tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988839706387198339.post2085871723599689384..comments2024-03-17T12:51:46.412-07:00Comments on Cutting Through The Crap: The Man Behind The SmearSid Schwabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988839706387198339.post-54543315021816973382010-08-13T17:37:54.284-07:002010-08-13T17:37:54.284-07:00Well said, HTE; and those that try to address it t...Well said, HTE; and those that try to address it thoughtfully and rationally (pun acknowledged) are shouted down.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988839706387198339.post-28022412293764779332010-08-13T17:01:57.534-07:002010-08-13T17:01:57.534-07:00Commentary: As I remember it I did a lot of pro bo...Commentary: As I remember it I did a lot of pro bono work, for free in my office; and at the county hospital and it was only 30 years ago. I think we have to separate issues here, Berwick the great physician from Berwick the social reformer. The two are not mutually exclusive and in a more perfect world they are not. The problem as I see it is rigidity in the thought process, rigidity in the system, where few are free to make the right choices. Berwick himself speaks to that in his graduation address.Gary M. Levinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16205704913440150198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988839706387198339.post-50005688817267185962010-08-13T11:58:21.227-07:002010-08-13T11:58:21.227-07:00"Really, Sid. Is this how you speak to people...<b><i>"Really, Sid. Is this how you speak to people in real life? Does this make you feel more manly on the Internet? Are you unable to be polite to people with whom you disagree?"</i></b><br /><br />Hilarious.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988839706387198339.post-32738660720365283152010-08-13T11:18:10.654-07:002010-08-13T11:18:10.654-07:00...ooze by...you can't possibly follow this.........ooze by...you can't possibly follow this...you can't comprehend them, or address them sensibly...You are the PERFECT example of why we're so screwed in this country, and the UNDENIABLE evidence of whose fault it is...the rest of you emptiness...<br /><br />Really, Sid. Is this how you speak to people in real life? Does this make you feel more manly on the Internet? Are you unable to be polite to people with whom you disagree?<br /><br />If Berwick is out of context, then does he not support rationing? Inform us.<br /><br />Do you not support rationing? Sounds like you do.<br /><br />Do you think proposing that people live out their lives on painkillers rather than getting surgery is a proper solution?<br /><br />It is a difficult issue. A purely market solution would be to say that if you don't have insurance or another way to pay, you don't get care. That would drive everyone who can afford it to get insurance. Right now, not everyone who can afford it has it.<br /><br />In my business, if you can't pay, I don't have to work for you. I do do a lot of pro-bono and charity work. Doctors should be free to do the same. Do you agree with that?<br /><br />But turning away injured and sick people is certainly not the our country works. We always help the unfortunate. But we need to address the people who make themselves unfortunate by not preparing. I'm not talking about people who have no money--I'm talking about people who spend the money on other things, knowing that everyone else will be forced to pick up the bill of their failure to plan. <br /><br />Do you imagine that Obamacare is making healthcare more affordable? I notice my insurance has just gone up $200 per month. Obviously, I'm paying for all the new people about to show up for their "free" healthcare. <br /><br />Maybe rationing should start with those who spent their money unwisely, rather than on granny who does have insurance.Bluenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988839706387198339.post-48275367679539501632010-08-13T08:49:19.858-07:002010-08-13T08:49:19.858-07:00Thanks, Blue: I totally knew you'd ooze by wit...Thanks, Blue: I totally knew you'd ooze by with a comment on that exact line. <br /><br />First of all -- and I understand you can't possibly follow this -- the "death panel" lie was the response to the (originally Republican) idea that medicare should cover discussions of living wills. Second of all, as I said in the post, his comments, taken out of context, were "reality based." Which, of course, is why you can't comprehend them, or address them sensibly.<br /><br />But let me ask you: how do you fix the problem of health care costs if you, like all good RWS™, refuse to pay for programs on the one hand, and demagogue the idea of prioritizing spending on the other? <br /><br />If every attempt at controlling cost, addressing efficacy, confronting the most difficult of issues, ie money spent on futile care, is characterized as death panels and rationing, how will we solve it? Who on your side will actually offer meaningful ideas? Who among people like you will be willing to think hard about the most difficult issues, instead of smearing those who step up?<br /><br />You are the PERFECT example of why we're so screwed in this country, and the UNDENIABLE evidence of whose fault it is.<br /><br />By the way, as to your second comment which I accidently deleted instead of hitting the "publish" button: re-read what I said about the Larouche supporters. All I said was what they did, not who they are or aren't. But, compared to the rest of you emptiness, it's barely worth a mention.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988839706387198339.post-83216864831588859272010-08-13T08:16:10.052-07:002010-08-13T08:16:10.052-07:00“The decision is not whether or not we will ration...“The decision is not whether or not we will ration care--the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open,” Berwick said in a June 2009 interview with Biotechnology Healthcare. <br /><br />It seems odd to mock the metaphor of "death panels" while supporting Dr. Ration here, appointed by <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/25/nation/na-health25" rel="nofollow">Prof. Skip the Surgery</a> knowing his own congress might not support him.Bluenoreply@blogger.com