Healthcare is not a quality of care issue.
Our doctors, nurses, technicians, nutritionists, pharmacists and other healthcare providers are among the best in the world with the medical training and technical skills to meet the healthcare needs of every American. Malpractice law suites are not a healthcare issue.
While malpractice litigation is a problem, it is more of a tort reform issue than a direct healthcare issue. Malpractice insurance costs only accounted for approximately 4.5% of our total expenditure on Healthcare in 2008 and it is forecasted to account for less than 5% of the total cost in 2009 and 2010. Tort reform is an is issue that must be addressed but not only as it applies to healthcare. Healthcare is an economic issue.
The United States is one of the richest countries in the world, spending more on healthcare than any other industrialized nation. Healthcare spending in the United States in 2008 was $2.3 trillion and, in 2009, while the final numbers are not in, spending is expected to exceed 2.4 trillion dollars. Cost Control is a Healthcare Issue.
Of the $2.3 trillion spent on healthcare in 2008, approximately one third or $792 billion was spent on administrative costs. This is a serious problem and more has to be done to rein in these costs. I am a proponent of a universal billing and automated record keeping systems. Records need to be automated to improve accuracy, prevent duplication of testing and reduce fraud. Access is a Healthcare issue.
We must not ignore the importance of healthcare reform. All Americans should have equal access to health care for themselves and their families on their terms not the government’s terms. Outcomes are a Healthcare issue.
As an example; the infant mortality rate in the United States is higher than that of some impoverished countries. The CIA World Fact Book ranks the United States 42nd in infant mortality and the World Health Organization ranks the United States 37th in quality of care. These are statistics that every American should be ashamed of, especially those in a position to influence the transition of the Healthcare system in this country. The United States spends more on healthcare than any other industrialized nation and the recently passed Healthcare bill with its hidden taxes, new trust funds, and new federal departments will do little to curtail overall spending. Heath Care Reform Plan Complexity 2010
While some provisions of the Healthcare bill are necessary to prevent abusive behaviors by insurers other provisions are unnecessary, restrictive, unconstitutional and have nothing to do with healthcare.
The bill as it stands must be repealed in its entirety. However, in absence of a total repeal sections that are not related to the delivery of healthcare must be rescinded. New legislation or amendments applied to the current legislation must address cost reduction, decrease spending and not increase bureaucracy. We must embrace free market principles, lower cost, and access to healthcare for all Americans. We must leverage automation, allow small businesses to join together into cooperatives to obtain better rates and provide for low-cost health insurance alternatives. We must add flexibility to the Medicare prescription program allowing Medicare to negotiate and obtain better pricing. Healthcare should not be left up to HMOs, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies or government agencies. Healthcare belongs in the hands of the medical professional ensuring that medical decisions are made in the doctor's office. God help us all if we continue to play economics and politics with people’s lives. ### |