Make health care mandatory for all
Recent letters about universal health care offer little about the real problem or any practical solutions. As a health care consumer for over 50 years and a provider for more than 30, I'd like to offer some insight.
Many of the current problems evolved from the earlier evolution of managed care and HMOs. In an effort to control costs, it was believed that "managed care" could streamline costs with more efficient management and keeping people healthy. Prepaid plans were supposed to lower costs. In reality, these plans had lower costs because they excluded the sickest patients and underpaid their employees.
When Reagan signed a law phasing out government loans and guarantees for nonprofit HMOs, nonprofits were converted into businesses that were acquired for pennies on the dollar and subsequently looted by their owners. Government deregulation, often touted by Republicans as the solution to all the nation's problems, has allowed insurance companies to rip off providers, hospitals and the insured.
D. Miller (Sept. 17 - "Universal health care not a panacea") wrote "There is nothing our government can run better than private industry." The real problem is that instead of accepting payoffs from big business to look the other way, government should be regulating business to keep those at the top from looting their companies. Private industry has not managed itself very well lately.
We all know that government manages like many private businesses - very poorly. The government spends every dime we give them and more. Health care has become a system of unregulated greed based on rationing care and limiting payment. People are denied care or care is delayed until it's too late. Most of us know people who have suffered through this. The paperwork requirements have so overtaxed providers and consumers that everyone has to fight for reimbursement. Reimbursement is deliberately delayed, making it difficult for providers to pay their bills.
Solving the problems of the health care system aren't as simple as denying care to illegals (D. Miller). Car insurance is mandatory even though some choose to forgo it. Why not make health insurance mandatory for everyone? Subsidize those who can't afford it instead of subsidizing hospitals and providers. Purchase of insurance should be with pretax income. Everyone should have insurance for catastrophic care. Information about quality of care and prices should be available to all consumers. Providers should receive more money for treatment of the sick rather than having to turn them away because they can't afford to take care of them. The government's role in all this should be to make sure the insurance companies are run to benefit consumers with a small margin for expenses.
There should be no room in the budget for homes in the Caribbean or Europe or Aspen or un-reimbursed loans to executives. If the playing field were truly leveled, a competitive market system would work. Unfortunately, the government and the greedy few at the top will fight any attempt to let this happen.
Robert B. Morgan
Elburn