Irony–Former National Hospital Director in UK dies from lack of timely care
It’s a rather old story in more ways than one – it apparently happened at the end of March. But it is an old story in another way as well – government’s inability to deliver on its promises. It is also a story still playing out here as we look toward our future:
A former NHS director died after waiting for nine months for an operation – at her own hospital.
Margaret Hutchon, a former mayor, had been waiting since last June for a follow-up stomach operation at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Essex.
But her appointments to go under the knife were cancelled four times and she barely regained consciousness after finally having surgery.
Obviously her access to government run health care via single payer insurance did her no good (remember, supposedly insuring everyone is “the answer”). She ended up being lost in the shuffle, critical care was continuously put off and, as a result, she died.
Her devastated husband, Jim, is now demanding answers from Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust – the organisation where his wife had served as a non-executive member of the board of directors.
He said: ‘I don’t really know why she died. I did not get a reason from the hospital. We all want to know for closure. She got weaker and weaker as she waited and operations were put off.’
Mr Hutchon, of Great Baddow, Essex, said his wife, 72, had initially undergone major stomach surgery last June but the follow up procedures were repeatedly abandoned.
My guess, and that’s all it is, is she was continuously passed over because of her age. I obviously don’t know that for sure, but it is one of many stories coming out of the UK that involve “senior citizens”. Her condition was serious enough that she had been in hospital for months, but apparently not serious enough – or important enough – to receive the priority many would think it would obviously receive (if you’re in a hospital for months, you’ve got a pretty serious problem).
This is where we’re headed if we don’t get some leaders in office to stop this. And, as indicated by the post below this and the Romney speech last Thursday, neither of those two have the political will to do that. In fact, both agree, generally, with the direction the Democrats and the Obama administration have taken us.
We’re on our way to becoming a nation of Margaret Hutchons if we don’t push back hard and demand repeal of the odious ObamaCare legislation. And Romney and Gingrich are not the candidates to do that.
~McQ
Twitter: @McQandO
Gingrich–GOP plan for Medicare “Right-wing social engineering”, backs Obama’s insurance mandate
This is the major reason why Newt Gingrich shouldn’t get anywhere near the GOP nomination:
White House hopeful Newt Gingrich called the House Republican plan for Medicare "right-wing social engineering," injecting a discordant GOP voice into the party’s efforts to reshape both entitlements and the broader budget debate.
In the same interview Sunday, on NBC’s "Meet the Press," Mr. Gingrich backed a requirement that all Americans buy health insurance, complicating a Republican line of attack on President Barack Obama’s health law.
Yup, he’s a bomb-thrower with lefty leanings. About as succinct as I can make it. He’s one of those guys who believes in using government for “social engineering” even while denouncing something as social engineering.
Later Sunday, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he also acknowledged that many Republicans are uncomfortable with requiring insurance coverage but challenged them to offer an alternative solution. "Most Republican voters agree with the principle that people have some responsibility to pay for their costs," he said.
Here’s a thought – stay the hell out of my health care?
That’s the problem with politicians like Gingrich – despite all the rhetoric on the right about smaller less intrusive government, they keep coughing up candidates like Gingrich who always seem to find “solutions” in government. My alternate solution? Back off! Change the law to allow insurance to be sold over state lines, get it out of the hands of employers, drop all the coverage mandates by government and let the market begin to work and shape the insurance product instead of government.
That’s my alternate solution. And you’d think a so-called Republican would be out there pushing something like it – instead of jumping on the lefty bandwagon by calling a genuine effort to back government out of the medical care business “right-wing social engineering”.
Republicans – you have both Gingrich and Romney trying to make the unacceptable acceptable. Is that what you want in the White House?
Bah.
Go make another commercial with Pelosi, Newt.
~McQ
Twitter: @McQandO