Agag

Agag and the Amelekites are not common household subjects of discussion, but there is a lesson to be learned from their biblical history. Agag was the title of Amalek king(s) and his people, the Amelekites picked off, robbed and murdered the elderly, infirm, and weak stragglers among the Israelites. For their ruthlessness, cruelty and haughtiness,  the Amelekites - in turn - were later slaughtered.by the Israelites.

The lesson taught with respect to the Amelekites has application to our health system.  As insurers, health systems and providers abandon their responsibility to care  for the elderly, infirm, weak and those who cannot defend themselves, they may provoke society to punish them (and those who accept their support in order to fund their election campaigns) for their ruthlessness, greed, cynicism, arrogance and cruelty.

Have we created our medical schools, licensed our practitioners, created non-profit health systems, provided franchises for insurance companies, and subsidized all of these institutions so that an injured person who is brought to a hospital emergency department writhing in pain may be told by the physician consultant called by the ER that he will not render care to this unfortunate person because he doesn't accept that person's insurance? Is Agag still walking among us and setting the standards for our health system?