U.S. patients face long queues!
The Boston Globe
August 1, 2004
Colonoscopies tax health industry
By Liz Kowalczyk
… hundreds of thousands have queued up for colonoscopies.
The rush has strained the healthcare system…
… some (hospitals) are booked for six months.
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/articles/2004/08/01/colonoscopies_tax_health_industry?pg=full
Comment: The above comments are true. Significant queues have developed for
colonoscopies in the United States. But the point of using the selected excerpts from the article is that it demonstrates the type of deception that is being used to imply that universal health care systems always result in queues and marketplace systems never do. In fact, demand that exceeds capacity is what results in queues regardless of the method of funding health care. Many nations with universal public systems have proven that capacity can be adjusted to meet an appropriate level of demand.
The United States does have a significant but invisible queue due to two factors. Those without adequate insurance are not allowed a place in the line, and those who are in the system and theoretically have adequate coverage are receiving only half of the services that they should be. Neither of these groups are tallied, and so their “infinite” queue is neither defined nor discussed.
The deception of the opponents of reform in using queues as a reason to reject a universal system should be no more acceptable than my deception in editing out the comments that explain that the long queues are due to the recent recommendation that colonoscopy now be used for routine colon cancer screening. Capacity will be increased in response to this demand, just as capacity is being increased in Canada in response to increased demand for diagnostic imaging.
We know how to improve access and improve appropriate utilization of our health care system. Let’s start demanding more honesty in our national dialogue on reform.