Matt Cooper has a slightly more even handed look at the Edwards candidacy than the one I wrote yesterday - perhaps I should refrain from writing anything on the day after my last chemo dose.
Then again, Matt doesn't actually mention poverty so I give him one demerit.
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Doug,
I was curious why you're turned off to government run health care:
"All of my native conservatism blanches at the thought of government run health care but for 1000 practical reasons, I got there."
This isn't meant to be insulting. I'd like to share my experience and then my thoughts...
I've been in government run health-care in Seoul South Korea. Their system took excellent care of issue.
I thought I had testicular cancer. In one day without any appointments, without any referrals, for less than $20 total [(2004 $s) including medications] I received the following:
One intensive medical exam by M.D. at one clinic.
Another intensive exam by a urologist at another location.
Finally a thorough medical exam at a hospital by another medical specialist with a prescription and a follow-up schedule at the same hospital.
This was all in one day. That's light years ahead of Kaiser and Pacifica, both of whom sold me plans in the Denver Metro area.
In fact Kaiser refused an exam before I lived in Korea to check if I had developed a virus that is contagious. Prior to that, it was easier to get my ears cleaned out at the community clinic in Boulder, CO than it was through Kaiser (I have allergies that cause profuse wax build up and this interferes with work like my teaching in the public schools).
I think we're paying people to simply push paper in this country in the form of the multiple health-care providers and the insurance profit racket. In terms of economies of scale, it pays to have things in a public trust of sorts, like health-care or utility companies.
I truly believe my experience in government run health-care in Seoul, South Korea [Bilsin Korea, Oh Oh Oh Oh, Bilsin Korea! - Korean Soccer/Football chant] proves that quality delivery under a cheaper system (we pay more for health care per capita than any other developed country)that coincides with economies of scale can be vastly superior to the USA system.
What do you think?
David - Don't apologize for writing blogs near chemo time. My whole family thought yours on Edwards was an excellent one. Read the other one this AM - well - he missed a lot of the point. You were on target. Keep up the good work - Pete A.
PW, greed is ugly and murderous greed disgusting. No argument there, I'm just suspicious that the greed storyline, being lusher than the "it's great you spent your life perfecting your skills as a machinist but we could really use a pizza cook around now" storyline may ve counter-productively oversold. I know you and I are pretty close on this topic and most topics.
Brian, instinct is instinct and I have seen enough government boondoggle to have my right knee be the one that jerks. But, I hope you got that I'm on the same side of this issue you're at after a long journey. The truth is that every medical examination that moves from an emergency room to a Doctor's office or a Nurse Practitioner in the home improves the quality of care and saves the taxpayers about enough money to buy that individual's premium for the year.
Incidentally, if you're still in Denver is Centura, a healthcare organization formed to run the Catholic and Adventist hospitals in Colorado, still around? In the nineties they hired me to help them assemble a coalition of faith-based organizations to improve health outcomes in the State. It was fascinating work coaxing Colorado Springs churches and Denver churches towards the same table and I was pretty well on my way to failure when Centura hit a fiscal calamity. There were great people working there trying to make their State a better place for everyone.
Well, as I said, the family and I will be fine. I've been on 2 distinct career paths over the past 35 years and am now training for the 3rd. But what do we do about those machinists who for some reason or another can't adapt as readily? Some are, or think they are, too old; some fear change; some have reached the limits of their abilities...there are millions of stories in the naked city, and the count is growing.
We agree that the cost of labor in the US is high, much higher than in other countries. I'll admit to being cynical but I still wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the greed factor of corporate executives in making outsourcing decisions, especially of profitable companies.
OK, and agreement is nigh. I'm not quick to dismiss the greed of executives.
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