What's the Difference Between Kaiser and France? (Part 1)

Health Care is such a conglomerate of patched together wiring; many people running on different circuits, yet seemingly in conjunction with each other. Looking at the tangled mess can be mind-boggling. I am “in” the system and still get dizzy listening to the news.

I run on the physician network. Though we may seem to be a continuous route on a single wire weaving through the ball of health care, we, in fact, have a fine splays of wiring amongst ourselves.

This is my attempt to understand the conglomerate from sitting within it, looking out. If you look closely you will see a fine red thread running with the thicker black one. That’s me. If you follow it, it will lead you to Pediatric Community Clinics in Los Angeles California.

When I stand back and span out I see, besides us: the physicians, insurance companies, government & policy makers, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. All play a role in the complicated network that construct the health care system in America today.

First, I think it is important to understand that we are not France, we are not the Netherlands and we are not Canada. We are the good ol’ US of A. No matter what anyone says, we are going to do it our own way. Whether it makes sense or not is yet to be seen. That aside, we are not starting from a blank slate and creating a health care system, rather we are reconstructing some deeply embedded roots of some highly enmeshed wiring, reminiscent of the double VCR, DVD, cable box connections in the back of the Puri family room TV.

This much I get, in the middle of the ever-spiraling matrix sit our patients, with their heads spinning and eyes bugging out of their head. I see looks of despair, anticipation of bankruptcy heaped on top of pending uncertainties of their or their loved one’s health outcomes. If we keep our eyes on the prize, which is ultimately:

1.     1. To provide healthcare to all

2.     2. To provide good quality health care

3.     3. Not to bankrupt the system in the process

then sifting out the meat from the carnage of our current health care system becomes more feasible.