A Health Care Post Script

We are heartened that The New York Times' Editorial Board has taken notice of our humble little blog. How else would they have heard about Atul Gawande's excellent article in the New Yorker about health care that we urged you to read last week?

On Sunday, they posted the following:

"There is disturbing evidence that many [doctors] do a lot more than is medically useful — and often reap financial benefits from over-treating their patients. No doubt a vast majority of doctors strive to do the best for their patients. But many are influenced by fee-for-service financial incentives and some are unabashed profiteers."

Now, we certainly don't adovocate a witch hunt to find out which of America's doctors are behaving unethically. But we do advocate adjusting the structure of our health care system so that doctors aren't given incentives to push un-needed medical procedures in order to line their pockets. This is a goal that is well within reach of policy makers, and it will save the taxpayers' millions (not even Newt Gingrich could complain about that!).

One more reason to read Gawande's article: according to the Times, it "has become must reading at the White House." As well it should!