The Argument for Separation

[merrylander]

It occurs to me that I am now less than a year away from Dad's age when he died and it was all so unnecessary. This was before Single Payer in Canada and the health care system was about as bad as here. Hospitals were cutting corners and hiring staff from third world places.

Dad was in for prostate surgery and in a semi-private room. My brother and I stopped by to see how he was doing and found him fevered and delerious. I demanded to see the on-duty intern and told him I wanted a privste room and full time nurse. Trying to get any sign of intelligence out of the staff was like pulling teeth.

My Mom went in to see him the next day, she called and said if I wanted to see him alive I had better get in there. Now the police are never there when you want one, I broke every damn speed limit on the way in, an escort would have helped.

Dad's heart was excellent, his sixty year old family doctor claimed it was in better shape than his. A blood clot had come loose and blocked a pulmonary artery. His heart blew that away and he was resting when it struck again and this time for good. No doctor had the foresight after the first blockage to gve him Heparin.

Believe me, Single Payer saw the biggest turn around in the quality of healthcare we had ever seen - all for the better.

In case you wonder why I support it.

[Fast_Eddie]

Originally Posted by merrylander

Believe me, Single Payer saw the biggest turn around in the quality of healthcare we had ever seen - all for the better.

Oh come on Rob. We all know private industry is more efficent than the government.

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by Fast_Eddie

Oh come on Rob. We all know private industry is more efficent than the government.

Financially speaking, mebby so. But it's only because they can stretch a penny until it's copper wire, or cut corners until all you're doing is running in circles.

Personally, when it's me on the table I want no corners cut and no expense spared. You?

Dave

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

Financially speaking, mebby so. But it's only because they can stretch a penny until it's copper wire, or cut corners until all you're doing is running in circles.

Personally, when it's me on the table I want no corners cut and no expense spared. You?

Dave

Yet we here spend double per capita than what the other industrialized contries do. And all in the wrong way. I was reading an article in WaPo this morning by a geriontologist. He noted that an eye, ear, nose and throat specialist gets more from Medicare for cleaning out ear wax than he gets for a twenty minute consultation with a senior patient. All this skewing of values is because the AMA "helps" Medicare set rates - right!

I am convinced that our society given the opportunity could screw up the Lord's Prayer.