The current state of Health Care in this country is at a critical level, pretty much everyone agrees on that front. There are a few things most people are ignoring in the hope of fixing the problem. They believe universal healthcare will fix all the ills of the system but there are two other things which must be addressed at the same time.
1. The legal system and the way we pursue malpractice in this country. I do not believe doctors and/or nurses to be overpaid in this country. While some might argue, look at plastic surgery, to that I say, as long as people are willing to pay cash for it (which they are), that is not the doctor's fault. Take into account that an average ER doctor pays 1/4 of a million dollars in malpractice insurance per year. Not to mention the debt he/she left school with and the length of time until they were making any money at all. Doctors deserve to be paid well. Malpractice and the fear of any ambulance chasing lawyer going after hospital or doctor keeps fees above and beyond. Hospitals are running on deficit. They can't keep up with their own insurance, let alone pay for the doctor's as well. Couple that with the fact we receive poorer healthcare because doctors are not allowed to take chances for fear of the repercussions of their actions if it were to go poorly. There should be a separate court to deal with issues of malpractice. Yes, they exist, and yes, people should be compensated. They do not exist to the degree our legal system would have us believe nor do I believe everyone's life is worth millions of dollars. Many people make mistakes everyday, mistakes are going to be made, and sometimes people die, that is a cold, hard fact. I believe only absolutely absurd acts of disregard should be considered malpractice. Missing something is unfortunate but will happen.
2. We have to look at the situation surrounding the illegals in this country. While I won't blow open my entire belief that everyone currently in the country should be granted amnesty and citizenship....blah, blah, blah...but why, when we can't take of our own are we required to pay for the health costs of those who aren't even paying into the government at all. I know I will be highly unpopular for this viewpoint but it's ridiculous that tax paying citizens are footing the bill for those with no health coverage, no legal right to be in the country, who don't even pay into the system. In California, low income families are covered by Medi-Cal, all prenatal and pregnancy care is covered. All clinic visits for children are covered. All emergency costs are covered (hence why people wait for hours in an ER as everyone using the Medi-Cal system uses the ER as a clinic for the flu). While it is not top of the line health care, it is still a drain on a financially ill system in the first place. I am a student. I make no money at this time. I do not qualify for Medi-Cal because I own a home. I had been a taxpaying citizen for 10+ years when I decided to return to school. Why am I not covered? I will return to paying my taxes. Doesn't matter, if I need to go to the doctor I have to pay. How is this fair or right?
I believe the healthcare system should be reworked. I believe it should follow a more Austrailian type model. Everyone is covered and for elective surgeries (knees, shoulders, and things) you can choose to have supplemental insurance to make the process go faster so you aren't waiting for 5 years as you do in Canada. But I don't think any of this can happen until you remove the litigation contingent. Insurance companies remain the top 10% of the Forbes 500 companies year after year. That isn't just from patients paying, it's from ensuring against litigation. Our litigious society and bleeding hearts for everyone but our own is causing the downfall of health among Americans as a whole.
Hi, Hacker. I saw your blog and decided to come visit.
You make some great points in here and there are a couple things I'd like to add:
for #1: Doctors do deserve to be paid substantially for their work. If they weren't paid well--let's say they were paid min. wage-- then there would be no incentive to do well. This was brought up in a gov't class of mine a few years ago when we were talking about either communism or socialism (sorry, I can't recall which it was). The teacher said one of the main issues of communism in the real world as opposed to in theory is that everyone is paid the same. So where is the incentive to do better at a harder job? You'd be paid just as much for a substandard job.
#2: I agree. If someone wants to be a part of this country, they should really be a part of this country. Even if the wait for citizenship is long, they should make the effort. Maybe then immigrants wouldn't be looked down upon for getting the same benefits as we do.
I don't know if this is the kind of response you were expecting, but I thought I'd try anyway.
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A perfect response. I would like to clarify that I believe doctors should be compensated well. They owe a ton of money off the bat and they suffered long and hard. But we have to pay them EVEN MORE to cover the ridiculous amounts of malpractice insurance they are forced to carry which sometimes don't even come close to protecting their families and future. I don't believe very many people choose the profession to be selfish, they do it because they want to help and will be well paid, as well they should, they make life and death decisions. To top it off, applications to Medical School are declining with every passing year. We are having fewer quality people apply because you can't make a decent living with the amount you must pay out plus the risk is too great. My girlfriend's father said if he had to do it again he would never become a doctor. He loves what he does but the legal issues are obnoxious.
It is just sad that the monies aren't going directly to the doctors and nurses as opposed to the insurance companies who are making beaucoup bucks on the whole thing. As much as doctors deserve to get paid, the declining status of nursing pay in this country is why often times you don't even have English speaking nurses, quite prevalent here in California. Talk about disconcerting. Your sick, miserable, hurt, and you can't even communicate with the one trying to be your liason to your doctor?
The United States health care system has been in trouble for years. We have been trying to alleviate coverage gaps in the health care system for decades by continuously encouraging employment-based insurance, disregarding international statistics that show this form of funding inevitably leads to poorer public health. If we continue to spend such a large amount of our GDP (16% in 2007) in one sector of the economy while other countries pay half that, the US will not be able to remain the dominant economic power in the world that it is today. The need for fundamental modifications in the US health care system has been increasingly apparent for some time. The time for change is now.
Some major concerns dragging down the health care system in the United States include medical malpractice suits and chronic illnesses. It is these two very major issues within the health care system account for much of the overspending within the health care industry. Regulation of the health care industry alone costs billions of dollars every year. Although these regulations are beneficial in a dollar amount, a huge amount of the cost is coming directly from the public and draining the pockets of Americans. The majority of the cost for regulating the health care industry is due to medical malpractice, FDA regulations, and facilities regulations. Also, in most cases, chronic illness is a result of unhealthy life behaviors, which are becoming more and more common the US. The current health care system continues to allow the public to be ill educated about leading a healthy lifestyle.
In addition to the exorbitant costs and unhealthy behaviors, there are grand and dangerous inefficiencies in the way money is spent in the U.S. health care system. The complexity and difficulty of payment for health care services are a waste in terms of administrative costs as well as time.
There is large disagreement over whether the US government should provide universal health care coverage to Americans or whether improvements in a market based system is the best course of action. The idea of the government babysitting citizens with universal insurance will not only reduce health care quality, but will also send a message to Americans that they do not need to take responsibility for their own health.
Without reform, millions of Americans remain without insurance and our future for economic leadership is uncertain. The Incremental Health Responsibility Reform Act (IHRR) takes an incremental approach making recommendations aimed to lower health care costs without compromising quality. First, by promoting and rewarding individuals to purchase their own insurance coverage reduces the number of people relying on the government. Second, by instituting specialized health courts and allowing patients and physicians to contract in advance will reduce the number of frivolous lawsuits and rationally insure against accidents or errors. And finally, by emphasizing health education and preventative measures in schools, the number of Americans with chronic conditions will decrease and the lifestyle of Americans will be healthier.
Holding out for more expansive legislation in the future just postpones reform and usually results in a lack of any change. Bipartisan collaboration and public support is needed to move forward in a healthier, more positive direction to improving access, costs, and quality.
Now, it is time for America to decide if we are going to continue down the spiraling path of frivolous spending and inequality or if we are going to take action and move in a positive direction toward change in the health care system.
I think current doctor salaries are perfect. They're a good amount of money for the work involved, but it's not a ridiculously high salary.
I also hate the idea that illegals get medical care. I can't even afford to fix my cavities and therefore probably won't have all of my teeth in a few years. It sucks. I also know of many people without health care that can't even get a routine checkup because they are over 21 and aren't pregnant. It's a bad situation. I like the idea of subsidized health coverage for middle income and lower income classes.
I love abortion. Read more here:
http://progressiveu.org/044921-i-love-abortion-even-if-it-murder