America is in the middle of a great struggle for its soul. Today’s battleground is healthcare in which we as a nation of people must chose between two roads — one good and the other evil. Find out were you stand.
Here’s the way I see it:
America is being tested. The forces of evil seek to maintain a system that allocates healthcare on the basis of profit (their profit), thus favoring with well-being and longevity, individuals with greater wealth. The forces of good are those who seek to transform our system into one in which everyone in our tribe contributes to the cost of healthcare that is allocated on the basis of need.
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Already back in the early 70′s America’s health-care system was seen as the expression of a cruel and un-enlightened society by many Europeans. Nothing has changed since then.
Here is a little piece I wrote about it on the European/American Blog: “If It’s Broken, Should We Fix It?”
Madeleine,
I am delighted that you stopped by my blog and had a look. How did you come out on the quiz? Were you good, evil or stupid? Ha ha!
I read your blog article and agree entirely. Healthcare is not a TV. Belief in amoral “market forces” might be tolerable when it comes to footing the bill for toothbrushes and TV but those “forces” have no place in the allocation of healthcare for those who are sick, disabled, in pain or at risk of dying.
I have seen the healthcare system in Europe first hand. There are some good things and some bad things and I think that at this point the US would have a great opportunity to define a healthcare system that combines the good pieces and turns them into a system other countries would like to have.
Right now the healthcare systems are under attack all over the world with cost exploding. As long as drug makers can drive up prices and provide incentives for doctors to prescribe “their” drug and not the cheaper, but equally good alternative there is no chance to implement a good healthcare system anywhere.
So there are some bad things about European healthcare systems? Even an imperfect system is better than one that entirely relies on entirely on individual resources to provide health care. Surely there is no “freedom and liberty” in being allowed to die in the gutter because you don’t have enough money in your account to pay for treatment. P.S Yes, did the test and declared moral!
Anne, Last I checked you can go into an emergency room right now and be treated whether you have the ability to pay or not.
Gary is correct in stating that emergency rooms are obliged to see patients and at least stabilize them regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. Having said that, it’s also true that unexpected illness caused (in 2007) 62% of all personal bankruptcies (source, Bloomberg news http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2009/db2009064_666715.htm)
As a physician I can tell you our medical care system is utterly broken. It’s no secret that 30% or what is done in medicine is either unnecessary or harmful. Despite devoting over 17% of our GDP to medical care we, in the US, perform abysmally on broad measures of health compared to other nations who spend much less.The profit incentive must be taken out of providing care.
Well said Frank! To say that profits and healthcare don’t mix should be no more controversial than saying oil and water don’t mix.
BTW – Some great photos of human beings on your website!