On Friday, October 16, 2009, The Glenn Beck Television Show brought together a town hall of doctors to discuss the Baucus Healthcare Bill. There were doctors of varying ages, genders, fields of practice, etc., and included in the audience, were medical students and physicians that have practiced outside of the US.
The overall concerns were:
1. The Baucus Bill would stress the relationship even further between the patient and physician due to the added red tape from more bureaucrats.
2. Why was Tort Reform not addressed? It was agreed that is a key component in controlling overall healthcare costs, then why did the Baucus Bill not tackle such an important matter?
3. There needs to be more patient/doctor control, i.e. health savings accounts. It seemed unanimous that the doctors would like to go back in time to where 3rd party payments had less control. i.e. A system where an insurance company might pay 80% of the costs, but the patient would be responsible for the rest. This way the patient would choose to be more hands-on in his/her own medical care and finances.
4. The medical students were more optimistic than the experienced physicians that a Government Plan would work.
5. A physician, originally from Poland, that had his residency in Poland, experienced first hand Government run medical care. He was 100% against going down that road and that our present system is less bureaucratic and more humane because Government run care places too many financial restrictions on care/medication that contributes to higher fatalities.
6. Glenn Beck made an interesting observation: Why are no attorneys speaking out against the Baucus Bill?
If the American public is against a Government Run Healthcare Plan in a recent Rasmussen poll by 56%-44%, and specifically, those that are impacted the most, senior citizens, dislike the idea because 62% feel that it would cost the taxpayer too much money, then why are Representatives shoving this down our throats? And if a majority of doctors are against more Government involvement into medicine, why is Congress doing this? Why has the most important element, the doctor-patient relationship, been excluded from this conversation in formulating a Government run Healthcare Plan? So why are we barely hearing from insurance companies? Why hasn’t the American Bar Association commented? Who benefits from this Bill if the ideal goal was to cover 100% of Americans, and this Bill only covers 1/3 of the uninsured? If we are not covering 2/3 of the uninsured, why does this Bill cost so much? If the Bill is so flawed, why are we rushing to pass it?
The show was only an hour long, but we, at The Founding Revival, would like to add to help control costs: We know technology and the advancement of medicine will drive costs up, but competition is also a major factor in keeping costs in check. If the Government is going to get involved, it needs to provide a long-term investment in expanding medical and nursing schools. There needs to be more training for medical staff and first responders like EMTs. Simply, the more qualified manpower, the lower the end costs for the patient/consumer because it will automatically force medical practices to compete against one another financially.
The Government could also make additional grants/funds available to ethically research deadly diseases like cancer and heart disease because those treatments are so expensive. As Benjamin Franklin said, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The Government could also support preventative medicine/counseling to control diseases like diabetes. Because, if they go left untreated without better nutrition, personal training, exercising, etc., will cause future and even more expensive health complications. Patients/States should also have more negotiating power in purchasing medicines. And lastly, convince the producers of modern and expensive medical testing equipment, i.e. MRIs to make their products more available, because until now, they are primarily more available at wealthy and exclusive practices.
All of the above will help lower costs, improve care, involve the patient more, and save lives. So if you are a concerned doctor or patient, we would like to hear from you. Help bring a voice to this debate.
TFR1776@blogspot.com
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