I'm a general internist. I've been practicing medicine at the OU Health Sciences Center for seventeen years. Readers of my blog know that I support the Obama Health Plan. 

Eager to know if my patients are similarly enthusiastic about the plan, I decided to canvass their opinions. Oklahoma is a conservative state that tends to resist change. It is also a poor state with a high prevalence of uninsured citizens. Thus, social and economic forces push the state in opposite directions. 

To avoid selection bias, I asked ten consecutive patients (singles and couples, insured and uninsured) what they thought of Obama's plan. Here are their responses.

One month into their marriage, the Lassiters have no insurance. Harold works at the car wash and Gretschen waits tables at Bob's Fried Fixings. Both are in good health, but with triplets on the way, they're concerned about obstetrical costs. With an eye toward the future, they support the Obama plan, though they know it won't cover the "special" needs of their soon-to-be "special" children.  

Jane Studer has schizophrenia and is covered by Medicaid. When asked about the Obama plan, she says she will support it only if it covers Melodya, an expensive drug that gets rid of hallucinations. When told that Melodya is not a real medicine but a figment of her psychotic mind, she asked if Sotomayor has the authority to bring reruns of Love Boat to NBC.

Bubba Mason, a tattoo artist, contracted hepatitis C "from a dirty toilet" twenty years ago. He supported the Obama plan at first, thinking it would cover a liver transplant, but when told that drinking a gallon of rum daily  would preclude him from surgery under any plan, he became combative and flicked off the nurse.

Elizabeth Wortham is president of the orchestra league and has "good insurance" through her husband, a vice-president at Bank of Oklahoma. She is stunned that politicians want to change "the greatest health care system in the world." Though she is not opposed to universal coverage "in principle," she's noticed a few "brown faces" in her dermatologist's clinic and is worried that Obama's plan will do nothing to "stem the tide."

Bobby Matheson is uninsured. He's been hospitalized several times for complications of glue sniffing. When asked about the Obama plan, he said, "My only concern is that..." And before completing the sentence, his head drooped, his eyes rolled, and emergency resuscitation was initiated.

Eleanor Whiteglove is a librarian with diabetes and hypertension. A supporter of Fred Thompson during the 2008 presidential primary, she fears a govern-ment takeover of Medicare and Social Security. Though not usually active in politics, she began volunteering at the local GOP office when she learned that Obama wants to bury old people alive and give their belongings to the blacks. 

Roy and Britney Jenkins want the government out of their lives. They despise Obama because he supports racial integration and Adult Protective Services. Though they lost their insurance before Roy's last brush with the law, Britney continues to receive excellent care in the ER every time she injures her eye on the nightstand.

Jay Marquez, a longtime Hillary supporter, is doing his best to advance the Obama plan. A Medicaid recipient, he has contacted his congressman, written to friends, and vowed to solicit support door-to-door once his "thyroid problem" subsides.

Leroy Cooper, the owner and cook at Joe's Cajun Grill, pays "through the nose" for Blue Cross/Blue Shield. When asked about the Obama plan, he replied, "I'd kiss that black muthafucka's ass if he'd give me a mutha-fuckin' dental plan."

Lisa Longview, an attendant at the bowling alley, is currently uninsured. Recently divorced and nearing the end of a complicated pregnancy, she refuses to support a president who hates the unborn. She recently "expressed" her views at a town hall meeting in Ardmore.

Marty Stevenson was caught in the crossfire at the town hall meeting in Ardmore. At first ambivalent about the Obama plan, he has since had a "come to Jesus" moment.

Marty's wife, horrified at the sight of her disfigured husband, chased an anti-Obama guy into the parking lot, tackled him and, while avulsing his arm, screamed, "Insure THIS, you fascist asshole!"

Meanwhile, Marty's cat, excited by the violence and disturbed by the lack of provisions for feline health, went ballistic and ended the town hall meeting on a gruesome note.