Care clinics in retailers

The decision by the state Public Health Council, "jeopardizes patient safety," Menino said in a written statement. "Limited service medical clinics run by merchants in for-profit corporations will seriously compromise quality of care and hygiene. Allowing retailers to make money off of sick people is wrong."

Well he certainly sounds like a politician. Oh and ummm I hate to break this to you but that is the same definition of a doctor's office, hospital or emergency care facility, people making money off of sick people. No one does it for free. And no, when hospitals treat those that can not pay, they are not doing it for free. They just charge everyone else that can pay a little more. There ain't no free lunch.

Walmart did a lot of good with their drug programs, some would say better than what the government did. Who is to say that they can not do the same for medical care?

Dr. Paula Johnson, a board member and physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said episodic visits to a drug store clinic could defeat efforts to provide patients with a reliable continuum of care.

And you think occasionally visiting a hospital emergency room for treatment leads to "a reliable continuum of care"? If my choices are wait 30 minutes to see someone in CSV or 3 months to see my doctor or 8 hours at the emergency room, well just take a guess at which I will choose. For a bonus question, guess which is likely to be cheapest.