Bush's healthcare IT initiative

Last week Bush made a campaign speech claiming he would revolutionize healthcare by computerizing it, specifically by creating a nationwide database of patient records. He pointed, correctly, to the waste arising from computerized systems that don't talk to each other, and the life-threatening medical errors that arise from lack of computerized systems or their inefficient use.

What he won't say of course is the far larger waste -- and source of illness and death -- coming from healthcare's fragmentation into private entities, starting with the insurance companies.

Look at his new drugcard benefit. On the one hand, the Internet allows the government to post prices of all participating companies for consumers to see. But because its run by and for private drug and insurance companies the posting of prices has meant more rather than less confusion.

Ironically much billing and even clinical information is online and centralized through the government's own Medicare and Medicaid systems. A successful workers' struggle for socialized healthcare thus already has a technological platform ready to be expanded upon. But for now, even the Medicare/Medicaid systems are used as often as are private healthcare IT systems to deny payment as to facilitate care.