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hey everyone, i wanted to know what is the so called Health Care Debate...and what is it referring to....sounds so broad...it could anything from hmo/ppo stuff....to uninsured americans...etc
HEALTH CARE DEBATE, refers to what
- Thread starter BjOrKnRaDiOhEaD
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This could refer to anything. I think the first thing that would come to most people's minds is the looming question of how to care for the 41 million uninsured and how to pay for it. The argument is in general how to extend access to health care.
CCW
CCW
I think its about a few things : the rising cost of healthcare, the shortage of nurses, uninsured peoples, the fact that medicare and medicaid have so many huge gaps in their coverage, the list goes on and on...and the sad part is that its all interrelated and dependent on every factor of public health...why do I want to be a doctor again?!
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I read an article recently that discussed the perceived increase in costs of healthcare.. and although it seemed pretty obvious after I read it, really puts things into perspective. I was a finance/business major in a previous life.. so i find the economics of healthcare to be a pretty interesting topic..
Everyone always discusses the increased cost of the healthcare burden on the US. But as with all new technologies and procedures, the cost comes down as more doctors become familiar with the procedures and technologies. The irony is that the crux of this debate doesn't come in the form of an increase of cost, but is caused by the decrease in cost *per procedure*.
As a technology becomes more cheaper and more prevelant, it comes onto the radar of people who would never have considered it 5 or 10 years ago. These procedures will have typically fallen into the realm where insurance companies or medicaid/care will cover it (assuming that it is proven effective). The net effect is that although cost per procedure comes down, the number of people doing the procedure goes up. This is the increase in cost in healthcare.
I believe this is one of the ways to remedy this situation and ensure that people are more selective about the procedures they undergo and drugs that they take, is to increase the deductibles that must be paid per year.
In my opinion, insurance should be there for catastrophic emergencies... not just for everyday care. Our medicaid/care policies (ie: with 300$ annual deductibles) makes people think that healthcare is cheap.. (or free). This puts the burden on our government, and reduces the incentive for the patient to shop around for the best deal and question whether they really need a procedure/drug or not. Since patients do not shop around, there is no competition in the world of healthcare (which reduces efficiency and innovation).
I beleive that the government is moving towards that direction in shifting the burden of healthcare away from the government and onto the public (ie: with the health care savings accounts)... I guess we'll soon see how that works out.
There is also the irony that the people who pay the most for healthcare are the people who do not have health insurance. But don't even get me started on that...
Everyone always discusses the increased cost of the healthcare burden on the US. But as with all new technologies and procedures, the cost comes down as more doctors become familiar with the procedures and technologies. The irony is that the crux of this debate doesn't come in the form of an increase of cost, but is caused by the decrease in cost *per procedure*.
As a technology becomes more cheaper and more prevelant, it comes onto the radar of people who would never have considered it 5 or 10 years ago. These procedures will have typically fallen into the realm where insurance companies or medicaid/care will cover it (assuming that it is proven effective). The net effect is that although cost per procedure comes down, the number of people doing the procedure goes up. This is the increase in cost in healthcare.
I believe this is one of the ways to remedy this situation and ensure that people are more selective about the procedures they undergo and drugs that they take, is to increase the deductibles that must be paid per year.
In my opinion, insurance should be there for catastrophic emergencies... not just for everyday care. Our medicaid/care policies (ie: with 300$ annual deductibles) makes people think that healthcare is cheap.. (or free). This puts the burden on our government, and reduces the incentive for the patient to shop around for the best deal and question whether they really need a procedure/drug or not. Since patients do not shop around, there is no competition in the world of healthcare (which reduces efficiency and innovation).
I beleive that the government is moving towards that direction in shifting the burden of healthcare away from the government and onto the public (ie: with the health care savings accounts)... I guess we'll soon see how that works out.
There is also the irony that the people who pay the most for healthcare are the people who do not have health insurance. But don't even get me started on that...
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