The problems with the US Health care system are at their root not so complicated. This author seems to have done a pretty good assessment, with a year of research. The “system” is very good at delivering elaborate procedures and medications; there are few incentives for anything else. And it turns out that elaborate procedures are a gamble.  The old joke was “The surgery was a success, but the patient died!” But it’s no longer a joke.

Like every grieving family member, I looked for someone to blame for my father’s death. But my dad’s doctors weren’t incompetent—on the contrary, his hospital physicians were smart, thoughtful, and hard-working. Continue reading →