"but none of us has the solution."
Any problem this big will likely need reform of a lot of areas.
One thing: competition lowers prices so we should allow competition in drug purchases... no more protectionist 'ring fence' around the country to prop up oligopolic profits for the drug firms.
Secondly: the FDA needs to get on the side of the American people, instead of acting as an adjunct to the Pharma manufacturers. The FDA needs to stop banning natural medicines just because they pose a threat to the profits of big drug firms.
Then, they need to actually *promote* scientific studies of efficacy of different treatment options --- even when some of those options might include non-patentable medicines. ALL viable treatment options should be examined solely on the basis of 'do they best cure or ameliorate the illness', (not 'how much money can this treatment generate for industry').
Fourthly, the government should promote greater standardization of paper work among insurance and HMO organizations --- a very LARGE PORTION of our health costs is caused because hospitals must deal with a blizzard of different forms and paperwork.
Fifthly, barcoding should be mandated on all medicines --- we have far too high an incidence of mistakes in drug administration. This high error rate feeds higher costs.
Sixth: insurance programs (especially government) should stress preventative medicine, and pay less for massively expensive 'end-of-life' treatments. That would be far more cost effective.
Seventh: Polluters should pay for the damages to health they cause --- (under the basic legal principle that those who cause harm to others should pay for the damages). For just one example: electricity generation plants that operate by coal gassification (for example, the project in Florida) cost roughly 10% - 15% more to build then regular plants that burn coal... but they are about 20% more efficient in operation, and they reduce major pollutants (sulfides, nitrates, and mercury) by about 50% over what is emitted by the traditional coal-burning plants.
If the dispersed health costs were factored into the economics of the issue --- then there would be a CLEAR ECONOMIC INCENTIVE to go with the better technology, more efficient, and better for everyone's health.
Actions like these would GREATLY lower our health costs. |
