Category Archives: Current Events

Quora Query: What do People Think About the Law in Texas and 31 Other US States that Forces a Pregnant, Brain-Dead Woman, with No Hope of Recovery, to Have Her Functions Supported Against the Written Wishes of the Person Whose Body it is?

[From 2014, slightly modified] NOTE: This answer is long [TL:DR warning] This is an important issue, reminding me of the Terry Schiavo case of some years ago in Florida, on which I also opined along with my colleague Roger Blackburn. … Continue reading →

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Quora Query: What Would the Patient Experience Be Like if You Designed a New Hospital?

[From 2013, slightly updated] Great question. I have spent my adult life in these places – hospitals – and I both love them (they feel like…..home) and hate them (so, so far from home). Were I to design a new … Continue reading →

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Quora Query: When a Hospital “Works Out a Payment Plan” for You to Pay Off a Large Bill Over Several Months, Does the Hospital Charge Interest?

[Originally answered 2012, slightly updated] A very cool and complex query. 1. First of all, it depends upon the hospital. My suspicion is that most charge some interest. 2. If you are obliged to pay ANY amount, you can and … Continue reading →

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Quora Query: Who Should be in Charge of Administrating a Hospital?

The question is ( or should be): What does it take to administer a hospital and who should do it ? [In a previous comment] Doctor Ford is correct that much of care provision is performed by our nursing colleagues, … Continue reading →

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Quora Query: What is One Thing That you Regret Learning in Medical School?

It isn’t what I regret learning; it is what I regret not learning. 1. That death is cruel, fickle, and unjust; 2. That families often have no idea of medical limitations; 3. That physicians are often afraid to address points … Continue reading →

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Quora Query: What Percentage of US Health Costs are Spent on Administration?

There are several answers to this. I am sorry to self promote, but if you go to my blog – Notes from the Southern Heartland (https://www.ajlayon.com) and look at the 3-part series “Problems in Paradise” I go over this in … Continue reading →

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Quora Query: How Can You Maximize Your Happiness in Life?

So the question is: How do you maximize your happiness in life. And there are thousands of words just in this [Quora] Blog trying to answer that. Here is my 2 cents and there are two parts to the answer; … Continue reading →

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Quora Query: Why Do Homeless People Become More Mentally Ill?

I think [previous answers] have it pretty much [covered]. People often become homeless because of mental illness. But homelessness is a bit more complex. Homelessness can be acute or chronic. Acute is usually made up of women and children who … Continue reading →

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How Did We Get Here? – Violent Authoritarianism or Fascism in America?

“…Speculations about the future depend upon an accurate analysis of the past…[*] Sweeping through our country today is a serious menance. One of racism and its brother, anti-Semitism; abuse of refugees and their children; separation of children from parents – … Continue reading →

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Quora Query: What Will it Take for the United States to Acquire Universal Healthcare?

There are two sets of answers to this query: Political and operational/organizational. Let me address each in its turn. The Political Issues: There is, to my analysis, nothing special about the United States and its people that make a rational … Continue reading →

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