People tend to get a little Nuts when discussing the health care financing conflict. The first thing which must be established is the Time thing: Health Care Costs are going to continue, so every projected Cost will be reached, sooner or later. The only importance rests in understanding How Much finance must be raised, How Fast. It is will immediately become obvious to Anyone who studies the issue carefully that We are spending about two times faster than We should, and are sharply putting off the Collection process necessary for such payment; a fact which will surely increase the Total Amount paid by at least 8%, coming from Debt Service. We are also shredding Our capacity to invest in alternate sectors, simply because of the Collections delay. People on the Right criticize the Canadian universal health care, and I will as well; but only to state that the Canadian economy cannot maintain such level of Expenditures over time. I feel like the last Soldier left in a fortification as the Enemy organizes for attack, but I must declare that the first order of business is to control health care Costs.
Interested Readers should preview this Post before going on. Health care Expenses are simply a diversion of Production Profits and Wages to another Sector of the Economy, though the Author ignores that the Speed and total amount of such diversion is a real determinant in the Payment structure for such Costs. His Solution is to spend more, based upon the assumption that current Expenditures are sustainable. It is my belief that health care Costs must be cut in half, and We must do so, while equally expanding such health care to many more Americans than Now enjoy it. The real crisis comes in finding the methods to do it.
I will attempt to give some methods by which health care can be constrained:
1) The Government need to determine a set Payment Schedule for paying for health care services to Providers. Readers may have spotted my 1-3-5 program of payment, where Doctors could receive at most $1000 per Patient per year, Clinics $3000 per year, and Hospitals $5000 per year; all payments based upon actual Costs incurred up to that amount. Doctors, Clinics, and Hospitals would be proscribed from Charging a greater amount, and cannot bill the Patient, though All can charge an Entry Fee up to $50 per specific Visit–not exceeding Two per year. All Those who can afford Insurance must pay the Limits; Those who cannot will attain some form of Government sponsorship, but will pay for their share of it by a 4% Tax upon their Income. The later Program being optional, based upon degree of difficulty and Cost of Collection.
2) All medical equipment and Drugs must be sold at Production Cost plus 8% Profit. The Government grants Patent Rights, and the Government should pay Patent Royalties; all based upon a Payment Schedule set by Patent Office Committee, and reviewed by Congress. The total bill for such Royalties will obviously be much cheaper, especially from a Debt-conscious Congress. All Providers must present their Volume Sales to the Committee, and the Committee will decide on reimbursement based upon the viability of the Product in comparison to other medical Products, under a Congressional canopy of established Patent liability.
I am tired of Writing, and working under a Time constraint, so I will leave it at that; though there are any number of additional methods to cut health care Costs, the Reader can get a general idea of how to approach the Problem. Study on the formulation, and I will attempt to Answer any questions brought up. lgl
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