Responding To Neil's Request for Stories

I do still read this blog, Neil, although I seem no longer capable of doing much by way of writing on it. Your comment on Bruce's post "Health Care Resources," however, has inspired me to drop in a few words. Like most Americans, I have my health-care, or lack thereof, stories. I could tell my mother's end-of-life (well insured) story, surprisingly similar to Nomad's story about his mother in the comments on that post, or the story of my sister's tragic and entirely unnecessary (uninsured) death at the age of 57, but, like Neil in his comment/request on Bruce's post, I'd like to hear from other readers.

The stories are out there, and they are legion. With Neil I wonder how on earth "anyone except for the wealthy could have any qualms about the need for immediate reform, and for the need of universal health coverage in this country."

What I really want to do with this little post though, is to call attention to the two most recent editions of Bill Moyers' Journal on PBS. A week ago Bill aired a POV documentary called "Critical Condition," a film that "puts a human face on the nation's growing health care crisis by capturing the harrowing struggles of four critically ill Americans who discover that being uninsured can cost them their jobs, health, home, savings, even their lives," Then, this past Friday (at least that's when my Albuquerque PBS station airs his show) the entire Journal was dedicated to a documentary based on Maggie Mahar's book Money-Driven Medecine. This film " reveals how a profit-hungry 'medical-industrial complex' has turned health care into a system where millions are squandered on unnecessary tests, unproven and sometimes unwanted procedures and overpriced prescription drugs. " The transcript of the show and a video of the film are available at Moyer's website here.

I'm very grateful for PBS and the possibility of watching shows like Moyers' Journal, but my real question is, why aren't things like this airing on major network channels where the majority of American television viewers can and will watch them? No one who watched those two films could have a single qualm about the urgent need for not just a reform, but perhaps a revolution, in health care as it is practiced in this country.

A Post Script: While wandering the Internet in search of links for this post, I discovered a very interesting website for anyone interested in this subject: The Healthcare Blog. Check it out.

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