July 24, 2007

SyCKO

Posted at 2:25 PM by Andrea Verykoukis

If there are people out there who remain under the delusion that there's no health care problem in this country, I don't want to know them.  (Probably not as much as they don't want to know me, but, still.)  Let there be no doubt that among the many signs of the coming (present?) health care apocalypse is this one:  

The state Court of Appeals ruled that state law gives public hospitals special protections so they can better compete with private hospitals."

I wish I knew how to make that appear even larger, but I don't.  That sweet nothing comes from Dan Kane's story on a House committee's green-lighting of legislation that makes it easier for the public to find out the total compensation of state employees, EXCEPT those at public hospitals.  This in spite of the fact that the legislation was created in response to a Charlotte Observer lawsuit over its futile efforts to learn the total payment to execs at Carolinas Healthcare System.  Hence the golden nugget above.  Why exclude the folks who are essentially the targets of the bill?  So they can compete, I guess.  Because that's the job of public hospitals, competing with other hospitals.  There aren't enough sick people to go around in North Carolina, so our hospitals have to actively fight for the few that are out there.  Right?  Wait, no, that's not right.  We're spending more every year and getting sicker, fatter, and shorter in return. 

Interestingly, the Senate passed a bill that did not exempt hospital employees from having their total compensation revealed.  But marketing is now becoming a priority – over access and care? – at our public hospitals.  And the House is looking to make that law.  Nice.  I can't believe in the current climate they could make the NC Senate look good, but it seems to be a race for the bottom on Jones St.  Too bad we're along for the ride.

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1 Comment

1 Comment Add yours »

Oswaldo 16 Aug 2007 3:04 pm

Do you have any movie in DVD about this issue? I would like to get it.

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