I simply believe that there are some things where profit should not be a factor. For example, the prison system should NEVER be allowed to be run by private, for profit companies. Unfortunately, the prison system in the United States is heavily run by private, contracted, for profit companies. There is a financial incentive in the United States to charge people for crimes, convict them and put them in the for profit prison system. People are making money off of prisons and thats wrong.
I see the same thing going on with the American healthcare system. I see people making money off the system, while withholding needed medical care for the sick and the injured. Thats wrong. For example the health insurance industry...its a total financial conflict of interest.
I am actually for turning over the healthcare system to the churches, like hospitals and clinics used to be run. Nuns used to staff most hospitals, many many nurses were Nuns. I think it ought to be that way again. Take the profit out of healthcare and no I dont favor going to a UK style socialized medicine system, either.
What I favor is keeping the actual practicioners and the hospitals private. And turn it over the churches to run them and manage them and oversee the physicians. And to pay for it, I favor putting all Americans on Medicare. This way, the doctors and technicians who do the actual work in the hospitals and the clinics make a good living still, but the current corruption and anything goes free for all and the withholding of needed care is deep sixed.
I also favor maintaining as much medical care as possible OTC, where people can buy the needed medications cheaply without insurance. For example, I take Prilosec and use a nasal steroid spray regularly. These two medications used to be available only via prescription and if I paid out of pocket when they were available by prescription only, I had to pay hundreds of dollars for a months supply for each. Now, a months supply of OTC Prilosec costs me a mere $22 bucks at Wal-Mart, maybe $25 at Wal-Greens. And a months supply of the nasal steroid OTC that used to be prescription only, now costs me a mere $22 or $23 a month out of pocket.
Make as much stuff available OTC where you pay out of pocket, where people pay what the market forces work (supply and demand) and make it where people can pay for more of the needed stuff out of their pocket. For example in an earlier post I ask "why do I have to go to a physician to get a prescription to get a home sleep study test to diagnose sleep apnea?" I think a home sleep study diagnostic test should be available OTC at your local drugstore.
Things like that can all combine and drive down the price of medical care and actually get more people treated, I believe. Health insurance artificially inflates the cost of medical care, while withholding care oftentimes for those who desperately need medical care.
Tricky Wash wrote:Vote for Bernie. Then come back in 10 years and tell us how socialism is working for you.MrGrumpy wrote: getting rid of the for profit health insurance industry entirely would go a long, long, long way towards helping to fix the American health care system.
