September 22, 2008

to your health

I have read quite a few newspapers since Friday between the train to Trento and a couple of days hanging around a hospital bed where my son has been recuperating from an appendicitis operation.

Between the never-ending Alitalia drama, the fall of Wall Street icons, glue in Chinese milk and the Islamabad Marriott tragedy, this little corner of beauty and efficiency seems almost surreal.

As the effectiveness of pure market vs. Keynesian economics is debated, I look around at the experiment of Trentino where the public sector works, including the health system. Maybe the disaster of un-regulated de-regulation in the financial sector will lead to some clearer and pragmatic thinking about the public/private balance in the US health system too. How about sending over a US delegation for a study?

a domani (from Trento for a few days),
E

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Elizabeth, first of all of course, best wishes to your son for a speedy recovery. I too have had an occasion to appreciate reasonably efficient public health in, of all places, Rome! Perhaps I have been lucky. I cannot say for I am not an expert, and thank God have always enjoyed bearable health, but neither am I rich, so the idea that the public sector would cover major health expenses were they necessary is comforting, and helps me to stay healthy... not so parodoxically.

Auguri.

Anonymous said...

Hi,
Would love to hear about your son's appendix operation in Italy.... I went through that very thing this summer in Florence. Mine was very serious. I was very sick and was in hospital in Florence for 3 weeks. I am still recovering 3 months later. You can check out my experience here:
http://italiandreams.wordpress.com
Maybe your son can comment on how his experience compared!