Gallup just reported a quarter of Americans have put off treatment for serious medical conditions because they can’t afford it.
They can’t afford it because:
- US physicians make twice what docs in other countries do
- Drug costs are much higher here than elsewhere
- Hospitals are making bank
- Administrative costs are twice what they are in other developed countries.
Average physician income by specialty from FierceHealthcare.
US life expectancy is now 43rd in the world.
We pay twice as much as other developed countries for healthcare, and our outcomes are measurably worse.
What does this mean for you?
Until and unless we fix healthcare, your family and friends will face increasing costs and declining access; it’s highly likely some aren’t getting the medications, surgeries, tests, or therapies they desperately need.
We have taken common sense out of the equation. Any person can point out the problems the underlying issue is we spend an incredible amount of money on ineffective care and when someone needs help we take advantage.
Having a “single payer” system seems that it could at least bring much more uniformity to simplify the entire healthcare process. If everyone were operating under the same rules, treatment and coverage guidelines, and payments, regardless of who actually administers it (e.g. employer, carrier, government) everyone could be covered with a significantly reduced administrative burden. e.g. Here is what’s covered, what’s not covered, here are certain recommended preventative treatments, here’s how much is paid for this procedure/treatment no matter who you are or where you live, or who’s providing the treatment (if properly licensed and within scope of licensure) and all providers in the country would participate (maybe as salaried employees of the system?) Everyone should have access to complete coverage.
A “Medicare for all” system doesn’t have to be Medicare per se, but Healthcare for ALL. People are paying outrageous premiums, co payments, co insurance (which shouldn’t even be a term – it’s just more money out of patients’ pockets) whether it’s through employer based coverage, or the “Affordable” Care Act, or Medicare premiums, people will still be paying for their healthcare and employers could still contribute as a benefit to help employees pay for coverage that they might otherwise pay themselves.
Having coverage through every different employer plan and every carriers’ multiple health plans only encourages disparity and substantial inconsistency in coverage, processes, payments to providers, and out of pocket expenses. Maybe we have an opportunity to make health better, easily accessible, consistent and easily understood by all participants…