Pizza and Health Care
Let me open this on an important premise: Despite what you may think or what some politicians may say, we (that being the United States of America) do not have the best health care in the free world. We have a profitable health care system and we may very well be the most innovative when it comes to medical research, but in terms of delivery basic health care? We're not the best. Its as simple as that.
And the reason I believe this is true is because there is a huge difference between having health insurance and actually having access to affordable care. Even if you have insurance that doesn't guarantee you're going to have affordable and/or quality care. And if you don't have insurance in America you can bet for damn sure that it won't be affordable.
One of the things factors I find so aggravating in the current national debate over health care is that the essential argument is about how to get more people insured, as opposed to focusing on getting people quality, affordable care. Even Democrats talk about expanding coverage as if that equates to care. And it doesn't.
The fear mongering from the opposition (which is largely but certainly not entirely from elected Republicans) is based in large part on a series of myths and distortions. The first is selling the public on the notion that the current system is the best in the world and we shouldn't mess with it. Second, it argues that a publicly funded option would be much worse than the current system because the current system works for millions of Americans who don't want to lose their current insurance.
Buried in the hyperbole is a classic case of the devil you know being better than the one you don't know. Or, put in my own unique way, opting to eat at a Pizza Hut chain while in Ashland, Oregon instead of eating at Great American Pizza -- a place where I spent two years waiting table and that, at last check, is still standing.
I worked as a waiter under the original owners; a great couple from the East Coast who decided to give up their jobs and move west and give starting their own business a go. And they made it go! Among the locals, Great American Pizza was consistently voted the best pizza in town. For those not familiar with Ashland, Oregon, it is a small community (around 18K people) and it's economy thrives on 3 things (for the most part): The Ashland Shakespeare Festival (tourism), Southern Oregon University, and some pretty well-to-do retirees. And for a place like Great American Pizza, in a small college town, it's essential to be loved by the locals. They're the ones who will tell visiting friends or total strangers/tourists where the good places are to eat.
I once asked one of the owners, named Bud, how he thought his place did among tourists as compared to other places. His answer was (paraphrased): "We do really good among people who visit for Shakespeare every year IF they just try us once. We see a good number of the same people year after year. It's getting a tourist to try us first that is hard."
I asked "How come?"
He said, "Because even if they're in the mood for good pizza and they ask a friend or the desk clerk at the hotel for a good pizza place and that person tells them about us, a good number of people will still go to Pizza Hut, because they're afraid that something new and different might be worse than the mediocre pizza they're familiar with."
I laughed.
"Seriously," he said. "It's true! People will visit a new town with unique eateries and still go the familiar places because they say to themselves, 'Well... I know Pizza Hut isn't horrible so I'll go there instead of trying something different that might be even better because, then again, it could be worse."
Now... I know there is a HUGE difference between taking a chance on a 15 dollar pizza and spending billions or even trillions on health care reform. But the essential principle remains the same: We will stick with mediocrity because it's safe. Not because it's good, not because it is the best, and not even because it's better.
And the thing with our health care system and our nation is this: There is nothing so great or even affordable about the current system that we shouldn't be bold enough to reform it drastically. And there is nothing we could do so badly that, at a future time, we can't find the creativity or the resources to fix it yet again.
Our health care system is Pizza Hut, kids. And trust me... there is better pizza to be had.
J
And the reason I believe this is true is because there is a huge difference between having health insurance and actually having access to affordable care. Even if you have insurance that doesn't guarantee you're going to have affordable and/or quality care. And if you don't have insurance in America you can bet for damn sure that it won't be affordable.
One of the things factors I find so aggravating in the current national debate over health care is that the essential argument is about how to get more people insured, as opposed to focusing on getting people quality, affordable care. Even Democrats talk about expanding coverage as if that equates to care. And it doesn't.
The fear mongering from the opposition (which is largely but certainly not entirely from elected Republicans) is based in large part on a series of myths and distortions. The first is selling the public on the notion that the current system is the best in the world and we shouldn't mess with it. Second, it argues that a publicly funded option would be much worse than the current system because the current system works for millions of Americans who don't want to lose their current insurance.
Buried in the hyperbole is a classic case of the devil you know being better than the one you don't know. Or, put in my own unique way, opting to eat at a Pizza Hut chain while in Ashland, Oregon instead of eating at Great American Pizza -- a place where I spent two years waiting table and that, at last check, is still standing.
I worked as a waiter under the original owners; a great couple from the East Coast who decided to give up their jobs and move west and give starting their own business a go. And they made it go! Among the locals, Great American Pizza was consistently voted the best pizza in town. For those not familiar with Ashland, Oregon, it is a small community (around 18K people) and it's economy thrives on 3 things (for the most part): The Ashland Shakespeare Festival (tourism), Southern Oregon University, and some pretty well-to-do retirees. And for a place like Great American Pizza, in a small college town, it's essential to be loved by the locals. They're the ones who will tell visiting friends or total strangers/tourists where the good places are to eat.
I once asked one of the owners, named Bud, how he thought his place did among tourists as compared to other places. His answer was (paraphrased): "We do really good among people who visit for Shakespeare every year IF they just try us once. We see a good number of the same people year after year. It's getting a tourist to try us first that is hard."
I asked "How come?"
He said, "Because even if they're in the mood for good pizza and they ask a friend or the desk clerk at the hotel for a good pizza place and that person tells them about us, a good number of people will still go to Pizza Hut, because they're afraid that something new and different might be worse than the mediocre pizza they're familiar with."
I laughed.
"Seriously," he said. "It's true! People will visit a new town with unique eateries and still go the familiar places because they say to themselves, 'Well... I know Pizza Hut isn't horrible so I'll go there instead of trying something different that might be even better because, then again, it could be worse."
Now... I know there is a HUGE difference between taking a chance on a 15 dollar pizza and spending billions or even trillions on health care reform. But the essential principle remains the same: We will stick with mediocrity because it's safe. Not because it's good, not because it is the best, and not even because it's better.
And the thing with our health care system and our nation is this: There is nothing so great or even affordable about the current system that we shouldn't be bold enough to reform it drastically. And there is nothing we could do so badly that, at a future time, we can't find the creativity or the resources to fix it yet again.
Our health care system is Pizza Hut, kids. And trust me... there is better pizza to be had.
J