A few years ago I reviewed Mistreated, a book by Robert Pearl, which looked at, and found wanting, our current medical system. His focus was mainly on the quality of medical care, not its cost or inaccessibility to many Americans. The causes of our poor quality care he lists are the same ones that inflate costs and make care unavailable for many: the fee-for-service model which benefits insurance companies, the drug industry, large medical centers and specialty physicians by rewarding more tests and treatment, not doing things in the patients’ best interests. We pay a ton of money for bad care in order to enrich the powerful, wealthy groups listed above.
Our government enables this system through its Medicare policies because these groups are major contributors to politicians and many congressional districts profit from their large number of employees.
Only drastic change in federal policy will allow us better care, available to all, at a lower cost. That is why Deb and I are strong supporters of Elizabeth Warren’s candidacy for president. She has health care policy right. She also has the knowledge and experience to take on monied interests in medical care, finance, energy and other areas of abuse. She is the candidate big business fears the most.
Most upper middle class and wealthy people like the convenience and TLC that they now receive. Deb and I like it too, but we have a medical background and can weed out most unnecessary tests and procedures suggested to us. What would Warren’s Medicare for all be like for us and others in our position? It would be similar to what is now offered by Kaiser, Intermountain Health Care, the Mayo and Geisinger Cinics: large HMO’s, more impersonal and bureaucratic than we are used to or want, BUT with better care at lower cost, available to all. No more bankruptcies due to a bad luck medical condition; many fewer deaths and bad results due to unnecessary tests and procedures; many fewer poor people suffering because of lack of medical care. This is an trade off we are willing and eager to make.
Jack's What Really Matters Blog 
While I applaud your willingness to commit to Warren, she cannot win in my opinion-most problematical with the backward American public is that she is female. The first, second, third, fourth important thing for me is to beat Trump. That is not going to be easy given the blind and worshipful allegiance of his supporters. I don’t know who has the most potential to displace him, but the overall disorganization/name calling/etc. of the “leaders” in the Democratic Party do not instill confidence. To me, time is short for a competitive Democrat to surface, and yes, I wring my hands over the state of our electorate and our country at large. Am frightened and sadly, the abysmal medical care system is not my greatest concern. How low we have fallen, but I am reminded that “The Emperor’s Clothes” could not be a more appropriate comparison to who we “thought” we were to who our citizenry has been revealed to be. Hatred and division are rife-a sad state of affairs.
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Thanks for your comment, Sharron.
Everyone thought Trump was unelectable and now all non-Trumpers are scrambling for a candidate who can win and concluding all have flaws and we need Oprah or Michelle Obama, which would be pandering to “any one but Trump.”
We need a superb president in these crisis times and I feel our role is to find and support such a person. If a long shot like Trump can win using a story that appealed to many, a solid outsider who has a better program for fixing our country and who has strong credentials documenting knowledge of issues and how to fix them can also be elected as long as she is not dismissed as unelectable by the mainstream public and press (Thomas Friedman, NY Times.) Warren for President!
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Thanks for an important article. We appreciate the recommendation. Linda and Bill
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Delighted you like it, Linda and Bill. We have never been politically involved in any way but this cycle seems a time to speak up about health care and “what really matters” in fixing our broken system that has left so many justifiably unhappy. The last presidential election revealed the depth of discontent about federal policies. Unfortunately the current administration has made it worse in many ways by doubling down on federal support for big business.
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