Bob Lefsetz is a music industry journalist blogger that I follow regularly although not reading every post. He lives in the Los Angeles area. He wrote recently about the apparent execution of United Healthcare’s 50-year-old CEO in NYC:
And we thought the revolution would arrive as a result of the red/blue divide. When in truth, it’s all about income inequality.
Please don’t criticize me for having sympathy for those screwed by the insurance companies. If I were in charge, there’d be no guns at all, or a law akin to that in Australia. But one would posit that the shooter is pissed because the insurance company didn’t pay.
But that’s what insurance companies do, not pay. That’s their business model. Even assuming you can see the doctor of your choice, which is rare. As a matter of fact, essentially all my doctors in L.A. don’t take insurance at all. You pay the freight, which ain’t inexpensive. And why did these MDs stop taking insurance? Because the insurance companies were running them ragged.
And then there are the hospitals… If you can even find an independent doctor… Everybody is now part of a giant organization, which squeezes the physicians. My dermatologist couldn’t sleep. She was on the edge of giving up practice, because at Cedars they required her to see an inordinate number of patients per hour. And this is the only doctor who could diagnosis my pemphigus, even the supposed biggest guy in L.A. couldn’t. She didn’t insist that I follow her into private practice, but for me it’s a no-brainer.
And my internist… He left the UCLA system and it was like he had a personality transplant. Instead of being harried and short, he’s folksy, talks music, and is unbelievably thorough. He diagnosed my leukemia. Do you really think I’m going to go back to the factory?
Although we don’t yet know much about the shooter’s motive, Bob ties the murder to the U.S. healthcare system.
Steve Parker, M.D.
Advanced Mediterranean Diet 