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Dear Science,
Most of the complaints about health care seem to be about how expensive things like pills are, not that they don't work. American health care seems the envy and leader of the world. So excuse me if I'm not thrilled about throwing this whole system out for some sort of socialized nightmare because some penniless losers can't earn a job. To the extent government-run health care works elsewhere, it's because of the better example from the United States.
Stranger Personals
Count Sneezinton
The most successful parts of the American health-care system are the socialized parts. Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals are responsible for caring for all military personnel for several years after they return from active duty. For injured vets, once they're in the VA, they're in for life. The VA maintains its own set of hospitals. The doctors, nurses, and everyone else are direct employees of the government. No insurance companies are involved; it's a pure single-payer socialized-medicine system. Dozens of experiments have been done in the past few years comparing these citizens under socialized care to their privately insured neighbors—with the VA (and therefore socialized medicine) universally coming out ahead. Patients in the VA system had lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and lower blood sugar than their privately insured doppelgängers. VA patients were three times as likely to have their colon cancer caught before it spread throughout the body.
The private insurance market works, but it selects for outcomes we really don't want. Private, particularly employer-based, health insurance is inherently episodic. Any one of us can be expected to bounce from plan to plan throughout our life. The goal of a private insurance company, in a market ruthlessly pushing for lower costs, is to avoid care with long-term benefits but short-term costs. The magic word here is turfing. When faced with someone sick, the private insurance system is strongly encouraged to pass him or her off in a sort of macabre game of hot potato ending finally at Medicare. The market's hand is strong—so strong that everyone in the U.S. health-care system, from lowliest clerk to nurse and doctor to mightiest administrator, all loathe sick people. Those with a complicated set of interconnected problems—or insidious but otherwise simple to treat problems like high blood pressure or cholesterol—are a plague to be avoided at all costs. To the extent that private health insurers succeed at anything, it's transmitting this feeling of financial loathing down the chain of the health-care system. The VA succeeds, in part, because the patients are there for life—starting in their early, not late, decades. In such a system, the incentives shift to long-term health maintenance. The public option, even if functioning as a sort of last-resort insurer, would have a similar dynamic and focus on keeping its patients as healthy as possible for decades. And that's why Science supports the public option.
Socializingly Yours,
Science
Send your science questions to dearscience@thestranger.com.
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1
~ THE FINE ART OF DENYING 45 MILLION AMERICANS HEALTH~CARE IN OUR JUDEO~CHRISTIAN NATION ~
WHAT IS THE CO$T SAVING$ FOR THIS GREAT WEALTHY COUNTRY OF OURS TO HAVE SILENT RELIGIOUS LEADERS WHO ALL HAVE HEALTH~CARE FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES AND........ AMERICAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS SILENCE IS MUCH MORE FRIGHTENING THEN THE POSSIBLE DENIAL OF A FUTURE HEALTH ~ CARE PLAN FOR ALL OUR TENS OF MILLIONS OF POORER AMERICANS ....
~ THE LOUD RANT OF SATAN WAS HEARD IN THE PEOPLES HALLS OF U.S. CONGRESS AND AMERICAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS HAVE TURNED THEIR HEADS,CLOSED THEIR EYES AND SHUT THEIR EARS IN FEAR ~
THIS OLD WORLD ORDER OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT OF OUR POORER AMERICANS NEEDS ENLIGHTENED POLITICAL MINDS AND HEARTS TO VIEW GOD DIFFERENTLY THEN $$$... NO MATTER WHAT THEIR POLITICAL PARTY AFFILIATION ???
WHEN WILL OUR WEALTHY ELITE AMERICANS ABATE THEIR ASSAULT ON POORER AMERICANS WITH THEIR MONETARY CONTROL OF OUR IVORY TOWER U.S. CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER ???
THERE ARE NOT MANY MORE DISTRACTIONS LEFT WHICH ARE AVAILABLE FOR OUR WEALTHY ELITE AMERICANS TO HIDE BEHIND IN NOT TAKING PROPER CARE OF ALL OUR AMERICANS IN A HUMANE FASHION !!!
RALPH NADER ATTEMPTED TO EDUCATE AMERICAN VOTERS ABOUT U.S. CORPORATE POWER IN AMERICA AND HOW THEY CONTROL OUR CONGRESSIONAL PEOPLE THROUGH THEIR POCKET BOOK (POLITICAL DONATIONS). *WITHOUT THE DOUGH $$$ THESE U.S. CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD DO NOT GET RE~ELECTED TO CONGRESS.*TO STAY IN POLITICAL OFFICE IN AMERICA,ONE HAS TO BARTER YOUR VOTES IN CONGRESS AND REPRESENT POWER INTERESTS IN RETURN FOR THE BUCK$.
**POORER AMERICANS HAVE NEVER HAD THE $$$ LOBBY TO INFLUENCE THIS CORRUPT POLITICAL CONCEPT (of horse trading political votes for political contributions) TO ACHIEVE PROPER HEALTH ~CARE OR LEGAL REPRESENTATION FOR ALL OUR MIDDLE ~ CLASS AND WORKING POOR AMERICANS. AMERICAN IVORY TOWER U.S.CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD HAVE PASSED FEDERAL LEGISLATION IN WASHINGTON DC TO SPEND 50 BILLION AMERICAN TAX $$$ ON THE INTERNATIONAL FIGHT AGAINST AIDS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS WHILE THEIR OWN AMERICAN CITIZENS ARE BEING TOLD BY THIS SAME U.S.CONGRESS THAT NATIONAL HEALTH CARE AND PROPER LEGAL REPRESENTATION FOR MIDDLE CLASS AND WORKING POOR CITIZENS IS UNAFFORDABLE.
*** WEALTHY ELITE AMERICANS (WHO ARE ONLY 1% OF OUR USA POPULATION) SADLY ALSO CONTROL HOW OUR U.S.CONGRESS SPENDS THEIR BUDGET TRILLION$ AND HAVE OBVIOUSLY FOUND MORE WORTHY INTERNATIONAL CITIZENS THEN OUR OWN DESPERATE AND NEEDY POOR TO ASSIST !!!
~Poorer Americans Nationwide only get 400 million $$$ per year for legal representation allocated them by CONGRESS~ Middle Class and Working Poor Americans are unable to afford proper legal representation in their Civil, Criminal and Family Courts of law all across America causing tremendous hardships nationwide,but these great minds and callous hearts in our American Congress have found others Worldwide more needy then their own citizens who are being falsely incarcerated,wrongfuly executed,losing their homes or apartments,losing child custody or visitation with their children etc...
Not being afforded proper legal representation by our U.S. Congress has created a total breakdown of the American judicial system for our poorer Americans because the our U.S. Courts punish all of us little people if we are not assisted with proprer legal counsel.
*It is a known fact that our average Middle Class and Working Poor Americans without proper legal representation in all of our American Courts of law lose their legal cases to the better financed who are able to afford lawyers.
Lawyers For Poor Americans is now actively in the hunt for International Countries and Leaders Worldwide to help raise 5 Billion Dollar$ for our slighted poorer Americans who have had their own American Congress turn their backs on their desperate needs in not affording them proper legal representation.
Troy Davis and Mumia Abu ~ Jamal are 2 perfect examples of American citizens who never had proper legal representation or defense investigations afforded them by our U.S. Congressional Leaders Of The Free World in their initial criminal trials in (Georgia and Pennsylvania) who might very well have to pay the ultimate price of possibly being completely innocent and falsely executed in the near future.
These two poorer Americans are among tens of thousands of legal cases nationwide that never were afforded proper legal representation or proper defense investigations at their initial trials.**We the public really have no idea if these men are innocent or guilty until they both are given fair legal representation at their new future trials.
Improper murder trials and needless deaths due to the lack of healthcare take place in Third World Countries all the time. *** Why should average Middle~Class and Working Poor Americans in the Wealthiest Country Of The World be treated as if they are living a Third World Life Style ??
This is the first of many www International pleas by Lawyers For Poor Americans for other leaders and countries to help raise the needed monie$ to correct these blatant injustices that have been inflicted on poorer Americans for the last few decades.
Lawyers For Poor Americans has many other written articles that can be viewed with any www search engine by our name or our telephone number.
Lawyers For Poor Americans is a www lobby group of volunteers that sing out about the decades old neglect,abuse and injustices being inflicted on our poorer Americans that have become Crimes Against Humanity issues for the International World Court to investigate.
lawyersforpooreramericans@yahoo.com
(424-247-2013)
More...
WHAT IS THE CO$T SAVING$ FOR THIS GREAT WEALTHY COUNTRY OF OURS TO HAVE SILENT RELIGIOUS LEADERS WHO ALL HAVE HEALTH~CARE FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES AND........ AMERICAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS SILENCE IS MUCH MORE FRIGHTENING THEN THE POSSIBLE DENIAL OF A FUTURE HEALTH ~ CARE PLAN FOR ALL OUR TENS OF MILLIONS OF POORER AMERICANS ....
~ THE LOUD RANT OF SATAN WAS HEARD IN THE PEOPLES HALLS OF U.S. CONGRESS AND AMERICAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS HAVE TURNED THEIR HEADS,CLOSED THEIR EYES AND SHUT THEIR EARS IN FEAR ~
THIS OLD WORLD ORDER OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT OF OUR POORER AMERICANS NEEDS ENLIGHTENED POLITICAL MINDS AND HEARTS TO VIEW GOD DIFFERENTLY THEN $$$... NO MATTER WHAT THEIR POLITICAL PARTY AFFILIATION ???
WHEN WILL OUR WEALTHY ELITE AMERICANS ABATE THEIR ASSAULT ON POORER AMERICANS WITH THEIR MONETARY CONTROL OF OUR IVORY TOWER U.S. CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER ???
THERE ARE NOT MANY MORE DISTRACTIONS LEFT WHICH ARE AVAILABLE FOR OUR WEALTHY ELITE AMERICANS TO HIDE BEHIND IN NOT TAKING PROPER CARE OF ALL OUR AMERICANS IN A HUMANE FASHION !!!
RALPH NADER ATTEMPTED TO EDUCATE AMERICAN VOTERS ABOUT U.S. CORPORATE POWER IN AMERICA AND HOW THEY CONTROL OUR CONGRESSIONAL PEOPLE THROUGH THEIR POCKET BOOK (POLITICAL DONATIONS). *WITHOUT THE DOUGH $$$ THESE U.S. CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD DO NOT GET RE~ELECTED TO CONGRESS.*TO STAY IN POLITICAL OFFICE IN AMERICA,ONE HAS TO BARTER YOUR VOTES IN CONGRESS AND REPRESENT POWER INTERESTS IN RETURN FOR THE BUCK$.
**POORER AMERICANS HAVE NEVER HAD THE $$$ LOBBY TO INFLUENCE THIS CORRUPT POLITICAL CONCEPT (of horse trading political votes for political contributions) TO ACHIEVE PROPER HEALTH ~CARE OR LEGAL REPRESENTATION FOR ALL OUR MIDDLE ~ CLASS AND WORKING POOR AMERICANS. AMERICAN IVORY TOWER U.S.CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD HAVE PASSED FEDERAL LEGISLATION IN WASHINGTON DC TO SPEND 50 BILLION AMERICAN TAX $$$ ON THE INTERNATIONAL FIGHT AGAINST AIDS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS WHILE THEIR OWN AMERICAN CITIZENS ARE BEING TOLD BY THIS SAME U.S.CONGRESS THAT NATIONAL HEALTH CARE AND PROPER LEGAL REPRESENTATION FOR MIDDLE CLASS AND WORKING POOR CITIZENS IS UNAFFORDABLE.
*** WEALTHY ELITE AMERICANS (WHO ARE ONLY 1% OF OUR USA POPULATION) SADLY ALSO CONTROL HOW OUR U.S.CONGRESS SPENDS THEIR BUDGET TRILLION$ AND HAVE OBVIOUSLY FOUND MORE WORTHY INTERNATIONAL CITIZENS THEN OUR OWN DESPERATE AND NEEDY POOR TO ASSIST !!!
~Poorer Americans Nationwide only get 400 million $$$ per year for legal representation allocated them by CONGRESS~ Middle Class and Working Poor Americans are unable to afford proper legal representation in their Civil, Criminal and Family Courts of law all across America causing tremendous hardships nationwide,but these great minds and callous hearts in our American Congress have found others Worldwide more needy then their own citizens who are being falsely incarcerated,wrongfuly executed,losing their homes or apartments,losing child custody or visitation with their children etc...
Not being afforded proper legal representation by our U.S. Congress has created a total breakdown of the American judicial system for our poorer Americans because the our U.S. Courts punish all of us little people if we are not assisted with proprer legal counsel.
*It is a known fact that our average Middle Class and Working Poor Americans without proper legal representation in all of our American Courts of law lose their legal cases to the better financed who are able to afford lawyers.
Lawyers For Poor Americans is now actively in the hunt for International Countries and Leaders Worldwide to help raise 5 Billion Dollar$ for our slighted poorer Americans who have had their own American Congress turn their backs on their desperate needs in not affording them proper legal representation.
Troy Davis and Mumia Abu ~ Jamal are 2 perfect examples of American citizens who never had proper legal representation or defense investigations afforded them by our U.S. Congressional Leaders Of The Free World in their initial criminal trials in (Georgia and Pennsylvania) who might very well have to pay the ultimate price of possibly being completely innocent and falsely executed in the near future.
These two poorer Americans are among tens of thousands of legal cases nationwide that never were afforded proper legal representation or proper defense investigations at their initial trials.**We the public really have no idea if these men are innocent or guilty until they both are given fair legal representation at their new future trials.
Improper murder trials and needless deaths due to the lack of healthcare take place in Third World Countries all the time. *** Why should average Middle~Class and Working Poor Americans in the Wealthiest Country Of The World be treated as if they are living a Third World Life Style ??
This is the first of many www International pleas by Lawyers For Poor Americans for other leaders and countries to help raise the needed monie$ to correct these blatant injustices that have been inflicted on poorer Americans for the last few decades.
Lawyers For Poor Americans has many other written articles that can be viewed with any www search engine by our name or our telephone number.
Lawyers For Poor Americans is a www lobby group of volunteers that sing out about the decades old neglect,abuse and injustices being inflicted on our poorer Americans that have become Crimes Against Humanity issues for the International World Court to investigate.
lawyersforpooreramericans@yahoo.com
(424-247-2013)
2
I think pointing out the long term vs short term is a perfect way to frame this debate and goes a long way to showing why the public option is so important. Thanks!
4
Doctors and nurses loathe sick people?
I hope that was sarcasm. If not, you've a long way to go in developing your doctor-patient relationship!
I for one am a doctor who loves sick patients.
I hope that was sarcasm. If not, you've a long way to go in developing your doctor-patient relationship!
I for one am a doctor who loves sick patients.
5
Oh, please, Lawyersforpooramericans! I agreed with you right up to the point where you brought Mumia Abu-Jamal into it. I am familiar with that case and the Death Penalty is the only reason he is famous. He probably won't ever be executed for murdering a police officer, so they should just sentence him to Life Without Parole and take away his platform. He certainly isn't 'innocent'.
I hope you aren't one of those credulous fools who believe that there were 'dozens' of witnesses [at 2:00 AM in one of the worst parts of the city], or that Mumia was some sort of infamous DJ [he was a cab-driver, having lost his job at the radio station 5 months before the murder]. There was ONE witness, who saw Mumia standing over the murdered police officer. He was a nobody until he was convicted. And I have no doubt he is guilty.
Next time, ignore the contriversal cases and talk about the men on death row who were exonerated by DNA evidence instead. Those guys didn't get fair trials; Mumia did.
And I apologize for hijacking the thread. Please go back to discussing Health Care, everyone.
I hope you aren't one of those credulous fools who believe that there were 'dozens' of witnesses [at 2:00 AM in one of the worst parts of the city], or that Mumia was some sort of infamous DJ [he was a cab-driver, having lost his job at the radio station 5 months before the murder]. There was ONE witness, who saw Mumia standing over the murdered police officer. He was a nobody until he was convicted. And I have no doubt he is guilty.
Next time, ignore the contriversal cases and talk about the men on death row who were exonerated by DNA evidence instead. Those guys didn't get fair trials; Mumia did.
And I apologize for hijacking the thread. Please go back to discussing Health Care, everyone.
6
I'm pissed that the Dems seem to have dropped the ball on insurance & health care reform. (It's not very useful to address one without addressing both.) I am especially disappointed that Prez Obama, in an effort to allow Congress greater ground-floor legislative participation, also allowed a bunch of knuckleheads to frame the national debate. It is utterly confounding that such a sophisticated politician as Obama could not anticipate that. Even after the full-court-press of right-wing obstructionism was under way, he failed to forcefully react. All the while, I watched in near horror and disgust. Now we're in the weeds, and it looks like momentum is building for the Max Baucus plan. We're fucked…AGAIN.
7
my mom is penniless, but is not a loser and has more than one job. yet she is unable to afford insurance. after 25 years of marriage, my parents got divorced and my mom went back to school. she got her BA, but not unsurprisingly, not that many employers are excited to hire a woman in her (then 50s, now 60s) as a full-time employee. partly because having someone older generally has increased health care costs and can raise the price of insurance for everyone at a small business. so my mom makes do with three-four part-time jobs (she applies for any full-time positions she thinks she has even a far-off chance of getting) and just not going to the doctor. fortunately, she will soon be eligible for medicare. she hasn't been eligible for medicaid because the value of her property and house are seen as valuable assets that could be sold. unfortunately, her house and two acres of property are part of a larger 80 acre family farm, so she can't sell her property. i'm sure she's not the only college-educated person out there who has been fucked out of health care. just think about that before you stereotype those who don't have insurance.
8
The problem of the health and insurance industries is the common motive: MONEY. As long as the delivery of health services relies on capital derived from investors with an expectation of an attractive return on profit beyond that which is needed to maintain a viable enterprise, "shareholder value" will drive the companion goals of: paying as few claims and denying as many claims as possible, excluding as many people who will someday soon need medical care, and taking on as many healthy premium-paying people as possible before they too need medical care.
10
I'm less than impressed by the conditions in the VA hospitals and the neglect implicit in not properly sterilizing equipment that recently came to light. Did you not hear of the Walter Reed fiasco?
As for the differences in blood pressure etc., I'd be concerned that perhaps it's because the less healthy among the population that should be getting VA benefits are out on the streets, homeless. It's a pity and a shame to us as a country that so many vets do not in fact get the mental health care they need, particularly since much of that need is due to their service. And once on the streets and incapable of getting the care, they are certainly no burden on the costs associated with the VA, more on the local ER's. If you shove off the most needy patients, then your costs will look pretty good indeed.
As for the differences in blood pressure etc., I'd be concerned that perhaps it's because the less healthy among the population that should be getting VA benefits are out on the streets, homeless. It's a pity and a shame to us as a country that so many vets do not in fact get the mental health care they need, particularly since much of that need is due to their service. And once on the streets and incapable of getting the care, they are certainly no burden on the costs associated with the VA, more on the local ER's. If you shove off the most needy patients, then your costs will look pretty good indeed.
11
Mmm. And another point to note is that the public plan in Massachusetts had nearly *four* times the denial of claims that the nearest private insurer did.
http://www.boston.com/business/healthcar…
This is to be expected, as when business goes awry and denies coverage, then public outcry and political clout can force business to change practices. Once something becomes a governmental entity, then you have no big hammers left, business isn't going to go to bat for you for certain.
http://www.boston.com/business/healthcar…
This is to be expected, as when business goes awry and denies coverage, then public outcry and political clout can force business to change practices. Once something becomes a governmental entity, then you have no big hammers left, business isn't going to go to bat for you for certain.
12
The VA doesn't work well for Alaska's veterans. Alaska has one of the highest, if not the highest proportion of veterans per capital. Many vets live in rural communities or small cities without any VA services. Anchorage is basically the only city in the state that even has mid-level VA services.
But because the VA doesn't pay for health care outside of VA facilities many Veterans can't receive health care unless they fly to a facility generally paying for that out of pocket. When you consider the fact that a flight within the state can be 400+ round trip that adds up quickly. So in effect, many veterans don't have access to the benefits they are entitled to.
There are many potential solutions to this problem like allowing veterans to use the services provided by the Indian Health Service. (There are many IHS clinics and hospitals in the state). Or perhaps veterans could be allowed to make use of private hospitals and clinics when the added cost is cheaper than the cost of flying.
But please, until these issues are resolved, don't use the VA system as an example of good health care. It may be good for veterans living in or near major cities like Seattle that have good VA services, but for those that may someday want to return to the rural places much of the armed forces come from the VA absolutely sucks!
But because the VA doesn't pay for health care outside of VA facilities many Veterans can't receive health care unless they fly to a facility generally paying for that out of pocket. When you consider the fact that a flight within the state can be 400+ round trip that adds up quickly. So in effect, many veterans don't have access to the benefits they are entitled to.
There are many potential solutions to this problem like allowing veterans to use the services provided by the Indian Health Service. (There are many IHS clinics and hospitals in the state). Or perhaps veterans could be allowed to make use of private hospitals and clinics when the added cost is cheaper than the cost of flying.
But please, until these issues are resolved, don't use the VA system as an example of good health care. It may be good for veterans living in or near major cities like Seattle that have good VA services, but for those that may someday want to return to the rural places much of the armed forces come from the VA absolutely sucks!
13
Not a bad column, except for ". . . everyone in the U.S. health-care system, from lowliest clerk to nurse and doctor to mightiest administrator, all loathe sick people." My wife is an MICU nurse here in San Diego and I promise you that she does not loathe sick people. She may dislike the occasional cranky patient or the occasional bitchy relative of one of her patients. But she loves her job and her job is caring for very ill people.
14
"American health care seems the envy and leader of the world"
Who is this guy kidding?!?!
Do A little research...look up some studies...the US is seriously LAGGING BEHIND. Ranked 38th in the world for life expectancy, 30th for overall quality, and 72nd for the health of its citizens (WHO, 2000), and as the "only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure that all citizens have coverage", it is by no means the envy of most countries in the developed world.
Who is this guy kidding?!?!
Do A little research...look up some studies...the US is seriously LAGGING BEHIND. Ranked 38th in the world for life expectancy, 30th for overall quality, and 72nd for the health of its citizens (WHO, 2000), and as the "only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure that all citizens have coverage", it is by no means the envy of most countries in the developed world.
15
Number 9.
The one sure way to get me to ignore your input, is to start shouting at me immediately.
Use the shift key, most people use word shapes when they read, so you are deliberately making your comment even less readable, well as creating an aggressive tone.
The shift key is your friend.
The one sure way to get me to ignore your input, is to start shouting at me immediately.
Use the shift key, most people use word shapes when they read, so you are deliberately making your comment even less readable, well as creating an aggressive tone.
The shift key is your friend.
16
#14 Do a little research? The best you can procure is data almost 10 years old? The WHO doesn't even use a ranking system any more.
"Research" doesn't mean clicking the third hit you get off google and just spouting off what you find there.
"Research" doesn't mean clicking the third hit you get off google and just spouting off what you find there.
17
VA Hospitals and its results are not an equivalent to healthcare for the general population. People joining the military are younger so they are covered during their healthy years when they leave the military. Combat injured vets are generally a more motivated and healthy individual (compared to the general fat-ass population). it's apples and oranges because it's not an equivalent set of people covered.
18
@17
Most of the recipients of health care at the VA (I've spent time at the Portland and Seattle facilities during my medical school and residency) are not healthy young people but old men.
The "standard VA patient" that I've taken care of over the years has diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, COPD (emphysema), arthritis and is overweight and from a low socioeconomic class. The typical VA patient used to be a WWII vet, but now Vietnam-era vets are being seen more often as the WWII vets are all reaching the end of their lives and the Vietnam vets are acquiring the above-mentioned diseases as they age.
These are the exact same patients that fill all the other hospitals where I have trained but with their health having been negatively impacted by their lifetimes of hard work and hard living.
Overall, the patients at the VA are just as sick and chronically ill, if not more so, than those at the community hospitals where I have worked.
Most of the recipients of health care at the VA (I've spent time at the Portland and Seattle facilities during my medical school and residency) are not healthy young people but old men.
The "standard VA patient" that I've taken care of over the years has diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, COPD (emphysema), arthritis and is overweight and from a low socioeconomic class. The typical VA patient used to be a WWII vet, but now Vietnam-era vets are being seen more often as the WWII vets are all reaching the end of their lives and the Vietnam vets are acquiring the above-mentioned diseases as they age.
These are the exact same patients that fill all the other hospitals where I have trained but with their health having been negatively impacted by their lifetimes of hard work and hard living.
Overall, the patients at the VA are just as sick and chronically ill, if not more so, than those at the community hospitals where I have worked.
19
I like how the people who are bashing the article are claiming that it's invalid because the veterans are too young, too old, too healthy, too sick, too motivated and too depressed all at the same time. This clearly proves that the VA is both too good and too bad to be a valid example and thus republicans are great.
20
I like this meme of American healthcare being the envy of the world. As a person living in a country with socialized medicine (which we love) who also experienced the U.S. system for 6 years, I can tell you: The U.S. system is famous overseas for being terrible. The reaction isn't envy, it's outright horror.
The whole debate is mystifying to me since the status quo is so bad - I mean, without too much hyperbole, insurance companies are killing people for money. A bigger problem than health reform seems to be the control over these sort of debates wielded by special interests.
The whole debate is mystifying to me since the status quo is so bad - I mean, without too much hyperbole, insurance companies are killing people for money. A bigger problem than health reform seems to be the control over these sort of debates wielded by special interests.
21
if the thesis of mr golob's article had any more holes in it, i'd be tempted to match it up with some shaved ham, brown mustard, and two pieces of marbled rye. as it stands, i'll just brush my teeth after puking in my mouth a little.
the only discernible fact is that you must've curled up one rainy weekend & flipped thru peter longman's book. the lack of any citation whatsoever about colon cancer would be a prime target.
the only discernible fact is that you must've curled up one rainy weekend & flipped thru peter longman's book. the lack of any citation whatsoever about colon cancer would be a prime target.
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