Marcus wrote sanely about ‘insane’ issue

It was good to read Morton Marcus’ [Aug. 17] reasoned and sane synopsis of a subject that has become a lightning
rod: health care “reform.”

This, from a financial writer, was more important than all the comments
by health care experts to the overall need for open review of the concepts being presented nationally.

Working
in a “charity” hospital, I had patients that paid and patients that couldn’t. We treated them all the same
because their symptoms and problems were indistinguishable by ability (or willingness) to pay.

What makes Marcus’
take on it a welcome change is that he speaks about universal perceptions and how people come to believe them. Apparently,
we all resist change for many reasons based on our priorities shaped by our personal histories. Change is hard and it often
is not better, just different. But health care is hurtling down a path toward destruction of the most basic human right: to
live, hopefully with a satisfactory quality of life.

Thanks for giving it a different and welcome change from the
current vituperative debate. From a medical context, many reactions being exhibited by obviously terrified people are showing
signs of derangement. A common [definition] of insanity is “doing the same thing over again and expecting a different
outcome.” Clearly we can’t keep doing the same thing repeatedly and expect a better result.

Merri
Anderson