I subscribe to David Bouchier’s witty podcast, and find it to be one of the week’s most pleasant listens as I cycle over nearby mountains to keep myself in shape and out of the doctor’s office. It’s a gentle break from the cacophany of political and financial programs. While most of those are dry with nary a fresh point of view on anything, Bouchier finds new perspectives on that most mundane of subjects: daily life.
Last weekend, however, he solved the health care crisis. Whoa! From the euphonious voice of a man more apt to discuss ducks and ponds than doctors and patients, came the long sought answer:
It’s no secret that we have a problem with health care, in part because it costs twice as much as anywhere else in the world and in part because of the huge population of 70 million baby boomers who are just entering that stage of life where their bodies are like cars with 130,000 miles on them. They keep going, but they spend a lot of expensive time in the shop. The resulting repair bill could bankrupt the nation. . . .
Browsing in the pharmacy, looking at all the pills you can buy and all the tests you can do on yourself, I was struck by a brilliant idea. If we seniors are such a big part of the problem, we could become a big part of the solution. We have time on our hands, most of us have a few brain cells functioning, and we grew up at a time when people were encouraged to rely on themselves. So, why not allow every retired person to become his or her own physician?
Hear the amusing details in last weekend’s broadcast, run time 3:44, available for free at the WSHU Public Radio site. To subscribe to Bouchier’s podcast, visit his archive at the National Public Radio site.
