How American Health Care Killed My Father
Like every grieving family member, I looked for someone to blame for my father’s death. But my dad’s doctors weren’t incompetent—on the contrary, his hospital physicians were smart, thoughtful, and hard-working. Nor is he dead because of indifferent nursing—without exception, his nurses were dedicated and compassionate. Nor from financial limitations—he was a Medicare patient, and the issue of expense was never once raised. There were no greedy ... Full Story »
Posted by Walter Cox
Having dealt with and partially survived the byzantine tangle of health care systems and reimbursements in today's America (see: Mauled by a bear then Mauled by Blue Cross,) I fully support the establishment of a government-run Public Health Clinic system such as we had in the 1950's. Teaching hospitals are already set up for this and satellite physicians offices can provide follow-up and elective care on a competitive fee-for service basis. But prices must be standardized, and expectations for the publicly-reimbursed services lowered. A basic standard of care is necessary for the efficient functioning of a technological society, but the view that unlimited medical care is a "right" is unsustainable--particularly as Baby Boomers age and dodder en masse. Private insurance can still be available to cover elective, long-term, and upgraded medical services--as determined by actuarial underwriting, but sliding-scale co-pays for ALL services and medicines should be mandatory, as should minimum standards of personal responsibility. IE: if you're fat, sedentary, and smoke don't expect someone else to pay for your coronary bypass. Public policy should concentrate on training more nurses, doctors, and technologists, subsidizing their education in exchange for service (as in the military,) and providing financial incentives for better public health practices.