tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675087351939177300.post417509370526924783..comments2023-08-15T09:39:41.235-05:00Comments on Sutured for a Living: John Stossel Speaks at Healthcare Town Hallrlbateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236331355857884458noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675087351939177300.post-64033667843300590992009-11-01T07:24:40.612-06:002009-11-01T07:24:40.612-06:00I just stumbled upon your blog while searching pan...I just stumbled upon your blog while searching panniculectomy. The quilting aspect of your blog is a complete delight! I would like to comment on the aspect of the "free market" when applied to health care. We do not have a free market here in the US. That would imply that there is choice and that the consumer is able to make informed rational decisions. When my son had his first asthma attack on a Saturday I had to take him to an ER. (Actually, we took him to the children's hospital urgent care clinic, they treated him for several hours, he did not get better...they needed to close...he was transported by ambulance, with flat screen tv....he was not seen for several more hours...when he finally got the steriod he was fine)The nebulizer was billed as $200, my portion $40. I have since seen the same nebulizer for $25 from several internet retailers. I did not have "options" to choose from. My family doctor's office is closed on Saturday. I was not given an option to "rent" a nebulizer while I shopped for a better deal. I did not have a no frills/no flat screen tv option.I was too crazy with worry to make a calm decision. I'm pretty sure the whole incident would have been less costly if it happened in Canada or western Europe. Maybe researching and purchasing a panniculectomy can been seen as an exercise in free market dynamics, but for most health care decisions it is not. Anyway, I love your blog.LZAcookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06536501467999027978noreply@blogger.com