“Ask your doctor”…I would if I could

It really peeves me when media personalities and newscasters follow up every TV health report, no matter how banal, with “ask your doctor” or “talk to your doctor.” I don’t take issue with the fact that they’re recommending consulting experts, but with the use of the word “your.” This presumes that everybody watching the program is lucky enough to have health insurance, and in a country where nearly 46 million Americans (about 15 percent of the population) are currently uninsured, what is that saying? They’re alienating everyone in their audience for which seeing a doctor isn’t a viable option. And when it comes to daytime TV, the percentage is probably a lot higher, considering all the unemployed people who bide their time watching Dr. Phil and Oprah. As one of the uninsured, I wish we as a group were a little more visible…maybe then, universal health coverage would have a shot.