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The Buzz: A Public Health Preview

Posted by Erin Johnson on August 10, 2009
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For many Americans, it is difficult to imagine what going to the doctor would be like under a government-sponsored health care system. But members of the military and their dependents have firsthand experience with such a system under the US Department of Defense TRICARE program. On The Questionable Authority, Mike Dunford describes a recent trip to a military medical center, noting the efficiency and lack of paperwork required. On The Scientific Activist, Nick Anthis compares Mike’s experience with his own in the UK. Both Mike and Nick are quick to point out that socialized medicine is not without its flaws, but as Mike says, “arguing that the government simply cannot provide high quality health care and good customer service is just factually wrong.”

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Comments

  1. #1 Elizabeth Lewis
    August 10, 2009

    I became disabled at age 46. At first, when I had COBRA coverage (and VERY expensive, it was), I received only very limited care, and was restricted as to which doctors I was allowed to see. However, once the government finally admitted I was truly disabled, I qualified for Medicare, obviously government-sponsored ‘socialized medicine’. . . and very good care, indeed. In five years, I was hospitalized 16 times, sometimes for very prolonged stays, and continued to receive excellent care. I’ve never been denied any form of service because of the spurious notion of “Lebens unwürdig von Leben”. It’s a pity that the knee-jerk reactionaries off in wingnut land are positing that and other nonsense as valid opposition to health care reform, which is reminiscent of the trashing of Clinton’s proposed health care reform.