Medical students wary of the future - concern over Bill Clinton's health care reform proposals that may limit number of specialists

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Dec 27, 1993 | by Gayle Hanson

"The Clinton plan is going in the wrong direction," says Matthews. "The two primary pillars of our medical system are informed consent and patient autonomy. You go to your patient and explain the options and then you let them decide. And they may decide against something that you recommend. Under the Clinton health plan that element will be removed. The person controlling the money will be the person controlling the process."

Recalls Bertanyi: "When I first started medical school our class was told that things were going to change dramatically and that no one knew exactly what was going to happen. So the gestalt of my class has been to support the plan. We've always been told to expect change. But I worry about who is going to speak for the children. Older folks have a very powerful lobby, but who speaks for the children? The way things are done right now, you don't have to ask about what something is going to cost. You just provide the best medicine you can. I hope we don't lose that."