[mdlug-discuss] health care (was: Iraq stuff again)

[Robert Adkins]

Wolfger wrote:
> On 3/26/07, *allen* <amajorov at sbcglobal.net 
> <mailto:amajorov at sbcglobal.net>> wrote:
>
>
>     > The answer, of course, is "if it's a disaster everywhere else,
>     then it
>     > probably won't work in America". Of course, there's that "if" in the
>     > front, which I believe is a false presupposition.
>     Feel free to provide examples. I don't have to cross a national border
>     an example of the sort of future socialized medicine inexorably
>     evolves
>     towards: Walter Reed. 
>
>
> Rubbish! You pick one sensationalistic example from the headlines, and 
> claim (with a complete lack of proof) that *all* socialized medicine 
> results in this. Absolute hogwash.
>
> How many military hospitals are there that *aren't* making headlines 
> for being atrocious? Why are they not examples, in your mind, of how 
> socialized medicine works? Mind you, the U.S. military has been on 
> this sort of "socialized medicine" since the dawn of its existence. 
> Doesn't seem to be working too badly, or they'd have changed it, no?
>
    Actually, they kind of did change it. A big portion of what fed into 
the Walter Reed fiasco is that instead of the military doing it 
themselves, they contracted out to the private sector those jobs that 
used to be taken care of by military personnel. The private sector 
apparently cut far to many corners to provide the sort of health care 
that returning, wounded service men are supposed to receive.

    At least this is what I have heard from reports on the preliminary 
investigation into the Walter Reed fiasco.

    -Rob