POSSIBLE REMEDIAL METHODS

Most of what I have written the past few days has been somewhat editorialized to express my convictions.

I am concerned that non of the proposals will endorse the need to provide adequate health care to all including the "illegals". Health care is not a "civil right" it is however a civic necessity. Better methods of delivery can be found without penalizing in various modalities the patient or the provider. Yes there must be controls to limit excessive costs, but the definite amount to finance the system will have to be between public use of insurance and application of designated tax monies.

One of the operational fallacies in health care insurance is that determining the cost is done by actuarial risk methods as are all other risk insurances. The greater the risk the higher the premium. Health insurance should not be financially equated with fire, auto, property, liability or workman's compensation insurance. By their nature the cost should be risk related.

AS things are now the present premium policy often prices it out of the reach of the population groups that needs it the most, the elderly and the extremely young, and those with preexisting health conditions .Indeed the older you get the more your insurance costs. Even Medicare is not exempt from that failure. Many elderly tend to drop all but basic Medicare coverage because of the cost.

Actuarial data can be developed for the population as a whole and the cost spread throughout the entire life span. Certainly the 19 to 50/60 age groups will be paying a higher premium. The overall premium for the so called low risk age group can be in part mitigated by offering an optional basic no frill policy at a low premium to this group. A federal tax supported subsidy of the difference between the overall premium and the basic policy premium from tax dollars would make up the difference. Private insurers can be under contract to operate the system as is presently the case for Medicare.

At the same time providers can be reimbursed at levels which for physicians would be commensurate with their years of training and present expertise. The unholy gap between the primary care physician and the specialist would be eliminated. The net result would be a return of the family doctor.

It is a given that Hospitals should be paid at a rate that would meet their operating costs, thus preventing Muhlenbergs of the future. This of course would mean strict cost controls , better accounting procedures and rational use of facilities.

There must be the elimination of the Albatross of law suits. Victims of obvious bad errors in treatment should be0reasonably compensated, but no one should be burdened by legal action against an unavoidable bad result. There may be the need of 'Referee" to determine the difference.

None of this is impossible, it has not even been a consideration.

(To be continued)