Health Care in the USA : Go Team! We're 26th!
As a retired physician I am ashamed of health care in the United States, and having had first hand or collateral experience with health care in France, the U.K., and Italy I can well understand why we rank #26 in the industrialized world.By Dr. Stephen R. Keister / The Rag Blog / January 18, 2009
As a retired, 87 year old physician, with 40 years of practice behind me, and in addition post-retirement working part time at the V.A. and subsequently at a neighborhood free clinic, I found Luke Mitchell's article in the February issue of Harpers very comprehensive and illuminating. Yet, one critical element was missing and that was any allusion to Physicians For A National Health Program, a 20 plus year old organization, with 15,000 members, from which evolved Rep. Conyer's HR 676. PNHP provided the basic studies incorporated in HR 676, and subsequently received the endorsement of the 125,000 member American College of physicians, The California Nurses Association, and numerous civic and labor groups.
As a retired physician I am ashamed of health care in the United States, and having had first hand or collateral experience with health care in France, the U.K., and Italy I can well understand why we rank #26 in the industrialized world. In no other country with universal care is it established for profit of the insurance industry. It is a travesty that any person with any foresight would envision a system in the United States that includes, even in part, the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, rather than being established for the citizenry as a whole.
Unfortunately if one does a bit of research at OpenSecrets.org one will discover how intensely prostituted many of our elected representatives are to the insurance/pharmaceutical complex. Our current health care system is merely a continuation of the economic theories that have currently brought our nation near to a disaster similar to that of 1929.
I have a series of articles on The Rag Blog that explores the problems involved in providing our country with health care. I am sure any one interested can further their knowledge of this area by checking into this web-site.
The Rag Blog
