Left In Alabama

A Tale of Two Town Hall Healthcare Meetings

by: Redeye

Fri Jul 03, 2009 at 10:20:55 AM CDT


Congressman Parker Griffith (Big Time DINO) hosted a "town hall" meeting to "get citizen input" regarding Health Care issues.  I want readers to compare and contrast the analysis of the meeting from two sources who were in attendance.  I want readers who weren't there to tell me which one gave them the most information.  I want readers who were there to compare and contrast the two reports.  The first report from a "Blogger" will be on this page.  The report from The Huntsville Times is below the fold.  I report, you decide.

 

For those who weren't able to attend, I wanted to let you know how the town hall went with Rep. Parker Griffith tonight ...

There were about 250 people in attendance; it lasted almost 2 hours. Griffith gave a short talk about why healthcare reform is so important (businesses can't compete, CEOs say we must change it, we want everyone to have access to quality care, reduce costs and give people choice.) He also talked about problems with the shortage of primary care doctors and nurses and how we're trying to reform a system in the middle of a recession. Griffith then opened it up to comments/questions from the audience.  

Throughout the evening, about half who made comments or asked questions were in favor of single payer/public option. (It was good to our single payer views were so well represented in the Q&A!)  The other half talked about the need for free markets and their fears of socialized medicine.

Here are some specific items I took notes on:

+  When asked about a public option, Griffith said he would be in favor of it if it was at a level playing field with private insurance companies. However, if it was like Medicare, then he thinks it would destroy the healthcare quality that we have today. (I wasn't clear on why he thought that...)

+  Someone said how much cheaper the same drugs are in foreign countries than they in the U.S.

+  In response to a question about medical tort reform, Griffith talked about how doctors are doing extra procedures to keep from being sued.

+  Griffith will be introducing two bills shortly. One is that Congress members must be subject to the same healthcare plan that they devise. The other is that a healthcare bill must be on Congress members' desks one week prior to a vote -- so there is time to study it.

+  Someone talked about how her sister has followed all the rules (working, paying taxes, etc.) but she can't get insurance due to a pre-existing condition. If something happed to her now, she would be in big financial trouble.

+  Griffith said we don't want government people in Washington DC deciding what kind of medical treatment we would get or not get. Someone responded saying that it's now insurance co. bureaucrats who are doing that now.

+  Someone said that the 47 million uninsured includes illegal immigrants. Griffith corrected them saying it does not. He also said he is against illegal immigrants being allowed healthcare in the U.S.

+  Someone talked about starting a small business but not being able to afford healthcare for their employees. They said this stifles capitalism since small businesses are the important to our economy.

+  In response to a question about the shortage of doctors and nurses, Griffith said we need to give doctors incentives to get them to practice in areas where there are shortages. Education about diet and exercise should not be done by doctors but by other healthcare providers.

+  Someone talked about how her insurance company has denied treatment/medicine that her doctor wanted her to take.

+  Griffith said he thinks single payer is dangerous to the healthcare people want, and to innovation. (He moved onto another topic quickly, so this didn't get challenged... but it's good for us to know what he's thinking.)

+  Griffith did say that he sees healthcare as a right, not a privilege.

+  He talked about how healthcare is the largest industry in the U.S., and that the issues with changing it are very complicated.

+  Someone brought up that 60% of bankruptcies are caused by medical bills. Griffith said that 70% of bankruptcies have some medical costs in them.

+  One person stood up and talked about how the Canadian and German healthcare systems are good. They had lived there. Another person who had lived in Canada said that routine care was good, but they knew someone who died waiting for a heart operation (they didn't say how old this person was or any complications).

+  A man said he is a Christian and based on that, he thinks all people should have access to good healthcare. He owns a small business and is very concerned that he saw his premiums jump from $300 to over $500 in the last two years.

While most people were civil, I was disappointed to see that a few people on both sides of the issue (single payer/public option folks AND free market folks), were unkind in their questions and responses to Griffith's remarks. 

All in all, it was an interesting evening and I was so glad to see many of our single payer people in the audience!! In addition, there were a number of others in the audience -- not yet part of our group -- who voiced their opinion in favor of single payer.

*I would add the majority of the right wingnuts who are opposed to so called "socialized medicine" are the same ones that marched to W-ar with Dubya and voted for bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran McSame.  These are the same people who gave Dubya and Dick a blanck check to spend for welfare in Iraq.  If Bush wanted "socialized medicine" they would be all for it.  They are like petulant children (h/t mooncat) who need to grow up.

Huntsville Times report below the fold.

Redeye :: A Tale of Two Town Hall Healthcare Meetings

UPDATE:  Here's the Huntsville Times article. There were at least twice as many attendees than what this article says.  

Griffith addresses health care issues

Friday, July 03, 2009

By Brian Lawson

Times Staff Writer brian.lawson@htimes.com

Congressman has town hall meeting in Huntsville

Huntsville Congressman Parker Griffith faced a crowd of more than 100 people Thursday night who wanted answers on plans for health care reform, an issue Congress is working on now.

There were vocal advocates for a single-payer system similar to ones in Europe and Canada. Maybe a larger contingent - judging by the applause - was anxious that the government was going to take over health care.

The event at the Davidson Center at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center was spirited, with cheers for tort reform and boos for higher taxes and long-winded questioners. The audience also seemed divided on whether health care is a right or a privilege.

Griffith, a retired physician, offered plenty of information and good humor even when an audience member cursed at him. He said the current system does well with innovation and technology, and poorly on issues of access and consistent quality care. He said it is too early to say if he would support a so-called public option - essentially a government-run insurance company - because no details have been provided on how that system would work.

Griffith also stressed the complexity of the issues involved and said the wide impact of any reforms means compromise is essential.

"Bitter division without compromise will leave us in a ditch on the right side or the left," Griffith said

When pressed on the single-payer approach, Griffith said he doesn't support it.

He suggested a single-payer system would stifle health care innovation that has successfully brought down mortality rates for heart disease and cancer.

He said it was also important to reform some insurance company practices, such as forcing insurers to accept people with pre-existing conditions. He supports plans to make insurance companies compete across state lines to bring about more competition and lower costs. Griffith also agreed there needs to be insurance company reimbursement for services provided by nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

Griffith plans to offer two bills in the coming weeks. One would require congressmen to use the public option for their own health care, if such a measure is made into law. The second would require any health care legislation be submitted to all members of Congress a week before it can be voted on, to avoid last-minute deals.

Griffith said there are no easy answers, and an easy vote is also unlikely.

"I may have to vote on something that will split my constituents," he said. "This is one of the hardest issues we can take on as Americans."

 

 

 

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Not surprising considering the terrible stories we have seen from the Hsv Times in the past. (0.00 / 0)
It will be interesting to see other media's coverage. Thanks for the great reporting! I'm more encouraged than I was before the meeting from listening to your persepctive, Redeye.

Wow, great point (0.00 / 0)

One was a legit news report from an unbiased observer.  The other was the opposite.

I think we agree, though, that the depth of reporting is lacking.



What's wrong with this picture? (4.00 / 1)

The "legit newsource" gave practically no depth information and reported from the perspective of Congressman Griffith (he is quoted more than anyone) and reports that someone in the audience "cursed" at him (the audience member said one of Griffiths' response's were bullsh!t) and other trivial matters.   

The "other was the opposite", they reported just the facts.

Here is a comment from my inbox regarding the meeting and healthcare.

Isn't it a fact that Medicare and Social Security have been the most successful programs ever devised by our government?    Seems that I read that some place.

Our congress people have some of the best insurance money can buy and I'm betting that we, the taxpayers, are paying  most if not all of that.   But then us little old peons, who have done all the dirty, back breaking work over the years, don't deserve anything as good as what they have.

I'd also add the Tri-care program, which our Military and their families enjoy, as another "government run" health care plan that is highly popular, cost efficient and delivers excellent health care.  I totally agree with you in saying that the real problem seems to be those campaign funds received by Congress Members from the "for profit" healthcare industry, when it comes to our Representatives (?) stand against government funded health care for all Americans.  The arguments against a public option or a single payer system, currently being espoused by Blue Dog Democrats and Republicans, doesn't make any sense to me.  The Blue Dog Dems are a huge disappointment when it comes to actually representing the majority of people who voted for them, and who were expecting a change from the political stance of the Republicans who were defeated in the last election.

Aren't members of Congress also covered with a "government run" health care plan?  I believe I remember Obama pointing out, during his campaign for President, that he was for a health care plan like the one that covers Members of Congress.  Does anyone have any idea of what the Congressional plan covers, what Members of Congress pay out of their own pockets for their coverage and what is paid by our tax dollars?



The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.~Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. MA)



[ Parent ]
HealthCare Townhall (3.00 / 2)

Redeye - Your reporting left out some important points raised by some meeting participants.  In the interest of keeping this debate honest, please allow me to elaborate

1) The elderly man in the 2nd row on the West side of the auditorium (he was the 2nd or 3rd speaker).   He has decided not to participate in Medicare because of limitations placed on his care options

2) The man halfway up, sitting next to the aisle (probably the 7th or 8th speaker) - he raised the point about kidney disease patients on Medicaid having greatly increased mortality rates compared to those covered under private insurance.

3) The lady whose husband was hit by a car and was hospitalized in intensive care for several month, followed by long rehabilitation.  They had private insurance, and she felt like their insurance company and Huntsville Hospital did everything possible (cost be damned) to ensure his recovery.  She questioned whether the outcome would have been the same under a rationed government health care system.

4) The guy who lived almost 9 years in Canada - that was me. The man who died waiting over 18 months for bypass surgery was my manager.  He was in his mid to late 60s while this was going on.

And yes - there were complications, but they were complications that likely would not have occurred if he had received prompt treatment.  He had to quit work after about a year of waiting for his surgery because he was in no shape to keep going on.  Also, and in my opinion, the decreased blood flow to his brain (or some other factor - I'm not a doctor) had a substantial impact on his intellect and thought processes.  

I also mentioned my friend's wife who quickly had her brain tumor removed.  They both told me that she would have had a long (months) wait for diagnosis and surgery IF she had not been a Medical Doctor herself (the medical community will take care and pull any necessary strings for one of their own).  A followup to her story - she eventually closed her practice in Toronto.  She made this decision because she got tired of working in the OHIP system.   They moved to Phoenix, AZ and she took a job at a doc-in-the-box clinic.  

I also brought up the point that in the early 1990s, there was only one advanced imaging machine (CAT or MRI) for the entire Toronto metro (population about 4 million)

Yes - I stated my opinion that we got good primary care, but that is only part of the big picture.

No way would I trade my BCBS for what we had in Canada.  I attended this townhall meeting because I fear that we areabout to destroy the best healthcare system on the planet.

The government already controls a significant portion (30-35% ?) of our national healthcare through Medicare, Medicaid, SChip, and the VA medical system.  Every one of these government operations is severely broken.  I know because I have elderly relatives, including one who died in a VA hospital.

I respectfull suggest that before the government attempts to take over the private sector of healthcare, it should fix that for which it is already responsible. 



Well, Wayne M, no way would I trade (0.00 / 0)
my Medicare treatment for the BCBS I had before.

A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead  


[ Parent ]
One thing that the lady whose husband was hit by a car (4.00 / 1)

(wasn't that a terrifying story?  Heavens!)

didn't touch on was what might happen to her husband should they ever try to change to a different insurance company or policy.  She loves her current insurance carrier, but the next one probably won't be quite as cuddly.

He's had what, 20+ surgeries, I think it was?

All I could think was "pre-existing condition: denied!"

People with good group coverage have no idea what it's like when you leave that cocoon and start your own business (or lose your job, which is worse).  Trying to buy an individual policy or small group policy is a horrible experience and more expensive than people think.

We've had some good people who wanted to work for us, but were afraid to give up their group insurance because of health problems in the family.

I enrages me to hear so many people talk about uninsured people "choosing" not to buy insurance with no idea how hard it is for individuals to do just that or how expensive it is.

Many uninsured don't have coverage because the health insurance companies "choose" not to sell them policies - not because they "choose" not to spend their money that way.



I'm not short.  I'm fun size!!

[ Parent ]
WayneM (4.00 / 3)

Thank you for your post and welcome to the conversation at LiA!  I didn't write the review, someone from another listserv to which I belong did.  It was a review, and I'm sure all the points made during the 2 hour town hall meeting couldn't be addressed and the author chose those that were of the most importance to them.  We believe in keeping the debate honest here at LiA and value honest and open exchange of opinions and facts.

Speaking of honesty in the debate, you said;

The government already controls a significant portion (30-35% ?) of our national healthcare through Medicare, Medicaid, SChip, and the VA medical system.  Every one of these government operations is severely broken.  I know because I have elderly relatives, including one who died in a VA hospital.

Would you mind elaborating on how specifically Medicare, Medicaid, SChip and the VA medical system are "severely broken"?  And are you saying your elderly relative died because they were in a VA hospital?  My grandfather and my uncle both died in VA hospitals, but not as a result of being in the VA hospital.  As a matter of fact, both recieved excellent treatment and care up to the times of their death. 

I respectfully say that in order to "fix what is broken" we must first identify "what is broken" and "why it's broken".



The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.~Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. MA)



[ Parent ]
I agree Redeye. (4.00 / 1)
My father died at the VA hospital in Murfreesboro, TN. It was top rate quality care and a wonderful team.

[ Parent ]
VA and Medicare (4.00 / 1)

My father died recently, at home.  He was a Medicare patient and there was absolutely no withholding of care due to his advanced age and fragile condition.  I can say this with confidence because I followed his case closely, did my research and consulted with family members in the medical profession -- medical professionals laid every option on the table and he and his family made the decisions, not some faceless bean-counter.   And my mother is getting statements from medical providers listing enormous sums -- but she hasn't had to pay a cent and doesn't expect to.  Medicare handles it all.

Now about 25 years ago he was in a VA hospital in another state and the conditions there were awful.  "People waiting to die" is how he characterized it and he got a serious infection there and almost did die -- certainly would have if he hadn't been able to go elsewhere -- and ability to pay was a huge stumbling block to going elsewhere. 

On the other hand, he spent a week in the VA hospital in Birmingham 15 years ago and the care there was excellent.  He received state of the art treatment -- almost certainly more advanced than he would have had at a private hospital in Huntsville -- and made a near miraculous recovery.

So, some VA hospitals were bad in the past and doubts about the care there will linger among those who had bad experiences -- I nearly fainted when my mother called and said she'd taken Daddy to the local ER and he had insisted on being transferred to the VA facility.  There may still be problems in VA facilities -- some were documented during the Bush administration -- but I think care there has improved a great deal in the past 25 years.  And I can't imagine anyone being dissatisfied with Medicare.  It is extremely simple and transparent from the patient standpoint.



Work harder and work smarter!

[ Parent ]
There was a young lady who stood up and testified (4.00 / 2)

How she had good insurance (her parents), but she also had an immune deficiency disorder, for which Blue Cross was trying to deny treatment.  She was successful in getting her immunologist to browbeat BCBS into covering her condition, but she was upset that she had to get her immunologist involved.

But she was even more upset at the prospect of the public option health plan doing the same thing as BCBS.  She asked Congressman Griffith if he could guarantee that she would not be denied coverage by a public option plan - his response as I recall was that the healthcare reform in work would prohibit denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions.

That wasn't good enough for her, though. She stated that she just could not trust any government health program.

I really can't get my mind around this.  She knows that BCBS is trying to cheat her, and if they succeed, she will die.  But she is more willing to trust an organization that will profit from her death - yes, profit from her death - than a government program, like Social Security, run by civil servants who live in terror of Congress.

I say again - she would rather stick with BCBS, who she knows is looking to let her die, than try a different program.

Is this Stockholm Syndrome, or abused-spouse syndrome, or what?

 

 



"The War in Iraq is not the disease. The War in Iraq is a symptom. Arrogance is the disease" - Bill Richardson

[ Parent ]
It's the I hate Obama more than I love my country syndrome hoc (4.00 / 1)

It's the cutting off my nose to spite my face syndrome.

It's the stoopid racism snydrome.

If George W-ar Bush wanted single payers they would want single payer.  It's not about single payer, it's about hating President Barack Obama. 

 



The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.~Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. MA)



[ Parent ]
Dead wrong (0.00 / 0)
If W had advocated single payer his base would have abandoned him in a flash.  Remember immigration reform?  It was his base that killed the plan which he supported.

[ Parent ]
Dead Right (pun intended) (0.00 / 0)

W advocated an invasion/occupation in Iraq based on DEAD WRONG intelligence and his "base" followed lock step.

W advocated raiding the surplus to give his rich cronies a tax break and his "base" followed lock step.

W advocated FISA and the Patriot Act and his "base" followed lock step.

W advocated  Torture in our names and his "base" followed lock step.

W knew his "base" would kill immigration reform that's why he advocated reform, it was a win win for him.

Has anyone but me noticed that the main ones that are against the single payer option have the most to gain if it's inacted and the most to lose if it's not?



The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.~Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. MA)



[ Parent ]
I think the "health care is a right" comment (4.00 / 1)

by Griffith was important.  He said it twice.  It's an interesting starting point for the health care reform debate.

btw... we attended with two friends who aren't politically active, but also own a small business and have health issues in their family (asthma & some other chronic problems) that cause their premiums to be sky high.

They had never seen Griffith in person, but left with a very favorable impression of him.  And I said... "not trying to talk you out of it, but .... Lilly Ledbetter, etc. etc."  However, I did think Griffith handled himself well and seemed to have a good bit of knowledge about the subject.

Yeah, I know, he's a doctor, duh...  But his discussion was informative, even if I didn't agree with his conclusions every time.

And there was a woman there from the midwives association who spoke about covering midwife services for low-risk patients who want to use midwives - and licensing midwives in Alabama.

She told me afterwards that Griffith was one of the "good guys' in the legislature on the subject and had actually sponsored bills for her group.

 



I'm not short.  I'm fun size!!

town hall meeting (4.00 / 3)
I attended the meeting. I became increasingly frustrated that both left and right continued to talk about the false choice between single-payer and no government. We all know that single payer will not happen in this country any time soon. The critical thing before us is whether we provide a strong government option. In my opinion this is the only thing that will move us forward at this time in American history.  I was the one who asked Griffith that question. The fact that his first response was to present the negative aspects of a government option is very telling. If he wants real change, all he had to say was that he was behind it if it was crafted correctly. I think Griffith is slicker than bat shit, that he hedges all his bets while trying to seem like the most affable guy in the room, and that when it comes to tough choices he does not vote in a progressive manner. I expect the same this time, but I hope I am wrong. I would like to say to some of my progressive friends that it is dangerous to choose right over good. Insisting on single payer sets us up for the kind of fearmongering and polarity we saw last night. 

Amen bluebird. (3.67 / 3)
And this is where hopefully Griffith will land--In the middle with a public option. 

[ Parent ]
I hear you bluebird (4.00 / 2)
Insisting on single payer sets us up for the kind of fearmongering and polarity we saw last night.

The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.~Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. MA)



[ Parent ]
Single payer may be an unlikely outcome (4.00 / 1)
But it is a critical bargaining chip.  The Obama administration made a big mistake in taking it off the table early.  If you go in asking only for a public option, the negotiation will surely yield something less than that.  If you go in asking for single payer, you have a good chance to come out with a meaningful public option.  I too believe that the perfect can be the enemy of the good, but we're in the negotiation phase now, and I hope we end up with a strong public option that will force real competition into the system.  Single payer pulls these guys to the left and actually gives them cover for a public option -- "Hey, I had to vote for a public option ... half my constituents were actually clamoring for single payer so I couldn't afford to support the status quo."

Work harder and work smarter!

[ Parent ]
timing is everything (3.50 / 2)
I agree with you, but I think we are past that point now. Single payer was taken off the table too early, and people now fail to realize that the government option is a compromise position. I am a believer in activist lefties helping to define the center, but I think at this point in the game "single payer" is being used to drum up fear against any kind of government involvement. The fact is, there is little of substance to be argued about people having another choice, and the Congress seems to be slowly moving in that direction. Therefore, the right would prefer talking about the dreaded spectre of "socialized medicine." Americans are a fearful lot.

[ Parent ]
I remember Clinton's first budget (0.00 / 0)

and there was a lot of compromise.

People were moaning that he had "given away the store" but it looked like plain good negotiating to me because he got most of what he said he wanted during the campaign.

You say you want the whole pie, when you're really willing to settle for half.  Play hardball for a while, and then negotiate to what you wanted to begin with.

Yep.  Tossing single payer overboard right off the bat was a mistake - and one I didn't expect Obama to make, but remember during the campaign, he wasn't really strong on single payer either.

I'm not short.  I'm fun size!!

[ Parent ]
Town Hall Meeting (4.00 / 2)
I was at the meeting, and for me the most telling utterances were: (1) Griffith's opening remark in which he catalogued the various concerned parties in the reform issue, citing the insurance companies, the doctors, the nurses, the hospitals, and the pharmaceutical companies, and then adding, at the end of the list as an afterthought, "the people," a phrase mumbled as if the congressman was uncomfortable with the concept; (2) the first question, which the fathomlessly stupid notion that since the Constitution does not mention health care, government involvement is illegal.  The first remark bespeaks the fact that the Congressman never understood himself as a public servant when he was a doctor and certainly does not understand himself as a public servant now; he was just a player then, and he is just a player now. The second remark reminds us that, despite the much touted status of Huntsville as a "different" place where educated and mindful people live, this town is still a redneck backwash full of Southerners who, true to tradition, think of themselves as independent people with Christian values when they are really parasites upon the national budget, defense-industry welfare queens, and far the spiritual kin of Judas than of Christ. The stunning irony was the setting, a public museum dedicatd to the biggest public project since the Second World War, the space program. Take away the federal tit from this town and it would be a banana republic overnight.

Bluebird nails it! (4.00 / 1)

I couldn't believe that first guy would ask that question while sitting in the #$%$ Space & Rocket Center!

I wanted to bellow over: "Neither was NASA, moron, but we're all pretty proud of that they accomplished, right?"

Fortunately, good manners prevailed, so I just sat and fumed.



I'm not short.  I'm fun size!!

[ Parent ]
can't take credit. . . (4.00 / 2)
Actually, those remarks are by bluebird's husband, who used my site to post. Let's call him blackbird. I am happy to host him, I think he makes a great point.

[ Parent ]
well, both y'all make yourselves at home (4.00 / 1)
the cats here at LIA are on a strict "no bird" diet.  ;-)

I'm not short.  I'm fun size!!

[ Parent ]
Why didn't you speak your mind last night (0.00 / 0)

I saw your remarks last evening - why not include the following in that venue?

  • "[T]his town is still a redneck backwash..."
  • The citizens of Huntsville are "parasites upon the national budget..."

Your fondness for our city is heartening.  I can only imagine what great things you have to say about our country.  I'm just curious why you choose to live amongst all us terrible, parasitic rednecks.



[ Parent ]
bluebird probably chooes to live amongst all the terrible, parasitic rednecks (4.00 / 2)

for the same reason you choose to engage in debate with us hippie, peacenik, birkenstock wearing, hybrid car driving, latte drinking, liberal, democrat, progressive hippies :).

 



The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.~Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. MA)



[ Parent ]
because we're so much fun, of course! (4.00 / 1)
A lot of party animals here at LIA.... cats, birds, piggies, and just plain old people.   ;-)

I'm not short.  I'm fun size!!

[ Parent ]
Oops fast typing typo! (0.00 / 0)
bluebird probably chooses to live amongs are the terrible, parasitic rednecks etc....

The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.~Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. MA)



[ Parent ]
As always , a class act, Brian (4.00 / 1)

Several decades ago, I was being interviewed for my first civilian law enforcement job and was asked, "Why do you want to be a deputy?" I talked about all the things I had seen wrong with police officers and with law enforcement agencies.  the Personnel Director, in a bit of a huff, asked me why I would want to be part of a profession I disliked and I said, "I believe it is possible to do this job really well, and I think I can improve the way it is being done". 

I truly believe folks like "bluebird" and "blackbird" can improve Huntsville. Progressives come to Alabama, hate it, and leave.  Or they come, hate how it is, see how it could be, and stay.  Like it or not, Brian, many of us are staying.



A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead  


[ Parent ]
sticking it out in Huntsville (4.00 / 1)
Spot on, piggieheart. Thanks to LIA for welcoming us. The progressive community makes it feasible to stay here and fight the good fight.

[ Parent ]
Forgot to say this before, Redeye (4.00 / 1)
This is a great roundup and description of the meeting.  Thanks for putting it together.  I took a lot of notes, but we've been buried in home chores today & I couldn't have done the post until tomorrow at least.

I'm not short.  I'm fun size!!

Clarification (4.00 / 2)
I didn't compile the description of the meeting, one of my fellow "bloggers" compiled this review for a listserv I belong to. All the credit goes to them, I don't have permission to divulge their name.  I'm sorry If I gave the impression I wrote the review, now that I think of it, I should have put it in a box quote and made this point clearer  up front.

The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.~Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. MA)



[ Parent ]
Whoever did it.. it's good! n/t (4.00 / 1)


I'm not short.  I'm fun size!!

[ Parent ]
As the young people say (4.00 / 2)
Word.  Thanks to LH for a job well done!

The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.~Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. MA)



[ Parent ]
Medicaid v. Medicare (4.00 / 2)

Many, many doctors turn away Medicaid patients, as in "Sorry, we don't take Medicaid, please go elsewhere". In a National Program of course, this couldn't happen.

Canada seems to have a really big backlog problem - it's the number one reason many of my personal acquaintances are against a single-payer system. We do need to remember, I think,  that Canada's GNP is probably a tiny fraction of ours, and that it is a huge country.

The Brits dealt with that in a compromise fashion: you have an option (if you can afford it) to "go private". I read about one couple, both of whom needed the same sort of procedure. Hubby decided to pay rather than wait another minute, and his surgery cost him in the neighborhood of 10,000 British pounds.. Wife hung grimly on, waiting for the National Health, and got her procedure nine months later for a cost of nothing. It wasn't heart related - more like knee replacement or something. I believe both had the same doctor, and the same post-operative results, which were successful.

What worries the Brits is that people opting for "private" being pushed to the head of the line may eventually cause the line of people waiting on National Health to stretch around the globe.

Seems to me that the military might have a few answers: if they need machinists, they train lots of new recruits as machinists, same if they need radar people or whatever. Government-subsidized medical education might in the same fashion be able to fill shortages by encouraging certain specialties. If we need more cardiac surgeons, perhaps there would be an incentive there, etc.

My hope for national health also extends to hoping that it weeds out the people who now go into medicine simply because they can pass the exams, and want to make a pile...and that it eventually kills off Big Insurance, who add 30 cents to every health care dollar spent.



When in doubt tell the truth. It will confound your enemies and astound your friends.---Mark Twain


More health professionals (0.00 / 0)

Someone I spoke to after Griffith's forum suggested a sort of National Health Corps -- subsidized medical education for those who will work in underserved areas or specialties.  The shortage of providers is an aspect of this problem that must be addressed, for sure.

If we train more doctors, etc. does that mean the earning power of a medical degree will decline?  And will the existing infrastructure -- medical schools and so forth -- resist moves to increase the total number of medical professionals?  Gatekeepers have tight control of the number of new doctors, pharmacists and so forth at the moment.



Work harder and work smarter!

[ Parent ]
Free medical school (4.00 / 1)

Medical School is free in England.

In the United Kingdom, medical school generally refers to a department within a university which is involved in the education of future medical practitioners. All leading British medical schools are in the government sector and their core purpose is to train doctors on behalf of the National Health Service.


The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.~Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. MA)



[ Parent ]
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