Hot topic - Health Care Reform

The big topic this week in our country is Health Care Reform.

This has been a hot debate. You can't go anywhere or talk to anybody that doesn't have an Opinion.

So what is Health Care Reform?

The President, Congress, insurance companies, providers, and health care consumers like you are all talking about it. But the simple answer to "what is health care reform" is, well, there's no simple answer. But whatever the answer is, it's likely to have a profound effect on many Americans.

It would be nice to explain in a simple way Health Care Reform. But we can't. Our Health Care System has a lot of parts. It isn't really a system at all. There are Private Payers , Government Payers, and private providers. Its full of Holes and Gaps . With all this, 46 Million people in this country are not insured at all.

Before we dive in I would like to make a few observations I've seen over the past year or so concerning this topic.

A wise person once said "Never discuss Religion or Politics in an open setting". The reason I bring this up is that this issue has become completely Political. I've been really struggling with why this is. It would be a good bet , that your view on this topic would be right in line with your political affiliation. Sure there are exceptions to the rule, but in general this is what I have observed.

Folks we are talking about fixing a huge problem in our country. Its unbelievable to think that there are people out there who will say anything to make sure we have no changes. I wonder why that is?

So just as a refresher, here is what we are dealing with, and what we are trying to change.

46 Million Americans don't have any type of Health Insurance at all. So if they get sick or Injured, they have to pay cash or even worse , go without treatment.

30% of every Dollar Americans spend on Health Care is wasted on Unneeded tests, Emergency Room visits that aren't really emergencies, and care that just doesn't improve Health.

Americans spend more on Health Care than any other Nation, but it doesn't make us healthier, and we don't live longer.

We take care of Illness, but we do little to promote Health.

I think we all would agree that we would like to change these issues.

But how?

Government is looking many options.

One option is to guarantee that anyone can get insurance regardless of their health, even those with pre- existing conditions.

There is another option that goes even farther. It would REQUIRE that everyone has coverage.
The first question that comes to mind is why would we want this option? This would be so that people wouldn't wait until they are sick until they apply for coverage. If that happened we would only be insuring the sick , and that would raise the cost for everyone and defeats the whole purpose of Health Insurance. Insurance works because everybody contributes, which in turn, spreads out the costs.

Another idea is to let people choose between a Government plan like the one Government employees have today, or private plan. Choose whats right for you.

One idea is to start over. Let the Government administer Health Care like it does the Post office and Education System.

Whatever is decided the Government will have to help some Americans to pay for coverage. That means that it will come with a price tag for tax payers.

So the real question is how do we make Health Care less expensive.

Technology- Make the industry more efficient. Making medical records electronic , which would reduce paperwork.

Pay Doctors and Hospitals for "Quality of Care" instead of Quantity. This ensures patients pay for the right care at the right time.

Taking a more preventable approach to Health Care. This includes exercise, eating well and education. An astonishing 70% of Health costs today are from preventable chronic diseases.

You see its NOT about Nationalizing Health Care!!

Its about fixing a broken segment of our country.

We do this to strengthen our Nation. To invest in our children's future, and to make our society stronger.

We have all paid taxes for our public school system for as long as we can remember. We do this for the same argument. My children happen to go to a private school , but I have never had a thought of not paying taxes for education to better our society , just because I don't happen to use the system.

This isn't political . Its just common sense....

I look forward to your thoughts !

Hot Topic of the Week is Posted every Wed.

*Some Statistics and Excerpts used in today's Blog are from staysmartstayhealthy.com