Stanford School of Medicine
Stanford Medicine Magazine
Winter 2005
OK, you say you want a revolution Why Americans settle for a broken health-care system
By Michelle Brandt
“The whole thing is broken,” says David Magnus, PhD, director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics. “The core problem is that we have a completely irrational way of paying for and delivering health care.”
Our national leaders haven’t adequately addressed the issues, and- despite survey after survey showing that Americans believe our health-care system needs reform – the public hasn’t taken them to task for it. Health care hasn’t
reached critical mass as a political issue, experts say, because Americans are worried about the future but not concerned enough with their current situation to clamor for change.
Yet many continue to push for reform, including medical student (Graham) Walker, who is hoping to soon begin a documentary on the health-care system.
He’s among those who feel confident that change is coming. Says another believer in change, advocate (Don) McCanne: “I personally suspect it will happen in years, rather than decades.
“We want our technology, we want great advances in health care. When we see
only the wealthy can get them, that’s not going to be acceptable.” Sociology professor (Donald) Barr agrees and predicts that increasing numbers of “horror stories” will eventually cause people to vote only for those politicians who address the health-care issue. And that’s exactly what we need to have happen: only when the public puts the pressure on legislators – and becomes entrenched in the fight like Walker and others – will the nation get real reform.
http://mednews.stanford.edu/stanmed/2005winter/healthcare-main.html
Comment: Michelle Brandt is the Media Relations Manager of the Office of Communication and Public Affairs at Stanford University Medical Center. In this article she has captured the essence of our broken system of funding care and the oxymoronic unstable inertia of reform. Although the article is somewhat long, it makes for a great Sunday read.