A few weeks ago, I mentioned my belief that social health carein America will only lead to the same kind of ill-managed anddegraded medical services had by Britain and Canada.
Of course, I got people responding who made the statement thatBritain and Canada have higher life expectancy figures than theUnited States, and they are right.
The United States has the lowest life expectancy of any of theG7 nations. We also have the highest infant mortality rate.
So what does that mean? Does that mean that social health careis the answer? Is universal health care or guaranteed healthinsurance going to propel the United States to the very top of thelife expectancy charts?
Absolutely not.
The one thing that no one bothered to mention in their scathingcomments on health care is that out of the G7 nations, the UnitedStates has the highest per capita health expenditure. Per capita,we as a nation spend $4,662 on health care per year. That is morethan twice as much as Canada, which has the highest lifeexpectancy.
So what exactly is the problem? Is it technology? Is it doctors?Why is it so expensive to have health care or health insurance inthese United States?
For years, in movies, on television and in magazines, we haveread about the evils of managed care. We have read how thousands ofpeople have been denied lifesaving surgery because it wasn'tcovered under their insurance. Why is the HMO system so "evil" andwhy do they let people die?
The answer to all of these questions is one word. It's a wordthat turns the stomachs of many people — lawyers.
For decades, lawyers have driven through the ceiling the cost ofhealth insurance and health care. Every time a doctor makes a humanerror, or the patient isn't completely cured by a medicalprocedure, someone gets sued. Lawyers actually prowl the halls ofhospitals looking to find someone who has been wronged by a doctor,hospital, nurse, EMT or life in general.
Let me explain how the financial side of the medical fieldworks, and how lawyers affect it. Every time a lawyer sues adoctor, the doctor's malpractice insurance goes up. In order tocover this increase in malpractice insurance, the doctor must raisehis office visit rates and generally tighten his financialexpenditures. Every time a doctor raises his rates, the insurancecarrier (or HMO) must cover those increases. So that the insurancecompany can stay in business and maintain a profit for owners andstockholders, it must increase co-pays, decrease coverage orincrease premiums. Once premiums go so high, people can't affordhealth insurance, and they join the more than 4 million withouthealth insurance in this great nation.
The solution to our health insurance situation is two words. Twowords that could change the way America operates, and only for thebetter. They are two little words that Conservatives rally for, anddesperately want. These are two words that the Democrats, who aremostly lawyers and who accept huge amounts from the barassociation, will fight against.
The two words? Tort reform. When the government stops theawarding of outrageous sums of money to lawsuit-happy lawyers andtheir clients, health care will be affordable for everyone.
Write to Russell at rlg@temporalfront.com
visit http://www.temporalfront.com
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