HealthCare Reform is Urgently Needed
It is clear to anyone who has required healthcare in the last 10 years that our healthcare delivery system
is broken. The cost of obtaining health insurance is unmanageable, the prices of medications are astronomical, and the difficulties
of getting in to see a private physician are well known. Of all the world’s developed countries, the United States ranks 37th in
healthcare delivery! We have the best facilities and equipment and trillions of dollars to spend, but we cannot adequately care
for our own people.
Some are still not convinced that our healthcare system needs a drastic overhaul,
though considering the facts it’s hard to understand their position. Up to 50 million Americans have no health insurance coverage
of all. Almost 49% of Americans are spending 10% of the available family income on healthcare alone. Nearly 50% of all
personal bankruptcies are caused by illnesses and medical bills. Between 25% and 35% of the private health insurance premium
dollar is spent just on administrative overhead, instead of being available for patient care. From the year 2000 through the
year 2005 there was a 73% increase in the cost of Health Insurance premiums, compared to an estimated 15% increase in workers’ income
over the same time.
Despite spending nearly two trillion dollars per year on healthcare related services
there are millions of people who cannot get the care they need. Many have jobs but still cannot afford to see a doctor, and/or to
get their medications. Many are retirement age but continue to work in order to maintain health insurance coverage. Further,
after illness, many insured Americans wind up owing several thousand dollars above what their insurance company paid. Some can
afford to pay the extra money, but for many families this is a financial catastrophe.
Doctors
are also frustrated by the current system. Re-imbursement has dropped steadily since the early 1990’s, while the cost of running
an office has climbed faster than the cost of living. Paperwork is up ten fold and billing and coding requirements
have become unbelievably complicated. Insurance associated paperwork, especially the “pre-authorization” requirements, takes
up more office time than anything except for actually seeing patients. The legal industry is a burden and governmental regulations
have become extremely complex.
Private practice has been made so frustrating that many doctors
have either quit practice altogether, or taken salaried positions with lower stress and less responsibility. There is a trend for
office based doctors to give up hospital work in the hope they can build a more reasonable life by not having their nights, weekends
and holidays taken up with being on call. Is it any wonder that only an estimated 2% of graduating medical students plan to
work in primary care?
How have we come to this? Most Americans now believe we all have a right
to healthcare, and I agree. We owe it to each other to develop a health care system that is open and available to all, but one that
can be paid for without increasing the national dept. With all of these problems, why is it so hard to get healthcare reform
enacted? Some of the problem lies in voter ignorance of our healthcare problems and of the excellent system we could build.
Some of the problem lies simply in the fear of change. No matter what the problem, the biggest obstacle comes from the rhetoric
put out by the anti-reform special interest groups.
These special interests are self serving.
They promote fear by crying “socialized medicine” and “government control” when the topic of healthcare reform is broached. Most of this rhetoric comes from companies and individuals who are deeply vested in the current system. They are unfairly profiting
from the system as it is and do not want it to change, no matter how unfair it may be. This includes some physicians, most insurance
companies and their executives, many healthcare legal representatives, the medical equipment suppliers, the pharmaceutical industry,
the “for profit” hospital owners and executives, and the thousands of other people who simply make large amounts of money in the system
as it exists. When someone speaks against healthcare reform, it is important to consider that they may be speaking out of self
interest.
There is going to be reform of our Healthcare System in the next 5-15 years. There has to
be. We cannot go on with this costly and unjust system that we have. There are two major plans in legislation now, though both are
flawed. Many companies and individuals will try to delay and/or to shape healthcare reform in a way that will still allow large profit
margins for private medical industries and profiteers. We cannot let that happen. The public will have to pay special
attention if healthcare reform is to be reasonable and free of special interest control. Considering the recent congressional track
record, we cannot just leave this to them.
Mark E Green MD
463 POB BMH
Maryville, TN 37804