There is a scene in the 1970s movie classic "Network," when TV anchorman Howard Beale finally snaps. “I’m a human being (expletive deleted)," rants Beale, “my life has value.”

Value, yes — but God help us if we get sick. A new study says medical errors are the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. That’s some 250,000 deaths a year connected to medical errors — a euphemistic reference to carelessness or negligence eclipsed by only cancer and heart disease.

This is a crisis of care. One researcher calls medical error deaths an “under-recognized epidemic.” An epidemic that is largely invisible to the public and ignored, if not covered up, by the medical community. Add to that another 100,000 deaths annually from hospital acquired infections (HAIs). A recent Stanford University study indicates that HAI deaths are often under-reported to avoid fines.

The truth is we don’t know how many people a year die from medical errors because the system doesn’t ask. According to The New York Times, health care providers aren’t expected to publicly report any deaths connected to medical errors. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t ask either.

How can you define a problem if the basic questions aren’t asked?