On Healthcare Reform

On Healthcare Reform

July 1, 2015 at 6:24am

I heard on the news this morning, President Obama (really for the first time) is talking about talking to Americans about what can be done to make the so called “Affordable Care Act”, AKA“Obamacare”, better, improve it, make it work.
These where really questions he should been asking before he and his allies forced it passaged. But at the time, there ears where closed and theywould not listen to any suggestion which might have improved it, or proposals which might work better.
Theyhad a solution in there hands, they where looking to fit the problem to it, no matter that it was neither the correct or the best.

There where really Two questions, not one.
First is, do we, the people of America believe, that we should create some form of Nation wide Healthcare?
The Second Question was, If so, what should it look like?

I believe on the First Question, the American public has ansewed Yes.
We did not have a free market solution, nor a totally comprehensive solution, but a hodge podgy of heavily regulated Solutions whichprovided fantastic care to some, and no care to others.

The Second Question was never asked. President Obama simply assumed,Ansewing yes to the first, automatically could be assumed to be an endorsement of his highly centralized, inefficient. Expensivesolution which simply place a blanket over many of the underlining problems we have, so there less visible.

Many people, Many think tanks have spent years, decades study these issues and developing solution, They where all ignored!
(July1^st. 2015)

Mythoughts: There are few Black and White decisions in politics, mostpolitical decisions require a balancing of plus and minus, of tradingoff cost vs. value. There are many paths, to solutions, each requiring tradeoff and has different rewards.

This was where President Obama administration messed up, they decided that it was a Black and White issue, that is, if one wants reforms, the none wants there plan, no discussion, no change, it was, in the reminds, the only solution, it option was to stay with the status –quo.

In reality, There are really not one issue, but servile.
Each could be a master thesis in itself. Each could be years of debate.Each should be part of a National discussion. There not abstract ideas, but very personal, as a person health is personal.
And they have a lot to say about our own image of ourselves as a nation and National charter.

A discussion of each of these, a National conversation and some sort of consciences should have been held (and we still need that) For it simply not healthcare, it a pointer on the National direction.


My own belief is, what ever we go to, must preform better than the Status-Quo, or why do it.
We must recognize what the problems are, and what is right with, United States Healthcare.
A,It really the finest healthcare in the world, but it suffers from not every one can access it.
In many ways, it the most efficient at allocating needed services.
But it not been a Free Market in many years, it heavily regulated and often controlled by Large corporation in League with Government Regulators. These deprive it of innovation, of efficiency, or competition which would give people more options and saving in cost.

So Cost, and Acceptability need to be looked at.
Cost.

1. Tort Reform, probably the single step which could do the most to both cut cost with out hurting service, and open up creative solutions.
   
2. Streamline regulations, Reduce paperwork. This is another huge cost savings, where once we had 1 back office person for every 2 to 3 medical person, we now have 2 to 3 back office people to every medical provider, this despite automation and the use of computers.
   
3. Open up Competition over State lines. Currently, many states have only a few Health Insurance company’s, by allowing company’s to sell across state lines, we open up the market to competition, which means that then, Insurers will need to attract, or retain customers by providing great service at a good price.

Obamacare,or ACA as it now being called, failed to look at or do any thingwhich on issues which are driving cost up, if any thing, it protectedthese by putting a blanket over them, so the public would be lessable to see them.

Onemore item, one which offers both a cost saving, and resolves theaccessibility issue, namely, to allow the creation of purchase poolsso the Individuals, self-employed and small business can buyhealthcare insurances at the same discounted rates as the Governmentand Large Business do.
Becausepools are group rates, people with existing conditions get accepted(understand, this cost dose get distributed across the whole group,or groups, so, rates will be a little higher, but the efficiency ofcompaction and the others cost saving, the overall rate should remainvery reasonable.)

Thisdose not and should not be ran by the Government, be it State orFederal, and it should not be by exclusive right or license.
TheACA Healthcare Exchanges really done not meet the purpose ofproviding competition. I like to see much smaller non-profits likechurches groups, service organizations and such, So one might join bybeing a member of Farm Beuruo or throe the Rotary club, the Chamberof Commerce, Automobile Club, etc. In this way, one can shop whichexchange there prefer to deal with as well as the offering with inthe exchange.

Thislike Income redistributions should never be attached in to otherprograms. (this was another BIG problem with the so call AffordableHealthcare Reform Act, or Obamacare, was it emphases on Incomeredistribution, in fact it appears the administration was really moreconcern with income redistribution and empowering government in themarket place than they where in actually helping healthcare.)

November16^th, 2013
RevisedJanuary 11, 2014

Onthe question of Affordable Healthcare
Thereare really not one issue, but servile.
Eachcould be a master thesis in itself. Each could be years of debate.Each should be part of a National discussion. There not abstractideas, but very personal, as a person health is personal.

1. How to control Health care cost, make it more affordable.
   
2. How to expand coverage so more people have access
   
3. Should healthcare be totally a private responsibility, or a State and Individual, or National
   
4. Should, if some form of State or National solution is decide on, should it be voluntary, or Mandatory
   
5. Should, if a National solution is decided upon, should it be a Single source? Regulated Monopoly’s? Or Open Market with in a regulated spear? Or some hybrid system.
   
6. Should, if a National solution be decided upon, should it be distributed in management or centrally control.
   
7. Is this the best we can do? Are the solutions the best we can do, or can we re look at any part and fine better ones. Good enough should never be accepted, but Best we can should be the answer, and we should always be re examining those answer to make sure it remains as such. If some one develop a better solution, we should look at moving to it.)

Oneof the problems whit the so called Affordable Healthcare Reform Act,or, and since the President himself has taken to calling it this,Obama care is, these questions where never even considered by thosewho created it, much less think about the issues. They had a solutionin hand, and they where simply looking for a problem to apply it to,weather or not it the right solution, they never considered, muchless if it the best or could it be improved.

Tocorrectly solve a problem, one should first ascertain what theproblem is, and as list above, and in that order, start with, How dowe control cost, which then leads to the question, what driving costup?

1. Frivolous lawsuits and fear of them, Answer, Tort Reform
   
2. Cost of excessive paperwork requirements, Answer, Streamline Regulations to reduce paperwork.

Andso on, it wasteful and foolish to jump to the next set of questionstill reasonable work on question one has been accomplished.Obamacare, never even looked at Question 1 to 4. All the reasonsprices, and cost have been raising have not been address and arestill there, and placing Obamacare in place with out address those isa really bad idea, for it will now be much harder to work on thosebecause those are hidden.

Realreform would be to work to make changes which allow healthcare to bemore affordable so more people could afford it. Instead, the So call“Affordable Healthcare Reform Act” hides it from the consumer byusing the exchanges to steel from Paul to care for Peter, when weshould be looking at how can we provide the best coverage and thebest price for both Peter and Paul.

Obamacaretherefore protects and preserve waste inefficiency and fraud in thesystem, and treat it like a standard part of the government doingbusiness (this is not acceptable)

Italso adds new layers of beurocracy on top of our Healthcare system,so that it becomes even more expensive. (We added an additional 25%,according to one report I saw last month from the Government, andthey where proud that was all they added so far, so far in 2015 tothe Cost of Healthcare, none of that going to service, all of it inthe new mandated layers of Regulations and Bureaucracy)

Curtis Neil Copyright 2015
July 1, 2015 at 6:24am