The Blue Cotton Gown was a great quick read. The story of a woman who was a hippie in the 1960s and 1970s who lived on communes and became a nurse-midwife was very unique. Patricia Harman lived an unusual life and encountered a lot of women from all kinds of different backgrounds.
She and her husband left commune life and started a private practice in West Virginia. However, the malpractice insurance became so expensive that they had to stop delivering babies. There was no way they could have turned a profit with the huge insurance premiums. And even after cutting delivery services they were having a hard time turning a profit.
How do small medical practices make money with the way big insurance companies keep cutting how much they pay out for visits and services? I never thought about this. But this explains why so many small medical practices have gone out of business. And why large corporate medical practices and institutions have taken over. It’s funny we see these changes taking place around us, but we often do not think about them.
I much prefer small businesses. But within my lifetime I have seen the world go from mostly small business to mostly corporations. This has happened because small businesses cannot compete with corporations and make money and/or profits. Even knowing all this it did not really make sense or seem real until I read this memoir and saw the situation through Patricia’s eyes. Everyone has to make a living. Even if they are doing what they love. Especially, if they are doing what they love. Wouldn’t you want to be rewarded for pursuing your calling and doing a service to humanity?
People should be rewarded for making the world a better place, one life at a time. At least they should not be held back from making a living. Funny how we call work, making a living. Because a lot of us are so caught up in work we never remember to actually live. Which makes sense of why people should be rewarded for doing what they love and what they are good at.
I bet the small medical private practice in West Virginia that Patricia and her husband started is no longer operating. I bet most small businesses that were open a decade ago are no longer open. I know you believe this is allowing you to purchase goods and services at cheaper prices. But maybe all it really is doing is limiting your options to make a living as we call it?!? What do you think?
I highly recommend this book.