| We keep discussing health care reform but it | | | | hospital system) earned $218 million in 2008, and |
| appears that the more we talk, the more we are | | | | the Cleveland Clinic (non profit hospital system) |
| unable to understand the benefits. Although we | | | | expanded by recently acquiring hospitals in Medina, |
| have made it very complicated and potentially | | | | Ohio; Dubai, UAE; and a cancer center in Las |
| very expensive, we really haven't come up with | | | | Vegas, Nevada. If we simply look at these three |
| solutions that are superior to what we have, or | | | | organizations as examples, we can understand |
| to what other countries have. Other countries | | | | that the actual cost of care is far less than the |
| have nationalized health care. Everyone is | | | | price charged. If we would regulate costs for |
| covered, no one pays for care, and there are no | | | | hospitals and insurance providers, health care |
| private primary care insurance carriers. Many | | | | would become much more affordable and we |
| believe this is good, but many others believe it | | | | would achieve significant savings. |
| lacks quality, expediency, and promotes rationing. | | | | 2. We must adopt tort reform as a prerequisite |
| The plans now being proposed in the U.S. | | | | to reducing costs. The savings which can be |
| Congress are not nationalized health care, but are | | | | realized by reducing unrestricted awards for health |
| supposed to be a combination of government | | | | care related litigation can be in the billions of dollars. |
| sponsored coverage and private insurance | | | | Today many surgeons pay liability insurance |
| coverage for all Americans at lower costs. | | | | premiums in excess of $200,000 per year. |
| Unfortunately, none of the plans proposed come | | | | Doctors must be paid extremely high incomes in |
| close to providing lower costs with quality care. | | | | order to cover these premiums. If you reduce |
| Why can't we figure out a solution that would | | | | the amount of unwarranted settlements and |
| improve what we have today? | | | | reduce the insurance premiums physicians and |
| One of the reasons is that we continue to focus | | | | medical facilities are required to pay, the result |
| on insurance reform and seem to totally disregard | | | | would be lower reimbursements to both |
| reducing the costs of providing health care. When | | | | physicians and medical facilities. Once again we |
| we do talk about reducing costs we talk about | | | | achieve significant savings. |
| reducing Medicare by $500 billion and reducing | | | | 3. We must reduce the loss of revenues in |
| physician reimbursements. This is crazy and would | | | | Medicare/Medicaid from fraud and |
| probably do as much destruction as anything | | | | mismanagement. These losses are estimated at |
| that's been discussed yet. Seniors who have | | | | more than a trillion dollars. Reform legislation being |
| spent a lifetime paying Social Security and taxes | | | | considered suggests we can cut these losses by |
| to insure they would have good health care | | | | $500 billion, however there are no specific |
| coverage when they became 65 years old, would | | | | methods outlined to achieve these cuts. Most |
| rebel if we now reduce benefits to accommodate | | | | Americans believe these cuts will come from |
| 15% of the population that does not have | | | | reducing services more than fixing fraud and |
| coverage. And although government is quick to | | | | mismanagement. I would propose hiring |
| respond that the $500 billion will come from | | | | independent audit groups which derive their |
| reducing fraud and mismanagement in Medicare | | | | compensation by identifying and recovering lost |
| Medicaid, the reality is, they haven't been able to | | | | revenue and then retaining a small portion of the |
| do it in the past and they won't be able to do it in | | | | revenues identified as their compensation. These |
| the future. Reducing reimbursements to physicians | | | | activities have been very successful for business |
| would only complicate the problem of not having | | | | when auditing freight and utilities invoices. We |
| a sufficient number of doctors to accommodate | | | | would take this major problem out of the hands |
| patients. The addition of a potential 50 million new | | | | of government and put it into the hands of |
| patients would severely strain the availability of | | | | capitalists who make a living from recovering |
| physicians and probably result in rationing and | | | | over-billed invoices. We would again achieve |
| significant consultation delays. Complicating the | | | | significant savings. |
| issue further is some polls have indicated that as | | | | 4. We must implement health reform, generally |
| many as 45% of the current physicians would | | | | referred to today as wellness. The US has been |
| choose to retire if this reform were adopted. So | | | | compared to other countries who have |
| what do we do? | | | | nationalized health programs and in some cases |
| We must first focus on reducing the cost of | | | | their citizens are considered in better health, |
| health care: | | | | suggesting that are health care in the US is |
| | | | inferior. I don't think there is any question that |
| 1. We must regulate the cost of care being | | | | health care in this country far surpasses any |
| careful to allow physicians to establish procedures | | | | other country, unfortunately our health habits do |
| and government to assign reimbursements based | | | | not. We eat too much and exercise too little. Our |
| upon the historical information documented at | | | | diets are heavy with fats and carbohydrates. We |
| Medicare, VA Hospitals, and other government | | | | do not get the proper rest and relaxation. We |
| institutions, while comparing data from private | | | | need a program that focuses on developing |
| facilities, allowing us to establish standard costs for | | | | better personal health habits and then provides |
| all procedures, drugs, supplies, tests, etc. Once we | | | | incentives to achieve these goals. The result |
| have established fixed costs we will have the | | | | would be healthier individuals requiring less health |
| opportunity to stabilize reimbursements and | | | | care resulting in lower health care costs. |
| procedures. This will also eliminate public hospital | | | | The above programs would reduce healthcare |
| systems from earning substantial profits for their | | | | costs and would cost a small percentage of what |
| shareholders at the cost of their patients. It will | | | | we are currently considering. Let's review: 1) |
| also reduce the unnecessary expansions of | | | | regulate health care cost with insurance providers |
| non-profit hospital systems that continue to | | | | and medical facilities, 2) adopt torte reform, 3) fix |
| expand by acquiring additional hospitals and medical | | | | Medicare/Medicaid, 4) implement wellness |
| facilities. Lastly, all insurance providers would be | | | | programs. |
| required to adhere to these reimbursement and | | | | These are programs that will reduce the cost of |
| procedure standards, allowing policy holders, not | | | | health care, what a novel idea! With the money |
| shareholders, to take advantage of reduced costs. | | | | we save I'm sure we could take care of those |
| United Healthcare (publicly owned insurance | | | | 15% of Americans who do not have health care |
| company) earned more than $3 billion in 2008, | | | | coverage - another novel idea! |
| while Community Health System (public owned | | | | |