Health care is hard to understand. Let’s start with the fact that most of us have no idea how our human bodies actually work. Thousands of years of science and development taught much to the human race. But the average individual knows only a little. We don’t know anatomy. We don’t know how drugs are made or how they work. In general, we don’t know much.
That’s Problem #1. But in my latest column I’m actually talking about how hard it is to understand Problem #2. The American system built to take care of us is gonzo at best.
We like to imagine a simple 19th century interaction between doctors and patients, but that’s not how it is — not now, not for a long time.
A big network of people keep it all going. Think of it as a popsicle stick bridge holding up something heavy. We can pile on the weight. It’s janky, but holds. Until one day it doesn’t.
Read “Rural health care providers go from the emergency room to the picket line,” in the Saturday, July 12, 2025 edition of the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Aaron J. Brown is a columnist and member of the editorial board for the Minnesota Star Tribune. His new book about Hibbing Mayor Victor Power and his momentous fight against the world’s largest corporation will be out soon.
