Patients Are Not Consumers

[nofurylike]

By Paul Krugman
April 21, 2011

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/opinio...ugman.html

-snip-

But something else struck me as I looked at Republican arguments against the [Independent Payment Advisory B]oard, which hinge on the notion that what we really need to do, as the House budget proposal put it, is to “make government health care programs more responsive to consumer choice.”

-snip-

What has gone wrong with us?

-snip-

Now, what House Republicans propose is that the government simply push the problem of rising health care costs on to seniors; that is, that we replace Medicare with vouchers that can be applied to private insurance, and that we count on seniors and insurance companies to work it out somehow. This, they claim, would be superior to expert review because it would open health care to the wonders of “consumer choice.”

-snip-

The idea that all this can be reduced to money — that doctors are just “providers” selling services to health care “consumers” — is, well, sickening. And the prevalence of this kind of language is a sign that something has gone very wrong not just with this discussion, but with our society’s values.

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[jaxx]

In calling the patients consumers it removes the human factor and puts it entirely on a dollar for service basis. No real person behind that broken hip, just a consumer without the dollars to pay for the service. It's not the services problem that the consumer didn't have enough money........meanwhile they game the system with higher costs. And so it goes. The dehumanizing of the American people.

[nofurylike]

(04-23-2011 05:01 AM)jaxx Wrote:  In calling the patients consumers it removes the human factor and puts it entirely on a dollar for service basis. No real person behind that broken hip, just a consumer without the dollars to pay for the service. It's not the services problem that the consumer didn't have enough money........meanwhile they game the system with higher costs. And so it goes. The dehumanizing of the American people.

very well said, jaxx! and frightening that any people are falling for it, not even realizing how it will dehumanize them too!

thank you!

[Gregory Oliver Sr]

The commercialization of medicine is undoubtedly the most ridiculous abuse of capitalism yet foisted upon the millions of people who suffer from the abuses that have been birthed by the heartless search for the 'Almighty dollar' in the medical industry. Although I believe with all my heart that medical professionals should be among the highest paid individuals in our society due to the risks inherent in the job and the wonderful work of alleviating human suffering, I cannot see any reason why we should allow the giants of medicine to continue to apply their considerable clout to secure their financial security.

When you combine the altruistic work of medicine with the corporate 'bottom line' philosophy, you get a bipolar beast that too often, being torn between profit and service to humanity, relents on the wrong side. The Republican doctrine of 'free market forces are sacrosanct', simply cannot be applied to this most noble field of endeavor, at least not by anyone whose motivation is in the noble cause and not the profit cause.

As Republicans are being exposed for the true work which is to kill all social programs that set America apart as a light of social justice and mercy, isn't it time for progressives to stand up and be counted? We each have our own pet progressive movement. Our weakness is found in that we seem unwilling to stand up for our brothers and sisters who are being ground down by oppression in those areas where we are less profoundly committed.

The Republicans have no such restrictions. They openly use cultural, moral and financial platforms uniformly to apply pressure to accomplish their main goal which is to set wealth up as the governing force of our beloved country. When they accomplish their goals, we may find that our legal rights to change have been slowly, but inexorably removed while we failed to support one another's particular causes.

If we allow them to occupy the 'High moral ground' to which they NO RIGHT, we will find ourselves relegated to the unwashed masses whose opinions are considered to be unworthy of consideration. We stand at a time when the discomfort of financial insecurity can awaken the normally quiet middle class to the things that have been flowing beneath the surface that threaten all our liberties.

We must stand up and show them the hypocrisy of the class that 'Will' be the ruling class if we do not force them to stand down from their efforts to undermine the God given rights that our founding fathers put into the Constitution. It is past time to "Wake up", "Stand up", and make our voices heard over then unconscionable din that filthy lucre can and does produce daily in the media.

[nofurylike]

(04-23-2011 05:37 AM)Gregory Oliver Sr Wrote:  The commercialization of medicine is undoubtedly the most ridiculous abuse of capitalism yet foisted upon the millions of people who suffer from the abuses that have been birthed by the heartless search for the 'Almighty dollar' in the medical industry. Although I believe with all my heart that medical professionals should be among the highest paid individuals in our society due to the risks inherent in the job and the wonderful work of alleviating human suffering, I cannot see any reason why we should allow the giants of medicine to continue to apply their considerable clout to secure their financial security.

When you combine the altruistic work of medicine with the corporate 'bottom line' philosophy, you get a bipolar beast that too often, being torn between profit and service to humanity, relents on the wrong side. The Republican doctrine of 'free market forces are sacrosanct', simply cannot be applied to this most noble field of endeavor, at least not by anyone whose motivation is in the noble cause and not the profit cause.

As Republicans are being exposed for the true work which is to kill all social programs that set America apart as a light of social justice and mercy, isn't it time for progressives to stand up and be counted? We each have our own pet progressive movement. Our weakness is found in that we seem unwilling to stand up for our brothers and sisters who are being ground down by oppression in those areas where we are less profoundly committed.

The Republicans have no such restrictions. They openly use cultural, moral and financial platforms uniformly to apply pressure to accomplish their main goal which is to set wealth up as the governing force of our beloved country. When they accomplish their goals, we may find that our legal rights to change have been slowly, but inexorably removed while we failed to support one another's particular causes.

If we allow them to occupy the 'High moral ground' to which they NO RIGHT, we will find ourselves relegated to the unwashed masses whose opinions are considered to be unworthy of consideration. We stand at a time when the discomfort of financial insecurity can awaken the normally quiet middle class to the things that have been flowing beneath the surface that threaten all our liberties.

We must stand up and show them the hypocrisy of the class that 'Will' be the ruling class if we do not force them to stand down from their efforts to undermine the God given rights that our founding fathers put into the Constitution. It is past time to "Wake up", "Stand up", and make our voices heard over then unconscionable din that filthy lucre can and does produce daily in the media.

"When you combine the altruistic work of medicine with the corporate 'bottom line' philosophy, you get a bipolar beast that too often, being torn between profit and service to humanity, relents on the wrong side."

very well said, Gregory Oliver Sr!

this forum is full of people who are standing and making themselves counted; and who are "profoundly committed" to standing "up for our brothers and sisters who are being ground down by oppression." from what you've said there, it will be good to stand with you at that!

Welcome!

[SeattleGirl]

(04-23-2011 05:37 AM)Gregory Oliver Sr Wrote:  The commercialization of medicine is undoubtedly the most ridiculous abuse of capitalism yet foisted upon the millions of people who suffer from the abuses that have been birthed by the heartless search for the 'Almighty dollar' in the medical industry. Although I believe with all my heart that medical professionals should be among the highest paid individuals in our society due to the risks inherent in the job and the wonderful work of alleviating human suffering, I cannot see any reason why we should allow the giants of medicine to continue to apply their considerable clout to secure their financial security.

When you combine the altruistic work of medicine with the corporate 'bottom line' philosophy, you get a bipolar beast that too often, being torn between profit and service to humanity, relents on the wrong side. The Republican doctrine of 'free market forces are sacrosanct', simply cannot be applied to this most noble field of endeavor, at least not by anyone whose motivation is in the noble cause and not the profit cause.

As Republicans are being exposed for the true work which is to kill all social programs that set America apart as a light of social justice and mercy, isn't it time for progressives to stand up and be counted? We each have our own pet progressive movement. Our weakness is found in that we seem unwilling to stand up for our brothers and sisters who are being ground down by oppression in those areas where we are less profoundly committed.

The Republicans have no such restrictions. They openly use cultural, moral and financial platforms uniformly to apply pressure to accomplish their main goal which is to set wealth up as the governing force of our beloved country. When they accomplish their goals, we may find that our legal rights to change have been slowly, but inexorably removed while we failed to support one another's particular causes.

If we allow them to occupy the 'High moral ground' to which they NO RIGHT, we will find ourselves relegated to the unwashed masses whose opinions are considered to be unworthy of consideration. We stand at a time when the discomfort of financial insecurity can awaken the normally quiet middle class to the things that have been flowing beneath the surface that threaten all our liberties.

We must stand up and show them the hypocrisy of the class that 'Will' be the ruling class if we do not force them to stand down from their efforts to undermine the God given rights that our founding fathers put into the Constitution. It is past time to "Wake up", "Stand up", and make our voices heard over then unconscionable din that filthy lucre can and does produce daily in the media.

Nicely put, Gregory. I have long felt this way too. I think that one of the most unethical things about the insurance and pharmaceutical industries are that they are publicly traded entities on the stock exchange. The CEO's f those companies are obligated to their stockholders to turn a profit (and of course, they also want to keep the greenbacks flowing into their own pockets). Profit will trump people every time.