Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Health Care is a very real problem

There are important issues rising to the surface in the health care debate. Insurance companies are showing record profits WHILE getting subsidies to keep premium costs down for low income people. That's a problem.
We should all agree that something is wrong with this picture. Next question should be; What's the solution? One "solution" has been enacted - eliminate the subsidies. I would argue that it does not address the core problem. And it does not provide a sustainable solution to actual health care system issues.
The core problem and the core issues concerning health care revolve around providing a quality health care system that is available and affordable to ALL Americans. We first need to make that our objective. That needs to be our universal goal.
Let's assume we actually share that goal. We all want to have quality health care that is available and affordable for us and our neighbors of all income levels. To do that, we have to view health care as a product and view the entire system involved in providing it. If you have ever worked in manufacturing you know that the first step in lowering cost of a product is in eliminating waste. Where is the waste in the health care system?
The "product" is health care. That is the front line providers; the doctors, nurses, technicians, social workers, care givers. What percentage of our health care dollars are actually going to the front line providers? Follow the money. Insurance companies are showing record profits WHILE getting subsidies to keep premium costs down for low income people. That should tell you something. Nothing they do is actually directly providing health care. It's all being paid for paperwork. Then add in all the time that doctors offices, hospitals, social workers and care givers spend trying to meet the requirements of insurers so they an actually provide health care. It serves no useful purpose in relation to actual health care needs. Waste.
That's just the tip of the iceberg of waste in the American Health Care System. It's likely that the amount of money spent on TV advertising for drugs could pay for a very large percentage of health care needs in our country. Waste.  It serves no useful purpose in relation to actual health care needs.
Tackling those two issues would be the first steps toward creating a real solution. In my opinion, we need to remove the profiteering from this system. If you have a better solution, it would be nice to hear about it. Preferably, let your Senator or Congressman hear about it. And let them know why it matters to you.

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