The doctor-patient relationship between President Obama and the nation: An analysis of the speech on health care reform given to Congress in 2009.

On September 9, 2009, President Obama addressed Congress on the illness from which the United States health care system has been suffering for decades. His speech on health care reform diagnosed the illness just as a physician would diagnose an illness of a patient. Obama observed the symptoms of rising medical costs, limited access to medical care, and declining quality of medical care and proposed a plan for reform which would treat the condition. In analyzing the speech, his relationship with the country is analogous to a doctor-patient relationship found in a clinical setting. The speech can also be read in the context of Arthur Frank's The Wounded Storyteller. In his work, Frank introduces three narratives that patients tell to reflect on their experiences with illness. The restitution, chaos, and quest narratives can be found in the narrative about the health care crisis told by President Obama and former Presidents who have attempted to treat the illness. The speech on health care reform reflects a quest narrative that Obama shares with the country to encourage the recovery of the health care system. Characterized by a transformation of the health care system, Obama's quest narrative demonstrated his belief that by treating the illness, the country would not only recover from the health care crisis but the journey through the course of the treatment would change the country for the better.