Stance On Health Care
There is no question that our health care system needs to be reformed. The American health care system is the most expensive in the world. And it is clear that, by any statistical measure, we are not getting value for money. Not only do escalating costs put proper health care increasingly out of reach for many middle class Americans, but these added costs are also making our products uncompetitive in the world economy. We must concentrate on squeezing out bloated expense while assuring high quality care.
Unfortunately however, in the proposals that have emerged, we seem to have taken our eye off the ball. The true challenge - the cost vs. quality issue - has become sidetracked. The debate has now become about health insurance, though this is only a part of the problem. Important as it is, insurance coverage is merely a way to pay for medical care. The focus should really be on the actual medical care delivery system, where the costs versus quality problems are to be found. To date, we have not touched those issues. We are, in effect, putting the cart before the horse.
We would, of course, all like to see the 47 million currently uninsured people have access to quality health care, especially in catastrophic situations. But the stark reality is that suddenly adding such a large block of people in a total spectrum plan will cause a sharp spike in medical costs. It is a simple supply and demand calculation. We should first reform the system before we add a major new load onto it.
Our present system is a mess with all the wrong incentives. As a result, Americans pay almost twice as much as most industrialized countries, while the quality of our health care ranks in the mid-twenties on that same list. But delegating this task to the public sector is not the right answer.
I would work for:
- Use of public-private partnerships to find solutions to our health care problems.
- Expansion of access to and choices of health insurance through greater competition. This includes the ability to purchase insurance across state lines and availability of consumer information.
- Greater use of health information technology with privacy concerns respected.
- Reform of our medical liability system (tort reform).
- Tax incentives for businesses to be able to provide insurance to their employees.
- Full deductibility of health insurance for the self-employed, retirees, and unemployed.
For More See:
Unequal Treatment Under The Law 1/16/10
