Now that the debate has been re-engaged, I can’t get the following out of my head and still haven’t found answers to the random thoughts I had back in June.
-Medicare is going broke. Everybody agrees on this one-particularly the CBO. If we can’t get it right, what makes us think we can fund perpetually a public option when zero specifics of “removing waste and inefficiency” aren’t producing financial numbers?
-Public Option suffers from a marketing problem. As currently presented, it is too nebulous for stakeholders-potential patients, employers, and the medical community. Most people I know when they think of what a “public option: looks like they almost always visualize the postal system and the licensing bureau. Most people I know have never experienced the “British system” either so this comparison falls flat on its face. This lack of tangibility doesn’t bode well for those trying to sell this option.
-The Government talks about “effectiveness research”-essentially an EBP approach. Unfortunately, it doesn’t listen to its own prescription. Economists on both sides of the political fence know that stimulus plans don’t work yet they enacted the largest one ever. We also know that the employer model of healthcare has failed-why are we talking about expanding it and eliminating the individual market per the current plan?
-as mentioned in prior posts-health, healthcare delivery, and insurance reform are significantly different complex circles in a Venn diagram that have minimal overlap-why do we have one bill that tries to “cure” all 3? This would be akin to fixing a sprained ankle by giving antibiotics for the concurrent ear infection.
-The hidden cost of healthcare-the so called moral hazard problem doesn’t even get addressed in the current plan. When somebody else is paying for healthcare, who cares how much it costs? This Atlantic article is the most precise that I have read on this whole issue and the fundamental problems which include 3rd party payment and more dramatically the out of pocket costs for individuals with and without health insurance (minimal).
-the real losers of all of this are the 40+ million without insurance. Why can’t we address that specific problem without trying to revolutionize the whole system?
larry@physicaltherapist.com
