News of the Day: The Sick Status Quo

Today’s LA Times editorial called for Americans to refuse the status quo in health care. They explain how while most of cable news has been covering town hall protests recently, while there are daily stories that have gone unnoticed but reveal the need for real health reform.  

LA Times says:

It's too bad the television cameras haven't been trained instead on the Forum in Inglewood, where the Remote Area Medical Foundation opened a temporary clinic this week. The scene makes a compelling case for a health care overhaul, putting a human face on the dry statistics about uninsured and underinsured Americans. People started lining up Monday for a chance to be treated Tuesday by volunteer doctors, dentists, nurses and other health care providers. About 1,500 people were seen that first day; after hundreds more camped out overnight, the clinic ran at full capacity again on Wednesday. It's scheduled to stay eight days before heading to its next stop, a reservation in Utah.

 

The turnout in Inglewood was huge despite the lack of publicity about the clinic, indicating how great the need is for more primary care. These are the people whose first stop for treatment tends to be the emergency room, often after a routine problem has festered long enough to become a complex (and expensive) one. Expanding health insurance to cover this group wouldn't be cheap, but it's a prerequisite to the changes in delivery and payment that will help improve care and control costs.

Remote Area Medical's experience here also illustrates one of the best features of our health care system: the humanitarianism of its professionals. But unless the system is reformed to bring basic health care services to all Americans, far too many will continue to depend on the kindness of strangers.

 

We encourage you to continue read the remainder of the LA Times editorial and learn more about the America’s Health Choices Act.