Tonight, my wife and I went out and had our first dinner & movie date since before our daughter was born well over a year ago.We saw Sicko. This is the third Michael Moore film I've seen, and it was the best of the three.
I'm going to be brief about this: I feel disappointed in and embarrassed for my country right now. Yes, like all Moore films that I've seen, it is one-sided, and prone to oversimplification and hyperbole. But also like all of his films that I've seen, there is enough substance to his argument to be both compelling and impossible to ignore.
I can't pretend to know the best solution for health care in this country. I'm going to wager that it will probably not be exactly the same as what works for other countries. But I am certain of two things. One, there is a very real and very serious problem here, and it is completely unacceptable. And two, we as a country have a moral obligation to fix it.
...I won't let my politics become a regular intrusion on my postings here, as I know that's not why you folks come here. But at the same time, part of the reason I have this blog is so that I can have a voice about things I care about. So I'm going to go ahead and be off topic this time. Future posts will be back to focusing on hacking and slashing. Mostly.
Oh, Politics!
ReplyDeleteThe UK health system is not quite as good as it looks to outsiders.
On average every man woman and child pays about $3500 a year in tax to finance it. Waiting lists can be long even for simple things, staff moral is low and cleanliness is often poor, resulting in a higher level of infections. New advances in medicine often take many years to become available, and some are excluded from issue due to cost.
Being the second largest non-military employer in the world, the NHS has a massive admin overhead, so a lot of the money earmarked for the NHS is absorbed by bureaucracy.
Having said that, last time I was in the 'States I went to go to a clinic for a cut that had become inflamed. The clinic was clean with efficient staff, and I was seen very promptly.
However, it cost me over $300 for a ten minute consolation and prescription. At that cost I could defiantly see many people without insurance opting or being forced not to take treatment.
So I don't think either system is perfect. An NHS style system certainly isn't the Panacea though (pun intended). Hopefully a fairer and more efficient way can be found.
And now, back to modding...
Any move toward nationalized health care would be at the expense of the yet-undeveloped treatments financed by the much-complained-of cost of pharmaceuticals now. (Other countries free ride on the US by price controls backed by the threat of patent-breaking.)
ReplyDeleteOur moral obligation is not to abandon our children and future generations by making this short-sighted tradeoff.
Lorft, thanks for the insights. On balance, it seems like it would be worth the cost. We don't pay a whole lot less in insurance premiums each year, and the benefits are less. Also, here in Phoenix, we have similar problems with morale, and the wait at our emergency rooms is typically on the order of 3-4 hours. At least, those are my anecdotal experiences after dealing with a (thankfully fairly minor) set of medical problems with my wife and daughter over this past year. And cleanliness is also an occasional problem.
ReplyDeleteFlem, with all due respect, given the number of uninsured or underinsured people (including children) in this country, I think we've already abandoned them. That argument has been made time and time again, but I frankly just don't buy it any more. If people can't get the treatments they're developing, what's the point?
-B
Waiting times for Emergancy rooms seem much the same then. It is of course dependent on what has happened during the day. Clinics for basic consultation are also reasonably fast, although most only operate in working hours so you will require half a day absence from work.
ReplyDeleteWhere the real wait is for analysis. Simple things like a scan or blood-test can take months to firstly get a slot for the test and then get the results. Specialist operations can involve waiting for years. Life threatening conditions are treated much faster, but diagnosis of the condition may be slow if not immediately obvious.
The NHS is somewhat overburdened. Part of the issue is that because it is perceived as 'free' many people visit the clinics with inappropriate ailments like small cuts or a common cold. For the same reason, many also miss appointment times which ruin hospital schedules. Much worse are those that abuse the 'free' care after frequent drug or drink related escapades, but they must still be treated.
The situation is such that many above average earners also purchase private healthcare to avoid the massive wait times and potential for infection within the NHS hospitals.
I think some sort of Hybrid system where the government contributes towards health-care costs but does not pay the full amount (dependent on income) may be the way forwards. The NHS and 'free' healthcare is so entrenched in public opinion over here though, that I fear it must lapse into deep crisis before any move towards improvement is made.
Lorft
The NHS is somewhat overburdened. Part of the issue is that because it is perceived as 'free' many people visit the clinics with inappropriate ailments like small cuts or a common cold. For the same reason, many also miss appointment times which ruin hospital schedules. Much worse are those that abuse the 'free' care after frequent drug or drink related escapades, but they must still be treated.
ReplyDeleteThat, in hindsight, isn't surprising, and sounds like a problem that needs solving. But it's solvable--I don't see why a fine for missing an appointment would be unreasonable, for example. The police in my area fine you if your house alarm sends more than one false alarm in a year...
Like I said in my post, I don't know what the best solution is going to be in my country. But it's clear to me that some level of quality medical care needs to be available to everyone, at an affordable cost for their means. I have no problem with allowing people with greater means to supplement their care with private enterprise. But there needs to be a basic level of care. -j
I have now lived in London, Calgary, and various points in the US and 3rd world, including several 'worker's paradise' style communist countries like Cuba.
ReplyDelete1. I would NOT want to live in the US without excellent medical insurance. Fortunately, in the US I can (and did) choose an employer based on that and other benefits.
2. I would NOT want to live in the UK/Canada if I had cancer or any malady that required extensive tests or experimental treatment. My friend in Calgary was occupied this week with driving his mother 5 hours to a neighboring city for a simple CAT scan. His suspicion is that she will die before her name comes up in the queue for treatment. They are having a hard time coming to terms with the idea that 'scheduling' is the difference between her life and death.
3. Mr. Moore's comparisons to Cuba's health program were frankly insulting to anyone who has traveled in that part of the world. His claims are patently untrue for 99% of the population.
Conclusion: I think that the US and UK/Commonwealth are converging on a single solution from opposite directions: a tiered solution of socialized basic care with a private-insurance based upper tier. I would favor providing a certain basic level of care to everyone with the option open to pay for additional care.
The only question then is where do you draw the line on that 'basic care' option, knowing that you will condemn some to shorter, harder lives because of their economic status.
Berliad - thanks for the blog and the mods. You really make a difference to the NWN2 community!
Just trying to provide a point of reference from a country where we have universal care to show some of the pitfalls.
ReplyDeleteEsscencailly I agree with you on the need for some form of affordable health care for all, although being a resident of another country it is of course none of my business :)
Posting counterpoints to views is unfortunately one of my bad habits (especially in politics). Think of me as one of those annoying TN characters always changing sides to try and maintain a balance.
See, I even brought us back on topic for D&D ;)
Just trying to provide a point of reference from a country where we have universal care to show some of the pitfalls.
ReplyDeleteOh, absolutely, I really appreciated your comments on this, as you have a perspective that we have a hard time getting first-hand in the states!
@Darke
The only question then is where do you draw the line on that 'basic care' option, knowing that you will condemn some to shorter, harder lives because of their economic status.
I guess in some senses one could argue that "free clinics" around here do offer some basic level of medical care. I think the bar should be a bit higher, of course...
But some hybrid approach is probably the most practical thing here in the US. John Kerry's proposal seemed like a good first step, at least on the surface. It'll be interesting to see what gets proposed in next year's presidental primaries/elections.
Thanks also for your kind words!!
...ok, now it's time to go hack up some goblins or something. -B