New/Rich vs. Inadequate/Poor

With regard to public hospitals undertreating patients forcing private hospitals to do their "dirty work" per Dr. Rangel...

"When they treat charity cases the cost is passed on to the insured patients in the form of higher premiums or deductibles or to the tax payers who pay into Medicare and Medicaid.

The obvious answer would be to improve the capacity of the local public hospital to meet the needs of the community. So how are they planning on doing this? By spending millions on building massive new multi-story children’s hospitals, while their main hospital buildings remain ageing and overcrowded. Huh?"



LIKEWISE....

While UCLA builds a brand spanking new hospital in Santa Monica...
- an upper class population who can, on average, easily afford healthcare, and really....doesn't *need* additional facilities in their rich neighborhoods....

The steady pace of construction is transforming UCLA's hospitals into the impressive buildings that will begin opening in 2007. The four hospitals that comprise UCLA Health System - Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA, and Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital - are being renovated or rebuilt to better serve the health needs of our community and beyond.

[The new hospital will boast will] a new Birthing Center and 16-bassinet Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Cutting-edge medical equipment and integrated communication technology.
A new Critical Care Unit with state-of-the-art medical equipment and 360-degree access to patients.
Six new, state-of-the-art operating rooms.
Patient rooms featuring family space and comfortable sleep chairs for rooming-in.
A new cafeteria with outdoor and indoor seating areas.


The areas in most dire need of such facilities...lose them

County officials announced King-Harbor's impending closure Friday afternoon, shortly after the federal government said it would pull the hospital's funding because it was chronically unable to meet minimum patient care standards. The emergency room was closed within hours because it did not have enough nursing staff to safely care for patients. Inpatient units will be closed within two weeks as patients are discharged or transferred to other hospitals.


You're not alone!! I hear you, and I am observing the exact same thing here in Cali.
Such is the way of the world...I guess.