How would you fix the U.S health care system?

[Socrates92]

You have my vote. When’re you running?

 

[TheLittleLady]

To sum up, you want the government to force the only doctor in a tiny, remote town, like Shell, Wyoming (I do not think that they have any doctors there, so, this is simply an exercise) to forego retirement because no other doctor wants to move to Shell, Wyoming? Uncle Sam will simply force him to work until he dies?

After his death, can his widow/adult children be sued for patient abandonment?

 

[vern_humphrey]

To sum up, you want the government to force the only doctor in a tiny, remote town, like Shell, Wyoming (I do not think that they have any doctors there, so, this is simply an exercise) to forego retirement because no other doctor wants to move to Shell, Wyoming? Uncle Sam will simply force him to work until he dies?

No, I want ANY doctor who leaves his patients to ensure they have continuity of medical treatment. And nowadays, with the communication systems we have, it’s not hard to find another physician.

 

[TheLittleLady]

Have you ever visited true remote, rural parts of our nation?

And nowadays, with the communication systems we have, it’s not hard to find another physician.

The internet does not mean that a doc is going to want to move to a remote location.

 

[vern_humphrey]

I think by making sure those who cannot pay and are vulnerable receive aid from the government. While at the same time taxing those who have high-income to help pay for those who cannot afford.

Why not simply expect those who can pay their own way to do so – and make it easier for them

The internet does not mean that a doc is going to want to move to a remote location.

Who said it di?

 

[JimG]

If health care is a right, the government will need to have the ability to draft physicians and send them where they are needed. It will also need to have the right to draft students to attend medical schools and become physicians as needed.

 

[Cruciferi]

It will also need to have the right to draft students to attend medical schools and become physicians as needed.

Well, if they’ll pay for it all, I guess I’ll go!

 

[vern_humphrey]

If health care is a right, the government will need to have the ability to draft physicians and send them where they are needed. It will also need to have the right to draft students to attend medical schools and become physicians as needed.

And the people clamoring for the government to take over health care should be the first drafted and after years of grueling medical school should work for minimum wage.

 

[TheLittleLady]

So, explain how in your idea the people in a rural, remote town with one doctor will be served when that doc retires and moves to Florida. There is no public transportation in these small towns, so, traveling great distances is not an option.

 

[John10]

Sure, as long as the inequity is reduced and access to vulnerable groups (children, seniors, etc) is expanded, there are many ways to do this.

 

[JoeShlabotnik]

Were The Apostles socialists? The early church asked for people to pool there money and goods. Everything would be parceled out on an as-needed basis.

 

[DarkLight]

When I was on medicaid in upstate new york they had an association with a taxi company. So I could call up the day before, provide my info, and get free transportation. The requirements to arrange in advance were waived if necessary too, like if you had to go to urgent care.

There were also options to get reimbursed if someone else drove you, or for mileage if you drove yourself. I don’t know what the limits were, but I know it was incredibly helpful in an area with terrible public transit.

 

[TheLittleLady]

However, in some parts of the US there is not a taxi service.

The poster has said that the lone doc in a town is bound by law to bring in a new doctor before he could retire. That is confusing, in real life, how one forces a new doc into town.

 

[Pattylt]

Many of the problems with rural healthcare have been problems for years. Some may never be solved but today we do have some better access. Telemedicine is expanding. Clinics with rotating doctors and expansion of physicians assistants have all improved the ability to access care and the quality of care received.

However, to provide these services, the docs and PAs are payed more to attract them and there really isn’t choice or shopping around involved. Rural healthcare costs more and is more difficult to be made available. The quality provided must be built into any clinic or telemedicine from the start and needs to be a priority and monitored by some group or committee. It can all be done with a strong commitment.

Even shopping for healthcare in a city setting has issues. I depend greatly on the recommendations of my GP as I trust him and have a long term relationship with him. Many people have neither and no way to ascertain the quality of the providers. Web listing of prices is excellent for judging if you are being overcharged and transparency of pricing is desperately needed but it’s no way to find the best doctor or clinic for your needs. I don’t want to have to price shop my medical care in this way. To look at an MRI price list to get the lowest price for my MRI doesn’t tell me how up to date the equipment is or how experienced the technicians are. It just seems a kludgy way to get good treatment.

 

[Giggly_Giraffe]

First, we need to be categorize and clarify what health care services should be provided to all; which health care services should be privatized.

In our country where we are already divided in our beliefs of these services I cannot see a Reconciliation to make these boundaries clear and firm. Should birth control, abortion, plastic surgery, experimental cancer surgeries, marijuana, transgender operations, cloning, and end of life termination be an umbrella of medical services offered to all? Again, our nations is divided and this division will keep us from the critical first step of defining what medical services should be offered to all.
Should we fail to define and foundation of the basic medical services we are trying to establish, we will let health care services continue to spiral out of control.

Once the foundation of the services we believe are entitled to all we must also ensure that those in power do not abuse the power. Should vaccines be available to all or should they be mandatory? Again, our division in this simple question leaves us divided.

 

[vern_humphrey]

Sure, as long as the inequity is reduced and access to vulnerable groups (children, seniors, etc) is expanded, there are many ways to do this.

But not all of them work, and many that are said to “work” are actually too expensive to accomplish.

By cutting costs (through the elimination of paperwork and the slow pay of the current system) and by giving people incentives to bargain and not overconsume, the system I propose is both affordable and – with help to lower income people – assessable to everyone.

 

[vern_humphrey]

Were The Apostles socialists? The early church asked for people to pool there money and goods. Everything would be parceled out on an as-needed basis.

And the early church (in Jerusalem) went bankrupt. That’s why Saint Paul put so much emphasis on collecting money for the church in Jerusalem.

 

[vern_humphrey]

First, we need to be categorize and clarify what health care services should be provided to all; which health care services should be privatized.

Why? Under the system I propose, everyone makes his own choices.

 

[DarkLight]

How would your system prevent overconsumption without encouraging people to skimp on needed care, especially if it’s something that would require frequent visits?

 

[Pattylt]

Why? Under the system I propose, everyone makes his own choices.

Your assumptions, however, require a level of knowledge that people just don’t have. How am I supposed to know whether I need an MRI or just an X-ray? Often people think they need a specialist when they don’t and don’t think they needneed a specialist when they do! You are assuming people will always make wise cost decisions and spend their health care dollars carefully. Many don’t even do that with their food budget!

I’m not totally against some of the ideas you present but it needs to take into consideration the many bad decisions people will make and how to prevent those. Getting lawyers involved as medical representatives for the average Joe seems like a disaster waiting to happen…what lawyer would put himself at that kind of risk? Maybe I’m just not seeing the whole vision you seem to see. I only see problems in expecting consumers to shop for their care.