Boston Mayor: Making $ Off Of Sick People Is Sick
BOSTON GLOBE--Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino today blasted a state decision that paves the way for CVS Corp. and other retailers to open medical clinics inside their stores (see previous CD post here).
In a statement, the mayor said the decision yesterday by the state Public Health Council "jeopardizes patient safety. Limited service medical clinics run by merchants in for-profits corporations will seriously compromise quality of care and hygiene. Allowing retailers to make money off of sick people is wrong."
Hey, wait a minute Mr. Mayor. Doesn't CVS also sell aspirin, Nyquil, Ibuprofen, Alka-Seltzer, Benadryl, Sudafed, plus hundreds of prescription products at its pharmacies? Isn't that making money off of sick people? Aren't MDs and nurses making money off of sick people? And aren't' grocery stores making money off of hungry people? Isn't selling water making money off of thirsty people?
9 Comments:
Don't most health care providers make money off of sick people?
Under this logic, I wonder if he would say that insurance companies are NOT evil, given that they have to pay out money when people are sick or injured...
I've long thought (as a former Boston area resident, and worker in Boston) that Menino simply has to be one of the very lowest IQ mayors in the US. A lobotomy would be an improvement for him.
Touche, Happyjuggler,
Alex,
"I wonder if he would say that insurance companies are NOT evil"
An insurance company operates a business in a competitive market and it is required to make a profit in order to remain viable. Its past profits form a fund from which it can pay claims and its shareholders expect a return on their investment or they invest elsewhere. Unlike government, a business has to generate a profit. Would you wish to buy a service or invest in a company on that was not financially viable?
While insurance companies may be difficult to deal with at times, they provide a legal service which people want and are willing to pay for. The cost of premiums is set by the market force of supply and demand (companies in a competitive market are price takers not price setters - see Econ101).
Insurance companies are no more evil than employees who accept a salary rather than donating their time for free like Mother Theresa.
Like most young people who emerge from our school system, your viewpoint is rather lopsided reflecting only one side of the issues. While there are many ideas that you may continue to value from your educational experience, it is also time to learn more about business and economics so that you have a broader base of intellectual development to evaluate issues.
This is a good place to start learning. Part of this process involves questioning what you hear and questioning what you believe.
Many of us just look for opinions that agree with our own; some of us want more. Often, one's viewpoint changes reflecting our life experiences as well as our educational activities.
We are living during one of the most fascinating times to be alive. Enjoy the ride.
Anon 5:05, I think you missed my point. I'm actually right there with ya on everything...my post was just a simple jab at the typical anti-corporate views of people like Mayor Menino, and the vast contradictions therein.
My point was, someone like Menino, who fiends disgust at these pay-per-visit clinics set up by corporate retail and drug store chains for supposedly profiting on sick people, probably also fiends disgust at insurance companies, even though they profit off of healthy people, and are forced to give up money when their customers get sick or injured.
I hope that makes sense, and shows you that I'm not some reactionary, non-thinking young person without any real world experience, and we're actually on the exact same page :)
Alex,
I misunderstood that the context of your post thinking that you referred to the "logic" of Prof. Perry's argument, so that "he" referred to Prof. Perry rather than Menino.
My apologies for giving you a well-meaning but quite unnecessary lecture. It is often difficult to discern when a poster is being ironic especially if the post is very brief.
My apologies for the Hermione Granger.
Cheers :)
All good, no offense was taken...I understood your misunderstanding!
If profits are made from sick people, there is no better place to place heavy restrictions and regulation on the industry, as would be expected from a government committed to human safety.
Since most business wants unregulated profits, not regulated or capped ones, mostly any other business is better.
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