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Monday, April 18, 2005
Health care satisfaction
Kevin Drum continues his review of the state of health care in the United States:* Poor: 45%
* Elderly: 61%
* Everyone else: 34%
What about the poor? The thousands of people removed from Medicaid lists will clearly be dissatisfied with the change. But the vast majority of workers who earn just enough to be poor, which is too much to qualify for Medicaid, didn't have health insurance last year, don't have insurance this year, and don't expect to have insurance next year. How can they be satisfied?
Satisfaction is a measure of expectation. If you expect each day to be full of chocolate cake and light massage, you might be dissatisfied if the frosting is too sweet. On the other hand, if you expect each day to be a kick in the jimmy, suddenly a glancing blow becomes a reason to celebrate. If you were worried about not having health insurance all year, but little Billy got to see the doctor when he was sick anyway, you can be satisfied that at least he got the treatment he needed.
This is probably patronizing to the nth degree, which I regret. But I don't think that the poor are so much satisfied with the health care they receive as they are relieved that disaster has yet to strike.
