Save American Medicine and Save Your Own Life

By Zane F Pollard, MD

I have long been quietly watching this health care debate in our country from the sidelines. Once again, I feel compelled to get in the mix and explain the viewpoint of a physician working on the inside and dealing with the frustrations of governmental medicine. Approximately 48% of all children in the state of Georgia under the age of 16 are on Medicaid. As a pediatric ophthalmologist practicing in Atlanta, I see quite a number of Medicaid patients each day. In the past two years, I saw two Medicaid patients under the age of one, both of whom presented with Horner's Syndrome of the left eye. This syndrome is characterized by a droopy eyelid with a small pupil as compared to the uninvolved eye. People come to the ophthalmologist thinking something is wrong specifically with the eye. Actually, this syndrome is often associated with Neuroblastoma, a malignant tumor which involves the paravertebral sympathetic nervous system chain. As a pediatric ophthalmologist, I know that this tumor can occur in the chest.... (Read Full Article)