Resistant bugs
Megan McArdle throws up a bunch of sand about antibiotic-resistant Staph aureus to argue against universal health care:
Doctors and other medical workers have gotten lazier about hygiene since the invention of antibiotics, in line with other sorts of risk-taking behavior (more than one wag has suggested that the best way to eliminate auto accidents would be to mount a spear on the steering wheel pointed straight at the driver's heart.) They also prescribe antibiotics even when they are not clearly indicated, "just in case"...or worse, when they know they won't do any good, but want to get an ignorant and demanding patient out of their office. Third place for blame must, of course, go to the patients who do not finish taking their drug courses, which allows partially resistant bugs to survive and eventually breed highly resistant bugs...and what with my awful memory, you can put me in the dock along with almost everyone else.MRSA is just one of the infections that are thriving in this environment. What would be the cost of a war on infection in hospitals? One suspects it would be a lot less than insuring 44 million people.
My guess is that her war would be better than cost neutral: fewer dead young people who didn't need to die, fewer needless surgery complications for old and young patients on government roles, less waste more broadly, all for the low, low cost of implementing regulations that most people already follow, and that the many who don't already know they should. I realize this was a false choice to begin with, but I say we do both, and funnel the savings from Megan's "war on infection in hospitals" into Brian's "universal health care program."
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Meanwhile, I have no idea how to answer her questions about construction, except to say that replacing the plumbing even in a 60-unit building shouldn't take all that long. So I'm not sure she dodged a bullet except in that she didn't have to deal with a waterless home-life for long stretches of time, and escaped a shitty living situation with very little trouble, landing on her feet with great jobs in Washington, DC.
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"What would be the cost of a war on infection in hospitals? One suspects it would be a lot less than insuring 44 million people."
It would also be less than building highrise condiminiums with good plumbing on Venus. So what? Totally false choice as Brian points out. Meanwhile, Colonel McArdle, how would you conduct such a war? Did you know that MRSA is increasingly common in the community? Should we make threats to expand our war into locker rooms, pre-schools, prisons and parks? Shall we have Hilary and McCain hold hands (after thorough cleansing with antibacterial soap) and offer incentives to the homeless?
This combination of ignorance and lack of compassion reminds me of George Bush. Tell Megan to spend some time working in a charity hospital or else to shut the f*** up.
A war on MRSA is a great idea. It saves huge amounts of money and promotes better care. The VA has been at the forefront of the fight:
"The only way to defeat MRSA is to tackle the transmission," said Peter Perreiah, managing director of the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative, which along with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was involved in the pilot project. "It's doing a thousand things right when you're caring for patients."
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/mostread/s_464383.html
If only everybody had quality health care, provided by the government if need be. You don't need to spend money to fight MSRA, you actually save money by doing it. All it requires is some top down direction to make everybody follow the correct procedures.
I really don't know why you waste time on her claptrap. You'll find better formed opinions from staphylococcus itself.
I'm with MikeJ on Megan. In fact, I've decided to avoid exposure to MeganRejectsSensibleAnything (MRSA) by frequent hand washing and avoiding all links to her silllyness (silly is absolutely the kindest word I can honestly allow myself).
I'll take waterboarding anytime in preference.
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