Title of a community forum I attended yesterday.
Health care becoming too much of a market commodity?
Statistics flashed onto the screen. I don't remember all the details, but some compelling points were made.
Amount spent on administration alone, by doctors offices, just keeping track of all the convoluted insurance plans. Close to 1/3 of doctor's budget? Something like that. Office staff, paperwork.
Over 700 different insurance plans to keep track of, just serving Seattle alone.
How about administration of insurance companies? Something like 26% of premium dollar?
Administration of government run Medicare program only accounts for 3% of expenditure on Medicare. While medicare isn't perfect, it seems less top heavy than private insurance companies.
Advertising eats up nearly 40% of US pharmaceutical company budgets. Amazing.
I don't remember the exact figures, but got the general impression.
Reform to a "single payer" plan sounds like a good idea.
Then there is the idea proposed by President Bush for having medical savings accounts, rather than insurance, for some of these things.
Something like 10% of the population uses something like 70% of the medical dollars!
In other words savings wouldn't really work. Many of the people needing medical care are not in any position to have savings. In some cases, they have been battling their medical problems for much of their lives and wouldn't have had a chance to build up savings.
I guess some people do a poor job choosing their parents and grandparents. A poor job choosing which genes they inherit.
Wait a minute, do we really get to choose our grandparents?
I guess the concept of personal responsibility only goes so far.
It does play a role and no it wasn't talked about that much at this forum.
Wasn't touched on except for indirectly. Driving a car can be hazardous to ones health.
Accident and I-5 Traffic Delays Start of Forum
A principle speaker was late on arrival. Coming up from Seattle, he was held up in traffic. Seems there was a big accident on I-5 holding up traffic.
That's better than being "dead on arrival."
Yes, the interconnectedness of issues.
Think of all the health care costs associated with our automobile dependent transportation system!
Sedentary lifestyles, accidents, you name it.
I say that solving the health care crisis will depend on two things.
Promoting healthier lifestyles and reforming our convoluted and wasteful health insurance system.
Single payer seems to have many merits.
The thing I remember most, that flashed up on the screen, was a quote. It went something like:
"Cockroaches and rats can live by competition and laws of scarcity." "Human beings have a choice to live by higher things such as compassion."
I don't have this quote exact, but the general idea is here.
I favor "single payer" with a big emphasis on healthy lifestyles.
Also it would be better to avoid I-5 traffic. Use the train? Walk more, use the bicycle, wear a helmet.
It was a visit to a doctor that got me wearing a helmet.
Back in 1984, when bicycle helmets were less common, my doctor strongly suggested it when I went in for a regular check up.
I went out and bought one.
Have ridden thousands of trouble free miles since.
If only health insurance could be that easy.
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