THE DEAL WITH HEALTH CARE

This American Life is the greatest weekly radio show on the air today and the previous two weeks they did an in-depth analysis of the challenges facing the United States as we prepare to complete the first significant health care reform in our history. You should download the free podcasts from iTunes or from thisamericanlife.org.

Some facts I wanted to pass along from the two broadcasts:

--Many, if not most doctors, charge “fees for service” which pays them more for specialized fees and services.
--Instead of more doctors in an area meaning more competition and cheaper care, doctors are doing more unnecessary services sooner to generate higher fees which in part covers their high malpractice insurance. The more complex and difficult the patient and their condition, the more doctors get paid.
--Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care: 1/3 of medical care delivered in this country is unnecessary.
--Patients often request or even demand treatments that aren’t medically necessary. (In a recent survey, half of patients felt people were getting unnecessary medical services, but only 16% thought it was them.)
--Going out of plan for treatment and services, whether or not it is in the best interest of patients, also adds tremendously to costs.
--Big insurers are less and less able to resist rate hikes set by big providers (the hospitals.)
--Many economists believe that multiplying the number of insurance options against a consolidated, coordinated bloc of health providers is not likely to lower health care costs because individual providers lack enough market share to negotiate significantly lower costs

As the House vote comes closer, it is not so much about the public option or the lack of a public option but about the kind of health care Americans need and should have in the 21st century and what is the best way to achieve this. As citizens, we have to make our voices heard and we cannot just assume that whatever plan the government actually passes is the end all and be all. There may not be a more important legislative initiative in our time.

Peace...