In many ways it is sad that “House” went off the air. While I know the producers, writers, etc. wanted to go out on top or at least close to it, the sad reality is that it also signifies our loss of hope.
“House” was to the medical care debate what “Star Trek” was to the Cold War. Think about it. “Star Trek” gave us hope, and later cell phones, ION propulsion, and a lot of other cool things. During a time when the nightly news was talking about our imminent destruction, here was a show envisioning how the world would be when we came out the other side of our current abyss. There was a Russian and an Asian doing navigation and weapons. An Irishman keeping things running. A black woman not only running communications but fifth in command of the greatest star ship our planet had produced. We had a Vulcan that was second in command and symbolizing the additional alien cultures which would join our little melting pot and prosper.
Let’s face it. Most people are scared of our health care system. Unless you happen to have the same insurance policy we tax payers provide those elected officials in DC, you aren’t going to get Dr. House and you know it. You aren’t going to get someone who gives you all of the meds and treatment you need without a care in the world about how who pays for it. At best, most of us will get Dr. Make-No-Waves Employee. As long as you have something simple that is easy to diagnose and standard treatments work 100% of the time on, you will be alright. Trouble is, when you are finally sick enough to go to the hospital, “simple” is the last thing on your mind.
Simple has changed quite a bit. Back when I had my appendix out, it was still considered somewhat risky. Today you will probably get a medical student performing the surgery with someone looking over their shoulder once in a while. Why? The surgery has become almost as routine as jumping jacks and sit-ups are to exercise. Ask around and you won’t find many people who aren’t willing to believe that in five to ten years there will simply be this robotic conveyor line they put us on where we come out the other side with our appendix/gall bladder removed and the drainage tube inserted. Those surgeries have simply become that common.
Twenty years ago I could count on one hand the number of people I knew over 50 who had underwent open heart surgery. Today, even taking off my shoes and socks won’t yield enough digits to count them all. Many of you have probably come to the same realization.
You will find many “experts” touting various reasons we live so long now. The simple explanation is that twenty years ago we had doctors and surgeons who were a lot like House, just with less ass in their personality. When standard treatment didn’t work they would toss the rule book out and do anything to keep us alive. Out of that “try anything” mentality came many of the wonders we now take for granted.
“House” gave us hope. The simple hope that doctors like him still existed. Hope that when we were wheeled into ER with something standard treatment didn’t work on he would be waiting in the wings recognizing we had a condition which had only been reported three times in history and the treatment for it. Let’s be honest. When you are the one dying, you don’t give a rat’s ass whether or not the AMA has sanctioned the treatment which will/could save your life.
Thanks to the Republicans we sent to Washington, ObamaCare got gutted, we lost hope, and “House” is off the air. Those who participated in the gutting of our national health care bill should remember one thing. “Star Trek” came back and was bigger than ever. The clock is ticking and who is to say the script writers aren’t already at their keyboards.
