Some thoughts about the health care debate
It is noteworthy that 47 million people in the U.S. do not have health insurance, but the vast majority of them have health care. Twelve to fourteen million are illegal aliens and many of the others do not want health insurance. A large number of those without insurance get their care in an uninsured setting. With that in mind, I have yet to see a person who wanted health care that didn’t get it.
As to health care reform (universal care for all citizens at an affordable price) it will not happen unless certain problems are addressed, including:
1. The high cost of care in the first and last years of life where these costs can far exceed the benefit and in some cases the benefit is zero.
2. The litigation problem as it relates to obstetrics, defensive medicine and the cost of medication.
3. Curtailing the practice of inappropriate, unnecessary, redundant or repetitious diagnostic tests and procedures.
4. Correcting the lack of coordinated, integrated, timely health care (not just an electronic record).
5. The high cost of medical education and the maldistribution of health care providers (your point).
6. Payment reform so that provider income is on a more even basis (high income resulting from procedure based services vs. low income for cognitive based services).
7. That health care is prioritized (not rationed) in line with budgeted costs.
8. That we get over the notion that every citizen will have the same care that Congress, the President and government employees get.
9. That everyone is fully informed about the cost of care they have received and how it was