Some Interesting News From The Home Front
Gentle Reader,
As you may know, last year I wrote numerous blog articles about the town where I grew up, appropriately titled Exira Sesquicentennial Specials, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the town. Well, there's still something to report, folks. Thanks to the relative grapevine, of which my mother still is an active participant, I have been informed of some interesting developments among the cousins.
My second-cousin, Melody Petersen, former New York Times reporter and author of the new book, Our Daily Meds, was a guest on Bill Moyer's program on American public television on Friday. The book is about how pharmaceutical companies are pushing drugs on the American public that they may not really need. Here's a link to the program for your enjoyment, as I am unable to embed the video here. Also, although I provided a link to Melody's book on Amazon, please support your local bookseller if you can!
One of the points brought up in the program was something I noticed on my trip to the states last fall, namely that you are literally bombarded with drug ads on television. Not being much of a TV watcher for one, and living in a foreign country for another, my first thought was, "This can't be good." I think it is symptomatic of the bloated, costly, for-profit apparatus which is the American health care system. Now, don't get me wrong. Very good care can be had in the United States, if you can afford it. If a society may be valued for how it values it's lowliest citizens, then the United States fails the grade. Everyone benefits if everyone has affordable health care coverage. For example, here in Germany, money for health care is taken out of my pay just like for an HMO in the states. And I have never had a problem seeing a doctor here. But there is the difference. Everyone is covered here in Germany, including the unemployed and the poor. The state, i.e. the taxpayer picks up the difference. And that to me is an example of society helping its misfortunate, for everyone benefits when people get the health care they require.
As you may know, last year I wrote numerous blog articles about the town where I grew up, appropriately titled Exira Sesquicentennial Specials, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the town. Well, there's still something to report, folks. Thanks to the relative grapevine, of which my mother still is an active participant, I have been informed of some interesting developments among the cousins.
My second-cousin, Melody Petersen, former New York Times reporter and author of the new book, Our Daily Meds, was a guest on Bill Moyer's program on American public television on Friday. The book is about how pharmaceutical companies are pushing drugs on the American public that they may not really need. Here's a link to the program for your enjoyment, as I am unable to embed the video here. Also, although I provided a link to Melody's book on Amazon, please support your local bookseller if you can!
One of the points brought up in the program was something I noticed on my trip to the states last fall, namely that you are literally bombarded with drug ads on television. Not being much of a TV watcher for one, and living in a foreign country for another, my first thought was, "This can't be good." I think it is symptomatic of the bloated, costly, for-profit apparatus which is the American health care system. Now, don't get me wrong. Very good care can be had in the United States, if you can afford it. If a society may be valued for how it values it's lowliest citizens, then the United States fails the grade. Everyone benefits if everyone has affordable health care coverage. For example, here in Germany, money for health care is taken out of my pay just like for an HMO in the states. And I have never had a problem seeing a doctor here. But there is the difference. Everyone is covered here in Germany, including the unemployed and the poor. The state, i.e. the taxpayer picks up the difference. And that to me is an example of society helping its misfortunate, for everyone benefits when people get the health care they require.
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