The American healthcare system is Dickensian: the best of times and the worst of times. Can it be fixed? Yes of course. We are the only advanced country extant that allows for-profit enterprises to control its healthcare system. Change the attitude towards that and progress will follow. This change though will likely occur long after our tickers and other parts have finally given up the ghost.
Rex, wishing you well as you recover from surgery. I agree with Al’s comment above about for profit entities controlling much of our health care system. I should mention that I am steadfast capitalist. However, the for profit priority among health insurance companies caused such problems as managed care, i.e. any specialist treatment had to be approved by one’s PCP. In reality, it caused delays, more paperwork, and more stress for both physicians and patients.
I'm with you on this. The principle of capitalism is right. But it is so distorted by the dynamics of healthcare -- the need for huge capital, the expectation of big compensation for many of the players, the political power of the insurance industry that dominates the healthcare system -- that I wonder if there's a solution apart from blowing it all up and substituting a single-payor system. I'm not smart enough to figure out this one.
Our health care programs are on life support. Yes, a complex issue but other countries have figured out how to get good services & prescription drugs free or at a fraction of the cost we pay in the USA. Firearms, immigration and other national issues will not be solved until civility and cooperation returns to our elected leaders. btw - I had a quintuple bypass 15+ years ago. We hope your recovery will be quick and successful.
Thanks, Ed. I think you are on-target there. Here's a question for you: Can you imagine how that civility might resurface? Would the withdrawal of Donald Trump from the political scene make a difference? I worry that he and the forces that brought us MAGAism (Gingrich, Big Money on the radical right) have permanently changed American politics. I'd like to imagine a hopeful path forward.
Thanks, Ned. It seemed as though my head cleared, finally, about 72 hours after the procedure. That anesthesia is potent! So I got to work, and that yielded the column. I'm mighty grateful for the great medical care, while being sad about the systemic failures that are so apparent these days whenever we intersect with the healthcare system.
The American healthcare system is Dickensian: the best of times and the worst of times. Can it be fixed? Yes of course. We are the only advanced country extant that allows for-profit enterprises to control its healthcare system. Change the attitude towards that and progress will follow. This change though will likely occur long after our tickers and other parts have finally given up the ghost.
Precisely, Al. Thank you. I worry that change will only follow a real breakdown of the system. Let's hope we get smarter sooner.
Heal quickly, Rex.
Rex, wishing you well as you recover from surgery. I agree with Al’s comment above about for profit entities controlling much of our health care system. I should mention that I am steadfast capitalist. However, the for profit priority among health insurance companies caused such problems as managed care, i.e. any specialist treatment had to be approved by one’s PCP. In reality, it caused delays, more paperwork, and more stress for both physicians and patients.
I'm with you on this. The principle of capitalism is right. But it is so distorted by the dynamics of healthcare -- the need for huge capital, the expectation of big compensation for many of the players, the political power of the insurance industry that dominates the healthcare system -- that I wonder if there's a solution apart from blowing it all up and substituting a single-payor system. I'm not smart enough to figure out this one.
Our health care programs are on life support. Yes, a complex issue but other countries have figured out how to get good services & prescription drugs free or at a fraction of the cost we pay in the USA. Firearms, immigration and other national issues will not be solved until civility and cooperation returns to our elected leaders. btw - I had a quintuple bypass 15+ years ago. We hope your recovery will be quick and successful.
Thanks, Ed. I think you are on-target there. Here's a question for you: Can you imagine how that civility might resurface? Would the withdrawal of Donald Trump from the political scene make a difference? I worry that he and the forces that brought us MAGAism (Gingrich, Big Money on the radical right) have permanently changed American politics. I'd like to imagine a hopeful path forward.
Impressive that you managed a new column under the operative circumstances. I think of that grit as an "upstate" quality!
Thanks, Ned. It seemed as though my head cleared, finally, about 72 hours after the procedure. That anesthesia is potent! So I got to work, and that yielded the column. I'm mighty grateful for the great medical care, while being sad about the systemic failures that are so apparent these days whenever we intersect with the healthcare system.