Letter to the editor: Same, old argument ignores need to plan

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 6, 2007

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's response to Aurora Health Care's announcement that it plans to open another hospital, this time in Grafton, read like a dusted-off version of the same argument raised when Aurora announced plans to build in Waukesha County ("The hospital arms race," Aug. 2). Once again, "crying wolf" supplanted objectivity, and once again, Aurora was painted as the boogeyman.

Arguments against Aurora Health Care's plans for a new hospital in Grafton because a "new hospital will drive up costs" avoid a more thorough and forward-looking examination of health care planning. I wonder how true this assertion would be if an expansion of health care to the entire U.S. population would become fact, which to me seems inevitable.

If almost any of the universal health care measures being proposed would come to pass in the foreseeable future, and I believe that they will, the first issue that will become apparent is a lack of quality providers and facilities to handle the increased demand for services.

I sometimes wonder if incessantly crying wolf instead of objectively seeking partnership in health care planning with the likes of Aurora and others would not yield different answers.

J. Michael Steinhardt
Pewaukee