HMOs

[Guest Alchemist]

I think it is about time we posted on this. They are ridiculous. The movie John Q is exactly what goes on in their world. I think that everyone should get free operations on things that are life threatening. I am glad that Michael Moore is about to make a documentary on them.

[AzureWolf]

[COLOR=blue]I'm not really up to speed with news these days, but define "life-threatening." Getting hit by a car is life-threatening, but what about a cancer that clearly can't be cured by practical means? Are you including that in your "anything life-threating should be free" slogan?[/COLOR]

[Arcadia]

[size=1]While I do agree that health care in the US sucks, I don't think you can look at a movie like John Q or even Patch Adams and say with absolute finality that it's 100% true and that's exactly what happens. Yes, without medical insurance a lot of people do not get the proper treatment they need and yes, most hospitals and doctors are impersonal and are more about making sure they have the money, staff, and equipment they need rather than focusing entirely on patient needs.

I'm not condoning the behavior at all, but you do have to think about how much money a hospital needs to operate on. Think of all the specialized equipment for treating things like cancer or for physical therapy or other things like that. They have to get it from somewhere. If you want to blame somebody, blame the government for not providing proper funding for public needs/rights like health care and education. [/size]