Fix the Flaws First
I am at present receiving great care through Medicare and a not for profit health group in Manhatten, Kansas. I also am lucky enough to have a supplement through AARP.
On three previous occasions, in different parts of the United States over the past 40 years, I have had serious health problems and I received excellent care. It is my opinion formed by those personal experiences that most healthcare in the United States is excellent.
In the 1960's, I was treated for pneumonia in Dublin and my care there was excellent and I was never billed. Up the Irish for that one! I am well aware that I've been very fortunate and I would like that to be the case for everybody. I would love to see
FREE UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE FOR EVERY PERSON ON THE PLANET.
However, I would also like a ray gun, high fiber chocolate and another few hundred years to live and prosper.
Sadly, I do not think any of those things are going to happen in my lifetime. As an economist, I look at problems from the perspective of resources and cost. UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE is simply too expensive and too hard to manage at this point in time. The economic realities make it impossible to achieve. BUT and this is a BIG BUT; we could have dramatic improvements within a budget and framework that we could all embrace.
The insurance reforms and regulation that I briefly mentioned in my last post have been repeatedly suggested by much better informed people and groups than me. Why have they not been enacted? Mostly because we have weak willed and weak minded political hacks running the show. The special interest groups are to be commended for their hold on our political system AND they should also be consigned to the dustbin of American History. The internet is a great tool for change. We need to start using it. WE, THE PEOPLE, need to start telling our representatives that we want:
***REAL COMPETITION IN RATES and SERVICES in Health Insurance.
***Clauses against discrimination for pre-existing conditions.
***Portability: meaning insurance that can be moved from Job to Job, State to State etc.
The next FLAW that needs to be fixed is the egregious cost associated with malpractice insurance and lawsuits. In the UK, if you lose a lawsuit, you must pay court costs and all expenses.* Something along those lines should be considered. In the time that has been wasted over the past few weeks on a seemingly mindless and often vitriolic public debate on the healthcare issue; a study could have been done on this issue. Recommendations on fixing the problem made and reforms enacted. I am a big fan of Penn and Teller's BULLSHIT show. We should turn those two loose on this lawsuit/tort reform topic. They did a really good show on New Age Cures and they don't mess around!**
The next two topics that I am going to write about will be examples of providers that seem to be doing a good job at their respective operations. There are many groups around the country that are outstanding! They are accessible and efficient and most (But not All) operate as co-ops, non profit or not for profit entities.
The second topic of interest will be the Drug Industry. We are all getting way too much of a good thing when it comes to drugs.
**More on Penn & Teller:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bullshit!_episodes#Season_1:_2003
*More on frivolous lawsuits in the UK:
newtalk.org/2008/08/would-loser-pays-eliminate-fri.php
Also cut and paste: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_n2638_v127/ai_20954303/
jmcdonough44@gmail.com
On three previous occasions, in different parts of the United States over the past 40 years, I have had serious health problems and I received excellent care. It is my opinion formed by those personal experiences that most healthcare in the United States is excellent.
In the 1960's, I was treated for pneumonia in Dublin and my care there was excellent and I was never billed. Up the Irish for that one! I am well aware that I've been very fortunate and I would like that to be the case for everybody. I would love to see
FREE UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE FOR EVERY PERSON ON THE PLANET.
However, I would also like a ray gun, high fiber chocolate and another few hundred years to live and prosper.
Sadly, I do not think any of those things are going to happen in my lifetime. As an economist, I look at problems from the perspective of resources and cost. UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE is simply too expensive and too hard to manage at this point in time. The economic realities make it impossible to achieve. BUT and this is a BIG BUT; we could have dramatic improvements within a budget and framework that we could all embrace.
The insurance reforms and regulation that I briefly mentioned in my last post have been repeatedly suggested by much better informed people and groups than me. Why have they not been enacted? Mostly because we have weak willed and weak minded political hacks running the show. The special interest groups are to be commended for their hold on our political system AND they should also be consigned to the dustbin of American History. The internet is a great tool for change. We need to start using it. WE, THE PEOPLE, need to start telling our representatives that we want:
***REAL COMPETITION IN RATES and SERVICES in Health Insurance.
***Clauses against discrimination for pre-existing conditions.
***Portability: meaning insurance that can be moved from Job to Job, State to State etc.
The next FLAW that needs to be fixed is the egregious cost associated with malpractice insurance and lawsuits. In the UK, if you lose a lawsuit, you must pay court costs and all expenses.* Something along those lines should be considered. In the time that has been wasted over the past few weeks on a seemingly mindless and often vitriolic public debate on the healthcare issue; a study could have been done on this issue. Recommendations on fixing the problem made and reforms enacted. I am a big fan of Penn and Teller's BULLSHIT show. We should turn those two loose on this lawsuit/tort reform topic. They did a really good show on New Age Cures and they don't mess around!**
The next two topics that I am going to write about will be examples of providers that seem to be doing a good job at their respective operations. There are many groups around the country that are outstanding! They are accessible and efficient and most (But not All) operate as co-ops, non profit or not for profit entities.
The second topic of interest will be the Drug Industry. We are all getting way too much of a good thing when it comes to drugs.
**More on Penn & Teller:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bullshit!_episodes#Season_1:_2003
*More on frivolous lawsuits in the UK:
newtalk.org/2008/08/would-loser-pays-eliminate-fri.php
Also cut and paste: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_n2638_v127/ai_20954303/
jmcdonough44@gmail.com
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