Healthcare, critical thinking, and points of view
One of the harder aspects of critical thinking is to be willing to accept that your point of view is only one of many points of view addressing a particular situation and that they are just as real as yours . You may not like them; you may disagree; but they are real.
The challenge you face is to consider them and take them for what they are – legitimate expressions of concern. If you ignore them, you are guilty of lazy thinking.
Consider our health care system and the many points of view that need to be considered by those attempting to improve the system.
- To people with good company paid insurance, the system is just fine and they see no need for change.
- To the uninsured, the system is divided into “haves” and “have-nots” and all that they know is they are not even in the system.
- To insurance companies, the system is part of a business ecosystem and they know that they have to keep their shareholders happy with decent profits.
- To a Medicare recipient, healthcare is a promise from our government for a lifetime of work.
- To a patient with long-term illness, the system is slowly driving them into bankruptcy.
- To a healthy young adult, the system is something they may need sometime, but not right now.
- To a hospital executive, the system is overly complicated and rife with administrative duties.
- To a doctor approaching retirement, the system is the reason to give up a lifelong passion because it’s “just not worth the hassle.”
- To a conservative, the system has no need for government.
- To a liberal, the system needs government involvement.
And on, and on, and on.
Take a look at our healthcare system and consider some of the points of view.
Now, without falling back on a predisposed ideology (which is a single point of view) consider actions “we” could take to improve the overall performance of the system.
Not so easy, is it? How would you like to be an “independent” in Washington? Must be lonely.
We need people who will think about the problems with health care, not simply use ideology to drive their position.
What do you think?
Date: October 19th, 2009 @ 09:09
Categories: Healthcare, critical thinking
