Overhauling Health Care

If there was one topic that almost made me pull the lever for Barack Obama in the election, it was the subject of health care.  The Republican response to our health care crisis has always seemed listless and without answers .   The Democratic response has always been expensive and a hard pill to swallow for the health care and insurance industries.  However, all of us have been affected by health care costs.  Most of us have experienced the financial burden of insurance premiums, copays, deductibles – if we’re fortunate enough to have employee provided health care in the first place.  Others have experienced the nightmare of government programs such as:  Medicare, Medicaid,  and in Illinois, AllKids.  Trying to find a physician who accepts government provided coverage is often an exercise in futility, and most patients in government funded programs, wind up in crowded clinics and emergency rooms for conditions that should be seen by a primary care physician, which is far less expensive, more convenient and more beneficial to the health of the patient.  There’s no doubt.  We have to fix our health care system or we will, as President Obama has said, “go the way of GM” and go broke.

Our businesses can’t compete globally due to high employee health care costs.  Our cities and local governments pay a huge chunk of their annual budgets on health care costs, leaving less to go towards infrastructure, economic development, neighborhood improvements, schools, and job creation.

So how do we fix the problem?  It’s complex.  There’s no single sliver bullet that’s going to kill the ever-growing health cost monster.  Electronic records will help but then there’s privacy issues to think of.  Preventative care is a must but who wants government telling us what to eat and drink?  We’re Americans.  We come from a long ling of rebels and independent thinkers.  We want to forge our own way and eat a double-cheeseburger while we’re at it.  The trick is, creating a system that isn’t built on an intrusive “big brother” mentality nor a system that rations health care.  Nobody wants to take a number and wait for urgent care or have a government official deny a test because the government thinks it’s too costly or  unnecessary.  Everybody wants to be free to pick their own doctor and not rely on inefficient and crowded clinics, or worse yet go without any kind of health care whatsoever.

The statistics don’t lie.  The United States spends 50% more per person on health care than the next biggest spending nation.  In 2007, the life expectancy of our citizens ranked 45th behind such nations as: Bosnia, Singapore, Iceland and even the tiny country of Liechtenstein.   We pay far more yet die sooner.  President Obama is now tackling health care reform and it’s not going to be easy but it’s got to be done.  Over the next several months, the knives will undoubtedly be drawn:  insurance companies, physicians, employers, patients and lawyers all have their concerns and agendas.  It’s going to be interesting.  Good luck Mr. President.