NPR's "Fresh Air" interviews TR Reid

NPR thought TR Reid had something to say as well..you can listen to the interview.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112172939

just saying

Don't think I don't know what it's like to get poor service at a hospital. Not long ago when I jumped off the picnic table, I punctured my gut on a stick. It wasn't pretty. I can tell you my Mom wasn't too happy when she had to pay (out of her own pocket) because I didn't have any health insurance. (Anesthesia and stitches don't run cheap these days).

Feeling like I got treated like a common animal, I decided to try and understand what is wrong with our healthcare system. Why can't a guy like me get a little respect when I'm bleeding?

Checking my research on the subject, I recalled T.R. Reid's keynote presentation at last year's New England Regional Rural Health RoundTable conference (NERHRT http://www.newenglandruralhealth.org/). Mr. Reid studied "socialized medicine" in depth way before it became popular to do so in the US (in recent days). His trips and studies of hospitals around the world provide a great framework for understanding what people really mean when they use the word "socialized." Check out his Aug 30 article on the subject. I'm just saying it's worth thinking about.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09242/993976-109.stm?cmpid=newspanel