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June 24, 2009

Are we really going to ‘Fix’ Health Care?

By Bailey Dabney, Publisher

June 24, 2009 — National Health Care reform has been an issue for at least five presidential election cycles, and will remain that way until significant tensions are relieved.

The fact of the matter is a complete and total reform of the healthcare system is not possible without compromising the quality of care we currently enjoy.

Despite whatever significant problems we individually might have with the system, it is still arguably better than any healthcare system in the world.

Throwing the baby out with the bathwater is a poor option. However, almost everyone has an opinion as to why it’s broken and how to fix it. That’s because it’s failing different people in different ways.

If you don’t have insurance, the health care system is failing you because the cost of care is so high that you probably can’t afford to see a doctor when you’re sick, you probably can’t afford preventive care, and dental work is out of the question.

If you are generally healthy and have health insurance, the system is broken for you because combined you and your employer are paying around $1,500 per month for your coverage.

Your employer has no larger single expense line than the one for employee benefits and you may fear that the next round of layoffs could include you, in part because of the high cost of employee benefits.

If you are sick, the healthcare system could be failing you because both you and your doctor are expected to cede control of the medical decision making with regard to your care and condition to the health insurance provider who seemingly doesn’t care if you live, die, or recover, and lacks the expertise to contribute anything but money to your care, and may appear unwilling to do even that.

If you have a condition that pharmaceuticals and surgery cannot fix, then the system is broken for you, also. Not because there are not solutions for your care, but because your doctor and your insurance provider most likely would prefer to medicate you or perform surgery on you instead of agreeing to therapy, dietary changes, vitamins or supplements.

If you are a doctor or a medical professional, the system is broken for you as well.

Everyone you know complains about his or her medical options, and some of your patients may believe they know more than you; your malpractice insurance is through the roof; the red tape your office endures on a daily basis, just to get paid for your services, is incredible.

It’s hard to make long-term plans when every political cycle holds the threat of drastic reform.

We live in a dynamic, interconnected world. Changes often create dynamic outcomes that aren’t intuitively obvious to the casual observer. Insurance company mandates are a necessary evil because there is little consumer choice in health insurance. Employers make that choice for most of us.

Will Americans ever see consumer-friendly choices? While some major tinkering must be done to the world of health insurance and medicine, the overhaul by the federal government currently under discussion amounts to socialized medicine and is overkill.

Many other nations have government health care programs. Interesting how people from those countries, who can afford it, still want to come to the USA for their health care. Is our health care system broken? Yes.

Do we throw out the baby with the bathwater? No.

Let’s tweak what we have first.

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