Tale of two health cares
(photo: Ruth Fremson/The New York Times)
I don’t know how to fix, or “reform,” health care in America; I’ll leave that to the professionals (whoever they may be).
But I do know this: there is something wrong with this picture.
One morning earlier this week, I strolled into the Hospital for Special Surgery, arguably the best orthopedic hospital on Planet Earth, for my appointment with a doctor who is arguably one of the best orthopedic surgeons on Planet Earth. I was there because the pain in my left hip that started about ten weeks ago hasn’t gotten better, and I have come to accept that I have reached that magic age where these things really should be checked out. So, having what these days is probably considered “gold plated” employer-provided health insurance, which doesn’t require even the simplest “referral” by a “primary care physician” (not sure why I am putting these words in quotes but they seem to call for it), I called and made an appointment with this highly-recommended (and highly expensive) specialist. Nice, right?
