Explanation of U.S. healthcare costs.

[senseinobaka]

steven787 said:

It's not the executives or businesses' fault.  It is their job to do every thing legally possible to maximize profit. 

Some of the laws need to change. 

Some ideas, not the only things, not all necessary - all will allow the U.S. to attract and retain the best doctors in the world:

FDA approval processes need to get less political.

Drug producers should be forced to license out their drugs (let others produce it) or the process should be made public (not for producing copies but for research openness), for a reasonable fee instead of keeping a monopoly.  But extend the patent time, so they can keep making those smaller profits longer.

Make price caps illegal, all they do is set a minimum - and do not keep prices down.

Return to health insurance instead of managed care.

For high cost procedures, over let's say $200k, the type that would bankrupt almost every american, add in a government funding.  Nobody is doing these electively.  I am not for completely socialized medicine, but people should not have to choose between death and bankruptcy; food or prescriptions.

Force private practitioners to do a of specific type and amount of pro-bono work if they charge over a certain amount or do a lot of elective procedures (plastic surgery, cosmetic dermatology).

Subsidize health care - tax rebates (both Obama and McCain are pushing a type of this).

Do not allow HCP's to deny life saving procedures - but government should pay part of the most costly procedures.

Make many common Perscriptions OTC, like every other country.

 

These may or may not be right, but Americans should be talking about it, and they don't because they are afraid.

 

I'd like to offer a different view on this. I dont think the problems are the hospitals and doctors. It's also not a problem of the pharma companies. If anything it's the Insurance companies and government.

Health Care is wrapped in it's own protected and seperated market. One that has been allowed to out run inflation. So I think the following changes will have the best results in reducing prices.

1)remove the legislation that allows hospitals/clinics to not advertise prices

2)reform insurance to follow a sane model. Make it like car insurance. Cover for trauma and and expensive procedures that would bankrupt a person.

3)offer transient aide to people in circumstances that make premiums impossible to pay

4)stop employer shopping. allow a person to shop for and find insurance they need. if an employer wants to offer to pay for the insurance a person has purchased as an attracted method, then fine.

5)remove the facism. Stop passing laws that requires me, a male, to have maternal coverage.

6)allow ERs to turn away people who are not in an emergency situation.

7)expand HSA and destroy FLEX. Allow tax free saving for health costs that belong to me and not the employer.