Getting a new hip is a predictable health procedure for many senior citizens but the surge in replacement hips ”“ as well as knees ”“ for baby boomers is a new phenomenon.
I had occasion to tune into this new trend at Albert Einstein Hospital in the Bronx where I received the latest in new hips. Thinking hips were still the dominant joint needing replacement I was straightened out immediately by a second-year med student who was preparing to observe my operation. She said there are three dominant reasons for boomers to need new parts ”“ the passion for extreme exercise, obesity and simply living longer.
In the next 20 years hip replacements are expected to increase by 174 percent, but that will be dwarfed by a 673 percent increase in knee replacements. But here is the real kicker ”“ surgeons who know how to do this specialized operation will be in short supply. It turns out orthopedic surgeons are trending toward the more lucrative field of spine and sports medicine. Ah, profit motive at work in health care.
The cost of care
Being within the massive Montefiore medical complex focused my mind on the massive part the medical industry plays in the U.S. economy. Warren Buffett”™s perspective is grim. He says the high cost of health care in this nation puts the U.S. at a global disadvantage ”“ “that kind of cost, compared with the rest of the world, is like a tapeworm eating at our economic body.”
He is referring to the fact that the U.S. spends more per person than any other country and yet ranks 72nd in overall health (among 191 member nations), according to the World Health Organization. The Commonwealth Fund ranked the U.S. last among similar countries with its costs at the top by far. Life expectancy in the U.S. is ranked 50th after the EU (40th).
How could I have qualified for that expensive care? Very simply. I am a senior citizen with Aetna Advantage, a part of Medicare. But all seniors are at a huge advantage with regards to access to health care through the Medicare or Medicaid system. In effect the current system rations health care, heavily favoring the elderly. Coincidentally, that is where the power and the money also reside.
Attacking a sacred cow
President Dwight Eisenhower, after WWII, warned against the “military industrial complex.” With 17 percent of the GDP now devoted to medical transactions it might be time to consider the behind-the-scenes influence of the “medical industrial complex,” which is in a powerful growth phase. This is not a benign industry. It is heavily dependent on fossil fuels, scarce non-renewable resources, energy of all kinds and therefore, a major polluter.
This may be tantamount to attacking a sacred cow, but from my personal experience it was beyond shocking to realize the hospital still finds using plastic foam serving items for the meals an acceptable alternative, apparently unconcerned about the damage its continued use does to the planet, to say nothing about the potential toxicity to patients and staff. Has the medical industrial complex not heard of the plastic island twice the size of Texas floating in the North Pacific, composed millions of particulars, much of it plastic foam, the least biodegradable substance?
The U.S. is noted for its techno-wizardry in the health care field (one of which I am the beneficiary) which may account for the high cost of U.S. health. Another may be the privatization of almost the entire field.
With health care providing such a massive employment for the entire nation the medical industrial complex is pretty much untouchable. That is until the cost of petroleum products begins to rise as it inevitably will. That should dramatically realign the industry.
But what will make the U.S. health care system actually improve the health of its customers?
Surviving the Future explores a wide range of subjects to assist businesses in adapting to a new energy age. Maureen Morgan, a transit advocate, is on the board of Federated Conservationists of Westchester. Reach her at maureenmorgan10@verizon.net.
