Not even a high bar to clear

You should read the really funny comparisons of how the travel industry and the newspaper businesses would work if they were like the US healthcare system.

The travel industry:

"Yes, I'd be happy to assist you with that. It does look like we can get you on a flight on January 23 at 1 p.m. or February 8 at 3 p.m. Which would you prefer?"

"Neither. I need to be in Eugene on October 23. As in, the 23rd of October."

"I'm sorry, we have nothing open on that date. You might try another carrier."

"I suppose I'd better. Who has availability?"

"I'm afraid I have no way to know that. I have no way to look into their systems."

"Who would know?"

"You can call them individually and ask. I'm sure you can find one."

The newspaper business:

In addition to bills from me, you’ll also receive bills from your newspaper carrier, The New York Times itself, the forest products company that makes the newsprint, and the copy editor for this column. Don’t forget to pay the copy editor, or future columns will omit headlines.

But here's the thing: the travel business and the newspaper business are both barely profitable. Their long-term outlook is poor, because they are being rapidly replaced by cheaper online alternatives. It's now possible to conduct business meetings online; newspaper content has to compete with specialized content available elsewhere on the Internet -- when Sports Illustrated is online, what value do the New York Times sports pages provide?

What does it say about our healthcare system when it can not clear even such a low bar?