Reforming Health Care Reform

At this moment the GOP has delayed a vote in the Senate on their newest form of health care reform. Presumably because they don't have enough votes within the Republican Party to pass the bill. This is not unlike when the Republicans in the House delayed a vote on their version of health care reform. I find this troubling. Not because I like either health care reform bill, because I don't. Nor do I find it troubling because I like the American Health care Act- i.e. Obamacare- because I don't. What I find troubling is that health care has become so politicized that common ground seems non-existent. Furthermore, it seems as though the hardest part about health care reform is that there are too many powerful entities involved that aren't the people who would benefit the most from quality health care; the average American and the patients themselves.

According to an article in Forbes Magazine (hardly a bastion of Liberal thought) Americans spend over $3 trillion a year on health care!!!! This is astounding. This certainly is not beneficial for the average Working Joe American and it definitely is not beneficial to the average patient. However, for insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and most hospitals, this is fantastic! They are in the business to make money. The bottom line is the top line for these industries. Now, far-be-it for me to question making money, nor begrudge profits. I am a Capitalist. I believe in the Free-Market system and Capitalism. However, I also believe that there are instances when other concerns come before profit. Education for me is obviously one of these instances. As is public and national protection. And so is health care. I firmly believe that people come before profits. So, now you are thinking, "Ah-Ha! You want socialized medicine! You want health care on demand! I knew you were a Bernie-Lover all along! You Commie! You should go hang out with your Bolshevik friends!" (although it seems as though, somehow it's okay to be real cozy with the Russians now. But that's a different story) Actually.......I don't want nor do I believe in government run health care, but I do believe I have a way to reform health care for the benefit of Americans.

First let me explain why I don't want government run health care, or socialized medicine. Simply put I have very little faith in the government (ours or any other) to operate ANYTHING efficiently. Quick, name me something that the government is in charge of that is well run.......Thank you. See, you couldn't name one thing. Truly the only the government runs with any degree of efficiency is the military and if you talk with any soldier that efficiency is nominal at best. Now don't get me wrong, as little faith as I have in the government, I do believe there are some areas that the government should run simply because these services are too essential to our society as a whole to be operated by For-Profit enterprises. These services are, again, education, police, fire, and military. Furthermore, I wholeheartedly agree with Thomas Jefferson "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is a government big enough to take away everything you have." I also do not want to pay crippling taxes. I'm not a fan of taxes (who is?), but I'm not a crazy No-Taxes at all person either. I'm fine paying taxes for needed services such as roads, police, fire, education, and other essential civic needs. I do not, however, want to pay 50%+ in taxes which is what would happen if we had socialized health care.

So, what is my solution? Make health care non-profit. Take the profit motive out of health care. You would still be paying for health care so the government would not  but that would be all that you are paying for- just the health care, not the profit margin. Medical insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals need to begin placing the care of patients and their health care above the interests of profits and their investors. Profit making is a huge component in the high cost of health care. If profit margins begin to decrease, companies will find ways to begin to prop up that profit margin, this is Economics 101. Usually this prop up will somehow, someway involve less customer service and care. In almost all instances I'm fine with this concept. Because I can take my business elsewhere. I can go somewhere else where the customer service is better, where the prices are cheaper, where the care is more caring. However, this is not the case with health care. If you are experiencing a health crisis, you really are not concerned with which hospital is cheaper or has better patient care. You just want help and want it now! Finding better or cheaper insurance, especially via an employer is nothing short of a herculean feat. Unless you live near the Mexican or the Canadian boarder, getting reasonably priced prescriptions is near impossible unless you have a good relationship with the guy who hangs out in the '86 T-Top Camero in the Dollar Store parking lot, I'm pretty sure that guy has more pharmaceuticals for sale than Walgreens.  It is absolutely wrong that companies and hospitals see the pain and misery of others as a way to enrich themselves and their investors. I was raised not to take joy in or advantage of those who were in need. I firmly believe that removing the profit motive from health care would solve many of our issues with health care.

This is not some form of socialized medicine in a disguise either. People would still have to pay for their health care, just at a reduced, sane rate. There would not be any government money being funneled to the health care industries to subsidize their bottom line. All money being spent, aside from Medicaid and Medicare (which is a whole different issue in this current mess), would come from the individual consumer. I understand the economic realities and problems with "health care on demand" or socialized medicine. "Free" can only take place when there is an abundant or endless source of something. Dirt is free (usually), regular everyday rocks are free, air is free, thought and opinions are free. These things these things are abundant. There are more of these things than we know what to do with. Although, I'm sure if the government could figure out a way, they'd tax all those things as well. However, there are simply not enough doctors, or hospitals or enough medicine for everyone. One of the roles that prices play in an economy is to help ensure that there is enough of a good for those who really want or need that good when that product is really wanted or needed. If goods were free or artificially cheap, then there would not be enough goods for people who would really want or need that product. Either because there just simply is not enough of that product or because there would be those who would take advantage of the situation and consume more than they really need. So, making health care non-profit as opposed to "free" would 1) recognize that health care is not abundant enough for it to be available upon demand, keeping it readily available for those who truly want or need it when they want or need it and 2) lower the cost of the services to a level that would allow the vast majority of citizens to afford health care without destroying them economically.

Is this making health care non-profit a crazy idea? Maybe. But then again, what we have going on in Washington D.C. right now around health care is not exactly sane or inspiring. Has this ever been done before? I don't think so but then again, if we only limited ourselves to doing things that had been done before we would still be living in caves and only getting fire when lightening struck. It's certainly not foolproof, but no plan or idea is ever going to be perfect. But
I think this is worth a shot. Any true reform will have to involve our elected officials- on BOTH sides of the isle- to tell the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies that they are no longer beholden to them and their bottom lines but that are beholden to the people who hired them and who can fire them- the voters. And that is the way to truly return the government to the people and to "Make America Great...Still".