Improving Health Care Pt. 1

The current liberal agenda concerning health care is based on the premise that the current system is broken, dysfunctional, and on the verge of collapse. I don’t buy it! What we have is a system, that like anything else in the world, can be improved. Let’s not confuse the two. We have to realize that not everyone can afford health insurance. But at the same time not everyone wants health insurance. So how do we help out the people who want health insurance, but can’t afford it? We have to reduce the cost. We do not have to create another entitlement program to provide it for them.

I know this has been beaten into the ground, but we need tort reform. For the sake of making sure everyone knows what I’m talking about here let me answer the question some of you may have. What is a tort? Meriam Webster’s defines it as: A wrongful act other than a breach of contract for which relief may be obtained in the form of damages or an injunction. A tort is simply a civil lawsuit. A doctor makes a mistake resulting in discomfort, injury, or even death you or your family can sue them. That’s fine, but the problem is there are no limits on how much can be awarded. So doctors have to take out an insurance policy to protect them personally in case they make a mistake. Those policies can cost them millions of dollars annually. Yes, millions depending on the size of their practice.

Did you know that if a government doctor, think VA hospital, makes a mistake that their liability IS capped by federal law? So why not private doctors? The only answer I can really come up with is that most politicians are lawyers who make money from such lawsuits. Folks the truth is our doctors are people. They make mistakes even though they try their absolute best. Let’s not forget that we are partly responsible for our own health care. If you are going in to surgery and no one has marked where the surgery is to be at on your body you should be saying something. Be an informed consumer. We are customers remember? I recently had to have my gallbladder removed. Once I was in the OR, and before they knocked me out I quizzed the OR staff. I asked the following questions: Hi, what procedure am I having done? They answered: You are having your gallbladder removed. Me: How? It will be a lathroscopic procedure. Me: What medication am I allergic too? The head nurse: You’ve indicated you are not allergic to anything, but your father is allergic to iodine. Me to the nurse anthesthetist: What should my heart rate be? Her: I have no idea what she said, and I wouldn’t have known the answer anyways! The point is don’t be scared to ask questions and demand answers.

So if we take responsibility, and understand our doctors are human why would we want to sue them for four million dollars if they amputate the wrong finger? I know that is bad, but is your pinky worth four million dollars? Maybe if you are a hand model. There has to be caps for things. Obviously a mistake resulting in death or life altering disabilities would be a higher cap then losing a finger. Really our doctors have our best interests at heart, and try their best. Cut them some slack.

Tort reform will reduce expenses for doctors which in turn results in reduced pass through costs, and lower fees being charged to consumers. Folks this is the free market at its best!

More to come on how to improve health care, and I’m not saying fix anymore because I do not accept the premise that it is broken.