they can turn a profit by denying care to people who need it (because that's the only way it's possible to profit) while tossing their 30% administration fee on top. In 1980-82, Dr. Singh said, people in the most affluent group could expect to live 2.8 years longer than people in the most deprived group (75.8 versus 73 years). By 1998-2000, the difference in life expectancy had increased to 4.5 years (79.2 versus 74.7 years), and it continues to grow, he said. After 20 years, the lowest socioeconomic group lagged further behind the most affluent, Dr. Singh said, noting that "life expectancy was higher for the most affluent in 1980 than for the most deprived group in 2000." A friend was looking for a nursing home recently, and decided to find out which ones were not involved in lawsuits over patient issues. In greater LA, which has dozens (hundreds, maybe) of homes, she found only one with no current lawsuit. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a good one and some of the lawsuits may have been frivolous. But my dad died from dehydration/kidney failure in a "good" nursing home. I don't even want to think about what the causes of death might be in a one-star home. "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." -- Albert Einstein The model reflects how reductions in Medicare payment for healthcare services will lead to direct job losses in the healthcare sector; reduced purchases by healthcare entities of