The House Healthcare Bill recently passed by Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats has absolutely nothing to do with healthcare and everything to do with government taking over the health insurance industry.
The true U.S. healthcare system is second to none. Almost every winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in the last three or four decades was an American, or someone who did their research in America. This is not “separate” from the American system of healthcare. By dramatically changing American healthcare we thoughtlessly run the risk of permanently handicapping or losing entirely, the greatest force for medical research and development in the history of the world. In the overall scheme of things, you would think Nancy Pelosi, Mike Doyle and the rest of the Democrats could spare at least five minutes to think about this.
Real healthcare reform will take a holistic approach. Tort reform and insurance reform would be a good start.
Malpractice suits cause doctors to practice defensive medicine. Countless tests are ordered annually to protect the doctors and hospitals from excessive lawsuits. Many doctors are leaving their practices in frustration. Hospitals and doctor’s offices have dedicated staff to deal with nothing but health insurance billing problems. This situation only drives the costs up without improving the patient’s care.
Insurance should be available across state lines. It is impractical to limit competition in the insurance arena. Competition naturally reduces costs to the consumer. The Democrat House bill will expand government bureaucracy, increase paperwork for the doctors and not improve healthcare.
Ironically, the 1900 plus page House bill demands insurance carriers use “plain language” and “transparency” in their dealings with consumers. The Federal government should adopt this approach with all legislation and it’s dealings with the public. The printing cost savings could be used to shore up Medicare.