The worst aspect of healthcare in the US is that every player and or participant who delivers services or products is driven by profits. Don't get me wrong, we want fiscally stable and profitable participants, but the #1 goal of the majority of the players are driven by money and shareholder value and quarter over quarter profits. Healthcare is a service and an entitlement in my opinion and profits it should be regulated and managed that profits should be held to the current inflation rate and CPI annually. This includes pharma, providers, insurers, delivery organizations and clinician service and procedural fees. Insurance should be universal and provide both wellness and preventive services and also treatments for illness. It's my belief that the Medicare Advantage model is a good place to start, allow private insurers to offer consumers additional value with premiums in a competitive market place. Quality reporting should be more consumer friendly so consumers can view and compare, healthcare deliver organizations against each other, physicians and clinician quality and service levels and costs against each other and also pharm costs. Laws need to be put in place to allow the government to negotiate pricing across the board like Canada, Germany, UK , France, Australia, New Zealand and other industrialized countries, all of whose health systems are ranked higher than the US health care system, which is considered the worst among the countries with high GDP's. Capitalism needs to removed from healthcare in the US and a more equitable and put in place. Do I think it will happen, properly not, as there is to much money a stake. I hear how hospitals and such are struggling, good I think the current system needs to fail. It takes way to much of GDP and adds to US debt and is the single highest reason consumers file for bankruptcy in the US. I'm speaking from a position of knowledge being a clinician, a past healthcare executive and leader of a health tech company. The current system is not sustainable and is killing citizens every day of the year.
Math - 2 months ago
I think none of those would move the needle much. Reducing drug overdoses maybe... but declines in health and wellbeing aren't from the healthcare system; it's poor lifestyle. We need to limit artificial superstimulus. Sugar, added fats, constantly scrolling social media, never exercising, addictive substances etc are having a bigger negative impact than any positive impact the healthcare system could ever bring.
HIT Girl - 2 months ago
Health and well-being is most impacted by social factors, and the most efficient and cost-effective healthcare payment system in the world is not going to help if patients don't have a roof over their heads, are living in fear of domestic violence, can't read instructions on medication, don't have electricity to refrigerate medication or store fresh food, or live in isolation. These are all solvable problems, and other countries have solved them. America can do this, it just doesn't want to.
Unpopular Opinion - 2 months ago
The most ineffective industries in America with the least innovation are the ones with the most government regulation. How much money is spent to feed the machine of bureaucracy rather than going directly to the cost of care.
JT - 2 months ago
As with any business, I would also add ‘make it easy for customers (i.e. patients) to do business with you. That includes access to providers and appointments quickly, affordable Rx and other treatments, availability of health navigators (insurance, specialists, therapeutic modalities, alternative modalities, etc. etc.) We make it very difficult for patients to ‘get well’ in this country. That’s cray-cray!
Holly - 2 months ago
You left out the revamping of our food supply
Chemicals in our food, illegal in other countries, are causing obesity, chronic inflammation and heart disease
Good nutrition enables good health
Bill Spooner - 2 months ago
You omitted some important options:
Eliminate the lobbyists and other means of messing up meaningful reform
Reform malpractice to minimize the CYA documentation
Enforce 1099 filing so 501-c3’s are more transparent
Require Boards to demand ROI accountability for major investments
The worst aspect of healthcare in the US is that every player and or participant who delivers services or products is driven by profits. Don't get me wrong, we want fiscally stable and profitable participants, but the #1 goal of the majority of the players are driven by money and shareholder value and quarter over quarter profits. Healthcare is a service and an entitlement in my opinion and profits it should be regulated and managed that profits should be held to the current inflation rate and CPI annually. This includes pharma, providers, insurers, delivery organizations and clinician service and procedural fees. Insurance should be universal and provide both wellness and preventive services and also treatments for illness. It's my belief that the Medicare Advantage model is a good place to start, allow private insurers to offer consumers additional value with premiums in a competitive market place. Quality reporting should be more consumer friendly so consumers can view and compare, healthcare deliver organizations against each other, physicians and clinician quality and service levels and costs against each other and also pharm costs. Laws need to be put in place to allow the government to negotiate pricing across the board like Canada, Germany, UK , France, Australia, New Zealand and other industrialized countries, all of whose health systems are ranked higher than the US health care system, which is considered the worst among the countries with high GDP's. Capitalism needs to removed from healthcare in the US and a more equitable and put in place. Do I think it will happen, properly not, as there is to much money a stake. I hear how hospitals and such are struggling, good I think the current system needs to fail. It takes way to much of GDP and adds to US debt and is the single highest reason consumers file for bankruptcy in the US. I'm speaking from a position of knowledge being a clinician, a past healthcare executive and leader of a health tech company. The current system is not sustainable and is killing citizens every day of the year.
I think none of those would move the needle much. Reducing drug overdoses maybe... but declines in health and wellbeing aren't from the healthcare system; it's poor lifestyle. We need to limit artificial superstimulus. Sugar, added fats, constantly scrolling social media, never exercising, addictive substances etc are having a bigger negative impact than any positive impact the healthcare system could ever bring.
Health and well-being is most impacted by social factors, and the most efficient and cost-effective healthcare payment system in the world is not going to help if patients don't have a roof over their heads, are living in fear of domestic violence, can't read instructions on medication, don't have electricity to refrigerate medication or store fresh food, or live in isolation. These are all solvable problems, and other countries have solved them. America can do this, it just doesn't want to.
The most ineffective industries in America with the least innovation are the ones with the most government regulation. How much money is spent to feed the machine of bureaucracy rather than going directly to the cost of care.
As with any business, I would also add ‘make it easy for customers (i.e. patients) to do business with you. That includes access to providers and appointments quickly, affordable Rx and other treatments, availability of health navigators (insurance, specialists, therapeutic modalities, alternative modalities, etc. etc.) We make it very difficult for patients to ‘get well’ in this country. That’s cray-cray!
You left out the revamping of our food supply
Chemicals in our food, illegal in other countries, are causing obesity, chronic inflammation and heart disease
Good nutrition enables good health
You omitted some important options:
Eliminate the lobbyists and other means of messing up meaningful reform
Reform malpractice to minimize the CYA documentation
Enforce 1099 filing so 501-c3’s are more transparent
Require Boards to demand ROI accountability for major investments
I would add, remove the barriers between health and human services