Managed care is ailing and both doctors and patients are feeling the pain. All that matters is the bottom line. So is good old-fashioned medicine gone forever? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, the future of health care. Also HMO's, orthodontics, acupuncture, and Prozac -- for pets.
Pediatrician Ronald Glasser is an outspoken critic of managed care. He tells Judith Strasser that HMOs mean corporate medicine - their goal is to earn money, not to make people well. Glasser's critique of managed care appears in the March '98 issue of Harpers. Also, medical historian Roy Porter talks with Steve Paulson about the history of modern medicine. He says it's only been in the last century that you could actually expect the doctor to cure you. Porter's book is The Greatest Benefit to Mankind.SEGMENT 2:
Anne Fadiman edits The American Scholar, and is the author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. She tells Judith Strasser about the case of Lia Lee, an epileptic child of Hmong refugees, and the cultural misunderstandings that hindered her treatment by Western physicians.SEGMENT 3:
Writer Cynthia Heimel tells Steve Paulson about the extraordinary efforts she makes to safeguard the health and nutrition of her five canine companions, including an aging mutt named Homer. Also, Bernard Rollin teaches ethics at the Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine. He tells Jim Fleming that many people have moved beyond the "it's just a pet" mentality and are willing to pay for expensive medical care for their companion animals.Cassette copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 98-04-19-A.
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