Brian

Seeing as I am in Saudi Arabia right now I thought I might add something that will surprise you. Here in Riyadh and the other larger cities, the “segregation” issue is really quite similar. All restaurants, for example, are divided into 2 sections, “Family” and “Single Men”. In fact, the women can go into either section and they won’t be bothered by management. But if the single men go into the family section they are asked to leave.

Things are changing here very quickly. I think it might have been different a few years ago. It’s certainly progressing in the right direction, though there’s a long way to go.

Keep posting! I”m really curious to read about your experiences.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/view/

The your ideas in this blog are interesting and are definitely substaniated by the approaches to health found in countries with better health, longer life, and cheaper systems than ours. Watch the program if you haven’t already. It’ll make you wonder why we’ve been so slow and half-hearted about serious reform here in the States.

To address the rising costs of health care facilities, I’d argue that one of the biggest inflation in costs comes from using unnecessary expensive treatment when cheaper alternatives are available. People try expensive drugs routines before considering cheaper ones which often dont work anyway. People order expensive tests when consultation and examination by the doctor can yield similar results. Part of the reason of over-diagnosis comes from drug and medical instrument companies’ advertising, part comes from medical liability, part comes from having the third party payer system, and some comes from doctor’s training. As you mention refusual to pay also drives up the cost of services, and that is a strange systematic problem that few other industries have to deal with. to We need to investigate further why the U.S.’s health care system is so much more expensive than other countries. And I wonder if our system is really that much (or any) more effective than EU systems.

To address your points of change.
1. why do you think that government should not be involved in the health care system. By this I take it you mean that medicare and medicaid should be abolished, and there should be no government-funded hospitals. What do you think of the argument that all people have a right to health care much the same as every person has the right to an education? And if people cannot afford health insurance and cannot afford to pay for treatment out of pocket then will they be not get health care?
4. Doesnt federal subsidization of insurance contradict your first point?

You’re right, i haven’t written much yet on the health care system. But here’s a few ideas of my own, but many of them are not fully developed.
1. Medical School Reform. Western medicine is not the most effective style of health care delivery when it comes to helping people be healthy and thus avoid disease. Western treatments often cause serious sideeffects including hospitalization and death (hormone replacement therapy in the 90s led to the death due to breast cancer of 100,000 women – ‘overdosed america’). The fundamental part of the hippocratic oath is to do no harm to your patients. treatments that are effective but that have serious side effects should be reevaluated. I believe that medical schools nationwide should undergo reform to change the way medical practices are taught. One idea is to teach ‘integrative medicine’ in all medical schools. (by the way government should not be the main actor in this shift. the shift should stem from the AMA or another doctor, student, or citizen association)
2. Public policies for a Healthier America. I think that additional work should be done to make the food in the U.S. healthier. I am not abolutely convinced, but i think a ‘processed sugar tax’ might be a good idea to deincentivize soda, sweets, and the addition of corn syrup to nearly every packaged food. Another Idea (but i do not understand the consequences) is to reduce, eliminate, or shift the agricultural subsidies of corn and wheat. We could instead subsize small farms that grow produce and incentivize the opening of grocery stores in ‘food deserts’ (places in the city where people have no access to produce). Corn, wheat, and sugar are priced artificially low causing people to eat more of them. These foods are largely the cause of obesity in the U.S. Additional measures to reduce toxicity of foods sold in the U.S. could be instigated.
3. Restrictions on medical advertising. While this could potentially impinge on free speech, medical advertising seems to increase the level of unnecessary treatments. Included in this is advertising aimed at doctors (medical conventions, advertising in journals etc). Medical information should come from trusted sources and should not be sensationalized.

And I agree with your points 2, 3, and 4. The problem i have with the health care reform recently passed by congress is that it does little to decrease health care costs. The way we deliver health care is flawed.

That got a little longer than i anticipated, but I’d like to hear your response.
All the best.

It is expensive to run and operate a full staffed and multi-faceted care facility such as an hospital, in capital just to initiate such an undertaking, in terms of the ever increasing labor costs and the “loss expectancy” of accounts receivable. Most of the costs simply in creating care facilities lies in their actual construction and in the very expensive equipment required to be placed within. While some of this equipment is bought out right, it is not uncommon for a facility to lease it’s equipment which becomes yet another yearly expense, but does not require them to take out any additional loans or raise capital by other means. The labor costs are becoming very expensive, some might say it’s greed of Doctors or specialists while others could point to the increasing number of unionized care facilities. In either case the fact remains the same, the prices are increasing and there is nothing to stop it, especially if they’re unionized. Now, when it comes to the cost of actual services a huge influence in this is the accounts receivable that will to be “written-off” either due to Insurance Companies refusing to pay up until the point where a claim cannot be filed again, due to an individual that is unable to (almost always the case) or unwilling to pay or due to a State and/or The Federal Government refusing to pay.

Unfortunately mans creation, economic principles, is a child that cannot be pacified by strong inspiring words or pieces of legislation built solely on good intentions. These principles are unmovable and omnipresent regardless of a Nation’s economic policies. Capital must be raised which means loans will have to be paid, expensive equipment must be paid for and people providing services must be allowed to enjoy the fruits of their very hard work and dedication. For these reasons alone I’d submit that money is the true problem and that curing the woes of money will directly and indirectly cure the system of flaws. I’m not a political scientist, and certainly no where close to a genius but from my experience and understanding of the situation I’d say the following steps should be taken:
1. All medical facilities, for-profit, private practice or otherwise. Should be entirely free of Federal Taxes.
2. A restructuring of Social Securities and other Federal health provisions must be completely restructed to cover costs out right until all past expenses are paid for.
3. Regulations on the practices on Insurance Companies must occur, they cannot say no based on a pre-exsisting condition, they can never refuse a payment unless fraud is expected, they must cover all medical procedures that are deemed necessary by a Doctor or equivalent practitioner with elective procedures or treatments at their discretion.
4. Everyone must purchase health insurance or be fined (with Federal subsidization for low-income families, the elderly or people with disabilities only) Insurance companies can operate regardless of state boundaries and they are to operate free of Federal Taxes.

Meh.. I felt a need to type lol

I’d love to here your ideas or what you think of this seeing as you’re going into the medical field. I only wrote this because I couldn’t find (although in all honesty I really haven’t looked lol) a piece where you stated what you think should be done to fix our Health Care system.

Take Care.