More confidence in our "medical system"?

A new Gallup poll says 41% of Americans "have confidence in the U.S. medical system," up from the 31% confidence rating reported in 2007.

Gallup's long term record of polling does indeed show interesting trend lines when we look at the results for the same question asked year after year after year.

But I'm darned if I can imagine a good answer to this question: what does "confidence in the U.S. medical system" mean? How does one come to have more or less confidence in the "medical system"? Does this question mean "Do you trust your doctor?" or does it mean "Are you satisfied with health care in America?" or does it mean something else, or something different to everybody?

I suspect this is another example of pollsters asking the wrong question.

Here are two questions I wish Gallup would ask: "Do you want health care next time you're sick or injured?" and "Do you think you should pay for your own health care?"

I think reasonable people will say "Yes" to both of these questions, and then we can understand that the individual mandate (requirement to buy health insurance) makes common sense.

Anybody who doesn't have health insurance and plans to get sick or injured in the future should wear a wrist band that says "I didn't pay for health insurance, so if I'm sick or injured and I can't pay cash for treatment, please park me on a gurney somewhere and wait until I get better all by myself or die" ……or something like that, except for sweet old grandmothers, toddlers, and really really poor or really mentally incapable people, you know what I'm saying….

Just sayin'…..

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