Science forum highlights problems with U.S. health care

from Tennessee Journalist:

Dr. Richard Rose, a private practice doctor specializing in treatment
of infectious diseases, gave a lecture titled "How we got into this
mess" on the problems with the U.S.'s health care system during the UT science forum Friday.

Rose described health care practices in the Unites States from the time of the Neanderthals up to present day.

The discovery that insulin injections treat diabetes changed the face
of medicine, he said. Instead of doctors simply treating acute diseases
with one visit, chronic disease treatment became common practice for
doctors.

"For most of the history of man, 'fee for service' made sense because it was based on episodic care giving," said Rose.

"A system developed around treatment of acute diseases was now translated into treating chronic diseases," Rose said.

It is not effective to provide care for long term treatable diseases
in a health care model based around treating acute problems, he said.

As far as the presidential election goes, Rose feels that neither of
the candidates' plans for reform will have much of an effect on the
problems with health care.

"Their plans are really just tweaks," Rose said. "I'm not basing my decision on their health care plans."

Rose admitted he doesn't have the answers to these problems.

"I just told you how we got here, but I'm not going to tell you how
to get out," Rose said. "I'll leave the solutions up to you."