The remnants of a long- ago divorce that your doctor helped you through by prescribing hot tea and good books. For older people, losing a doctor can be as significant as losing a family member. Suddenly, there is a void that used to be filled by the trusted physician who provided not only medication but someone who would listen neutrally to descriptions of ailments. Slater argues that health maintenance organizations are the root of the problem, that the drive for cost-savings has driven physicians away. He calls upon large employers to seek out health plans that focus on quality care and reminds individuals that cutting-edge technologies aren't cheap.
Slater is right in calling for reform.
If our market-driven approach was working, physicians wouldn't be fleeing local practices. Health care is out of the hands of local government, and a series of failed California ballot measures combined with Hillary Clinton's botched reform efforts have left political vacuums at the state and federal levels.