The Great Social Experiment

What if the whole US healthcare system could be put into perspective by how we treat one disease?  David Krissman tells the story and lessons of America's only experiment with universal healthcare (kidney failure). In 1972, the US government guaranteed healthcare coverage for people with kidney failure. While the program has been a life raft for millions of patients who have needed dialysis, in many ways our treatment of kidney failure has been a cautionary tale. Understanding the lessons of this story not only provides a path for better kidney care, but a powerful framework for fixing healthcare in our system as a whole.  https://thegreatsocialexperiment.net/

A real Life-And-Death Committee prompts the US government to do what they had never done before — provide universal coverage to a group of patients regardless of age, race, and socioeconomic status. But what started out with high hopes evolved into a system that mirrors the same pitfalls of the larger healthcare system in terms of quality of care, access, and cost. Understanding the big letdown of universal kidney care is to hear the story of Lance Jackson.  https://thegreatsocialexperiment.net/

This episode begins to unravel why only a fraction of patients who have kidney failure end up on the wait list for a kidney transplant. It pulls back the curtain on the financial incentives of dialysis clinics and the doctors who oversee the care at them. https://www.thegreatsocialexperiment.net/

This episode explores how the perverse incentives between dialysis clinics and doctors goes deeper. Lance's story continues, illustrating how the policies of kidney transplant centers have systematically exacerbated the socioeconomic and racial disparities with kidney transplantation.  https://www.thegreatsocialexperiment.net/

The seemingly impossible paradox of how most patients get an organ offer shortly after being added to the kidney transplant wait list, but still end up waiting years for a transplant. This episode explores the reasons and grave consequences.  https://www.thegreatsocialexperiment.net/

The conclusion of Lance's story, an examination of our biases, and what drives human behavior. https://www.thegreatsocialexperiment.net/

The series finale uses The Great Social Experiment of kidney care to give context and perspective to understand the flaws and opportunities of America's healthcare system. It looks at the past and present to understand why the USA doesn't have universal healthcare and who can remedy it.  https://www.thegreatsocialexperiment.net/