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02/06/2007 Entry:
Evaluating Healthcare Recommendations
Now that the presidential sweepstakes have started, each of the 20 or so Democratic and Republican candidates will present his or her own package of healthcare recommendations. John Edwards has already presented his ideas. We need a set of guidelines to evaluate all the recommendations that will be thrown at us.
Here are my healthcare system guidelines:
- A NATIONAL SYSTEM - All the pieces, individuals and institutions should fit together in a coordinated system. Provision should be made for analysis of errors and faults throughout the system with the idea of constantly improving quality of healthcare
- EVERYBODY IS INCLUDED - Nobody is uninsured. Nobody is refused medical care
- NOT EMPLOYER DEPENDENT - Company may offer a healthcare system different from the broad national system. However, employees must be given an easy and fast way to join the national system when they leave the company or for whatever reason they choose
- GUARANTED HELP WITH CATACLYSMIC EVENTS - Everybody is guaranteed healthcare in horrible situations, such as a father or grandmother sent to a nursing home or a hospice, or a child born with a defect that would scar him for life, or anyone experiencing an accident that leaves him physically unable to function
- INSURERS MUST USE COMMUNITY RATING - Nobody is refused because of previous conditions or for any other such reason. All people are eligible. No cherry picking. Insurance pools are as broad as possible
- INSURERS MAY NOT INTERFERE WITH DOCTOR DECISIONS - Doctors are not bossed around by insurance companies - or other organizations - that tell them they may use this procedure but not that procedure, this medicine but not that medicine
- HOSPITALS MUST SUBMIT TO QUALITY CONTROL - They must supply information, especially about outcomes of various procedures, to the quality control section of the system. They must also implement recommendations emanating from quality evaluations
- DOCTORS HAVE THE LAST WORD - In order for this to happen, we want to make sure doctors are competent. This means that they must offer information about their operations and results that patients may access to know which doctor to choose.
- PATIENTS MAY CHOOSE ANY DOCTOR - Any doctor in the system, of course. A second opinion is always available. Patients may choose a doctor out of the system at their own expense
I left out taxes. It seems to me that taxes will be needed for the implementation of any decent system. There will be arguments about how to tax. However, I consider this a separate issue. These guidelines are for evaluating the usefulness of a recommended system.
What do you think?
Comment here.
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