Health Care: Inconvenient Realities

Health care is a bit like the elephant four blind men tried to define.  Actually, it's even worse.  The doggone thing keeps changing.

Politicians try to give the public what it wants and what it wants is freedom from sickness and the cost of repairing one's damaged body.  And, so Obama gave us the Affordable Health Care Act (Obama Care).  Unfortunately, it seems not to be affordable.  The administrators of this plan -- the insurance companies -- are finding that this new healthcare act is one tar baby they're not going to touch.  Doctors too are beginning to fear the constraints of this Obama monstrosity and are retiring as quickly as they can.  Have you noticed the advent of concierge practices -- healthcare covered by no government plan?  So you want to keep your doctor?  The trick may be in finding him.

So now we are hearing of the Trump plan that's going through Congress.  I know almost nothing about it.  It's being touted as a plan that gives the consumer choices.  Really?  How does the consumer go about making those choices?  It's hard enough deciding to go with Microsoft or Apple.  Picking a new car isn't that easy either.  Of course, research is the key.  But how well positioned is the average citizen to do this research.

Look at America's vitamin business.  Half the doctors will tell you that most vitamins do nothing for you.  Then there's the matter of the doctor's list of incentives.  Consider the Caesarian procedure for giving birth.  One advantage of this procedure is that you don't have to wait around to determine when the mother is ready.  She's ready when the sonogram says she's ready.  No more waiting on stand by for what could amount to days.  Nope.  With a Caesarian procedure you can pretty much pick your day and time.

Then, of course, there's the matter of remuneration.  Obstetricians do better financially, if they are called upon to do a Caesarian.  And, who calls upon the doctor to carry out this procedure?  Why, of course, the doctor.

Most citizens want and deserve some help and guidance when it comes to matters of medicine.  For cars, we have Consumer Reports.  Actually, we do have consumer reports on hospitals, but they're meager when compared to the kind of comparisons you get with trucks and cars.  And, which is more important: your choice of vehicle or your choice of hospital.

And, perhaps even more important, how good is the doctor?  Finding an honest and talented car mechanic can be a challenge.  Now try figuring out if your choice of doctors was a wise one.

And, then we come to cost of delivering medical care.  Studies done by Dartmouth University some time ago. rated the Mayo Clinic and the Brigham Hospital as being both low cost and extremely competent.  I read that report some years ago, so I can't vouch for its being correct today.  But, my reading of that report was in connection to a presentation I was making to a bunch of senior citizens.  This matter of cost and excellence in medical care is something that (a) should be reviewed regularly and (b) made easily accessible to all Americans.

And, finally, technology should help not only improve medical care, but should also bring down the cost of such care over time.  Consider cars:  They've come well down in price over the years.  They would have come down even more if we hadn't added all those safety features and improvements needed to increase mileage  and to reduce noxious fumes.  Don't misunderstand me.  We want the improvements I've just mentioned, but they do come at a price.

It's the same with medical technology.  Initially expensive but in the not too distant future capable of delivering better results at a lower price.

There are a host of other choices that must be made.  How heroic do you want to get in extending life  and in trying to save a fetus that has no chance of growing into a productive human.   (There will of course be a great deal of discussion regarding the word "productive.")

And finally what should be done to provide good health to people who undermine their own health by smoking, or indulging in excessive drinking of alcohol, or taking drugs.

These are all issues that we must grapple with and i don't see Obamacare or Trump's health care plans addressing them.