Cell 2 Soul: The Humane Health Care Blog

Marginal Notes: A Socratic dialog on health care reform (III)

Socrates consults the general practitioner of medicine Aesculapius to ask both his opinion on the Athenian health care system and a favor as well. >>more

The third in a series of Socratic dialogs on health care reform. Apropos of these discussions, readers may wish to peruse previous conversations with Aeschylus and Plato here and here.

 

Brian T. Maurer has practiced pediatrics as a Physician Assistant for thirty years.  His "Marginal Notes" column appears periodically in the Cell2Soul Blog. The title "Marginal Notes" is taken from a quote by Henry David Thoreau: "I love a broad margin to my life."

Marginal Notes: A Socratic dialog on health care reform (II)

After speaking with the tragedian Aeschylus, Socrates encounters his former political science student Plato, who relates the latest debates in the Senate and explains the Athenian health care system from his perspective. >>more

The second in a series of Socratic dialogs on health care reform.  Interested readers may access the first conversation here.

Brian T. Maurer has practiced pediatrics as a Physician Assistant for thirty years.  His "Marginal Notes" column appears periodically in the Cell2Soul Blog. The title "Marginal Notes" is taken from a quote by Henry David Thoreau: "I love a broad margin to my life."

Marginal Notes: A Socratic dialog on health care reform

In attempting to make some sense of our ongoing national debate on health care reform, I recently had a chat with two old mentors of mine. It turns out that the subject is certainly not new; indeed, it has been discussed and debated for centuries.

These two mentors graciously consented to allow me to record one of their more recent dialogs on the subject, which can be accessed here.

 

Brian T. Maurer has practiced pediatrics as a Physician Assistant for thirty years.  His "Marginal Notes" column appears periodically in the Cell2Soul Blog. The title "Marginal Notes" is taken from a quote by Henry David Thoreau: "I love a broad margin to my life."

Marginal Notes: Counting Costs

Barbershop Quartet by Norman Rockwell

“I gotta tell you, this Obama character scares the bejesus outta me,” the man in the barber chair said.  “All this talk about death panels deciding when to pull the plug on us older folks. Next thing you know, we’ll have socialized medicine, and then no one will get proper care.”

Peyton pulled the barber drape off the man’s chest and brushed a few freshly clipped grey hairs off the man’s shoulders.  Slowly the old man climbed down from the chair and made his way across the linoleum tiled floor to the ancient cash register.  He handed Peyton a twenty dollar bill and waited for Peyton to count out his change.  >>more

 

Brian T. Maurer has practiced pediatrics as a Physician Assistant for thirty years.  His "Marginal Notes" column appears periodically in the Cell2Soul Blog. The title "Marginal Notes" is taken from a quote by Henry David Thoreau: "I love a broad margin to my life."