Should the government arrange for hospitals to network to help standardize the cost of health care?
Health care cost have been a problem for the United States for decades now, with more money spent per person on health care in the U.S. than any other developed nation. There is still a battle between many officials on whether you can meet the demand, while still keeping the quality of health care high. Even though there is a debate between the ways the government should come into the health care system, both parties agree that there is a problem. However, over the last few years the health care premiums are rising at rates almost four times that of inflation or minimum wage increase. The battle between price and quality is causing many Americans to choose between which of their children to insure, and sadly has been going on for too long. Last year the Commonwealth Fund ranked the U.S. last in the quality of health care, still our country is a leader in medical innovation and spends three times as much on health care as Europe.
With things like the buyout of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals the question of who is wining in this situation, and who might be going down the drain is keeping everyone on the edge of their seats. What seems like a good idea on paper, may not work in the long run. With the large buyout many hospitals will be limited to only one company, Pfizer, to provide them with the pharmaceuticals that they need. With this contract between the doctor and drug, the price of the prescription is going to rise. These restrictions do come with the benefit of more money for research; yet if will this money actually be put to research for lower cost is still in questioning. Many doctors, researchers, and patients agree that this is not what the health care industry needs.
Even with the limits on where money can be spent the health care industry is one of the most expensive to keep up with. The education of doctors and nurses, along with the equipment that it takes to keep the hospitals up to date costs many people a pretty penny. With all of this spending on health care many Americans wonder just where their money is going, and for the most part it is all to premiums. . The GAO believes that stepping into the health care industry and attempting to lower premiums would be a mistake. The unexpected cost that comes with health care could never be predicted. This minimizes the amount of financial sponsors, and is considered a high risk for the government. However, most of the hospitals, 70%, in America are for non-profit; and the majority of the privately owned hospitals are actually owned by the government.
The main cost for many Americans is the premium or deductible. Both of these costs add up for over 158 million Americans, even when the employer is picking up part of the payment. With the link between the employer and the insurance, citizens get stuck with jobs that will offer them benefits but may not use the workers full potential. This creates an output gap and lowers GDP.
With the economy already in a rut the United States needs a break through to relieve the stress that Americans are under. I propose that health care is this stress. When hospitals and smaller doctors offices start to network together, there will be a need for new positions; positions with technological training and better pay. Even this small increase in jobs would raise GDP, along with creating a lower costing more effective health care system. These two movements would start things moving again for the economy, making people feel more confident in the system as well as having that little extra money left over every month. The more available health care becomes the easier it is for consumers to make more informed decisions about the health care that they choose. With the funding that would come from the government science would move forward, lowering cost even more.
Blue Cross Blue Shield gives a list of the people that are uninsured in America: most of which just cannot afford the coverage, one-third are children, and in some cases Americans just don’t have health insurance. One of the options that BCBS proposes for a solution for reducing the number of people uninsured is to have the government step into the health field on the state level, and as a safety net for the uninsured. Another type of ‘fix’ for the never-ending health care problem is an alternative type of health care that is becoming available to those who have been ‘let go’ from their employment. With the soaring cost of premiums and deductibles there are even people who are employed that are going uninsured. In order to keep the benefits that were once held with a company the payment of the whole premium that has to be made to the company.
I think that the government should set up a stronger health care system for its citizens, this is not the question anymore, now the question is how do we approach such a complex system? I think that networking between hospitals is the first step to a better, stronger health care provider. This would enable a person who was traveling across the country, or even just on business, to go to whichever hospital was closest. The network between hospitals would not ruin the free market of insurance companies either; it would just make the transfer of files and paperwork easier on the hospital.
There are many people that believe that if the government was to come into the health care system that the free market between insurance companies would be destroyed. This is where I agree that the government cannot just provide the same health care to everyone. The delicate system of choosing which options you need and, which deductible you will meet is why companies choose certain health insurance providers. The premium, or cost of providing the insurance is what most people agree is too high. Many Republicans believe that the way Americans are insured is fine, even though they agree that the premiums are too high for providing the service.
Large Drug Companies (journalistic)
Children’s Health (journalistic)
Opinion on Health Care (journalistic/ opinion)
Health Care: Hidden Killer (journalistic)
Federal Health Benefits (institutional)
Health Benefits in 2008 (institutional)
Insurance Premiums Changes (institutional)
Statement of a Senator (Institutional)
The HHS (Institutional)
The Role of Government in Health Care Quality (Academic Research)
Blue Cross (Academic Research)
Health Care Non-System (Academic Research)
Premium Cost (Citizen)
What’s Wrong? (Institutional)
A Premium Sucker Punch (journalistic)
Attacking the Problem (Academic Research)
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Invest in Your Health (Academic Research)
Figure 4. (Institutional)
Health, Life, Annuities (Institutional)
It’s All About the Benjamins (Citizen)
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Health Insurance Premiums (journalistic)
NPR (journalistic)
Obama Speaks on Health (journalistic)
Universal Health Care (journalistic)
Interview (citizen)
Interview (citizen)
Interview (citizen)
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