Healthcare

Healthcare

America needs national healthcare. There is no getting around this fact.

It’s difficult to understand why the worlds most rich and powerful country by a huge margin has such horrible healthcare and so many sick people. It doesn’t seem to make sense.

The truth is America has the best healthcare in the world. The problem is that most people don’t have access to it; they can’t afford it. Healthcare is expensive.

Healthcare is expensive to research, study and practice. Innovations come from years of study and work, which more often than not produce no results, or short lived euphoria followed by a flood of lawsuits.

Capitalism corrupts health:
>> Eat processed crap that cost more, feel gross then take pills (you don’t need) to feel better. Sleep and repeat.

Capitalism makes healthcare better:
>> Bio-tech, medicines, painkillers, and pills take tons of money to create, test and prove reliable. This takes billions and capitalism demands a profit for it’s efforts, i.e. patent.

Capitalism keeps healthcare out of reach:
>> Hospitals are business that need profit to function. They can’t turn people away by law and so they over charge (sometimes even defraud) the government. This drives up the cost. People can’t pay so they don’t, then the hospital overcharges the government, and cycle repeats until healthcare is so over inflated it takes over the whole economy.

Capitalism cannot be taken out of healthcare.

So how do we fix healthcare in capitalist America?

We have no choice but to completely overhaul the system.

Step 1: Personal Accountability
Every person needs to take full responsibility for their own health. We need to understand what it means to be healthy, how to get healthy and how to stay healthy. We should do our part, because if we don’t, no amount of treatment/healthcare will be able to help you and it will waste tons of money, $1 of prevention is worth $10,000 of intervention/treatment.
Solution: Health education, exercise, & health accountability

Step 2: Health Taxes
Foods that have no health or nutritional value (i.e. health detriments) should be taxed. Soda, candy, fast food, junk snacks… anything without a nutrients (except water of course) or a positive impact on a persons health should taxed according to it’s lack. The taxes collected from this should go into the healthcare fund. This has dual positive reinforcing action: discouraging bad health habits (by showing their true cost) and funding the treatments for the use thereof. People that consume large quantities of junk food undeniably are a greater health cost/risk and thus should pay more into the system they will be relying on. It is fair no matter how you slice it. The only people that can disagree with this are the people selling the junk food to you and your kids. You can’t legislate good choices, but you can encourage them by bringing them (their cost) to light.

Step 3: Emergency Care
Emergency care needs to be there when we need it; and fast. We need to rid our emergency rooms of things that are not true emergencies. The issue is people without healthcare coverage go to the emergency room to get help, even if it is not a true emergency. Since this is a place that cannot turn you away, and must see or help you by law this makes sense. The problem is this is also extremely (the most?) expensive for the government and corruptive/hurtful to the healthcare system. This problem lowers the quality, slows the service speed and ‘cries wolf’ (fake issues cause real issues to be ignored). This problem must be addressed and corrected.
Solution: Government run clinics. We need to set up more free clinics and places for people to go for help with their non-critical health needs. Emergency rooms need to be able to deflect people to the clinics and visa versa. Keeping people out of the emergency rooms is beneficial to everyone. It will speed the service, cut the cost and even save lives.

Step 4: Universal Catastrophic* Healthcare Coverage
>> If you are injured, or have an unexpected health crisis that comes out of no where, through no fault of your own, that must be addressed you will be covered.
This coverage will come in two forms with two guidelines.
1) Catastrophic injury. For instance if you get in a major car accident, or fall down the stairs, you will be given the help you need. Your recovery is very much in the financial interest of the country and the people of the country want you to get better. Your surgery, stitches, reasonable (generic/cheap) pain relief medication, and to a certain extent physical rehabilitation will be covered.
2) Catastrophic Illness gets slightly more tricky. If you need an operation to save your life you should get it. But if you need tons of insulin injections because you refuse to change your eating habits you should not get it (for free). Here’s how it breaks down: Those that are truly looking to get better need to be separated from those that are not truly looking to get better. How can you tell the difference? Simple: Give them a personal plan to follow –group meetings, classes, eating guidelines, weight loss requirements/help. If they follow the plan, they obviously really do want to get better. If they don’t follow their plan, they are not demonstrating they do want to get better and thus will not be allowed to waste precious resources. The plans and classes would be free and would be facilitated, designed and improved on by past participants and success. There would be volunteer requirements and pay would be awarded to those that show great skill and prowess in helping others. It is well known and proven that a healthy eating regimen, group meeting and/or classes in conjunction with initial treatment will cure a disease. People that follow their plans but need more treatment will be given more treatments and intervention as necessary. Those that do not follow their plan will not be offered additional resources, or will accrue additional volunteer work. Pain medication will be made available for those that require it.

Step 5: Suffering Prevention
What about older people that are not able to participate in plans or volunteer work? This again is difficult. Because the state is of limited resources, state resources must be rationed. If this seems cruel, remember that in the current system these same people are getting nothing except long lines at the emergency room. No one will be allowed to suffer. Treatment and pain relief are cheap and should be made available, but there is such thing as misplaced treatment, and too much treatment. On this note assisted suicide is an option that should be available (but closely checked and monitored).


*Catastrophic would have to be outlined and defined by the congress with an ability for appeal