| As Health Savings Accounts grow in popularity, | | | | primary care for the healthy, while denying more |
| there is growing fear among those who want to | | | | expensive specialist care to those with serious |
| nationalize healthcare that they will not be able to | | | | medical problems. This is because most people |
| put the cat back in the bag. There are already | | | | (voters) are healthy most of the time, and the |
| over 3 million HSA owners, and by 2010, the | | | | sick and dieing are less likely to be able to |
| Treasury Department estimates as many as 45 | | | | organize into a political force.What makes the |
| million Americans will be covered by HSA plans. | | | | United States such a great country is the |
| They will have billions of dollars invested to cover | | | | "freedoms" we enjoy. Though our freedoms |
| future medical expenses, and by then it will be | | | | seem to be constantly under attack, there is still |
| politically impossible to take that benefit away.If | | | | no nation in the world that has the freedom of |
| you currently have a high-deductible health | | | | the press, freedom of religion, freedom of |
| insurance plan, you can invest tax-free money in | | | | association, or the free markets that we have in |
| a Health Savings Account. You get to choose the | | | | the United States. As anyone who understands |
| type of investment - anything from savings | | | | even a smidgen of economics knows, free |
| accounts or money market funds, to a full | | | | markets encourage competition and innovation, |
| brokerage house. If you invest wisely, you could | | | | which lead to lower prices and better |
| have well over $500,000 in the account when you | | | | quality.Though the U.S. system of health care can |
| retire. You will be able to use that money to pay | | | | not really be considered a "free-market", it is |
| for your healthcare in whatever way you please, | | | | certainly much more free than any single payer |
| tax free. You can go to the best surgeons, or the | | | | system. Some of the benefits we see as a result |
| least expensive doc-in-a-box. If you decide to | | | | of our current healthcare system include:- U.S. |
| treat a condition with acupuncture, homeopathy, | | | | medicine produces the best outcomes for virtually |
| or psychic healers, you can do that too. Whoever | | | | every patient, from premature babies to elderly |
| offers you the service you want with the best | | | | cancer patients. |
| combination of quality and price should get your | | | | - American companies are the chief source |
| business. And since you are the one paying, it will | | | | worldwide of new treatments and procedures |
| be completely your choice. You have healthcare | | | | which each year are used to save millions of lives. |
| freedom.If proponents of a single-payer system | | | | |
| were to ever have their way, you would be at | | | | - U.S. medical training and research facilities are |
| the mercy of a government bureaucrat when it | | | | the best in the world.Though Canadians might |
| comes to your healthcare. To see what this may | | | | have to wait a year or two for hip replacement |
| look like, all one has to do is look at the state of | | | | surgery, they can get the same operation done |
| health care in Canada, England, New Zealand, and | | | | on their dog in less than a week. This is because |
| the parts of Europe that have not yet abandoned | | | | veterinarians are competing for that business, |
| single-payer systems.Proponents of a single-payer | | | | finding innovative ways to deliver service more |
| system tend to point to Canada or England as | | | | quickly and less expensively. Another example is |
| countries that cover all their citizens with quality | | | | laser eye surgery, a procedure that is rarely |
| healthcare, while spending less money per person | | | | covered by insurance, so laser eye surgeons |
| than the U.S. But if we look a little more closely, | | | | must compete on the basis of cost and quality. |
| we see that these publicly financed health | | | | While costs for most medical procedures have |
| insurance systems are breaking down, the quality | | | | been going up every year, the cost for this |
| is low, and the costs can be quite high. Here's | | | | procedure has dropped by 80% over the past |
| what Canadians have to deal with if they need | | | | decade.Unfortunately, U.S. healthcare policies still |
| medical care:Long waits. Hundreds of Canadians go | | | | tend to limit competition, restrict consumer's |
| to Detroit and other U.S. cities every year for | | | | freedom to choose, and discourage consumers |
| procedures like CAT scans, which they can obtain | | | | from shopping for value. Thus, there are too few |
| treatment in a matter of days. In Canada, the | | | | choices and there has been little attention paid to |
| wait is typically six months. Currently 876,000 | | | | price and quality of service. The answer is clearly |
| Canadians are on waiting lists for medical | | | | not more government intervention, but instead |
| procedures.Difficulty in getting life-enhancing | | | | letting competition and the power of the |
| procedures done. If a Canadian is having a heart | | | | marketplace drive down prices and increase |
| attack, they will be treated right then. But if the | | | | quality and access to care.Health Savings |
| surgery is considered "elective" (meaning that | | | | Accounts are the SolutionThere is increasing |
| possible death is not eminent), the wait could be | | | | recognition that third-party health insurance |
| months or years. Average wait for cataract | | | | payers are actually a major cause of escalating |
| removal is 18 months. Average wait for a knee | | | | medical costs and the decline in the quality of |
| replacement is one year.Increased risk of dieing. | | | | service. The increasing adoption of HSA plans has |
| The average Canadian waits eight weeks to see | | | | already begun to cause greater transparency and |
| a specialist, and another nine weeks before | | | | competition in the medical marketplace. There are |
| getting treated. This is even the case with | | | | now physicians available by phone, medical kiosks |
| conditions that are likely to get much worse if | | | | setting up in malls, doctors that accept only cash |
| there is any delay in treatment. For example, the | | | | (and who charge significantly less), and others |
| median time for a mastectomy is 14 weeks, | | | | competing directly for the consumer's healthcare |
| enough time for the cancer to spread to other | | | | dollar.Don't be fooled by the politicians who |
| parts of the body. In fact, 28% of those | | | | advocate a single-payer system, claiming their |
| diagnosed with breast cancer in Canada die from | | | | only concern is the uninsured. If a single body |
| it, while the mortality ratio in the U.S. is only | | | | (such as a government bureaucracy) controls |
| 25%.Things don't look any better across the | | | | healthcare, they control one seventh of the |
| ocean. Each year the British National Health | | | | national economy. And everywhere in the world |
| Service cancels 410,000 surgeries because of | | | | that central control of the economy has been |
| resource shortages. According to the London | | | | tried, it has been a colossal failure.As public policy |
| Sunday Times, there are currently over 1 million | | | | reforms centered on individual choice continue to |
| Brits awaiting elective surgery. Thomas Cook, a | | | | gain wider footholds, the result will be greater |
| British travel agency, is even considering offering | | | | prosperity, greater choice, and a better value for |
| "sun-and-surgery" packaged trips to Indian | | | | all. The culture of dependence and entitlement will |
| hospitals for British citizens fed up with low | | | | begin to fade, as millions of individuals demand |
| standards and long waiting times for surgery.The | | | | further policy reforms that will reinstate the |
| British and Canadian governments have the | | | | values of freedom and personal responsibility that |
| power to make healthcare "free", but they are | | | | helped establish this great nation.As more |
| unable to control its costs. So the costs become | | | | consumers turn to health savings accounts, the |
| longer (and potentially fatal) delays, and fewer | | | | market will respond. Innovative providers will begin |
| innovations.It's not surprising when you think about | | | | to compete more on price and quality of service, |
| what is happening. Universal health insurance | | | | and those that provide the best value will get |
| systems always encourage over-consumption by | | | | wealthy doing so. And all consumers will benefit.By |
| patients, and such over-consumption always leads | | | | Wiley Long - President, HSA for America - HSA |
| to financial crises. The result is inevitably broken | | | | for America makes it easy to learn about and set |
| promises about universal access and quality care. | | | | up a Health Savings Account (HSA) that best |
| Because there are always limited resources, | | | | meets your needs. Please link to this site when |
| single-payer systems tend to overspend on | | | | using this article. |