Is There a Need for a National Healthcare System
Dennis AuBuchon
May 23, 2009
There is much discussion lately about the need for a national health care system and the cost it would bring to the operations of the federal government. There is definitely a need today even more than before to address the uninsured or under insured individuals in this country. To some extent we already have a national healthcare system. It is called Medicare and Medicaid. In addition to these are the various health insurance companies with their requirements for authorization and payment of various medical necessities. These companies for the most part are available throughout the United States. Granted sometimes there are questions raised when some procedures are not accepted for payment. This can be caused to some extent in the way the procedures and the reason for their use are documented. The cost of healthcare in this country continues to grow and force individuals to make choices between the medicine they need and food. This should not take place in a country such as ours with the resources we have at our disposal.
Today many individuals are without health insurance for various reasons. Some have lost their jobs and with it went their health insurance. Others have lost their benefits as companies can no longer provide this benefit resulting from the increased cost to their business. This I understand and that is why changes in the healthcare system are necessary. It does not imply that any kind of national healthcare system be created but only changes to the present system.
Changes proposed in the healthcare environment must address the rising cost that every individual faces whether it is through personal insurance or their work. This does not imply that I am proposing any type of price controls or caps as to what medicine will cost or what doctors and hospitals may charge. To begin with the cost to develop new medicines is costly to those that do the research to address illnesses which now face our country and will face in the future. These organizations deserve to make a profit but it should be a reasonable one. Another aspect is the potential risk of lawsuits. This is part of the rising healthcare cost. It involves not only the drug companies but also doctors and hospitals. To offset these potential costs insurance is purchased to accommodate address any potential losses resulting from lawsuits. Lawsuits are always going to be a part of conducting business especially in the healthcare industry. This cost is passed on to the patients who use these services.
In relation to the subject of lawsuits I have nothing against those who bring lawsuits when they feel they have been harmed. This is their right to seek restitution. There are some lawsuits in the healthcare industry and others which have no real basis and as such they increase the workload of our courts and the costs of organizations responding to any lawsuit. This increases the cost that businesses must pass on to their customers/clients. In relation to healthcare it is part of the cost included in the prices the various segments of healthcare.
There are instances in the private sector today where the cost of prescription medication is drastically reduced through such places as Wal-Mart, Kroger and many other chain stores. I do not know the details of such activities but the process seems to be working. This is something the federal government should take a look at before deciding what changes are necessary in our healthcare system. The private sector always seems to do a better job of providing for the needs of Americans. Medicare and Medicaid are two government systems which seem to be on the road to funding problems. The funding issues involve the high cost healthcare today and in the foreseeable future. Access to medical records by doctors in various parts of the country is limited if available at all. Many times individuals travel and become sick away from their primary doctor and access to records is primarily limited to family members. This may not be a bad thing but the limit nature of the information can affect the treatment a family member receives.
Part of the cost of healthcare is the amount of government regulations in place. This not only includes drugs but patient information security. Regulations in any industry increase the cost of business and when regulations are in place it creates in part a government system by which all businesses must operate. There are many regulations governing healthcare today and probably will be more regulations and laws in the future as changes in the healthcare industry are addressed. The anticipation of a formal national healthcare industry would require detailed regulations and requirements which must be monitored and enforced by the government. Creating such a system in an age of increasing government operations cost must be carefully examined before actions are taken. Many times when laws or regulations are hastily passed problems develop with regards to details that were not properly examined before a final decision on the content was completed. Laws and regulations which are enacted by our government representatives at any level must be properly examined as to the problem and practical solutions to address them.
There has been discussion to have all medical records kept in electronic form. Many doctors now use this type of record keeping as it is beneficial to have information readily available when seeing their patients. Recently there was a case where a hacker accessed medical records for thousands of people and this is a concern. Any electronic records are subject to being hacked to some extent and there are ways to reduce the possibility of this occurring. While I am not totally secure in using electronic record keeping I do feel it is the wave of the future. Controls can be put in place where electronic records access can be limited. Currently there are moves to make electronic health records a requirement.
The current environment and use of the Internet creates a scenario that doctors would be behind the times if their records were not in electronic form. Use of the Internet or specific sites to provide up-to-date information concerning illnesses would also provide positive benefits to patients seeking care. Today there is a wealth of knowledge and information on the Internet but doctors who use this option must be secure in the accuracy of the information they are viewing. Many sites offer medical information but it is important that any information be reliable and accurate. The life and health of their patients may depend on it.
I have previously mentioned the part of the population that has no insurance or are under insured. This is the key to making changes in the healthcare system we have today. The need for making some changes in the healthcare system we currently have I feel should not involve creating a system or additional requirements managed by the government. The changes which should be created are those affecting the under insured or those without insurance. Healthcare for Americans is an important responsibility which may not necessarily rests entirely with the federal government. The state government and the private sector are also involved in the level of care people receive.
The current cost of medical care from doctors, hospitals and the cost of prescriptions are high. I feel that an electronic system will provide better care and reduce cost for patients seeking medical care. There will be a cost in establishing an electronic medical record system but I feel the cost is worth the benefits patients will receive from their doctors and hospitals. Anytime the cost connected to receiving medical treatment can be reduced is a good thing. Granted as I stated earlier there needs to be adequate controls to prevent unauthorized access to medical records.
Regardless of what changes take place in our healthcare system they should be done slowly to assure or have the high probability of success for any changes being proposed. In the beginning I stated there is much discussion about creating a national healthcare system. These discussions should not be rushed. There should be adequate discussions pushing toward positive changes that are not going to cause a large increase in the cost of government to run such a system. It has been proven through past history that when government programs are initiated they increase the cost of government to monitor and enforce the requirements. Any changes enacted to our healthcare system should provide the means to monitor and enforce new changes with reasonable costs. One last point to make is that there are two cabinet level secretaries at the federal level that have an impact on the cost of healthcare; they are the Secretary of the Food and Drug Administration and the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Today many individuals are without health insurance for various reasons. Some have lost their jobs and with it went their health insurance. Others have lost their benefits as companies can no longer provide this benefit resulting from the increased cost to their business. This I understand and that is why changes in the healthcare system are necessary. It does not imply that any kind of national healthcare system be created but only changes to the present system.
Changes proposed in the healthcare environment must address the rising cost that every individual faces whether it is through personal insurance or their work. This does not imply that I am proposing any type of price controls or caps as to what medicine will cost or what doctors and hospitals may charge. To begin with the cost to develop new medicines is costly to those that do the research to address illnesses which now face our country and will face in the future. These organizations deserve to make a profit but it should be a reasonable one. Another aspect is the potential risk of lawsuits. This is part of the rising healthcare cost. It involves not only the drug companies but also doctors and hospitals. To offset these potential costs insurance is purchased to accommodate address any potential losses resulting from lawsuits. Lawsuits are always going to be a part of conducting business especially in the healthcare industry. This cost is passed on to the patients who use these services.
In relation to the subject of lawsuits I have nothing against those who bring lawsuits when they feel they have been harmed. This is their right to seek restitution. There are some lawsuits in the healthcare industry and others which have no real basis and as such they increase the workload of our courts and the costs of organizations responding to any lawsuit. This increases the cost that businesses must pass on to their customers/clients. In relation to healthcare it is part of the cost included in the prices the various segments of healthcare.
There are instances in the private sector today where the cost of prescription medication is drastically reduced through such places as Wal-Mart, Kroger and many other chain stores. I do not know the details of such activities but the process seems to be working. This is something the federal government should take a look at before deciding what changes are necessary in our healthcare system. The private sector always seems to do a better job of providing for the needs of Americans. Medicare and Medicaid are two government systems which seem to be on the road to funding problems. The funding issues involve the high cost healthcare today and in the foreseeable future. Access to medical records by doctors in various parts of the country is limited if available at all. Many times individuals travel and become sick away from their primary doctor and access to records is primarily limited to family members. This may not be a bad thing but the limit nature of the information can affect the treatment a family member receives.
Part of the cost of healthcare is the amount of government regulations in place. This not only includes drugs but patient information security. Regulations in any industry increase the cost of business and when regulations are in place it creates in part a government system by which all businesses must operate. There are many regulations governing healthcare today and probably will be more regulations and laws in the future as changes in the healthcare industry are addressed. The anticipation of a formal national healthcare industry would require detailed regulations and requirements which must be monitored and enforced by the government. Creating such a system in an age of increasing government operations cost must be carefully examined before actions are taken. Many times when laws or regulations are hastily passed problems develop with regards to details that were not properly examined before a final decision on the content was completed. Laws and regulations which are enacted by our government representatives at any level must be properly examined as to the problem and practical solutions to address them.
There has been discussion to have all medical records kept in electronic form. Many doctors now use this type of record keeping as it is beneficial to have information readily available when seeing their patients. Recently there was a case where a hacker accessed medical records for thousands of people and this is a concern. Any electronic records are subject to being hacked to some extent and there are ways to reduce the possibility of this occurring. While I am not totally secure in using electronic record keeping I do feel it is the wave of the future. Controls can be put in place where electronic records access can be limited. Currently there are moves to make electronic health records a requirement.
The current environment and use of the Internet creates a scenario that doctors would be behind the times if their records were not in electronic form. Use of the Internet or specific sites to provide up-to-date information concerning illnesses would also provide positive benefits to patients seeking care. Today there is a wealth of knowledge and information on the Internet but doctors who use this option must be secure in the accuracy of the information they are viewing. Many sites offer medical information but it is important that any information be reliable and accurate. The life and health of their patients may depend on it.
I have previously mentioned the part of the population that has no insurance or are under insured. This is the key to making changes in the healthcare system we have today. The need for making some changes in the healthcare system we currently have I feel should not involve creating a system or additional requirements managed by the government. The changes which should be created are those affecting the under insured or those without insurance. Healthcare for Americans is an important responsibility which may not necessarily rests entirely with the federal government. The state government and the private sector are also involved in the level of care people receive.
The current cost of medical care from doctors, hospitals and the cost of prescriptions are high. I feel that an electronic system will provide better care and reduce cost for patients seeking medical care. There will be a cost in establishing an electronic medical record system but I feel the cost is worth the benefits patients will receive from their doctors and hospitals. Anytime the cost connected to receiving medical treatment can be reduced is a good thing. Granted as I stated earlier there needs to be adequate controls to prevent unauthorized access to medical records.
Regardless of what changes take place in our healthcare system they should be done slowly to assure or have the high probability of success for any changes being proposed. In the beginning I stated there is much discussion about creating a national healthcare system. These discussions should not be rushed. There should be adequate discussions pushing toward positive changes that are not going to cause a large increase in the cost of government to run such a system. It has been proven through past history that when government programs are initiated they increase the cost of government to monitor and enforce the requirements. Any changes enacted to our healthcare system should provide the means to monitor and enforce new changes with reasonable costs. One last point to make is that there are two cabinet level secretaries at the federal level that have an impact on the cost of healthcare; they are the Secretary of the Food and Drug Administration and the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
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