Eschew Obfuscation aka Simplify "ObamaCare"

Eschew Obfuscation Chew what? I saw those two words on a bumper sticker recently. Had to look twice and then ran to the dictionary. Avoid confusion was the translation. Hmmm. File that one away in my little book. Well the file didn't stay closed for long. I think of that bumper sticker regularly now as I try to understand the proposed health care bill(hcb) or "ObamaCare."

For the past year, I have heard and read endless explanations and opinions on the perils and the merits of the plan. Too much really...it's all so tedious. I understand the country needs some health care reform. "Some, if not all, of the present health care system doesn't work", some say. But others say, "...some parts of health care works well and don't screw it up". But that's the key word in the debate, "some." The liberals and the conservatives in the process have very different opinions on that word "some." After witnessing all the vitriol spewed at this issue from both sides, I am evermore frustrated and weary on the subject of what is truly needed and where do we go from here. The more I read and listen, the more confused and conflicted I become. Frankly, my brain is "wrapped around the axle" on this one. Even my doctor friends whom I consider experts on this topic (maybe too expectantly) exhibit a wide range of opinion. Their opinions without solutions don't help. By blogging, maybe just maybe I can unravel "some" of my own internal confusion of what is truly needed in this reform measure.

After a year of rigorous debate on health care, it's clear to me that the hcb effort has not been advanced to the degree that the American people expected. Therefore, I submit to you, my faithful readers, some curbside analysis and suggestions that hopefully does not resemble the 2,000 pages of bureaucratic claptrap of the hcb.

The central facts from The Write Way's Health Care Manifesto are the following. First. There is an immediate and obvious need for some health care reform in the USA. Second. All USA citizens should have adequate and affordable health care. Third. The entire health care delivery system does not have to be scrapped fundamentally to accomodate one and two above. Fourth. The government needs to represent the peoples concerns and not their own political interests. Fifth. Figure out a way to flatten the cost curve. Sixth. Tort reform must be employed.

One. The need for health care reform is obvious. One phrase says it all: "Pre-existing conditions". God help you if you have a history of one illness (which is most of us)or many illnesses and lose your medical insurance for some reason. You become a medical liability and no insurance company will insure you. You are uninsurable everywhere in the USA until you reach age 65 in which case Medicare kicks in, hopefully. If you are destitute and unable pay medical bills, Medicaid will pay for your expenses, hopefully. "Pre-existing conditions" need to go away forever.

Two. All citizens of this great country should enjoy the benefits of having some sort of health care. Presently, there are over 31 million Americans without health insurance. That represents 10% of our total population without an insurance plan. With the recent increases in outrageous premiums and the economy and employment in stagnation mode, that number is sure to grow. But there are no free lunches in this world. Everybody should pay something (a sliding scale relative to income) if they want health care. No health insurance = pay full.

Three. For professional care of patients, the USA health care system is the best in the world. The total system is not broken. Albeit, the system's weak points as noted above need fixing...now. But someone needs to extol clearly the virtues of what we have and then propose how to fix what's wrong in 1000 words (not pages) or less.

Four. The government, with original good intentions, has completely lost its ability to write, to articulate, to deliver and sell effectively a plan that the American people understand and support. They have failed us all miserably with this issue. However, at some point, the government must play the grown-up role in all of this but not a controlling be "everything to everybody" role. To quote the late U. of Chicago economist Milton Friedman, "If you put the US government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there would be a shortage of sand." By the way, look how well the government has run the US Postal Service...into a debt abyss. Government should enforce the laws, not control the entire system and get out of the way.

Five. Plans and revisions are great only if the costs can be controlled and managed effectively. Government, insurance companies, tort lawyers, pharmaceutical companies, doctors, hospitals and yes, reckless patients all must be held accountable to some degree for this mess we're in. Their practices must be tightened up, their books balance, their overheads thinned, their delivery product improved across all fronts, and their personal daily health maintenance improved. Everyone involved should be held accountable in holding down costs for the greater good. If malfeasance occurs in any of the above camps, the accused parties are called before Congress and are subject to civil penalties or worse.

Six. Tort reform must be enacted. Pharmas, doctors, hospitals and their patients have been easy targets for clever attorneys. Those huge plaintiff jury awards reward the attorneys mainly and those costs are handed down the line to the patient consumer in forms of inflated premiums, pricey medications and exorbitant care. Malpractice happens. Some patients are damaged by poor decisions. But there should be a ceiling imposed for plaintiff awards so that the system can operate fairly for all and remain affordable for all. How to solve tort abuse? Hire Patrick Fitzgerald, US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, who will take on all miscreants aggressively as chief tort czar.

In sum, it has been ordered by President Obama to Congress to have a health care bill to sign into law on his desk by March 18...gulp...in 10 days. The only way this can happen is if the Senate enacts the "reconciliation" majority vote tactic which avoids the crippling filibuster manuever. If the government follows through on its plan to impose the current Senate bill on the backs of the American people through the "reconciliation" process, I fear a terrible backlash and a further erosion of trust for our leaders. And that is not good! Good grief!!

Capisce?

Postscript: Since the hc issue will be resolved soon for better or for worse, Mr. President, when can we get the 15,000,000 plus unemployed people back to work? Frankly, that seems a helluva lot more important than all of the above.