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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mary Cluney who wrote (3194)	12/10/2007 8:27:08 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42652

Getting treatment from people who are not doctors implies lower quality if not dangerous treatment. Not necessarily. Lots of doctor functions are now being done by nurse practitioners and physician assistants. My dad's primary care physician wasn't a physician nor was the person who oversaw his care in hospice. I wouldn't suggest someone go to a trainee neurosurgeon, but a nurse can deal with the sniffles and a medical student can stitch up a playground boo-boo. Re your earlier question about dental work, I wouldn't go to a student for a crown because they're tricky, but then if I were poor, I wouldn't even be considering crowns. I'd stick to cleanings and fillings. Suggestions of affordable resources include a lot of similar resources in terms of quality at a more reasonable price. That's clearly not what I meant. Motel6, Ross, and the food bank, the examples I used, are of marginal quality, not for someone of remotely discriminating tastes. Their target customers are relatively poor. Proposing one of them is the equivalent of proposing the dental college for a filling or a nurse practitioner to deal with an STD. At least that's what was intended by my examples. People usually hang with people in similar economic circumstances. It's awkward otherwise for both parties. But, with an uneven relationship, it seems to me that helping people find services that they can afford, while awkward, is the kindest and most constructive choice among awkward alternatives. Or perhaps you think that poor people and middle-class people should have all the things that rich people have. I sure don't expect to, so I don't see why the poor would so expect or why anyone would expect that for us.

To: Mary Cluney who wrote (3194)	12/12/2007 2:06:28 AM
From: Peter Dierks	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42652

"Getting treatment from people who are not doctors implies lower quality if not dangerous treatment. " I would be unlikely to submit to heart surgery by a janitor, but have allowed lesser medical personnel than heart surgeons to work on me. There is a reason why teaching hospitals have students perform simple medical procedures and residents practice in situations where the top expert is not required. If you are offended that many people would rather receive care from people you would not deign to visit it is your anchor to bear. Please don't try to weight the rest of us down with it. Just remember that in countries with socialized medicine the doctors are often from the third world because at socialized wages doctor ceases to be a path to success. You may not deign to utilize the services of those you would inflict upon the rest of us who lack your resources.