Oh. look an article written by someone who's never been poor...

I really should stop reading news...

So, at CNN, a news source I find maddening for the low quality of fundamental reporting on such a consistent basis whilst still being a ubiquitious entity in the field, I notice an article talking about the health care crisis and steps we ought to take to, among other things, improve the quality and reach of care into inner cities and rural areas.

I read this:

[quote]Instead, we should embrace eHealth initiatives that enable virtual clinic visits and online house calls, similar to services provided by TelaDoc, American Well, and HelloHealth. Offering such convenient and affordable channels to primary and preventive care is vital to relieving our overburdened emergency departments and public health system.[/quote]

I laugh. Clearly this is someone who has never in his life been impoverished, or genuinely gotten to know any poor people.

Yes, that would be nice. And, we'd all have internet connections. We'd all have web cameras, and working computers. And, the library wouldn't become the next ER waiting room while people wait for a free computer with their screaming child...

I do like the idea of expanding nurse clinics. Nurse Practitioners can do lots of things doctors can do, with only a Master's Degree. Even "Physician Assistants" could really be expanded into the role of gatekeepers of specialized care.

The first step, of course, is to remove the word "Assistant" and "Nurse" from the titles, because for some godawful reason high-achievers are turned off by any career that doesn't come with a powerful, masculine title.