have prevented comparative effectiveness research from being used to deny care based on cost.
(Source: John Goodman’s Health Policy Blog at http://www.john-goodman-blog.c....)
This statist crap should convince you that we really are in a war--one we cannot afford to loose. We are all doctors and patients now. We can be allies. I am contributing some intellectual and political ammunition. Grab some ammo, spread some around to your friends and family, and fire off your message to Congress.
I am asking for your support by spreading the word about our organization, Doctors on Strike, and our message--your message.
I've now done six things in the last few days so I know you can do it, too. (Emailing you all give me extra credit!)
Dr. Gregory L. Garamoni
Licensed Psychologist
Founder & Executive Director, Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
904-631-3939
www.doctorsonstrike.com
www.drgaramoni.com
garamoni@gmail.com