I know, it's a mind numbing thought, but let's just pretend there's a parallel universe out there where there is actually something "right" about right wing. (More below the fold.)
And let's just say that indeed, there is less survivability in the cancer rates in France, Germany or Canada, as was used in the defense of the health care industry by the woman that Al Franken tore to shreds(shown in other diaries, here on Dkos.). Let's even give them more credit and say, indeed the waiting for treatment in these countries is horribly long, and that people die waiting to be seen by a doctor. Let's even give them the point that doctors in other countries are miserable. That government intervenes in every decision they make. That there ARE "death panels". In short, surrender the whole argument about other countries health care. We can even discount the fact that other countries get a lot better statistics on longevity, and overall health. I'll throw that in. What the hell.. I feel generous today.
My response to all of that is, "SO WHAT?". Why does any glaring error in the way that other countries run their health care, have to impact at all on the way that we run ours? The wise government looks at what works and what doesn't work and tries NOT to make the same mistakes. If we don't like Canada's (mythical) waiting time, let's NOT do that. If we don't like France's cancer survival rates, we can still maintain our own stellar performance record. Right?? See, we're shaping policy here, and that policy has every bit as much to do with how we're treating patients as it does with how we're going to pay for treating patients. We have the resources. We as a nation can collectively say, no..demand, that we have all the benefits of great health care insurance along with great health care.
I know my nickname here is misleading, but my day gig is as a health care provider. I work in an integral part of the rehabilitation process in a hospital in Brooklyn, New York. Unfortunately, in the process of performing my daily practice, among the first questions asked of my patients is, unfortunately, "Who is your insurance carrier?" Then a "financial investigator" spends 15 minutes on the phone pushing number 1 for this option, or number 2 for this option. All too often, things get denied, and the patient has to either go elsewhere, or find a way to pay for the service we provide. Generally, the person is disabled at the point of my seeing them, and is unable. And this is America. In this country, this is what we've become. Some machine that's taken the place of compassion and caring. We really can't do better than that?
I know in my heart, that we can.