Let's just say that doing nothing is not an option. OK
And that Obama-Care is a crappy option that will be hugely expensive, that will steal people's Medicare Trust Fund, and that will only make a small dent in the problem of the Uninsured.
OK -- those are just assumptions for the sake of argument, they are not final conclusions, they are just set up for my question, which is "What Could the Government fo Instead of Obama-Care?"
Here are some possibilities:
1. Very small Federal primary care clinics staffed by 3 or 4 doctors and supervised on a monthly basis by ultra-highly qualified doctors who visit every month or so to make sure the primary care is good or very good. These clinics would be operated on a "Good Samaritan" basis, and on a "Sovereign Immunity" basis, so if mistakes were made the Federal government could not be sued. It could however pay fair and reasonable compensation for gross negligence by the doctors it hired and supervised. Fair and reasonable would be decided by a formula, and by a panel of expert supervising physicians. So these primary care clinics would operated in a limited liability zone -- not subject to local state jury trials for medical malpractice, and all patients seeking care in such clinics would have to knowingly sign a waiver of their right to sue. No waiver, no care, back out on the street, no Good Samaritan here to save you, try County General.
These little clinics should number about 10,000. They should basically be in the business of taking the primary care load off emergency rooms. They should do preventative medicine, and help clients get further care as needed. So your basic heart pills, and diabetes pills, and athsma treatments don't have to be done for $ 1000 in a busy emergecy room, they can be done for $ 75 in a micro-clinic run by the Federal government. That's a savings of $ 925 for each patient. Figure 20 patients a day, 300 days a year, pretty soon you're talking real money (like $ 550,000 per year saved for each doctor on the staff). You could actually pay the doctors pretty well out of that saved amount, right? Let's say $ 150,000 per year starting salary. You still clear $ 400,000 of societal savings for each doctor working.
This is all based on the idea that if the government wants there to be more healthcare, it should "just do it"
If the government wants the leaves raked off the White House lawn, it should "just do it"
The doing concept only seems strange in a world where the government has gotten used to writing 16,000 pages of detailed commands and instructions for anything it wants done -- so that other people can do it.
I say skip the paperwork -- if you want something done -- do it! The Doing Concept, part of what made America great.
How about this idea for a second concept: Let the VA Pharmacy fill prescriptions for Vets based on the orders of the Vets' own doctors, so long as those doctors are: (1) Board Certified (2) America Educated and (3) in Good standing as Physicians (their licenses are fully in operational and valid and current). So there's no reason whatsoever to imagine that the Vets own doctor is not good enough to write the prescription. OK -- then just fill it! It's like the Just Do It concept.
Don't fuss, don't make the vet get a whole new doctor and come into your system, just let them have the benefit of government buying power, so the meds go out to the vet at about 20% of retail which is what the VA pays for them. The VA can charge for postage too.
Again this would be on a "Sovereign Immunity" "Malpractice Waiver" basis so the U.S. government would take no legal risk in this program. No chance of being sued. Fraud is still possible, but liability from lawsuits is not. The fraud can be squeezed out of the system by investigation and relentless prosecution of malfeasors -- bad doctors who use their position to cheat Uncle Sam.
These are just two ideas. My basic idea is to take the problem down by layers, starting with the easy layers. More primary care -- do it. More meds at fair prices -- do it.
It's the Doing Concept.
Over time this will make the problem smaller. Not vanish -- but smaller. Instead of 45 million uninsurables -- maybe in 10 years just 25 million. That's way better than Obama-Care is likely to do. And at 10% of the cost of Obama-Care. And without stealing the Medicare Trust Fund.
It's better policy because it's a better value. It impacts the problem at low cost and low risk by using "doing" instead of "commanding" as its method of proceeding. Raking the leaves up, instead of writing a 16,000 page set of commands to get the leaves raked up. Doing -- wow there's a thought!
I have never watched FOX News. I have never read any FOX publication. I never listen to FOX radio.
Any resemblance between anything I say, and anything said on FOX is either coincidental or it arises from FOX people reading my posts (here and elsewhere) picking up the ideas, and making media talk with my ideas, without giving me credit for them, which I don't mind. I'm with Rabidranath Tagore, the Indian poet, when he said, "Whatever isn't given ... is lost!" So pick my brain,, pick my bones .. it's all given freely. But it is irritating when people think I get my ideas from FOX. It's really unjust -- a bad rap. The next person who says that should include a quote from FOX that is the paraphrase of what I say in my posts. You have to show that they said it first, then I said it second. Otherwise, I couldn't possibly be getting my stuff from FOX, you see that, right? Just bring the quotes, or stop the bad rap. Thanks.
Patricia C
We could have National Health Care as they do in most European countries but it costs more than the President's plan.
Fakename
All that stuff you said, as well as plain old giving people money for insurance. That is the cheapest method.
John Reid
The first thing to do, which will also solve a whole lot of other problems besides medical care, is to get rid of about 20 million illegal immigrants.
Obviously, Obama does not wish to follow in the steps of Hoover, Truman, and Eisenhower, who were successful in doing this.
jim g
i think you watch fox news,but it sounds like they (the administration)should take a look at.some of the stuff (you wrote),i don't like some of the stuff, but it's something to type about.i admit, some of it didin sound so bad.
The Patriot
Well, Obama could always go back on what he promised to do if he was elected and try for another system. I am always amazed how many Americans seem not to be aware about the issues with healthcare relying on FOX and other sources to spread misinformation about the healthcare system of the USA and those abroad.
First of all, Obama wants to make insurance more available to all. And change the system so that it is cheaper, and also so that the insurance companies find it harder to get out of paying for treatment. The system he is proposing looks similar to that which works in Holland and Switzerland where private companies are involved in providing insurance. The second Guardian link has an insurance executive talking about how his company and others like it push up costs, buy out politicians and refuse to pay out when people are ill. Obama wants to change that.
Second, of course universal health-cover sucks. That is why we in Western Europe have it. We think, hmm, our healthcare system sucks. I know, lets keep it. I guess that is the same with Japan and Canada as well.
Third, Obama campaigned on reforming the healthcare system. He said he wanted to make insurance more available and he was elected by the American people to do this.
FACT - the US has higher death rates for kids aged under five than western European countries with universal health coverage.
FACT - the USA spends more on healthcare PER PERSON than any other nation on the planet.
That means that a dead American four year old would have had a better chance of life if they were born in Canada, France, Cuba, Germany, Japan etc, all of which have universal health coverage.
Last of all if you do not like the policies that Obama was elected to bring in, he can always be voted out of office in 2012.
Kenneth
With all due respect to the Patriot. I wonder what are the death rates for people with cancer and other debilitating diseases in the UK and western Europe. I had a girlfriend from Scotland who was more than happy to get out of their system by moving to the USA.
You make some valid points in your question. But I have a few ideas too. Since they are making a move toward forgiving people with outstanding college loan debt by working for the government for 10 years why not make it in the medical field. Protect them from frivolous lawsuits for being apart of those clinics. We cap the amount that can be won in these frivolous lawsuits for private practice doctors. Because their expenses are based on what the cost of their malpractice insurance cost them.
When it comes to specialty clinics like asthma, arthritis, etc. a lot of hospitals already have low cost clinics that are providing prescriptions for the poor at low cost through drug company free samples and sponsorships by these drug companies. Why not help them with the costs that are not covered ont these sponsorships with some of these government doctors trying to get out of these college loans.
Much like the Patriot, I agree that Obama must make the big insurance companies responsible for paying for services that hardworking Americans have already been spending there hard earned money to buy and maintain. There should be consequences for insurances companies that refuse necessary procedures to heal or diagnose patients that need them. And prerequestist for coverage for preexisting conditions should be removed. This is just another way of insurance companies avoiding taking care of patients that are in alot of cases dire need.
Also Drug companies that participate in the clinic programs should be afforded tax breaks and incentives to continue like protection from high judgement malpratice claims for drugs that after approved are found to be harmful. That should be a government issue because they approve them.
Limitations of Judgements, Reductions or Caps on Malpractice Insurance, College loans forgiven doctors working clinics, and Insurance Companies held to providing payments for services needed and no preexisting condition conditions.
Hmmm That would reduce the cost too.
Orignal From: What Could the Government Do About Healthcare Instead of Nothing and Instead of Obamacare?
Post a Comment