With all the money changing hands in healthcare, it’s not hard to see why everything gets complicated quickly. The inefficiencies everywhere have caused gaps in the medical profession and some believe sparked an all-out war between patients, doctors and insurance companies.
No longer does it seem about the individual’s health, but rather how and when a doctor or hospital staff will get paid. Republicans have long tried to protect the American people from Obamacare, correctly pointing out just how inefficient it is to rely on the government to provide medical care for people.
Doctors have watched the same people come in over and over again to suck up the limited resources we do have. It causes costs to rise, and puts everyone in jeopardy.
Hillary’s Ignorance
One telling moment about what’s really understood by the Democrats was when Hillary Clinton spoke to women in Louisville about the issues that matter to them. One entrepreneur spoke up about her rising healthcare costs, and Hillary was unable to respond with why Obamacare not only put her in a position to spend more on her employee’s healthcare costs, but also her own insurance costs.
When a top presidential candidate herself admits to her own ignorance about the many moving parts, it should make everyone nervous about what’s ahead.
Superusers
Just one percent of the population consumes nearly a fifth of the healthcare dollars spent in this country. These types of numbers are not being effectively addressed with Obamacare, which causes costs for everyone to go up.
When a person continuously visits the same hospital with preventable conditions, there’s no incentive for the patient to fix the problem through proper care for themselves. Either they have public healthcare, which allows them to suck up money at an alarming rate, or they have no healthcare and the hospital is unable to turn them away.
While this isn’t an argument to refuse care, it’s an argument to concentrate on the real problems our society has. With so much money already being wasted, the nation continues to focus on how we can help people take advantage of an already inefficient system.
A Question of Allocation
The GOP successfully brought up official charges on Obamacare recently, stating that taxpayer dollars were going to insurance companies so they were more likely to bring down their rates — a plan that was not approved by the people or by Congress.
The judge ruled the original reform law did not make it clear that it would be performing cost-sharing reductions, only for tax credits. More of our tax dollars funnel into a plan whose costs continue to rise, and this will continue until after the Democrats’ likely appeal of the ruling.
The Rise and Rise of Costs
Three years after the law was enacted, the markets still haven’t adjusted properly to this drastic change. It’s meant people have very little choice when it comes to finding plans that actually work for them at an affordable price.
Deductibles are sky-high, making people wonder what good their insurance plans are unless they have something truly catastrophic happen to them. With more than a fifth of people on plans not covered by their employers, insurance companies have stated that the demands placed on them are simply not sustainable.
More of the Same
If nothing is done about this, then you can expect carriers to demand increases of 10% or more by the end of next year. Minnesota has already seen a rise of premiums of about 30% or so.
In the meantime, huge companies like Aetna, Blue Cross and United continue to grapple with whether or not to continue providing coverage at all. Without the support of insurance companies, the options will continue to dwindle for everyone, and only make the plans that much more ineffective.
The Bottom Line
Healthcare reform is necessary for this country, but it needs to start with an open and honest dialog between people and politicians alike. Liberals have long refused to look at many of the real reasons this country has fallen down on our health.
A lack of physical activity, poor diets and the wrong incentives have contributed to too many people overloading the system. It’s meant that people who really need help get pushed out in favor of those who feel entitled to treatment for preventable conditions. It’s time to find a better way to make healthcare affordable for all.
Regards,
Ethan Warrick
Editor
Wealth Authority
