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By Steve Willner, Denver

This Speakout has not been edited.

Free markets usually work well, so why not in health care? Insurance is the main reason.

But insurance companies are only one spoke of the five sided GREED problem that is health care. The others are hospitals, doctors, malpractice attorneys, and pharmaceutical companies.

Each spoke of the wheel, driven for maximum profit gouges out the biggest piece they can, and we the consumers get to pay twice as much or more for health care than anyone else in the world. And for all this cost one fourth of us are still un-insured or under-insured. What is wrong with this picture? Health insurance is supposed to spread risk among a large pool of customers.

Free market insurers willfully create small pools of clients then keep raising rates so that healthy participants will move to cheaper policies leaving the now un-insurable sick folks to pay over-inflated increases until they can no longer afford to stay insured. Clever huh? The term is death spiral policy. Its purpose is to identify and eliminate risk and thus maximize profit. Works well, for insurance companies profit, but is diametrically opposed to the real purpose for health insurance.

There should be ONE pool that all insurance companies compete to insure and that is every Coloradoan, or preferably every US citizen, who chooses to buy health >insurance, period. No groups, and no pre-existing condition exclusion, EVER.

Solutions , at least some of them are simple, although not painless:

1. Outlaw TV ads for pills. If I never see another ad for any pill in my lifetime, it will be too soon. How many billions are wasted on nonstop, meaningless TV ads, driving up the cost of all drugs?

2. There should be one worldwide price for any pharmaceutical.

3. Limit malpractice awards to something like 1.5 or two million dollars, no matter how egregious the malpractice. Doctors could put the difference in malpractice insurance premiums in their pocket as a pay raise.

4. Outlaw percentage awards for malpractice attorney fees.

5. Encourage hospitals to cooperate rather than compete by rewarding (subsidizing) effecient use of expensive equipment. Maybe they could plug under-insured people into those pesky 10 pm to 6 am MRI time slots at a drastically reduced rate.

6. Allow pharmacists to prescribe, especially simple drugs for common ailments, like is done in Mexico.

7. Subsidize doctors who donate a large percentage of their time to clinics or antiquated hospitals serving the poor, un-insured, rural communities, or even illegal immigrants.

One thing, I know, until and unless we can get rid of the for profit concept in health care, we will NEVER have reasonably priced, accessible health care.

Health care is just to important to trust to the greed motive of free markets, especially in the monopolistic conditions that are today’s health care.

Health care is broken in this country, and its time to fix it!

Steve Willner is a resident of Denver.

READER COMMENTS

So you would opt out of common defense also I suppose. Infrastructure? How about police? Or corporate welfare? Are you a anarchist? How can it be stealing if you receive the same care. Or are you of some superior social class? The doctors don’t care for you more than any body else. Their bill gets paid just the same. I agree that people are sue happy and the doctors should be immune. However if a doc is a qwack then he/she should be removed. Unlike our current system where once the settlement is paid the doc goes on killing people. Insofar as innovation, Stem cells are proving to be the future. However you cant get that type of therapy here. WHY, hummm conservative obstructionists that’s why. Guys like you.

hmmmmm, aying for your health care does nothing for my good. I admit it does wonders for yours, but stealing from me does nothing for my good.....

I dont want to remove profit from health care. I want doctors et al working hard to save me if I need it. I don't want what the soviets had which was lackluster care from "professionals" who could not care less as they had no motivation to work any harder than your average government worker.

I am outraged where the money goes, to lawyers and people who sue every doc hoping for a big payday. I am not outraged when my dollars go into innovation and development of new pharmaceuticals and MRI like items. these are good things that go missing when you take out the profit motive.

I do want the government out of health care. Completely.

To answer your question Dravur,” Can you name one argument that can honestly show why someone else should pay for your health care?” ok , Isn’t the role of government to provide for the common good? I hate to point the obvious to you, Dravur, but you and me and everybody else is paying for health care. Just not everybody is getting it. The United States is CURRENTLY paying the most for healthcare than anywhere else. You obviously don’t want to pay for anyone else. (selfishness) Why aren’t you outraged as to where the funds are spent? You claim to be a fiscal conservative? It isn’t a question of why should I? But rather, how better to spread the funds equally? Removing insurance companies is the first place to start. Removing profit is the second. Dropping the tax man scare, is desperately needed to continue the debate as it serves to do nothing but muddle the true issue. I frankly don’t care how you die either. In fact if you are declared terminal, you should be allowed to commit suicide. As forced long term care does nothing but drain the coffers and provide feel good sensations to the selfish living.

Froward.... of course I am biased, just as you are. What a silly assertion. I admit that Bias freely. I am a fiscal conservative. I do not want the government in things it has no business in. The government already has it's nose far under the tent in Health care.

Again, I don't want to pay for your health care. It is not my responsibility. I realize that I pay higher premiums to pay for expenses that others cannot pay. I still do not want to pay for it. Can you name one argument that can honestly show why someone else should pay for your health care? How is it moral to steal from your neighbor to pay for something you want?

People need to take responsibilities for their own actions. If you are a drug addict, sucking down Meth like its candy corn, I honestly, don't care if you die.

The World Health Organization ranks France at the top of its list.
key words here, "THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION" actually read sometime, ok.
and the interpreter crack shows how biased you are. albeit was the interpreter, interpreting German?

Greed is the problem.. yep blame it on greed.. the greedy poor outnumber the greedy rich millions to one... who has more impact on our healthcare costs? Duh....I dunno.. who?

Emergency rooms are being used for sniffles, that's the reality and that to me is a form of greed.. I can count on someone bringing up profits as if that is a bad thing. Rich is bad....profit is bad....but the cost of the care has the "hidden" cost of "emergency healthcare of anyone".

Those that can't pay or won't pay even when they can, add significantly to the cost of current healthcare and that cost is passed on to the healthcare insurer by the hospital, so who's greedy when a person with the flu sits in an "emergency" room....

No one ever mentions the greedy poor....healthcare everyone gets now... insurance however, not everyone gets now.. what's the problem?

If you are poor and sick, just march your big butt down to the emergency room. No one is denied. I've been there..very few emergencies and a lot of general non emergency care and an interpretor to boot.. wow, what a deal...

Someone wrote that France has the best healthcare system in the world.. by who's standards?

I could fill this page up with contradictions to these assertions but what the hey.. I ain't got all day....

"I don't want to pay for your care. I will pay for my own,"
So with your logic I won't have to pay for the bridge you use. untill it falls down of course. Thats selfish, flawed logic. you and I allready pay for our care but because of profit margin...we arent getting any health care. actually Read the whole story next time. don't just skim. it shows how corporately biased you are.

Still have a huge problem.... I don't want to pay for your care. I will pay for my own, you can too. I don't want to pay for anyone's care, but my families.

What about them Hank? All the trial lawyers I know get 1/3 of the award or settlement... I am in favor of Eliminating malpractice awards. And removing bad doctors as a condition. However a big part of my argument is allowing people to die with dignity. Keeping Terry Shiavo alive did nothing but, cause anguish and expense that we all could do without. like Fred Thompson, now there is a guy with one foot in the grave. I am sure republicans will prop him up. Keep him alive as long as possible! Even after his quality of life diminishes to the point where he would turn Democrat for someone to pull his plug.

Another part of our health care that is in serous trouble is now that we have lost the cutting edge of medical science (ie stem cell research) just getting the health costs down should be first priority. Hand and hand with stem cell therapy is lower costs.

How about trial lawyers like multimillionaire John Edwards who make a very large living by introducing junk science into the court room and "shaking up and shaking down" a gullible jury?

P.S. Profit for pharmaceutical and Insurance companies goes to advertising. And CEO paychecks. Research and development is minuscule in comparison.

All I ever said was that insurance companies need to be removed from the health care system. Because of their need for greed. Excuse me profit. If you could find a non-profit insurance company I would buy but alas there is none. As a Colorado native I am angered at the insurance companies raising our rates to cover losses in Florida, California, or Louisiana for that matter. I digress… Health care. Well like I said before we are already paying more in this country than any where else on the planet but not getting any… As the greatness of America lies not in our quest for profit but rather in our innate ability to take from the rest of the world and make it better. Health care is a perfect example. I would say base our health care system on France. As it is ranked the best in the world.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0520/p06s01-woeu.html I think we should start there. And design a system that will work for ALL of us.
Make medical checkups mandatory. Currently the 9news health fair is the only check up I can afford. We already cannot buy coverage for search and rescue. And catastrophic insurance is picked and chosen by the insurance, not the doctor or patient. So by continuing to charge the individual or the person responsible for the particular search and rescue. And denyal for less than a 25% chance for survival. Savings there, electronic medical records is another. And borrowing from the Chinese, do away with lethal injection. Go back to hanging as then we could harvest those organs free and shorten the wait for someone else’s accident. For that new liver. And I saved the most important for last. When it comes to the end of life. (Dad was 84) and one is deemed terminal. (Prostate cancer) if the person decides that life was good and (he) does not want treatment. (attempted suicide) Then none should be forced upon them (like weld county did to him) I am currently paying $150,000 for his forced long term care. As well as when it comes to death, America needs to grow up! Death is just as natural as birth, or broken bones. It just happens to be the end. When there is no hope for survival, allow the person to die with dignity. Savings there also. Insofar as Hillary… I am A Biden fan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjzaCrjY448
I am a member of the hemlock society and a Conservative Democrat.

Without profits absolutely nothing happens. No new drugs, no services, no assitance, no operations, no hospitals, no labs, no bandages, no wheelchairs, no pharmacies, no eyeglasses, no dental care, no ambulances, no delivery, no MRIs, no doctors, no nurses ...no health!

Monopolies are hostile to consumers, monopolies produce higher prices and less service. More choices and competition, as well as the ability for everyone to shop the system in their own self interest--and profits--make it all happen!

Otherwise absolutely nothing happens. And you are dead!

Froward,

You don't realize it but you have a very good point hiding in the middle of your post.

While I have more than my share of experience in emergency rooms I never once asked what something cost. There was one of two reason for this. I either knew what the base charges were or I was incapable of reacting to anything.

Back to your good point. Insurance for health care is for the emergencies, or it used to be. It isn't supposed to be used for doctor visits or simple illnesses. I'm old enough to remember getting a minimum wage job, at 75 cents an hour, and filling out an insurance card. first day on the job I was covered.

Government interference has removed the individual as a meaningful market force while simultaneously changed the purpose of insurance from treatment for major medical conditions to a all purpose "make me well, keep me well, at all times" fantasy.
It all grew from the good intentions of those who wanted to save money and bring down health care costs by focusing on preventive medicine. Sound familiar. But let me try a compromise with you.

I suggest we provide catastrophic coverage to all citizens for major illnesses, injuries and chronic conditions. Neighborhood clinics will examine and treat people for regular care. People may buy insurance to cover the gap which will be income adjusted. Attempting to obtain services from the er for non-emergency care will require you to pay for the full cost of the treatment which will be added on to your minimum out of pocket.
Rush Limbaugh and Ted Kennedy would have a base out-of-pocket expense of 150K. The average middle income family would have to pay, oh let's say 12000. The working poor would have to pay 200. The very poor would be required to keep regular clinic appointments but in exchange for this would have no co-pay normally.

Fair? Yes. Workable? I dunno. Just know that I would most likely be one of those who paid next to nothing under that plan. I'm a conservative republican who hopes we may someday actually elect a conservative republican, but I prefer the new name, republic. I'm not rich. I'm a taxpayer who is used to working for a living and can't see any reason to encourage laziness or waste.

As for pretty pigs..aren't you getting tired of the new bikini and wig on oikner number one: Hilarycare?

Froward -- You want to make it criminal for a private organization to provide insurance? What would your proposed bill look like?

good ideas all! the problem is the greed of the market. Doctors know if you, or especially your child is ill you will pay and pay. Greed is the problem. My solution would be to add a number eight. (#8) Eliminate insurance companies altogether. we are already paying for health care for all in this country. We just aren’t getting it. why? because of republican mindsets like momma y. if the republicans would 1) put competent people in positions of oversight. not just, for profit or consolidation of political power, cronies. and 2)her "true competition for profits" simply doesn't work, as health care is an industry that has its clients in dire need of the services. it is the true competition for profits that has driven the costs up and up. tell me will you go in for a discount Emergency surgery? “oh pardon me, how expensive is your emergency room? my son is bleeding to death, oh well that’s too expensive ill go across town.” Laughable but you get the point. The third problem with momma y's argument is it is loaded with business as usual…greed. The same thing as now, just lipstick on the same old pig.

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