The free-market system (which isn't so free due to government setting prices and what-not) is that of physicians, MD or DO... that's MD vs MD, MD vs DO, DO vs DO.
Really? How did you arrive at this conclusion? Any numbers to back this up?
Slippery slopes and conspiracy theories...
Yes, during the mid to late 90s there was a lot of speculation of a surplus of physicians on the horizon with fears of medicine going the way of law. I'm not sure I would attribute that to any conspiracy theory though. As far as healthcare costs and physician salaries, I'm not even sure that it was the workings of the AMA behind any changes we have seen either. If anything there a lot of physicians (MD/DO) out there working harder than ever but making less paper with more paperwork, many of whom who complain that the AMA has done very little or nothing for their cause. Overhead costs and cost of living continually go up while reimbursements basically stay the same. If anyone has gotten rich, it's been the insurance companies.
A LOT of hospitals have holes in their hulls... leaking money like mad while the ship sinks. Seriously, do you really think that hospitals flipping 100% or even most of the bill is realistically possible?
I appreciate a touch of idealism now and then for a bit of inspiration, but how can you be so sure of this philosophy without any decent exposure to it yet? Don't get me wrong, I am interested in what osteopathic medicine claims to offer, but I'm not 100% convinced either.
How much exposure have you had to clinical medicine? You speak of MDs as if they are only drug dispensing pill mill wannabee-tycoons hanging the shingle in rundown south Florida strip malls next to to-be-defunct video rental stores. (Is that Jay and Silent Bob over there?) Guess what? Most DOs also write scripts regularly because some drugs actually work!
Once you start taking some physiology classes, you'll start to see (and hopefully gain some appreciation for the fact) that pharmaceuticals play a necessary role. Are there physicians who just go straight to the pad and move on without much thought, except "NEXT!"? Yep, including a bunch of 5-fingered DOs.
A "holistic" approach (and I almost hate that word) does not necessarily entail the absence of medication; IMO it just refers to seeing the bigger picture- putting together the pieces of the puzzle to hopefully arrive at some understanding, being observant, and taking the whole patient- symptoms, story, emotions and all- into account while also utilizing the best that modern medicine has to offer. Ok, some maybe I'm being a bit idealistic now too, but this sounds more like something any good doctor would do. Not sure if the new-age tag of "holistic" is needed. Oh well. Point being, this is not an osteopathic thing... it's medicine thing.
While EVERY physician would love to get to the root of every pathology they encounter, it's quite likely that they won't and in order to help their patients have some peace of mind and actually feel better, symptoms need to be quelled, and a lot of the time, this will be in the form of medication. (Yeah, maybe it will OMT as well, or in lieu of). Their well-being is what matters and the means to accomplish this will vary according the circumstances at hand.
DO or MD, good docs will do this, and good teachers will instruct tomorrow's competent docs about how to go about doing this well. Future physicians need solid training in programs that can be trusted to be up to certain educational and training standards. (PERIOD). The rest is just political BS, including the agendas of any of the overseeing bodies mentioned earlier.
Like it or not, if it weren't for the ACGME, DO's would not be where they are today. There are a lot of solid DO's out there, representing your future degree well, many of whom wouldn't be in the position they are in today without the training they received in ACGME programs.
To sum it up, my point is that it really doesn't have to be this us against them mentality. It should be about good education and competent medicine. (<---- idealism!)