I recently received this email:

"Dear Dr. Grumpy,

I hope you are doing fine. As you know my family is due for our cleanings and I've got some other tooth problems that I want to have taken care of.

The problem is it looks like you are not participating in our Delta prefferred plan because of that we have to pay a lot out our pockets. I know I feel sad but there is no other way other than going to a Delta preferred plan participating dentist.

Please let me know if there is any other way out.

Thank you

Sincerely

Peter P. Oppenheimer"

I feel for this guy. He has chosen to pay for dental insurance that his employer picked because it was the cheapest. It limits his choice to a list of dentists who are O.K. with a capped fee schedule. This particular plan doesn't cover my overhead so I don't participate with it.

The problem that I have with the email is what it says about the patient's beliefs. What we (and by we, I mean "we the people") seem to believe about health care has really devalued the doctor/patient relationship. Also, we seem to hope that our employer or government makes better choices about our health than we do.

I've run the email through my patented "common sense translator" and came up with this:

"Dear Dr. Grumpy,

I hope you are doing fine. As you know my family is due for our cleanings and I've got some other tooth problems that I want to have taken care of.

The problem is that I care less about having a dentist that I know and trust than I do about paying as little as possible for my care.  Since all dentists and doctors are the same I might as well pay as little as possible.  It looks like you are not participating in our Delta prefferred plan and since I'm only interested in services my insurance covers completely I'm happy to throw you under the bus.  I want you to think it troubles me so that maybe you'll join up and take the hit so all of my dental care is "free" but there is no other way that I'm willing to consider other than going to a Delta preferred plan participating dentist.

Please let me know if you'll take it in the shorts for me since you care more about my health than I do.

Thank you

Sincerely

Peter P. Oppenheimer"

Now what am I really going to say to this email?  I'm going to thank him for his candor, explain that I understand his position and that I can recommend a dentist off of the list for him if he would like. 

A system which involves a third party payor has complicated an already complicated system.  "Health care as a right" has damaged the way people view their health and how health care is delivered to a point where they cannot see reality.

Anyone who needs to use my "common sense translator" needs only to email me at grumpy@thegrumpydentist.com.  The cost is nominal, as long as I take your plan.