Saving Health Care In America
There is no health care crisis in America, which still offers the finest care in the world. There is a great need for reform in the way health insurance is managed, but the idea that other countries offer superior plans that we should adopt is laughable. A Canadian doctor, David Gratzer, who divides his time between New York and Toronto and has more experience with both health systems, has reviewed Michael Moore's latest opus, and says politely, "It does not survive a fact check."
In his documentary "Sicko," Mr. Moore alleges that Canadians never have to wait for more than 45 minutes in an emergency room. Wrong. In Calgary, one of the richest cities, there's been a series of women miscarrying after waiting hours in the emergency room. Dr. Gratzer's opinion about the great Canadian Health services was hit by the reality of working in hospitals as an intern. He wrote his first book, "Code Blue" in 1999 to emphasize the crisis. Shortly after it was published, a young man died of an asthma attack waiting in a crowded emergency room, and the criticism of the public health system grew. In 2005, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a ban on private insurance conflicted with the citizen's right to life.
Dr. Gratzer's new book is a fascinating and practical answer to fix whatever's wrong with our current system. It's called "The Cure: How Capitalism Can Save American Health Care." That's right — capitalism, free enterprise not national health care.
Dr. Gratzer asked me, "Why do homeowners carry insurance? Why do we insure our cars?" I answered, in case of an accident or disaster. Health insurance, he said, isn't like that. It covers everything, and that's the problem, but it can be fixed.
Dr. Gratzer says that our health system is mired in a World War II economic model that can only increase the government's role, but if we unleash the market forces that have transformed so much of our economy, American health care will be cheaper, better, and more accessible for everyone. Mini-clinics like the one in my CVS pharmacy on Hylan Boulevard are a great concept where patients can walk in and get treated by licensed physician's assistants for minor ailments.
So why, I inquired, can't we just have hospital and emergency coverage? Good question, I was told. Dr. Gratzer referred me to www.ehealthinsurance.com, where I learned that my state doesn't allow me that choice. At home I entered my uninsured 25-year-old's particulars along with our ZIP code into a dialogue box. Several different insurance plans popped up with prices ranging from $275 to $779 a month. I then re-entered a Connecticut ZIP code and the plans I saw ranged from $69 to $325. Now how is it that New Yorkers don't have a choice in the various plans offered by insurance companies? Come to think about it, we don't have school choice either, do we? Seems to me the only thing we're pro-choice about is abortion.
One of the first things that struck me about "Sicko" were the dramatic heart-rending stories of patients who could not afford health care for their conditions. Frankly, I found "Sicko" exploited these individuals, who come across more as victims of their own poor planning than a cold-blooded health system.
I asked Dr. Gratzer what he thought of Michael Moore. He answered, "He is a brilliant entrepreneur. He has made documentaries that make millions. That was once unheard of." He also said that "Sicko" is dishonest. On the New York Sun's blog "It Shines For All," I link to the site www.realcuba.com, which shows pictures of the hospitals where the poor Cubans are actually treated. The quality health care that Hollywood liberals get to observe is not available to them.
The cold reality is that Michael Moore makes docudramas that cater to the PC crowd while pretending to be everyman. Our health care is the best, so who's more "sicko?" — Moore or the people who believe him?
