There was a rant by Limbaugh sometime ago about how different Auto Insurance would be if it was run like medical insurance. I apologize for not having a link. How about we turn it around.
1. The owner...or the patient would be responsible for all maintenance costs including gym memberships and routine visits to a physician.
2. The patient would be responsible to pay for minor damage or defects to the body...like glasses, contacts and routine prescriptions.
3. The providers would price items that the patients pay for at a reasonable enough price to allow patients to meet these costs with their own funds...without having to file a claim with a third party.
4. The patient would be responsible for carrying an insurance policy.
5. There would be a penalty from the state if the patient fails to pay the cost of insurance.
6. Persons with a higher risk of needing to file a claim pay a higher premium for that insurance.
7. Insurance companies would provide discounts for people who take steps to reduce their risk.
8. The price of the insurance policy would not change if the patient looses a job.
9. The government would only regulate the system to ensure it is fair for all. The larger burden for this regulation would fall upon the state.
10. The patient would not be expected to pay a steep deductible for claims beyond control.
11. When it gets to a point where nothing can be done for the patient, when it is time to die, the patient would be allowed to go peacefully.
12. All final decisions are made by the patient.
13. Prices would be part of the discussion when determining what should be done. Patients would know the cost up front.
14. There would be a minimum amount of coverage that people would be expected to carry. There would add-ons and options, as well.
15. People who abuse the system are put on a special, more expensive plan.
There is one huge difference between me and my car. My car does not feel pain. I can put off a car repair or ride the bus. There should be reasonable differences, but not many.
If you really want to know how good a single-payer, government run system will work, take a good look at how well the families of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and veterans are taken care of. I thought that my family had good care when I was in the Air Force, but there were some things that bothered me as well. Most of the abuse, however, comes from the families of our heroes. A lot of people over using the system. But I left in 1997...has it gotten better or worse? I know there are fewer providers and more people using them. I know that families use a plan and don't see military providers any longer.
I have a post-grad cert in Health Care Administration. According to what I have studied, the biggest problem is that Americans expect the best health care in the world, and they expect to pay next to nothing for it. I also think that the prices are unreasonably high. When you provide a good or service in this country, you should consider how much your customers can afford. People should not be forced into bankruptcy for most medical procedures. I understand the difference between a three year battle with cancer vs a gall bladder extraction. The latter procedure should bankrupt no one. I think that it is unreasonable to expect that people who allow their bodies to waste away should pay the same costs as someone who takes care of their body. People should not expect any insurance reimbursement for something that is routine and planned.
When demand is high and price is high about the only thing that can reasonably be done is increase demand. If I had a trillion dollars to improve the system, I would give a billion to every medical school to doubled their enrollment in five years. There would be bonus money for accepting retiring soldiers and other middle aged people into medical schools. (That's about 50 billion, leaving 970 billion) I would give ten billion each to the first new 10 medical schools. (That is another 100 billion, leaving 870 billion.) Then I would use the remaining money to build more hospitals, bring more generic drugs on the market, triple the number of nurses and PAs and finally to beef up the licensing boards that will be needed to certify all of this. In other words, increased supply, and also more jobs. And we desperately need jobs right now. Yes, we can improve our health care system and the economy at the same time!
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