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Gold for Some, Coal for Others: Profit in Health Services
By Dr. Brian Carr-snip-
The offering from the Extreme Right is well-supported by those seeking profit in whatever system is adopted. As noted by a Department Chair of Family Medicine these ideas of how to dismantle 20% of the American economy have little basis in reality. He details the following points that do little for improving the lot of the common consumer:
“Eliminate the tax preference for employer-sponsored health coverage in favor of very large, tax-free health savings accounts (HSAs) giving Americans direct control over their health expenditures. Wow, I can see that one being sold to the 85% of employed folks under 65 who get insurance through their jobs.
“Guarantee renewability” to address the problem of people being dropped by insurers. Bet the insurers go for that without a mandate. If only Obama had asked for this instead of “getting rid of pre-existing conditions.”
Health status insurance as a hedge against “the risk that one’s health status deteriorates in the current period—and thus, that future medical insurance premiums will increase.” This is really complicated and a confusing explanation can be found here but the bottom line is your health status becomes a financing instrument, kinda like the mortgages did before the Great Recession. This allows the financiers to bundle your health risks and trade them on a futures market. What could possibly go wrong?
Eliminate mandatory benefits. For example, the federal government, to much fanfare, now dictates “mental health parity,” which raises costs by five to 10 percent, all by itself. Guess I’ll need to stop asking those pesky questions such as “Are you depressed?”
Eliminate licensing restrictions on health care professionals. We can import more docs from countries where the pay isn’t as good. They must be as good as those trained in America, right? Who needs English skills?
Loosen the noose of FDA regulations to ease the path of drugs to the market and reduce costs. This time, I’m just going use their words: The FDA might abandon its gatekeeper role and move to issuing the equivalent of a Good Housekeeping Seal instead, so providers and consumers could make informed choices for themselves.
“Guarantee renewability” to address the problem of people being dropped by insurers. Bet the insurers go for that without a mandate. If only Obama had asked for this instead of “getting rid of pre-existing conditions.”
Health status insurance as a hedge against “the risk that one’s health status deteriorates in the current period—and thus, that future medical insurance premiums will increase.” This is really complicated and a confusing explanation can be found here but the bottom line is your health status becomes a financing instrument, kinda like the mortgages did before the Great Recession. This allows the financiers to bundle your health risks and trade them on a futures market. What could possibly go wrong?
Eliminate mandatory benefits. For example, the federal government, to much fanfare, now dictates “mental health parity,” which raises costs by five to 10 percent, all by itself. Guess I’ll need to stop asking those pesky questions such as “Are you depressed?”
Eliminate licensing restrictions on health care professionals. We can import more docs from countries where the pay isn’t as good. They must be as good as those trained in America, right? Who needs English skills?
Loosen the noose of FDA regulations to ease the path of drugs to the market and reduce costs. This time, I’m just going use their words: The FDA might abandon its gatekeeper role and move to issuing the equivalent of a Good Housekeeping Seal instead, so providers and consumers could make informed choices for themselves.
The complete article is at http://lubbockonline.com/interact/blog-post/dr-brian-carr/2013-12-10/gold-some-coal-others-profit-health-services .
