I awoke with a start this morning with an image of my late father, a physician, and suddenly I realized I had not put up the health care thread I had promised to many of the regulars on this blog. It’s not that I am not interested – I am very interested – it is just that the rush of political/media events that usually dominate this site has been particularly great.
We are supposed to be in the midst of a health care crisis, and I imagine we are, but it seems to me that we have been in one as long as I can remember. Still, the numbers of the uninsured continue to rise and those of us with insurance see our co-payments mounting into the stratosphere and our choices of care restricted. There must be a better way, but is there? I would like to think there is because I am one of those who believe that health care is or should be a basic human right – like universal education. Yet, I also know that if you are seriously sick today, for the most part you want to be in the good old USA where the quality of medicine is the best, not waiting on line for service in one of the societies with national health plans. (I have been in the position!) I further realize that most medical innovation comes from America or the dreaded, over-priced pharmaceutical companies, a product of the market. I want more of that innovation, better drugs, increased longevity. Who wouldn’t? It’s a conundrum.
Anyway, I am deliberately being brief to throw the discussion out to the commenters on this blog, many of whom – for personal, profession and scientific reasons – know far more about the subject than I do. Have at it.
UPDATE: This was not instigated by Kaus‘ importuning the blogosphere to get beyond Rathergate to other issues, which I read after writing this.
MORE: Patrick Lasswell ruminates on health here.
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