Mark YorklyHealth care in America will not be solved by passing legislation in both houses by one party rule. Healthcare in America will not be solved by passing a two thousand page piece of legislation that was not read by key members of Congress who demanded a vote for passage in the dark of night. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said “we need to pass this bill to find out what’s in it.” This is no way to govern. Every American should be outraged.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act HR 3590 or better known as Obama care- the two thousand page bill is now making it’s way to the Supreme Court to decide on the constitutionality of a mandated requirement that would force every American to purchase healthcare insurance. Never in our history has any piece of legislation been passed that would require any American to purchase anything against their will.
There is not a crisis in our Healthcare system in America. Many of the nation’s major hospitals already serve those who come through the door regardless if there is an ability to pay or not. There is a cost crisis in America’s Healthcare delivery. Rising cost and far too few resources have caused the cost structure to escalate.
Healthcare in America must be looked at but it needs to be looked at through an accounting and competition lens instead of the political lens. Today there are far too many that need medical assistance that cannot pay the escalating costs. The healthcare system must be over hauled so that these people can get the help while participating in a plan designed for them and one that doesn’t impact the total system of those who are insured privately. The purpose of any overhaul should not be to require participation it should be how to pay for the service provided.
True overhaul and reform would be to find ways of making purchasing insurance competitive in the market place. True overhaul and reform would be to aggressively pursue tort reform fraud and waste within the public and private sectors.
Real reform would be to let the States figure out what works best and adapt those findings to a national model. More choices in coverage are just one aspect of a free-market health care system. Another is allowing consumers to shop for treatment options. This would promote competition between conventional and alternative providers and make patients the center of care. Permitting providers to practice nationwide also would build genuine national markets and give consumers greater responsibility in their own health care decisions.
Competition ensures the public is better educated about preventative health care and treatment options. It forces providers to be more transparent regarding medical outcomes, quality of care and the costs of treatment. It also means more competitive pricing. Lesser quality providers get weeded out, because — like elsewhere in the free-market economy — they would either get priced out of business and or their malpractice insurance would rise and would not have a way to pay those escalating prices. Developing national standards of care to measure and record treatments and outcomes ensures only top-quality providers remain in business.
Dramatic reforms in Medicare would have to supplement a free-market health care system. Under this scenario, the Medicare payment system, which compensates providers for prevention, diagnosis and care, would have to be overhauled into a tiered system, with providers not being paid for preventable medical errors or mismanagement.
Competition in the pharmaceutical market would force down drug prices and expand cheaper generic drug alternatives. Safety protocols permitting the re-importation of drugs would keep competition in the drug industry vigorous, as well.
In all cases of health care competition, the consumer would be protected through enforcement of federal protections against collusion, unfair business actions and deceptive consumer practices.
As your Congressional Representative I would never allow my vote to be cast with out reading a bill of this import and follow a leader that wants a vote to find out what’s in it.
As your congressional representative, I would take in all factors of the equation apply free market principals to cost and level of care and let competition and choice drive any future overhaul and reform.