Effective health care delivery

-- Effective health care delivery --

1. Basic treatments for all. Better coverage is paid by individual. We encourage folks to work hard and there is no more free lunch. It is abnormal for the poor to have free health care while the middle class cannot afford to have same.

Low incomers and/or those without a house most likely can receive free nursing home care, free drugs and free doctor visits in most states like Mass. Those in borderline cheat by giving their houses to their children, hide their incomes or just quit.

2. The government should spend an agreed % of GNP on public health care - you cannot ignore other spending like education... or let the budget unbalanced irresponsibly.

When we over spend in any entitlement, we need to hike taxes, and then we're no longer competitive globally and hence our unemployment will be increased.

3. Prevention: voluntary and non-voluntary (via taxes) on smoking, fast food, soda... It is fair for the citizens to take care of their own health. You can select to live recklessly in unhealthy life style, but the rest of us should not pay for your bad decision.

When we ban smoking totally, we would not need so many hospitals and use so much resources. In addition, the second-hand smoke kills too. Why we die for your bad behavior?

4. Limit lawsuit award on malpractice. Our health care cost is being jacked up due to part of it goes to lawyers.

Most do not realize those awards will pass back to us. It is also why the doctor would hesitate to care for you when you fall and lie in the street or why your clinical charges are so high.

5. State-of-the-art treatments are less effective than prevention such as a low-dosage aspirin for all over 50 years of age and shots for babies/children.

6. Outsourcing expensive treatments to foreign countries and drug development/clinical tests. Our costs are outrageously high. Try Thailand and Shanghai. The money we save pays for a free vacation, not mentioning the free massage every day for the entire trip.

This is a temporary solution until we solve our cost problem.

7. Cut down expensive drug marketing (like giving money/goodies to doctors).

Personally I know doctors receiving free golf trips to the most expensive golf course for the entire family. They also got unlimited lobsters in doctors' conventions I know. Should the doctor receive the 'lecture fee' giving lecture or sales pitch to one or two attendees with at least one from the drug company?

Guess who end up paying for these goodies eventually?

8. Stop illegals and foreigners from using our medical systems free. Their employers should pay for their expenses.

Emergency room is the most expensive delivery method and its usage have been abused.

9. Importing foreign doctors and nurses is the worst we can do to a poor country. They are seeking a better economic life for themselves, but forget their original purpose of seeking their careers.

10. Before we send soldiers abroad or explore space (both have some merits but not cost effective to the average citizen), should we solve our home problems such as health care first? Get our priority straight.

11. The average last two years of one's life would be the most expensive health care cost. Many do not want to live thru pains and sufferings. Should we let them pass away in peace if they want to?

12. Stem cell is proven to be promising. We should not let our politicians dictate the policy for religious reasons. When some have no choice, they will go to foreign countries to receive the riskiest treatments. Why let them know their risk and let them do here in a better environment?

Universal health care

Universal health care is good and bad as most systems are. Usually Canadians adopt what works in US, but not this time. Some die because the system does not allow them certain treatments or they’re in the waiting list too long.

US has a lot of holes in the current system. When you go to emergency, you’re automatically covered in most states, even if you’re illegal aliens. Not so for a regular doctor’s visit for the same health problem. The poor in Mass is pretty much covered except dental for adults.

My proposal, ideal but not practical or too many politicians/purists twisting my arm: A safety net for basic treatment for all. Then, the better coverage is paid for by individual. My point is to encourage folks to work hard, make more money and pay their own health coverage. Nothing special, noble - just common sense.