EP 662 A Safety Net Hospital: A Model for Health Care Reform in America?

  Healthcare is the number one cause of bankruptcy in America.  Nearly 30 million Americans have no insurance and those who do face staggering increases each year.  We all interact with the healthcare system and to a person I do not come across anyone who thinks it’s a good model.  And while we might have the most advanced technologies and very capable medical professionals, they are hamstrung by bureaucracy, out of control costs and demands from intermediaries that often have little to do with the care they want to provide.  And whether you call the health care system you interact with for profit or non-profit, they all continue to get bigger and more focused on the bottom line than on patient care.  Dr. Ricardo Nuila is the author of “The People’s Hospital” and practices medicine at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston, Texas.  It is a ‘safety net’ hospital funded through property taxes by Harris County and serves a majority of patients who have no health insurance.  Doctors are allowed to be doctors and not focus on the business of medicine.  We discuss what is wrong with America healthcare(more accurately described as sick care)and at its root is the private health insurance model which encourages differentiated care depending on your wealth and status in our society.  He offers a different perspective and some policy solutions.  Won’t we ever engage as a country on this vital issue?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download