Controversy is mounting over Dr. Donald Berwick, President Obama's nominee to run Medicare and Medicaid -- and for good reason. Berwick's writings reveal that he would make radical changes -- seniors beware. You can read it all here.
Berwick laid out his "Triple Aim" plan in an article he co-authored in Health Affairs (May-June 2008), advocating widespread government use of the "medical home" model. The Congressional Budget Office says that's a version of HMO-style medicine, with a primary-care provider to oversee your access to costly services such as visits to specialists and diagnostic tests. But in Berwick's plan, many -- perhaps most -- primary-care providers would not be physicians.
In his Triple Aim plan, Berwick laments that US health care is "designed to focus on the acute needs of individual patients." He argues for a different focus, social justice.
I hope you read that last part very very closely! Your specific medical needs will not be the primary concern of the medical professional who sees you. Your needs will be weighed against the greater needs of society.
How does that make you feel?
No comments:
Post a Comment