| Copyright (c) 2010 Scott F Paradis | | | | circumstances. Because of built in firewalls people |
| In the rush to pass healthcare reform congress | | | | have no incentive to, nor way of comparing |
| and the president are failing to address the | | | | healthcare related costs, services or records of |
| fundamental issues corrupting the system: | | | | performance. In addition to the lack of |
| Americans' approach to aging and mortality and | | | | transparency consumers rarely have the power |
| the growing opportunity to siphon profits from an | | | | or incentive to choose more cost effective |
| uncontrolled system. As the misguided debate | | | | options. The system is designed like the games in |
| rages on Capitol Hill attempting to infuse more | | | | Las Vegas - to ensure the house always wins. |
| funds into an already bloated system, | | | | Special interests overwhelm individual consumers |
| opportunists continue to divert health related | | | | at every turn. Choices by informed, responsible |
| revenue to pad the bottom line. Instead of | | | | individuals sustain rational, market-driven systems. |
| committing more resources we must take three | | | | To fix American healthcare we must empower |
| aggressive steps to refashion American | | | | and incentivize individual consumers to determine |
| healthcare. We must limit profit; empower | | | | "best value" in a transparent healthcare system. |
| consumers; and promote healthy lifestyles. | | | | Every economic endeavor is a dance of supply |
| The American healthcare system is a nearly | | | | and demand. While the current healthcare system |
| perfect money machine: consumable services of | | | | primarily manipulates the supply side of the |
| universal demand which are easily manipulated by | | | | equation it is time Americans get serious |
| fear and greed. This money machine, however, is | | | | addressing the demand side. |
| draining resources from virtually every aspect of | | | | A lifetime is a temporary adventure. As troubling |
| the economy. We must institute well thought out | | | | as this realization is, as a society we must come |
| measures to address highly charged emotional | | | | to terms with mortality and the components of |
| issues - literally the realities of life: death and | | | | modern life undermining wellbeing. We each are |
| taxes. And we need effective means to dissuade | | | | responsible for our own health and fitness, and |
| parasites from feeding off the system. We must | | | | collectively we are responsible for the |
| turn off the road to financial ruin now and steer a | | | | environment driving the pace and quality of life. |
| new course. | | | | Improving the health, wellbeing and fitness of |
| Currently health related services account for 17.3 | | | | Americans in all stages of life will drastically reduce |
| percent of the U.S. gross domestic product. By | | | | demand on the healthcare system. The most |
| the end of this decade healthcare is expected to | | | | significant step to fix American healthcare is to |
| represent nearly one fifth of all domestic spending. | | | | honestly assess our circumstances and act |
| With trillions of dollars in play lots of people are | | | | uncompromisingly to promote health and wellness |
| mining for healthcare gold. Today hundreds of | | | | from cradle to grave. |
| billions of dollars of non health-related healthcare | | | | Continuing down the current path, funneling |
| resources are siphoned off for at best marginal | | | | national resources at an ever increasing rate to |
| benefit enriching overpaid corporate executives, | | | | sustain an aging population and inflate opportunists' |
| lawyers, politicians and an army of bureaucrats. | | | | profits, will cause our healthcare system and then |
| The damage the parasites inflict amount, by | | | | our national economy to collapse. While congress |
| some estimates, to one third or more of all | | | | debates ways to increase the power and reach |
| healthcare costs. The first step to fix the | | | | of the system, realize the solution lies with the |
| healthcare system is to get the focus off profit | | | | people. Three steps are required to fix American |
| and get it squarely on health. | | | | healthcare: limiting profit, empowering individuals |
| Powerful corporations control access to healthcare | | | | and improving lifestyles. We can stay our current |
| services leaving consumers to fend for | | | | course or we can fix the system - it is time to |
| themselves mainly ill-informed and largely | | | | choose. |
| powerless, in often emotionally charged | | | | |