Last week in health care
As far as health news for Americans last week was, much like a circus fire, INTENSE. Here in the Capital "Thunder" Dome there was the braying of donkeys, the stampeding of elephants, the crunching sound of every member of the health care community beating their skulls against the walls, and the immense heat of electronic devices tripping breakers over and over as the grid (and I, via bourbon) experienced rolling blackouts.I stayed up late and got up early and skipped all my meals in an attempt to stay current, but unlike our president I will not make assertions that that means I’m functioning. Hm, maybe he’s just tired and cranky?Things of importance from this week:#1 Healthcare Triage short video on understanding the AHCA. You can see that Aaron Carroll is about 85% of the way to his breaking point here. And good god there were still two more days to go in the week.https://youtu.be/erbvPlzHkgM#2 Paul Ryan shows he's a bit shaky on what insurance is (we all pay for fire insurance so that if you have the terrible fortune of your house catching on fire, you are not financially devastated). BUT MR. RYAN WHY SHOULD I BUY FIRE INSURANCE WHEN MY HOUSE IS NOT AT PRESENT ON FIRE?https://youtu.be/tFWI8KJzD1w#2 Emma Sandoe, quickly becoming my favorite voice on the internet, expert in Medicaid, with this tweet (Poor people were once human people like me? No...)https://twitter.com/emma_sandoe/status/839877905882759168#3 In response to the question: what mandates do the Republicans object to? “Men paying for prenatal care.” Buh..uh..wha..wait. Since no man has ever been born or engaged in an act that might conceive a child.https://twitter.com/NARAL/status/839940098552696832#4 The AMA, ANA, AHA, and any lobbying association representing direct patient care declare the American Health Care Act to be one hot unsustainable mess. For the uninitiated, this is lions laying with lambs stuff. The orgs are not friends, and we seem to be arguing into a void at this point.#5 The Washington Post editorial section posts a satire that would make Alexander Pope holler “SWEET BURN” in his grave. Per the Dems response to the AHCA:“Mr. Gorbachev,” as Reagan so stirringly said, “This wall desperately needs revision.”#6 Our collective desire to continue living is affirmed by a BBC Asia expert in his home office in Korea when his children pull back that hollow-core door veneer that keeps us believing that what we say and do is suit-and-tie worthy and crucial to the survival of humanity. From his IDAF toddler in her you’re-not-going-to-miss-this-dance yellow shirt to the younger sibling in the most successful comedy vehicle since the American Pie movies. It had to be the mom, btw. That was a woman bolting off the toilet to save her family.[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh4f9AYRCZY&w=560&h=315]Cheers to this week! Hope you're well rested.