based on an essay...
The health care system of the US is sick. For a country that spends so much on medical costs, one would think the population would be healthier, not sicker, than other developed countries. For all the medications and medical technology created here, one would think that it would be unthinkable for a citizen to lack access to primary care or basic medications. Isn’t it unthinkable that we wouldn’t have identified and fixed the problem by now? We sit in the middle of an awkward system polarized between two points of view, one which looks askance at centralized governmental control of healthcare and promotes competition, and one that thinks the government should be completely responsible for healthcare. The result is a system with built-in strife between competing private groups (insurance groups, hospitals, even individual providers) often choosing the option of making money over the net gain of better health for all. Stack on top of it the providers of medical technology, specifically drug creators, who’ll create duplicate technology and charge exponentially more if they think they can get away with it. The problem with the health care system is it’s lost its focus on health.
How can improvements be made? Truly fixing the system almost demands a gutting of the system and building from the ground up. However, even if these extremes aren’t sought, the problem seems to boil down to the need for change. Change scares people. Change in methods of practice requires an investment of time and energy. Changes in the reimbursement system likely mean negative changes in providers’ incomes, perhaps temporary. Many physicians, even those who think the system isn’t efficient, don’t want change to come to them. The system’s not good… but I guess I can live with it if it means I can proceed as usual…. don’t rock the boat… No. I reject this stance. For the sake of humanity, I pledge: as someone who is not yet ingrained in the system, as one who is still flexible, I will embrace change. I will accept paycuts. I will work long hours. I will miss vacations. And I will be able to face myself in the mirror when I do.
How can improvements be made? Truly fixing the system almost demands a gutting of the system and building from the ground up. However, even if these extremes aren’t sought, the problem seems to boil down to the need for change. Change scares people. Change in methods of practice requires an investment of time and energy. Changes in the reimbursement system likely mean negative changes in providers’ incomes, perhaps temporary. Many physicians, even those who think the system isn’t efficient, don’t want change to come to them. The system’s not good… but I guess I can live with it if it means I can proceed as usual…. don’t rock the boat… No. I reject this stance. For the sake of humanity, I pledge: as someone who is not yet ingrained in the system, as one who is still flexible, I will embrace change. I will accept paycuts. I will work long hours. I will miss vacations. And I will be able to face myself in the mirror when I do.