The End Of Health Care As We Know It: Obamacare

The end of medical care as we know it?
         The present health care changes being instituted by Obamacare (Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act), when fully implemented, will have disastrous effects on our health care system. The unintended consequences are already being felt. The perfect storm for a healthcare disaster is emerging. We have a rapidly aging and long-living population that depends on extremely complex technologies, medicines and infrastructure. This requires more highly trained primary care and subspecialty physicians. Yet we have a health care bill that is not only poorly funded for theses challenges, but provides disincentives for innovation and hard work. More regulations for physicians, reduced reimbursements and no tort reform, will dramatically limit access to doctors. Physicians are leaving practice, curtailing hours, dropping Medicare patients, retiring early, or refusing to see more patients. Patients will have longer waits to see doctors, they will be sicker when they are seen, there will be more emergency room visits and costs will go up dramatically

         Our present health care is the best in the world, and Orange County is a leader in health care quality, technology and innovation. Even so, we all agree that aspects of our health care delivery do need improvement. However, a targeted, evolutionary change is needed to preserve what we do best, not this massive overhaul burdened with new regulations and some 159 new federal programs and bureaucracies. It is simple as this: every new regulation, takes money and time from direct patient care.

            To make matters worse, a single payer system and rationing of care is evolving, unless the present health care bill is withdrawn and revised. Today many independent medical practices are financially unsustainable. Hospital reimbursement is many times higher for the same test done in the hospital that can be done cheaper and better in a doctor’s office. Hospitals are buying doctor practices through a Foundation model, which has a non-profit status and tax advantages. Obamacare requires the formation of ACOs (Accountable Care Organizations), which are hospital and physician organizations. If the hospital has acquired a critical mass of doctors, the money goes to the hospital (the ACO), which then has the power to decide how much doctors are paid and the type of services they may provide. The patient’s health care decision will be in the hands of bureaucrats. This is essentially a single payer system. Doctors and patients will be at the bottom of the health care system, in terms of control of health care decisions. Less money for patient care, less doctors to administer the care. Patient care is going to suffer dramatically, and yes, care will be rationed. This is what we must do now:

1.    Repeal the present health care plan now by electing the appropriate politicians.

2.    Adopt common sense changes: any individual can buy health care, across state lines, carry that insurance from job to job, choose a high deductible, and use your health care expenditures as tax credits through a health savings account.

3.    Tort reform is essential. Require two additional medical experts to agree that the malpractice lawsuit has merit. Require that the plaintiff’s attorney pay all attorney fees if they lose. Limit the attorney settlement fees, e.g., the plaintiff’s attorney gets up to 3 times the patient’s award.

4.    New medical schools to meet the doctor shortage.

5.    Prescription policy revision: Uniform formularies so all brand name drugs are available on all insurance plans at similar prices. At least 90 day supply per prescription. This will save many millions of dollars in lost productivity for patients, pharmacists and doctors.

6.    Prevent a single payer system.  There has to be a level playing field to encourage doctors to remain independent by providing equal tax advantages and reimbursements for independent doctors, similar to those afforded for foundation model practices.

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