Noted Writer and Editor, Dorothea Brande once penned, “A problem clearly stated is a problem half solved.”
I’m not sure I have yet read anything coming from Washington, D. C. that clearly states the Healthcare problem in the United States. At least I have not read anything that convinces me that we need a massive Government Intervention to solve the problem described. It seems that the politicians point out different problems with our healthcare system depending upon who their audience is and what their objective is in pointing to problems with healthcare..
The first issue I hear described as the problem is that not everyone has access to healthcare. The above picture shows a large group of people who have obviously concluded that this is the problem.
Next most often, I hear that Healthcare in America is too expensive.
Third on the list (my list, my opinion) is American Healthcare emphasizes fixing problems rather than preventing them.
The Quality of U.S. Healthcare is falling is the next problem I hear.
Fifth on the list is, Access to Healthcare is tied to employment. If you lose your job, you lose your healthcare.
6th is , ‘if you are sick, you can’t get health insurance.’ If you have a preexisting condition, the insurance companies won’t insure you.
Next, the Health Insurance Industry has injected huge costs into the system to support their profits.
8th is, Medical Malpractice lawsuits. They are driving up the price of liability insurance for Doctors and therefore driving up the price of healthcare for all Americans.
‘The quality of care is dependent upon how much money you have,’ is a problem I hear.
Tenth (this is as far as I will go) is that ‘undocumented aliens are utilizing the system in a way that increased costs for all of us.’
We need to reduce this list to a clear statement of the problem. Then we will be able to evaluate the costs and benefits of the different proposed solutions.
Can anyone give me a clear statement of the Healthcare Problem? Just post a comment with your statement of the problem. If I don’t get one in the next few days, I will take my stab at it in a coming post.
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June 16, 2009 at 9:01 am
pmv
I think your post asks an important question. To me, cost is the biggest problem (and several items on your list contribute to this). I think liberals do themselves a disservice when they frame their argument for more universal coverage as promoting “Access” to healthcare. This makes it sound like healthcare is a right that the goverment must guarantee. A (better, in my opinion) argument can be made that a more universal public option will reduce costs (expanded coverage pool, prevention of diseases that become high-cost, public option having unfair advantages that will force private providers to cut costs/rates, etc.).
From my experience working to cut expenses at various health plans, the biggest issue is poor business practice. At any given hospital it seems there are tons of patients who are in the wrong place (e.g. in the ICU when they don’t need to be). One of two things happens when the hospital bills the patient’s healthplan (up to several thousand dollars per day) – if it’s the healthplan’s fault, they pay up (and pass the cost on to us). Otherwise, they tell the hospital they won’t pay, and the hostpital raises their rates to cover (again, passing the cost to us). Similarly, there are tons of people who have prescriptions or equipment they don’t need, and we end up paying for it. Also, there are tons of people who have chronic diseases that have been diagnosed but whose cheaper treatments (diet, medication, etc) fall through the cracks and then they end up in the hospital (often via the ER) and require much more expensive treatments.
June 16, 2009 at 9:53 am
ttoes
Thanks, PMV.
I think you have hit upon something. Business practices are as big a factor for general healthcare inefficiencies as they have been for the automotive industry.
It is my plan to discuss this further in my later posts. I do think that the vast majority of folks agree that we need to reform our system. I think finding out what the problem is will truly lead to the best solution. My current view is that most of the politics on both sides is not helping to define the problem.
Having been part of the Kaiser-Permanente Plan for many years, I have seen how a good business plan, properly executed can control costs and still produce excellent care. I also plan to showcase some of the the excellent medical systems, like Kaiser’s, that I think can serve as good models for us as we choose a new direction.
Tom
June 16, 2009 at 1:29 pm
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July 21, 2009 at 10:43 am
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