Why is it that we have health care problems in this country?
Our medical equipment is among the best in the world. Our doctors are well qualified.
So what is the problem?
Everything about the medical system is ridiculously expensive. So expensive that is not affordable by many, many people in this country. Of course, many doctors and hospitals DO see patients who cannot afford to pay. This raises the cost for everybody, though it does show high ethical conduct on the part of the providers.
Enter medical insurance...
If there were no such thing as medical insurance, we would have to pay for health care on our own. Obviously, this could be devastating where catastrophic illnesses or injuries are involved. There is another side, however. Since we would be forced to pay for everything, the cost of the service could not escalate beyond what was payable by the average person. In other words, the same service would cost a heck of a lot less. Pharmaceutical drugs may still cost quite a bit, BUT that cost would be limited by what the users were able to pay. The same would go for testing, etc. When things got serious, however, a family's savings could be wiped out. Insurance enters the picture for exactly this type of scenario. And as soon as this happens:
- the insurer needs to make money
- costs are no longer limited by the ability to pay
At this point, the supplier is free to increase prices to get a piece of the profit being made by the insurer. Insurance prices rise. The supplier again increases prices to get a piece of the profit. Insurance prices rise. And again... And again... Sooner or later, we reach the state where the insurance (as opposed to the actual health care in the initial example) is no longer affordable. The actual costs of care are beyond reality. We've passed this point in this country. Now, we've reached the stage where the suppliers are making up conditions to go with their drugs. Restless Leg Syndrome... C'mon. I don't know who in congress pushed for the television ads but they don't help.
Enter malpractice insurance...
I often wonder about medical malpractice insurance. Does the payment of a premium give a doctor more of right to commit malpractice? There is no doubt that this sort of insurance increases the amount of possible payouts in suits involving malpractice. Obviously, this increases the cost of healthcare for everyone. The only beneficiaries of such a product are the insurers, lawyers, doctors who commit enough of a malpractice to be sued, and the victims of such. Did I mention lawyers?
I recently learned of a doctor who spends only the minimum required time in the hospital to maintain his license. He does this to keep his malpractice insurance rates down.
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