Firstly, in the West when we say we lack resources we are generally talking money. In Montenegro they are talking both volunteers and budget. They have trouble getting volunteers for two reasons: because they have a law that requires them to have contracts with “volunteers” and because volunteers are seen as weird and unusual. I thought to myself the very idea of having a contract with volunteers is counter to the concept of “volunteering.” And because few volunteer due to the cultural legacy of socialism and the state taking care of everything, those who do volunteer are seen as unusual. We in the U.S. have a culture of volunteerism that we teach at the youngest of ages. It seems normal but we should know that it is not the norm in the entire world.

Secondly, in the world of health, we have many celebrities and role models willing to step up and discuss their illnesses and diseases. In Montenegro I was told that people do not discuss their illnesses, sometimes even with their own family. They stay close to home until they are well and do not discuss their issues with anyone, let alone go to a support group. We are lucky that more and more, role models and celebrities are willing to discuss their illnesses and give of their time to educate others. In addition, we have a support group for almost every disease that exists. For example, many breast cancer patients will walk around proudly with a bald head and have a choice of support groups to attend. In Montenegro you generally would not see bald heads out in the street and no support groups exist. To me it is very sad that people who are sick, who need support the most, have very few people to turn to due to stigma of illness.

Thirdly, while we sometimes get frustrated with our government and wish the outcomes of projects were different, we generally know the rules of engagement with the government. There are laws that exist for comment periods after a proposed rule as well as clear timeframes are established for feedback from the government. In Montenegro, hard working NGOs can submit comments to the government on an issue and may never hear back or have their comments acknowledged. That seems very frustrating. We think it is normal to have all these rules set up to promote public engagement and prevent abuse by government, it is not. Transparency in the U.S. is generally the norm, not the exception.

But mostly what I had taken for granted, is that in the U.S. generally if you work hard, you can be successful regardless of your family or connections. They of course help but I know I control my own life path, not my heritage and family name. It never occurred to me that because I was born to a certain family that my prospects were limited. My parents gave me self confidence and an education, and then I set on my way to build my life. In Montenegro an education and confidence does not appear to be enough.

I left Montenegro feeling hopeful that they will fully embrace democracy, with all the good and the bad it brings. I have to remind myself it has taken many, many years for our government and society to evolve and I have no doubt that Montenegro will, it’s just a matter of time! The importance of time should not be taken for granted!

This is important to recognize as we grapple with health care reform. We must make sure that research dollars for new treatments are preserved and access to experimental drugs becomes a little easier. Yes it’s absolutely important for all Americans to have access to basic health care and current treatments, but let us all not forget that we must still keep working to find new therapies for all those illneses that do not have cures or for patients where the current treatments fail them. Only once we have these discoveries and treatments will we truly have universal health care.

While the legislation was being debated in the House, the administration was seemingly more focused on bipartisanship and reaching across the aisle than on convincing the public. While it’s valid to question whether media bias had a role in driving the focus on bipartisanship, at the end of the day, the Obama administration and Democrats on the Hill must take the lead in communicating the advantages of their legislation – and ensure their message reaches the American people.

Based on the flurry of network and cable interviews over the past 24 hours, it appears the administration has realized their error and recalibrated their message, along with their messengers. In an interview on Tuesday, Anderson Cooper asked the president on AC360 whether he’s “lost the message.” President Obama said no. Whether that is or isn’t the case remains to be seen.