Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck recently had some surgery that, in his words, "went awry." He talked about, despite being given huge pain-relieving cocktails, that he was in pain so bad that he became "suicidal" (his words). He goes on to say that the problem with healthcare isn't "universal healthcare" or insurance companies, but the lack of "care" in healthcare. Despite calling it a life-changing event, he seems to have failed to make some of the most fundamental insights available to him. Here are a few of those insights that I wish he had, that he seems to have skipped:

1) He talks about the lack of CARE he received in the hospital. What about his own behavior towards guests on his show? I hope he will come to realize that he is known for being callous, mean, and uncaring toward the people he invites on his show.

2) He was in severe pain for a day or two. What about those who are terminally ill and are in that level of pain ALL THE TIME? If he was suicidal after just one day, what must it be like for someone who has been facing that pain for months? With that in mind, I wish he would have greater insight into his past views against euthanasia.

3) He talked about the lack of CARE in healthcare, and says that this is a problem that "money" can't solve. But he fails to connect the fact that private hospitals (and insurance companies) don't have an incentive to care--they have an incentive to the bottom line. I hope that Beck will someday make the connection between CARE and universal health care for EVERYBODY.

Update: another blogger points out another obvious takeaway--at least Beck had the ability to afford the surgery AND the post-op medical care. Those who can't afford health insurance, or whose insurance decline authorization for treatment, can't do either.