Two Elderly Aunts, Two Health Care Systems

A few years ago, I drove my 96-year-old aunt from her assisted-living apartment to the emergency room of a Twin Cities hospital. She was experiencing congestive heart failure, and sat doubled-over in her wheelchair, in great discomfort, trying her hardest to breathe.

Despite my repeated pleadings at the nurses’ station and calls to her physician, she did not see a doctor for six agonizing hours (and only then, I believe, because I threatened to call in the media). It took another two hours for her to be admitted into the hospital and given something to relieve her obvious pain.

I was then told she could stay in the hospital only a night — or two at the most — and that I would need to find nursing home care for her. As it turned out, however, I never had to make those arrangements. She died that night in the hospital.

For the record: She had very good private health insurance.

http://www.minnpost.com/healthblog/2009/09/22/11781/two_elderly_aunts_two_health_systems#comments_section
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Read the link to find out what happened when her other aunt went to the hospital in England.

Maybe because of an impending lawsuit!

Start with

http://www.minnpost.com

Click on the tab on the masthead that says "Health/Science."

In the right-hand column of the "Health/Science" page, find the box labeled "Second Opinion--Health Blog by Susan Perry." The article is the third one in the listing.

The disparities between democracy-insured-health and personal-wealth-insured health are frightening.