PRAIRIE DOC®
  • Home
  • About
  • People
  • Television
  • Podcasts
  • Perspective
  • Donate
  • Contact
  • Foundation
  • Book

Healthcare Costs Run Amok

3/14/2017

 
By Richard P. Holm, MD
 
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly called the ACA or Obamacare, could have been named the Access and Cost act. It was successful in “protecting patients” by guaranteeing access—making insurance available for more than 20 million people who were previously unable to get coverage. The second part of the name, “affordable care”, referring to cost, has not been as successful, however.
 
Politicians have correctly said: “Since the ACA was implemented, increases in health spending have slowed.” Personally, I do not find this statement reassuring when looking at the enormous cost of health care in the U.S. We spend $3.2 trillion per year for health care, which is twice the average cost per person than that of the next ten most expensive countries and more than five times the outrageous $600 billion we spend per year on the defense budget. Individual costs also grew during the last five years. Patient deductibles increased by 63% and premiums by 19% during a time when worker earnings grew only by 11%. 
 
From an October 2015 Commonwealth Fund Report comparing the U.S. with 13 other rich countries, the data indicates higher spending in the U.S. happens because of excessive use of medical technology and higher health care prices, while there were LESS doctor visits, hospital admissions or spending on social services. Despite all the health care spending in this country, we have poorer health outcomes, more chronic conditions, and shorter life expectancy. It’s like paying a high price at a fancy restaurant, expecting a perfect steak, and instead getting meatloaf.
 
How should we fix the healthcare cost problem?
  1. Every patient should have and start with a primary care doctor or provider who emphasizes preventive care efforts and solid-science based quality parameters.
  2. Doctors and hospitals should get more payment for efficiency and quality, NOT get more for doing more—specifically, more procedures and more expensive high-tech tests.
  3. A single, nationally-interactive, easy-to-use, story-based electronic medical record system should reduce duplication and enhance coordination of care.
  4. Improved social services should help all people, especially the poor, in avoiding inappropriate use of the ER while facilitating good treatment of chronic conditions.
  5. Pharmaceutical reforms should allow marketing pressures and competition while encouraging honest research.
  6. Medical management of the five percent of people who spend 50% of the health care dollar should allow better AND less costly care.
 
The ACA brought access. Now we need to control cost.
 

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

PRAIRIE DOC® MEDIA IS A PART OF HEALING WORDS FOUNDATION.

FIND SCIENCE-BASED PEDIATRIC MEDICAL INFORMATION ON OUR SISTER SITE. 
Healing Words Foundation logo
Play Eat Sleep logo
  • Home
  • About
  • People
  • Television
  • Podcasts
  • Perspective
  • Donate
  • Contact
  • Foundation
  • Book