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We Must Reduce Health Care Costs*

*But please don't touch mine, no matter how wasteful

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 24, 2009 10:37 AM CST

(Newser) – The brouhaha over mammograms proves that we’ll never corral health care costs for one simple reason: no one wants to give up any care. Intellectually, women may understand that life-threatening breast cancer is pretty rare before age 50, but rare doesn’t mean non-existent. “Many women would rather be safe than sorry,” writes Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post, “and safe costs money.”

“Each of us should ask ourselves: How much expensive, unnecessary testing and treatment am I willing to have our out-of-control health system pay for to save one life, if the life in question might be mine?” asks Robinson. “The honest answer, I think is: a whole bunch.” So the only “honest solution is a word that cannot be spoken: rationing.” Our current systems already rations based on our ability to pay and the whim of insurers. It doesn’t really work—but no one’s willing to change it.

We're all for reducing health care costs, but no one actually wants to go without a procedure.
We're all for reducing health care costs, but no one actually wants to go without a procedure.   (Shutterstock)
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Just as all politics is local, all health care is personal. Skimping on somebody else's tests and procedures may be worth debating, but don't mess with mine. - Eugene Robinson

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 17 comments
Loafer
Nov 25, 2009 1:52 AM CST
Yes, Hybrid, a better level of service. If you need an appointment with a specialist you'll wait less in every other industrialized country than in America.
hybrid
Nov 25, 2009 1:11 AM CST
Source please! cause you know its bullshit! You got somthing or not..
gsn1234
Nov 24, 2009 11:43 AM CST
What drives healthcare costs? I don't know, let me see: (1) Fee-for-service payment - the more procedures are done the more people get paid; (2) Cost-shifting - people have no idea how much their medical services costs because they never really see a bill; (3) Underinsured and non-insured - it's much cheaper to prevent and control diseases BEFORE they start than it is to wait until it gets to the point where you need (or have no other choice) but to go to an emergency room; (4) Administrative costs in PRIVATE insurance companies - US government has administrative costs of about half of much as private insurance companies; (5) Defensive medicine - doctors are so afraid of getting sued that they practice overly defensive (and thus overly expensive) medicine. Of course (a) studies are very clear that medical negligence is significantly UNDER-enforced and (b) most of the costs are due to PRIVATE insurance companies who just settle instead of fighting unmeritorious claims b/c they know that they can just pass the cost off on to higher premiums; (6) 50 different states with 50 different medical laws - this adds to the administrative costs and limits the bargaining powers of people against PRIVATE insurance companies. The only solution to this is a uniform national policy to streamline the process - but only the FEDERAL government can set a uniform national policy; (7) Overly complicated insurance policies - people don't know what they have but learn the hard way when insurance companies point out the fine print that says what they NEED insurance for doesn't actually cover anything; (8) Employee-based, instead of single-payer, insurance system - a US company's ability to compete in the global market place should not be a function of how much health care costs they have to spend compared to international companies where healthcare is paid for by their government. I could name more, but you're probably right, I don't know anything about what drives healthcare costs.

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