Healthcare, Why and How? by Ted Bacharach MD (retired)

The population is divided on how they feel about “Healthcare Reform”. They fall into several groups, the most powerful of course and the ones who are affected most severely are the Health Insurance companies. They have roiled up the water making it difficlt to come to any conclusions that might adversely affect them. The next large group consists of the majority of the population who are not at present sick, and are sure that they will continue to stay well and insurance is just a waste of money that can be used for something else. This same group also contains a large number of individuals who are certain that medical care is not really necessary for almost all conditions and they are willing to take their chances with the rest.

There are quite a few individuals who are covered by insurance and have not had to use it and are sure that anything the government has anything to do with will be worse than what they have.

One group that is rather vocal about the need for reform are the ones who have had an illness and now have been unable to renew their insurance.

The group between the ages of 18 to 40 are healthy and are sure they will remain so and all premiums would be a total waste in view of their continued good health.

The group that is also quite concerned is the group between the ages of 50 to 65. They have had a minor illness or know someone who has, the result is that they are afraid to be without insurance but their premiums are quite high, impinging greatly on their lifestyle. They hope they can get by untill Medicare takes over but aren’t sure.

Physicians have stopped worrying about what anyone does to healthcare, they have already been disenfranchised in so far as healthcare insurance and remuneration is concerned so that it is hard for them to envisioning things getting much worse.

In summary for everyone things could be better but since most individuals are well at any one time, resolution of all problems can be delayed and probably will be or diluted sufficiently so that there will be little significant change.

If you doubt that there is much administrative cost in any of our present healthcare look at the paperwork that any illness produces .The determinations of what is covered, what is not covered and what is owed and what still needs to be paid, results in tons of paper and confusion of all concerned individuals. Medical care may be expensive but I suspect that the cost of administrating it rivals the cost.