In the current debate over Obamacare, the Republicans keep emphasizing an issue which is irrelevant to those of us in rural areas- the ability to choose a doctor.

Paul Ryan seem to think that those of us outside the major urban areas actually HAVE a choice. Most of us don’t.  I’ve been waiting since January to see an orthopedic surgeon here and won’t see him/her till May. By that time will my January MRI even be useful?

And for the record, when I DID live in the  Bay Area and was on Blue Shield, I did NOT pick the best doctors.  I picked the only doctor in town who was treating allergies with steroid shots.  Bad pick.  Eventually,   I got on Kaiser and spent 25 years on it.  No “doctor choice” unless you absolutely loathed your doctor, but I got excellent healthcare anyway.  Once I moved back here,  I was on Health Net (“Hell Net”) and Blue Shield but the choices kept shrinking.  Now I’m on Medicare, and will be going to Eureka Family Practice for the rest of my life, I guess, because who else is taking new patients?  Up here you’re lucky to HAVE a doctor; shopping around is a fantasy.

Someone tell that to Paul Ryan.

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