on health care reform by the NEJM

"Today’s system usually pays for volume rather than value, and we get what we pay for: more tests, exams, surgeries, and appointments. “Good doctors” are celebrated for their unwavering dedication to doing whatever it takes to care for their individual patients, which often means swimming upstream against the system, rather than relying confidently on it." Cottage Industry to Postindustrial Care — The Revolution in Health Care Delivery - from the New England Journal of Medicine

the above article is pretty excellent in outlining some major problems of health care today. it's written in language that is pretty easy to understand, so i recommend it to anyone who would like to learn more about how experts look at the issue.

i do not have insurance, so this health care debate going on has a bit of relevance for me. chuck and i were talking about the whole hullabaloo going on and we were both pretty disappointed at the lack of a public option. another thing that really bothers me is that i do not see current health care reform addressing some more pressing issues. the "pressing issues" were something that i hadnt really fleshed out and it's probably the most important aspect of taking this kind of stance - defining specifics of frustration. some things that really affected me before were the horror stories of friends getting payment from insurance companies for care and the numerous stories out there about pharmaceutical companies influencing doctors with various gifts. i think the article contains some inspired ideas. "Chaos confounds constructive action, whereas wise standardization is a foundation for effective variation, efficiency, reliability, and rapid innovation."

it made me think about going to the doctor. there is not a lot of transparency in the health care industry. you generally do not know what is going to happen at the doctor's office. personally, i hate that. i want to know what to expect. that's where the internet has been so helpful. by online users sharing their experiences, it has increased transparency about procedures and costs. the downside is that it creates know-it-alls who want to decide whats best for themselves just because they read a few articles on the internet. i trust doctors and they go to school for a reason. but i still like to be informed about things. that's why i really dig the increased transparency from the internet.