For the latest version of this page, go to http://www.bmartin.cc/dissent/documents/health/
You have to click on this link manually. Managers at the University of Wollongong will not approve automatic redirects to non-university websites.
LINKS TO MAPS
Central
Map .....
Initial
Map
.....
USA Map .....
Australian
Map
.....
International
Map
.....
Corporate
Practices Map
Disclaimer
The views expressed by the contributors to this Corporate Medicine
website are the opinions of those contributors, and do not necessarily reflect
the views of the University of Wollongong. No endorsement, approval or
authorisation is attributable to the University of Wollongong for the content
(including information, ideas, views, or expressions of opinion) of this
Corporate Medicine website.
Persons expressing their ideas or views on this
Corporate Medicine website
do so at their own risk and shall be liable for any resulting loss or damage,
including any action for infringement of copyright or defamation.
Where there are links from this website to other sites, these are provided
for your general information only. The University of Wollongong does
not control or monitor other sites and these links should not be taken
as an
endorsement by the University of Wollongong of those other sites or their
content.
Due to some problems an extensive revision of links and some file names was performed in August 2005.
If there are problems in linking to any pages from outside the website check that the file name at the end of the link address is all lower case.
Alternately use the site maps to find the material.
Corporate Medicine Web
Site
This web site examines health care for the shareholder and the corporation contrasting it with health care for the citizen and the community.
It describes the appropriation of health and aged care by the share market during the late 20th century and early 21st century. It documents the startling failings of corporate for profit health and aged care in the USA and in Australia. It records the recent move from market listed ownership to ownership by massive private equity entities even more focused on profits and more distant from the bedside. The underlying social processes are examined to explain why corporate market medicine has failed both those it claims to serve and the community which pays most of the bills. It touches on the move to globalise market health care and include it in international trade treaties.
Marketplace care has been characterised by major scandals and record fraud, as well as the misuse and neglect of sick and vulnerable citizens in order to fuel profit. Financial inducements and coercion have bound those who provide care to the corporate mission.
Many have been conned into profitable treatment which they did not need. Even more were denied care which they needed because it was not profitable. Market medicine has been characterised by mercenary callousness, gross inefficiencies and excessive costs - the very things which market advocates claim commercial competition addresses.
The debate about private versus public health systems is a quite separate issue. This site is not an attack on cooperative not for profit community based private health care of the patient but on for profit competitive care of company stock. In the latter the patient becomes the profit body around whom health care commodified products are traded. This profitable trade in misfortune is justified by an irrational economic ideology. This is a far more critical issue and a major threat to the health of communities around the world.
USING THE WEB PAGES
The site has grown over 10 years so that there are almost 500 pages dealing with many different companies and many different facets of the health care marketplace.
ACCESS
- The best way to see what is on the site
and find what you need to read is to use the site maps. These give
a short description of each page on the web site. The maps open
the web pages in a second window.
CLICK HERE to go to the Central Map which gives an outline of the site
- Alternately look at the home page which
gives an overview and then either go to the maps or follow the
links from the home page.
CLICK HERE to go to the home page
- Previous users may prefer to go directly
to the update page to see whether additions or major updates have
occurred and link directly to them.
CLICK HERE to go to the update page
(new Australian material September 2006 and Mar 2007 --- Tenet Healthcare rewrite and update July 2007. HealthSouth rewrite and update HCA update - Private Equity in Australia October 2007 - Renal Dialysis and more private equity Sept 2008)
LINKS TO MAPS
Central Map ..... Initial Map ..... USA Map ..... Australian Map ..... International Map ..... Corporate Practices Map
This site is maintained and most pages are written by Dr. J Michael Wynne (Australia)
Site started in 1996
This page rewritten July 2004
Latest addition/update to site September 2006, Mar 2007 (new Australian sections), July 2007, Oct. 2007, Sep 2008