The core issues in the healthcare debate are quite clear but easily muddied. Citing sad stories is easy but finding real solutions is the problem. While most agree that reforms are needed, the issue is, what type of reform will actually improve care while lowering costs? The real question is, do we want a state controlled healthcare system or do we want a free market healthcare system?
Among the problems now crippling our healthcare system are the following three:
• Unfunded federal insurance mandates. This is where the government demands insurers cover hundreds of various treatments.
To use an example, it’s a little like the government going into a local drugstore and demanding they give each customer Band Aids, antibacterial cream and some sunblock because everyone has a right to these basic needs.
The unintended consequences of these mandates (there are thousands) have been to drive up the cost of healthcare insurance.
Some would call for capping insurance companies’ profits. A free-market solution would allow the 1,300 or so different health insurance companies to compete across state lines, allowing people to customize their coverage in a competitive market.
Presently state law decides which four or five insurers are allowed in each state.
• Astronomical payouts for pain and suffering in medical liability cases. While no one wants a rigid payout scale for damages that excludes cases from a jury of their peers, the excessive payouts for medical liability cases have driven malpractice insurance costs up so high, many older doctors have retired and many young physicians have chosen specialties less threatened by legal problems.
The unintended consequences of these lawsuits are fewer doctors willing to go into obstetrics/gynecology. One solution would be tort reform that would cap the pain and suffering payouts.
• Gross overregulation of the healthcare industry. In the early 1990s, the federal regulations for hospitals fit into a small booklet. By 1998, the book was three inches thick.
This massive increase in regulations had the unintended consequence of causing hospitals to run in the red.
An entire staff is required to work on insuring compliance. The failure to comply is costly.
It can run into thousands per day. This burden alone has driven up hospital costs enormously. It isn’t just hospitals that are weighed down by over regulation: that is rampant through out the healthcare industry.
It requires so much time and energy that actual patient care has suffered tremendously.
While fraud is a concern and a certain amount of regulation may be necessary, it is essential to fight against the current gross overregulation.
In conclusion, many of the serious deficiencies we see today are primarily consequences of governmental intervention.
Removing those intrusive mandates and laws alone would improve patient care, while significantly lowering costs. In addition, it would allow far greater freedom for patients as well as for their doctors.
Again, the fundamental question is, do we want a federally controlled healthcare system or a free-market version?
LUCY WELLS
Poulsbo
