As I write
this I’m not sure what the outcome will be of the current Republican plan to
repeal and replace “Obamacare”. The media talking heads are all over the board
depending on their ideological or political leanings but what I still don’t hear
is any talk about actual healthcare reform. I’m talking about figuring out how
to get American healthcare costs down to the international average.
Why are Americans paying almost
double the world average for pretty much the same quality care and why is the healthcare
debate primarily just about who pays? If you remember my column from a few
years back, I was bitching about how Obamacare was really just Corporatecare in
that it mainly just focused on health insurance and provided a windfall to the companies
the sell it.
Not only was it a windfall for the
insurers but it was for me as well. That’s right, I benefited from Obamacare because
my income is just below the threshold and allows me to receive premium
assistance. Even though I personally benefit I still think the system is way
messed up. As an example when the law went into effect my insurance premium
(that I only pay a fraction of) doubled in cost from the year before when I was
paying the full amount. Why did that happen, it’s not like healthcare costs
doubled in a year.
Anyway for the sake of argument let’s
say that the American healthcare system is broken and that any new proposals
from Congress are probably just going to make it worse. So what’s the answer?
Well I’m glad you asked because I think I’ve got a workable solution. No,
really, listen to me.
Before I reveal my plan let me give
you some background on where my thinking comes from. Someone I know is a huge
fan of the late economist Milton Friedman and has got me reading some of his
theories on “Free Market” economics. In very basic terms, if the government
stays out of the way and doesn’t over regulate, the consumer driven markets
(and society) will do what’s best for the greater good.
Another thing of note is that my
father was a physician who sold his practice because he was tired of dealing
with the insurance companies. This was back in the late Seventies so I can only
imagine how much worse it’s gotten. The other thing that caused him to want to
quit was the increase in malpractice lawsuits that were prevalent in the
seventies. Malpractice insurance is one of the reasons that American healthcare
is higher than in other countries.
Before I go any further let me state
that I think the real long term solution is Socialized Medicine but that would
make us Socialist and isn’t that the same as Communists? So, since that’s off
the table let’s try a compromise solution that I think everyone can live with.
Now obviously I’m just a regular layperson,
not an economist, academic, or medical professional for that matter. I can’t
foresee all the ramifications or small details of my plan but I can see the
problem from the consumer’s side and I think I have a simple workable solution.
The other thing I want to clarify is that the solution I’m proposing is to
replace the government subsidized program, not anyone’s private plans. So here
goes, drum roll please.
What I think we need is SINGLE PAYER
HEALTHCARE! Say whaaat, isn’t that kind of boring? No, I’m talking about SPHC
with a free market twist. First twist, the SP doesn’t have to be the
government. The insurance companies can compete to be the sole provider but
they have to agree to certain criteria. These “regulations” would include
covering pre-existing conditions, tying premium increases to inflation, and
most importantly, limiting their profits to a certain percentage.
Another twist is that anyone signing
up for the insurance would have to agree to “binding arbitration” instead of being
able to sue the medical practitioner. This would reduce the cost of malpractice
insurance and in turn reduce healthcare costs.
And my last big twist, in the spirit
of free market capitalism and globalization allows the SP to outsource the patient’s
services if the local provider can’t match the price. If it’s less expensive to
transport and give equal quality care to the patient in Mexico, Canada, or even
the EU then so be it. If we can fill prescriptions for less out of the country
then we can do that as well.
All in all I don’t think it’s a bad
plan considering it came from my twisted mind. So if you see any merit in it,
send a copy to your legislator, tell your friends and family or post it on
social media. Because we the consumers are what drives the free market and we should
get what we pay for.
To view the column in it's original form go to page 12 of the following link. Winters Express 7/20/17
