Treat Me Like a Dog: What Human Health Care Can Learn from Pet Care
When it comes to health care, who gets treated better—man or man’s best friend?
Of course, it’s hard to make an apples-to-apples comparison when you’re comparing four-legged patients to people, and there are many ways in which human care tops pet care.
But pet owners told Reason.tv there are some ways where it would be a step up to be treated like a dog.
Pet owners like the convenience of animal care; they also like the client-focused atmosphere. “I think one of the things that human health care can learn from veterinary medicine is the client service side of things, the relationship side of things,” says Dr. Peter Weinstein, executive director of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association.
Various reasons explain why people often find animal care so pleasant, says Weinstein. One reason—animal care workers love what they do. Another reason—competition. Weinstein notes that vets work hard to differentiate themselves from their competitors because “there are a large number of vet hospitals, many located very closely to one another.”
And vets know even more competitors could emerge because less red tape makes it easier to open an animal hospital. Weinstein recalls opening his clinic, which offered everything from X-rays to operations: “I believe it was 12 weeks from the time I signed the lease to the time I saw my first client. Try doing that with human health care.”
It would take at least 20 times as long to open a comparable human hospital in California. It can take even longer in the 34 states with “certificate of need” (CON) laws, where state agencies—not consumers—decide how many hospitals there should be. These laws even allow existing hospitals to hold up plans for new hospitals. “The existing hospitals go in front of these government agencies and say, ‘we don’t need any competitors; we’re taking fine care of the people,’” explains Reason magazine’s Ronald Bailey.
Recently, certificate of need—often called CON law—provoked a showdown in Tennessee where frustrated residents resorted to protests and petition drives to pressure the state to green-light a new hospital. Weinstein is happy veterinarians don’t have to deal with anti-competitive CON laws, “In veterinary medicine we could have two practices right next to each other and then it’s the consumer deciding to whom they want to go.”
Consumer choice and competition—maybe we could use more of that in human health care.
“Treat Me Like a Dog” is written and produced by Ted Balaker, who also hosts. The director of photography is Alex Manning, the field producer is Paul Detrick and the animations were done by Hawk Jensen.
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Duration : 0:6:1
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March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
kind of like heath …
kind of like heath insurance,
3 of them are in NC. so its like the Gas price gouging. if we could use other insurances like we can do with our cars,(Cross State lines). it would = better prices
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
im in North …
im in North Carolina, near Brenner’s children hospital, and a bit of a drive to Duke Hospital. Both great. Both some of the best in the US.
BUT!!! thats it, no place to run too if i need something ASAP. unlike the Vet, which i can make in 15mins if i honestly drive like a bat out of hell.
we need more local hospitals.
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
5 stars favored.. …
5 stars favored..keep govenment out of our lives
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Wait till the …
Wait till the illegals find out that they can get free health care for their pets……….. That will shut down the vet hospitals….and drive up costs for paying pet owners….
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
@ForTehNguyen
I …
@ForTehNguyen
I have to wait three months here in Canada every time I need to see my Rheumatologist for my autoimmune disease, which is at least once a year on a good year.
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
This is rather dumb …
This is rather dumb, if you have a dog that dies, no one is questioning whether it got the right meds, enough meds ect. A mistake that’s made just gets buried.
On the other hand, more med schools need to get opened to turn out more doctors, I’m sick and tired of these nasty stinky creepy Indian doctors pouring in when good americans could become doctors.
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
I agree. As time …
I agree. As time goes by more and more of Nixon’s policies are shown totally anti-free market. My question is why Reagan didn’t do away with it…
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
This is an …
This is an absolutely fantastic idea for a video — and such good timing, too! Market forces sure would be good for humans, just as they are for pets.
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Fuck Nixon, …
Nixon, that cracker at 3:55, and every big government busybody out there.
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
wow didn’t know …
wow didn’t know about this con law stuff I’ll be contacting my congressman in the morning
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
If you see a stray …
If you see a stray dog, you can call Animal Control and they come and pick up the dog. Or cat, or whatever. If you see a stray person diving in dumpsters and stuff, the filthy people I call them, you can call but no one cares. No one comes to get them, to help them.
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
When has forcibly …
When has forcibly banning competition EVER reduced prices? I think somebody turned up the bullshit meter.
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Four stooges sounds …
Four stooges sounds too benign. More like the four horsemen.
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
I’m all for getting …
I’m all for getting rid of taxes on wages.
I was thinking about the difference between employers paying insurance companies and paying employees a benefit that would go into a FSA or HSA
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Abolish the CONs!
Abolish the CONs!
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
@Apptendo Your …
@Apptendo Your language is impolite, but appropriate. As time goes by, Nixon seems more and more like a total economic idiot. The Four Stooges: LBJ, Nixon, Ford & Carter. Boo!
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Certainly not.
Certainly not.
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Glad I live in …
Glad I live in Colorado.
“Health care is too expensive because there are too many hospitals,” my aching ass. That’s retarded!
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Big government sux.
Big government sux.
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Crony capitalism …
Crony capitalism sux.
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Illegal aliens …
Illegal aliens aren’t swarming vet clinics for “free” care, raising costs for paying clients. =^[.]^=
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
WIN
WIN
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
FUCK YOU NIXON
YOU NIXON
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
It’s no wonder …
It’s no wonder healthcare costs rise, these policy makers don’t understand economics. Nixon was one of the worst presidents our time. Price controls on gas and limits on hospitals, it’s ridiculous.
March 6th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
yea, but how can a …
yea, but how can a nations smartest academics control everything and make decisions for everyone in a system like this?