Now that you're all done with your midterm and need something to do, this is a really great story on NPR's Fresh Air about coverage of ESRD (End-stage renal disease, or kidney failure) under Medicare and how the costs to cover this small fraction of Medicare beneficiaries eats up an enormous amount of Medicare spending. ESRD has been called "Socialized medicine for one organ" by some mentioned in the story. This brings up lots of questions about the monetary value of a life, the privatization & commercialization of care, and the burden of chronic disease.
Click and listen to both sections "What Dialysis Taught Us..." and "Medicare Chief MD Speaks...", it is well worth it.
Do you now feel shocked & dismal about the future of Medicare, if you did not already? :(
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