Health Care 101

Several months ago, when there was still a faint hope for effective health care reform, I read T.R. Reid’s, “ The Healing of America”. In Reid’s book he details how other developed countries such as France, Germany, Japan, Canada and The United Kingdom provide universal health care, the results of which have a better outcome at a lower cost than health care in the United States. All developed countries except the United States consider health care for all a right. This is emphasized in Japan where their revered elderly even have the right of house calls. Not -for -profit health insurance companies which are not beholden to stockholders, well paid salaried doctors and nurses, low prescription costs through negotiated drug prices all contribute to making low cost health care available for all. The book is recommended reading if one is to better understand the ramifications of doing little or nothing to contain health care costs in this country. All those grey heads indulging in “tea parties” will find themselves hurting bad if our legislators don’t come up with health care reform.