Friday, March 14, 2008

Before getting too excited about 'universal health' -- another in a series

Please read this post by Ellee Seymour. You may want to follow the link to York Press article cited in Ellee's post.

Now, remember, comes the revolution, when we have squeezed the filthy profit motive out of medicine, doctors will treat patients for what ails them, not according to which tests are the most remunerative... and everyone can then get the treatment they need, right?

Not in York, apparently, where fully 40% of patients referred by their doctors for additional treatment last year were refused, apparently to save money, because a panel there decides who will get care... and who will not.

A panel decides who will live.

And who will die.

You thought HMO's are bad? (And they are.) This sounds worse.

5 comments:

Jean-Luc Picard said...

That's the way it is here in Britain.

Ellee Seymour said...

I had no idea you linked on my story Curmudgeon, what a nice surprise. What's so amazing is how these new systems get introduced, despite widespread protests from the medical profession. We have to rely on private health insurance in the UK, I would be really worried if I had to rely on the NHS.

landgirl said...

Oddly enough both US and UK systems are remarkably alike in the sense that MONEY still drives medical decisions. And the decision is in the hands of an anonymous group of people. I still like the idea of the NHS. They begin with the premise that everyone is entitled to health care. I applaud that vision but it does seem sometimes too hard to deliver.

Linda said...

Someone is most definitely making money off of other people's ill health and that's truly a shame but I still think it's sad that sports "heros" make more money than men and women who save lives on a regular basis. Saving a life is much more important than hitting a home run anyday!

Oh, and I know you aren't a big meme kind of guy but I tagged you over on my blog anyway for a new meme over on my blog! Hope you can play!

Shelby said...

It is troubling.