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Altruism and Healthcare
Midway through our Rx: Patient Values show, I read a comment on the air that generated a great deal of response. The comment came from Jewels, who began:
Please leave the Health Care system alone! It is working just fine, we do not need the Government to take charge. I am 41 years old and have NEVER had a problem with my health care....
Something like 80% of Americans say they're happy with the coverage they currently have (even if they're less positive about the cost of that coverage). Nevertheless Margalo and noexit and many others on our site were not impressed. Roadcaterer wrote "If I am not for me, who shall be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I?"
Nancy Murray jumped in, writing:
The worst way to make public policy for the United States is to base it on anecdotal opinions, such as "MY health care situation is just fine so I don't want the country to change its policy." We need to change practices where there is broad evidence of problems preventing efficient and cost effective health care.
And there were others. We even got a Tweet — from ShaunHuston — who wrote:
Just heard my favorite argument on @ThinkOutLoudOPB (in short): "Leave the health care system alone - my coverage is great".
All this rancor got me wondering: how many of the people who are satisfied — or even happy — with the coverage they have now are also passionate about changing the system?
If you're among that group, are you also agitating for some kind of change?
