"Breaking Barriers to Health Care: Working for Social Justice" was the theme for the 2005 American Medical Students Association Regional Conference in Houston at the Baylor College of Medicine over this weekend.
Matt Cope, son of my good friend Mike Cope, is President of the local chapter in Houston and led the organizing efforts for this gathering of some 300 medical and pre-medical students from across the South. Thanks to Matt, I had the privilege of speaking to the group twice on Saturday, once in a plenary session and once in a smaller breakout group.
Talk about bright people!
I always enjoy the opportunity to speak to the group here in Dallas at UT Southwestern Medical Center where I observe the same level of smart coupled with amazing heart for those left behind.
It is very clear that these students are on a mission. Simply put, they intend to change the world! Gives an old man hope, I tell ya!
On Friday evening among the first events of the conference was a rally for universal health care for the nation. Later on Saturday, the students planned a mass "call in" to contact their congressional representatives about the Global AIDS Fund and the role of the United States in fighting HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria around the world. These young people are serious.
What I observed while among them was nothing short of the beginnings of a movement toward a more just society. These students believe we can do better as a nation and as a people. I have no doubt they will help us get there.
A new moment has arrived. Hope lives!
Thanks for the invitation, Matt. I needed to be with you.
Larry, I attended this conference and am a regular reader of your blog. It was amazing to see how your message and the messages of others who shared at the conference truly began to pull back the veil that covers our eyes to injustices within the health sector. Thanks for the reality and truths you expose on a daily basis and more importantly for your courage to live with hope inspite if it all. I hope that our efforts as medical students and physicians to pursue justice will be faithful to the unheard cries of the oppressed revealed through prophetic voices.
ReplyDeleteMay the Spirit constantly reveal the everpresent Good News of renewed Life that arrises from the ashes, just when we've forgotten its eternal victory over death! Shalom.
Amber, thanks for your encouraging words. I enjoyed my time with you and the others at the AMSA conference. You are an inspiring group of young leaders. Press on! Truth and justice will out! Larry
ReplyDeleteDid you see the West Wing tonight? They had a live debate between actors, but it mirrored a real presidential debate. One of the issues brought up was that Medicare (or Medicaid, I am not sure which) only uses 2% of funds for overhead compared to 20-30% in private insureres. The argument that the Democrat made - and won, I think - was that extending this sort of coverage to the entire nation would be a way to take care of everyone at a LOWER COST than what we are currently paying for private insurance.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds almost too good to be true. If that's the case, why aren't we doing it? What do you think? I dont really know the facts.
Anonymous, thanks for this post. The sad fact is too many special interest groups don't want people like you and me to know the facts. The TV debate you saw in the West Wing drama was based on hard data. The Medicare and Medicaid programs are in fact national health insurance programs. The administrative overhead for these public health insurance products is not over 3%, while private insurance that I pay too much for comes with an admin price tag of 25% or more.
ReplyDeleteWe don't move to a single payor, national system because of industry interests--just follow the money and you will be able to identify the roadblocks. But the time is short--the costs are too enormous and the system is on the verge of collapse.
We spend 15% of our Gross Deomestic Product annually on health care--more than any nation on the face of the planet--but our public health status by almost every index is not as good as any of the developed nations and many of the developing ones.
Health care based on market forces will never be just, equitable or effective. Hopefully, we are about to wake up.
Unfair comparison, c hand. Stick to the facts of the case and question at hand. The admin costs are the point here.
ReplyDeleteTaken to its logical conclusion, none of us would go to doctors in the private insurance sector either because of similar sorts of abuses of patients and billing pracitces that often run up costs in more "respectible" and accepted ways, and not nearly so exotic a manner!
Argue fairly or don't argue.