Massachusetts health meltdown is your future

[Exit32]

Here's a common-sense way to "reform" health care:

1. Allow price advertising. Let pharmacies, doctors, hospitals, and laboratories to publish their prices for goods and services. Eliminate all laws, regulations, and government provisions that hinder or prevent medical providers from posting their prices.

2. Let all Americans buy prescription drugs outside the United States. Do NOT force them to travel abroad. Allow them to have the prescription drugs shipped to their homes.

3. Let all people buy medical insurance across state lines. In New Jersey, a single man would pay $4,000 for medical insurance. If he lived in Pennsylvania, he'd pay $1,500. If the New Jersey man could buy medical insurance from a Pennsylvania provider, he'd save $2,500 a year.

4. Let doctors and patients negotiate discounts for paying cash. If a patient saves a doctor the time, trouble, delay and cost of dealing with insurance companies, Medicare, or Medicaid - let the doctor and patient share the savings.

5. Let patients, doctors, and hospitals enter into into legally binding, limited-liability contracts. This would reduce the cost of medical treatment by reducing the cost of malpractice insurance.

6. End all government mandates that require businesses or individuals to buy medical insurance. End all government mandates that punish and tax those who do NOT buy medical insurance. Make insurance companies earn our business with lower prices and better quality -- rather than lobby government to compel us to buy medical insurance by force of law.

[Ghostdog]

All good points but they are based on paying your own way. None of them will provide a viable solution for free health care for the tens of millions that we now seem to need to provide it for. Buying insurance across state lines always seems like a big no brainer for cost savings but when we live in the state with the most expensive medical care you'll probably find few out of state providers willing to offer us bargain rate policies for health procedures being done in MAss. Just wait until the Hospitals finally draw a line in the sand and tell the Gov't they will no long except the rates for medicare and medicaid they are now forced to accept. We are so far from a solution its not funny! The worst thing we can do is expect politicians to figure it out. We need people with experience in public health to start the process not the same tired old people that are seeking your votes while lining their pockets.

[Amber]

And in an interestingly timely fashion: Two Mass. health insurers seek rate hikes

[ggreenma]

Here's a common-sense way to "reform" health care:
1. Allow price advertising. Let pharmacies, doctors, hospitals, and laboratories to publish their prices for goods and services. Eliminate all laws, regulations, and government provisions that hinder or prevent medical providers from posting their prices.

What laws, regulations and government provisions hinder or prevent posting prices? As far as I know, they could post if they want to, but why when pretty much all of the payments come through negotiated contracts with insurance companies?

2. Let all Americans buy prescription drugs outside the United States. Do NOT force them to travel abroad. Allow them to have the prescription drugs shipped to their homes.

This is mostly about why drug companies charge less for the same exact drugs when selling outside the U.S. We don't need drug re-importation if that problem is solved. I don't disagree with buying foreign drugs, but it would come with a cost of making sure the drugs are safe which would be much more difficult for drugs manufactured in foreign countries.

3. Let all people buy medical insurance across state lines. In New Jersey, a single man would pay $4,000 for medical insurance. If he lived in Pennsylvania, he'd pay $1,500. If the New Jersey man could buy medical insurance from a Pennsylvania provider, he'd save $2,500 a year.

Why would PA want their insurers selling across state lines. Yes, NJ residents could probably buy cheaper insurance, but rates in PA would probably go up drastically. Also, why wouldn't insurers do the same thing credit card companies do and sell nationwide policies from the most lenient state with the worst deal for consumers?

4. Let doctors and patients negotiate discounts for paying cash. If a patient saves a doctor the time, trouble, delay and cost of dealing with insurance companies, Medicare, or Medicaid - let the doctor and patient share the savings.

I bet you most doctors would do this today, but as stated above, almost no one pays cash for medical services.

5. Let patients, doctors, and hospitals enter into into legally binding, limited-liability contracts. This would reduce the cost of medical treatment by reducing the cost of malpractice insurance.

Fine idea. I have no problem with it. Studies have shown it wouldn't have a major impact on healthcare expenses, but I am fine with addressing this. pennies do add up to dollars.

6. End all government mandates that require businesses or individuals to buy medical insurance. End all government mandates that punish and tax those who do NOT buy medical insurance. Make insurance companies earn our business with lower prices and better quality -- rather than lobby government to compel us to buy medical insurance by force of law.

As of today, I believe massachusetts is the only state that has this requirement. If you look at the other states, a lack of a mandate hasn't improved anything. In general, the government has not (in the past) punished with taxes, but rather has incented with tax breaks. Moving to mandates is a new approach. When the old one doesn't work, doesn't trying something new and different make sense? That said, mandates aren't about lowering costs, it is about increasing access.