Finally Makai and I are able to resume our morning walks. The snow has receded and my driveway no longer resembles a bobsled run. This presents me with the time once again to ponder some of life’s problems, and often I am able to find at least a little humor in the situation. Today, however, I intend to present proposal for providing a framework to advance healthcare in these United States. Trust me, it will be less than 2200 pages long and it will contain far fewer citations and references that serve to obscure what the document really says.
If you read my last blog then you should be aware of the fact that I think the size of our country has made it ungovernable and becoming primed for disintegration. Issues like the healthcare proposal that Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and the Obama Administration are going to force through Congress only serve to further divide Americans and cause less trust and belief in the federal system. When you no longer trust those who govern you, then why should we continue to elect and pay them?
That begins my proposal. First, the government has become bloated and self-important. It seemingly exists for us to serve it, a departure of 180 degrees from its original purpose. Therefore, no one in federal employ shall be recompensed at a rate greater than $100,000 annually. If they protest that they can make more in the private sector than don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Trust me this country has plenty of qualified people who would serve in your capacity. Secondly, a 3% across the board cut in every department of the government. This level of funding will be held at a constant rate for 5 years. “Held at a constant rate” means just that, no annual cost-of-living increases. This 5-year period without governmental growth would allow for the reduction of employment by attrition without huge, sudden disruptions.
Now, the monies that we have saved from the 3% cuts will provide the basis for beginning our new healthcare program. It is illogical to believe that our Elected Betters have any idea of what is needed for our healthcare. Would you trust one of those “535 Temple Monkeys in search of bribes” to tell you what is best for your child’s health? I doubt it. So, let’s begin in a manner that would allow any errors to be corrected before they become institutionalized in one huge bureaucratic nightmare.
It is a given that there are areas of the nation that are more in need of additional healthcare services than other areas so that is where we begin. Doctors and nurses can be educated tuition-free for the promise of 10 years of government service after their internships. After such time, they are free to enter the private sector or remain in government service if they so choose and are deemed well-qualified. If they go into private practice they should be essentially debt-free so the need for high fees to pay for the high cost of education is no longer an issue.
These government physicians and nurses will provide free healthcare for those who come into their office or hospital. In return, patients will have no legal recourse for suing the physician or hospital unless they can show gross negligence. In such cases damages will be limited to $1,000,000 which would be repaid to the government by reducing by 15% annually the salary of everyone who was involved, including the hospital administrator. Administrators would be free to quit but doctors and nurses would still have to complete their 10-year commitment or be subject to repayment of their entire educational costs.
Individuals would be able to choose either the private sector doctors and hospitals as they can today or else go to the government hospital for free treatment under the conditions above. Indigent patients who arrive at private facilities would be transferred to the government hospital when they are stabilized. This should reduce the costs that private facilities now have to pass on to their paying clients and also reduce their patient load and costs.
Who would advise and run these government hospitals? Qualified doctors and administrators would be glad to help. There are so many truly wonderful healthcare providers who would gladly give their expertise to establishing this type of free clinic where they could give great medical treatment without having to do dozens of cover-my-ass tests that are done to establish alibis in case of future lawsuits. In Baltimore, Dr. Ben Carson of Johns Hopkins has expressed his desire to assist. However, if we continue to pile layers of bureaucracy on top of our doctors then nothing good will come to pass.
If this plan works, then we can open additional government healthcare facilities (either hospitals or clinics depending upon need) in other cities and towns. Within a decade we should know what Americans want and what we don’t want from our government health plan. If this plan has weaknesses then we can listen to the doctors and administrators who are providing the care and make adjustments accordingly.
Just think, all of this began with a walk down my drive allowing me to think about why my blood pressure medicine was so expensive. One of the meds I was taking was called “Lotrel 5/20” and it was costing about $350 every three months. I asked my physician if we could try something else since my deductible was $2500 and I never reach it so he gave me two prescriptions. Now get this, the 5/20 was the dosage of two medications that had been combined into a single pill so, for the same medicine, just not combined, the two prescriptions cost me less than $20. Why wasn’t this prescribed from the start? It is time to THINK and start acting as if the money saved in healthcare was your own!
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