Health insurance is essential for living well with chronic disease, and the loss of access to care is a major cause of preventable illness and death, but it is also ultimately much more costly to society than long-term continuous primary care. As a doctor, I know how to help people. I can't do it when I don't see them because they cannot afford to come in. We need to shift our care to the doctor's office and away from the expensive emergency room.
A forum, news site and archive begun in February, 2007 about politics and the environment in Wisconsin. And elsewhere.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Milwaukee Physician's Must-Read Sunday Op-Ed
Using a simple and compelling case study involving a patient, "Mr. Smith, Dr. Ian Gilson explains why basic health care reform can save money and lives:
health insurance is not health care. Health insurance as provided by private companies cannot exists unless a profit is made, which is only possible if people pay in more than they receive in benefits.
ReplyDeleteWhat we need is national health care, not government mandated profits to health insurance companies.
I remember an op-ed that James Sensenbrenner published just prior to the vote that brought health care reform into law. He referred to those without insurance as "those people" and insisted that they would be clogging up the system. I never bother to write Jim, he doesn't listen, but that time I had to, pointing out that 'those people' are his constituents too.
ReplyDeleteI was incensed when Obama took single payor off the table before it was even an issue to debate, but with or without that boneheaded move, I still think what we've got was probably the best we could do with that bunch obstructing it.