Recently on an internal company mailing list, a coworker asked for recommendations for a primary care physician. From a list of perhaps hundreds of members, there was only one response. It wasn’t a recommendation but a cynical “good luck.” His doctor “sucks,” he says. The surprising thing is that no one seemed to disagree.
I shop for a doctor the way I shop for a greeting card: I look for the one that’s the least terrible. There’s always a long wait to become a new patient with a doctor and once you do there’s no guarantee you’ll like that doctor. Many I’ve seen would rather pull out the prescription pad than spend any time figuring out what’s really wrong. Medical knowledge has continued to increase but so has the depersonalization of the patient. How did healthcare get so broken?
I’m still griping about my health insurance premiums going up considerably – not because I’m not healthy but because I have the gall to actually use my health coverage. What if as a patient I was instead rewarded for taking care of issues before they became bigger ones? Wouldn’t that be in everyone’s best interest?
Yessiree, America has the best healthcare in the world. Keep telling yourself that until it seems true. Even when you’re “lucky” enough to have coverage the best you can hope for is something that doesn’t suck.
I’d recommend Village Family Medicine (vilfam.com) and my doctor if your coworker is still looking.
http://www.vilfam.com/physicians.html
The Auto Industry wouldn’t be in the MESS they’re in if we had socialized medicine … the country would be so better off with it!!!
When someone says that the U.S. is the best country I always wonder how we could even be in the running the way we treat our people.
My health insurance premium is going up 30% effective next month’s paycheck.
Is it going to get 30% better? I think not.
My job ends on Friday. There is some question that the company will be around after a month; so, cobra will not be available. One person on the “alumni” forum is claiming that unemployment is not being paid…
In a true free market we’d re-enact the riot scene at the end of the Frankenstein move. Have you looked at the cost of non-employer subsidized health care?
I can’t imagine how socialized medicine could be worse.
Mark,
As a libertarian, why do you want to give the gov’t so much control over your finances and life via socialized medicine? Isn’t this the same gov’t that cannot account for the $350 billion “given” to the banking industry?
The way I see it, get the gov’t out of the health care business and price goes down while quality goes up. Introduce the market to health care.
Please give me an example of a massive gov’t program that works efficiently.
While there are many things I like about libertarianism, I am not a libertarian.
That said, the costs of health care have risen just fine without the government being in it. If the market is doing anything, it certainly isn’t lowering prices.
As for government programs that work well, how about your local police and fire departments? Professionally-trained, selfless individuals there. And what about your local library? Like to read? Those books are provided by your government.
And who taught you to read? Chances are that was a government-supported school. It didn’t do such a bad job educating you, did it?
How do you like being able to hop in your car and be at the beach or mountains in a matter of hours? You can thank your federal and state departments of transportation for building us some fine roads.
And who keeps those roads safe from Russian invasion? No, not Patrick Swayze, the Department of Defense, that’s who. Its a massive organization doing a pretty amazing job keeping us safe from harm, all at a fraction of what it would cost as a business. Just look at what those contractors in Iraq charge for doing the same job as the regular army guys.
And who delivers your Netflix copy of Red Dawn? The U.S. Postal Service! Our government-run postal service delivers millions of letters and packages a day for a fraction of what private shippers charge.
Come to think of it, this socialized stuff ain’t so scary after all.
Mark – Libertarians have no issue with the government doing the bare necessities of running a country: defense, police, fire departments, etc.
We do have a problem with getting into anything that’s not required, like health care, libraries, schools, etc.
The USPS hasn’t been “government-run” in years, though it’s chartered by the feds.
I should have clarified, I was talking about the federal gov’t. Local gov’t does an excellent job of police, fire and rescue. Although, I imagine the larger the organization, the more waste and corruption. Are libraries state or federally run? (I am asking because I don’t know, not trying to be a smarta$$)
Our road system is probably 2nd to none around the world. Having said that, is there anyplace to trim some fat from these organizations?
Department of Defense: You veterans and current military personnel are awesome. I wish I had been in the military in some capacity.
Look at the massive programs the feds control. Fanny and Freddie are a good example of the feds in control of HUGE amounts of $$ without much accountability. You think health care is expensive now, just wait until it is free!!
The USPS gets paid to send letters/packages around the world. Citizens willingly use the USPS. No one has ever put a gun to my head and told me I had to pay the USPS. I can use UPS, FedEx, DHL…etc.
It’s time for everybody to watch Michael Moore’s brilliant film “SICKO” again.