Comments on Health Populi: Must-see TV -- Critical Condition: four very perso...

Hi Jane,Saw the show last night, really quite depr...

2008-10-01T13:10:00.000-04:00

Hi Jane,
Saw the show last night, really quite depressing. My wife had to get up and leave it was depressing her so much.

I stuck with it to the end, which ended on a high note, if you can call it that.

I'm not a fan of Universal Health and strongly believe that consumers need to do a better job of taking care of themselves first and foremost. Diseases/conditions that are the result of over-eating, smoking inactivity, etc. are something that the individual needs to take personal responsibility for and should not expect th public to bail them out. They made their bed.

But what happens to those that contract some terrible disease through no fault of their own, that is where I really struggle and something needs to be done to provide a safety net in such instances.

I am a registered nurse that works for one our are...

2008-09-30T22:46:00.000-04:00

I am a registered nurse that works for one our areas largest health care system. It is heartbreaking to see people in need of care not receive it. This country is designed for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer. Survival of the fittest. People in the U.S. must demand care and services for all citizens. Make health care reform and insurance for all your focus in November.

Antoine, thanks for your comment. "Universal" does...

2008-09-30T07:25:00.000-04:00

Antoine, thanks for your comment. "Universal" doesn't mean "Federal government" or "single payer" by definition. This is a common misconception, and I covered the distinction in a post about one year ago in Health Populi -- http://www.healthpopuli.com/2007/09/universal-health-care-american-style.html

After losing $1 trillion in the market yesterday, we all have a lot to worry about. Our future fiscal stability, and that for our kids, is truly in jeopardy. See Jacob Hacker's last book, "The Great Risk Shift," for more on that.

Ya, and breathing is fatal too. Did you know, ever...

2008-09-30T06:06:00.000-04:00

Ya, and breathing is fatal too. Did you know, everyone who has every breathed in air has either died or is going to?

Silly correlation.

A lot of people who are uninsured don't want to pay the high (and rising) cost of insurance. As for US healthcare prices, they're pushed up by: 1) the cost of insuring against tort lawyers; 2) the natural tendency to overcharge insurers; 3) regulation costs; 4) lack of foreign competition (not enough newcomers to force the established firms to keep on their toes) and 5) the lack of competition from low-cost alternatives to private insurance (can't the labor unions provide friendly society benefits to members like they did to millions of people in England before 1911? hey I'd join!).

I know working people who are uninsured: they're young, they figure that $5,000 a year for a service they might not need is a bad use of their funds and the ER is a safety net. If the unused money for this year could count towards future premiums so that as one got older the natural increase in premium rates was kept in check, health insurance would be a lot more attractive. I know people who refuse to pay because they won't be able to afford coverage when they're older "better invest for long-term care."

"Universal" i.e. federal government provided healthcare will be more expensive, if provided by private contractors (because they'll overcharge and gold plate even more) or it will be much worse (no pesky customers to be accountable to).

In the UK, the new cancer drugs are not available for NHS patients, despite paying 9% extra income tax. If a patient DARES pay out of pocket, she is denied ANY care by the NHS. Let's be clear: the patient STILL PAYS 9% and GETS NO TREATMENT.

Of course, articulate wealthier people can use lawyers and get what they want, but this means more cuts for those unable to hire lawyers.

Add that to the inequality of service from one area to another, and anyone who concludes that USA needs our NHS is living in a parallel universe. Tort lawyers paradise, hell for the rest of us: I watch ER and wish UK hospitals were that uncrowded.