To put a human face on our health care problem, I will share some stories with you to bring home the reason why we are so desperately in need of a nonprofit, people-funded, people-managed, private, single payer system. I have been in medicine for 40 years and have lots of stories to share.
Case one. A close family member of mine had a lower back pain shooting to the side of her thigh. A neurologist, together with a neuroradiologist, took X-rays, etc., and recommended spinal fusion (an expensive operation that would lay her up in bed for some time). A friend gave her the name of a therapeutic massage therapist who diagnosed a spasm of a muscle in her buttock. After two massage treatments (cost: $200) she was relieved and has been free of pain for the last 15 years.
Case two. A middle-aged woman came to my dermatology office (she had full insurance coverage) with a wart the size of a pea on her third finger asking for treatment. I asked her if it had been treated before. She said, "Yes, doctor. I have been going to Dr. X for eight months. Every two weeks he freezes the top and shaves it, but the wart is still here." I froze the wart with liquid nitrogen deeply and in two weeks it was gone (cost: $75. The previous doctor's cost: $1,200). Dr. X was so busy with repeat visits that he could not accept a new patient for at least three months.
Case three. A 62 year-old man, married father of four adult children, has been a member of one of the largest HMOs for many years. Many times he has told his HMO physicians that colon cancer runs in his family. Indeed, his father died at 50 of colon cancer. He has asked every year for a colonoscopy, a procedure that is absolutely necessary in such cases to catch an early cancer. All along he was told it was not necessary. Finally, at the age of 61, he took a photo of his bloated belly to the doctor and demanded action. Then he was diagnosed with colon cancer, which had spread throughout his body, including his brain. This will torture and kill him. His family is devastated and the final cost, in human terms and dollars, is much higher than it would have been if had been diagnosed earlier. Why, then, this catastrophe? Because, as I have written in my book, Universal Health Care System for the United States of America (available for free download here), HMO doctors are graded on whether they keep costs down, which affects their future pay within that HMO.
If you multiply these types of stories by 250 million patients in the hands of a for-profit health care system, is it any wonder that our health care cost per person is double that of all the developed countries and we rank 37th in the world in quality of care? With a nonprofit, people-funded, people-managed, private, single payer insurance agency we can do even better than those countries because our proposed, single payer system avoids the inefficiencies of the government-run systems of those countries. We can save over $1 trillion (1/3 of our national budget) and improve the quality of our care. In addition, we also keep 1.7 million jobs within our economy.
It is time to call it as it is. Everyone is tired of beating around the bush on the issue of health care. We need fundamental and bold action. Together we should all tell our president: Sir, you have given us the "audacity of hope" and the promise of change.
We expect no less.
Our health care services need a human face. I request that my readers please share your stories in the comments section or e-mail them to bmohit@helpeachother.com so that I can share them for you anonymously.