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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Eric who wrote (13640)	2/28/2010 12:33:56 PM
From: ILCUL8R	1 Recommendation Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 42652

In France, for example, each patient has a smart card that contains his entire medical record. After an appointment with a doctor the doctor, with the press of one key, can bill the patient's insurance company. No filing cabinets full of paper, no hassle about billing or denial of coverage. The doctor gets paid within a matter of days. The patient does have to pay up front the published charge for routine services but he gets reimbursed within 1-2 weeks. This cuts down on frivolous visits or patient calls, and helps the patient to appreciate the value of these services, even though they are reimbursed in a matter of days. And, yes, doctors routinely make house calls. Without the huge administrative burden French costs are much lower. Insurance companies can compete for clients, but they essentially operate in a non-profit mode. Those that make a profit turn profits over to those companies that lost money. Patients are free to select any doctor in the country. Waiting times are low, essentially what we have here for those with insurance. France has more doctors, medical providers, more hospital beds than in the USA, BUT it has 67% fewer administrative personnel to keep track of paperwork and billing. Princeton recently offered a graduate seminar, "The Political Economy of Health Systems," taught by Uwe Reinhardt, a global leader in the field. He is capable of articulating the strengths and weaknesses of any health care system in the world. A continuing message he imparts in all classes is that, "Every nation's health care system reflects that nation's basic moral values." Too many in the USA seem to think that leaving 40 million uninsured and allowing 20,000 preventable deaths per annum is OK within our value structure. Why? There are 4 basic models for universal health care and, of course, several variations on these four. The US does not have to reinvent the wheel. It could mix and match the best of these plans to generate one suitable for our country. And, none of these plans are fully in the "socialized medicine" mode decried by so many conservatives. What most of them lack are health insurance companies that generate obscene profits and pay executives million in yearly salaries.