From: sbharris@ix.netcom.com(Steven B. Harris)
Newsgroups: sci.med,sci.med.cardiology,alt.activism,talk.politics.medicine
Subject: Re: Backlash against HMOs: a declaration of war (was Doctor-bashing)
Date: 9 Apr 1999 04:43:20 GMT

In <clw-0804991610270001@i48-39-34.pdx.du.teleport.com>
clw@teleport.com writes:
>
>In article <7eimmf$sj4$1@holly.prod.itd.earthlink.net>,
>kurtullman@sprintmail.com (Kurt Ullman) wrote:
>
>>         Of course, when I came out of nursing school (and when my two kids
>> were born about 20 years ago) the norm was five-seven days. BIG waste of
>> resources.
>
>Did you have that opinion then (ie, new born child, fresh episiotomy,
>blood loss from delivery etc) or is this a revelation of
>forgetfulness?


   Such things don't ordinarily require a hospital bed and full nursing
staff for a week.  A good hotel and some grandmothers and aunts would
do as well.   And cost a fifth as much, even for a four star hotel.

    Good Heavens, man-- people didn't even used to be *born* in
hospitals, for the most part, unless there was something wrong.  Let
alone stay there a week trying to get infected with some antibiotic
resistant microbe.  For example, the first US president to be born in a
hospital was (I'm not kidding) Jimmy Carter.