Re: The Shock Doctrine in Action in New Orleans

[aburke5054@aol.com]

Comparing liver transplants with elementary and secondary education is 
quite a stretch.  Beyond that, using a child's tragic death from liver 
disease to advance a political agenda for education, and in the context 
of Christmas, no less, strikes me as misguided to the point of 
irresponsibility.  Finally, those who believe that the the child's 
death reveals inequity in how American society makes health care 
available should advocate for constructive changes.

Art

-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Hays <shays@ccwebster.net>
To: arn-l@interversity.org
Sent: Tue, 25 Dec 2007 5:39 am
Subject: Re: [arn-l] The Shock Doctrine in Action in New Orleans


On Dec 23, 2007, at 10:50 AM, aburke5054@aol.com wrote:


> I can't speak to the economics and returns of health care, but the > 
idea

> that people will put their own money into providing education doesn't

> exactly terrify me.


Nor did the economics and returns of having a good insurance policy 
terrify holders of CIGNA Corp. health care insurance plans ... until 
some underwriter sitting at a desk in Philadelphia, following to the 
letter corporate directives aimed at maximizing profit and reducing 
cost, denied a request from doctors at UCLA Medical Center for a liver 
transplant for a seventeen year old patient.  Who then, inconveniently, 
died.  This is but one tragic example of how the 'economics' of health 
care interfere with medical judgment and practice at the alter of 
profit.  The young girl's unnecessary death drew national attention to 
the (mal) practice of for-profit health care.  A litany of similar 
stories, though not always as tragic,  surfaced in the media for a 
couple of days ... only to disappear into the miasma of for-profit 
Christmas ... demonstrating repeatedly that the health and well-being 
of patients covered in for-profit health care plans and hmos is not 
always the most important consideration when making economic decisions 
regarding matters of medical practice.  For-profit schools make the 
same types of judgments all the time, though the outcome is not always 
life-threatening (in the short term).  EMOs and Educational Care 
Insurance do not strike me as a viable or non-terrifying way to go.


"I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box 
when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it"

                 --Terry Pratchett


Scott Hays

shays@ccwebster.netwebster.net





------------------------------------------------

Direct list questions to listmom@interversity.net






________________________________________________________________________
More new features than ever.  Check out the new AOL Mail ! - 
http://webmail.aol.com