How We Pay is as important as Who We pay for.

I decided I might copycat Mark Thoma today, only do a worse Job. We have a great number of people to ensure. We have multiple medical procedures per person to pay for, and which are increasing in number per person; but which will have to level off somewhere, as neither Doctor or Patient can waste the Time. We must then get some concept of the number of medical procedures which must be paid. It is at this point where some degree of Reason must enter the entire analysis. Let Us hope I can introduce some interesting facets which should be explored.

One can look at the Problem, and notice certain aspects which are important to holding down Costs. The first thing which can be found is the entire issue of Proscriptions. We cannot withstand the Cost of Doctors acting as advocates for the Pharma industry. Doctors should be enjoined to proscribe at least 3 Drugs for any Condition, one of which should be free of Patent royalties. This will not be such a hazard or burden for Doctors, as they are generally Specialists, and deal with the same ailments over and over; even the General Practitioners. This can be aided by removal of many Drugs from the mandatory Proscription list; the procedure here should be based upon a Drug’s adverse interaction with other Drugs, or imposition of an addiction. Mexico and other Latino Countries do quite well without any mandatory Proscriptions at all. There will be some misuse of Drugs because of a loosened policy, but there is this misuse now, and the emphasis should be placed on only licensed pharmacists being allowed to actually sell Drugs; heavy prison terms associated with unlicensed sellers providing Drugs.

The second element of Drug Care which shouts out to myself is the need to provide uniformity of Cost to medical procedures. Two factors are apparent here; the first being that Specialization should have a preference, but not the extreme preference shown by the Private Sector. I would devise some appropriate level of payment per Doctor Hour of Treatment, plus a 5% increase per year of additional medical training past medical school and Internship. Doctors will immediately protest that it is impossible to turn their labor into an hourly Wage system, but if the law insists that Doctors list their scheduled Work retinue by Time spent, then Accountants can charge the appropriate Cost to each individual Patient. Ths is eased by a system which bills every Patient quarterly per year. The later would also help Governments to control the amount of Time and Service which every Patient receives, while billing segments of Patients at different times, though Quarterly, will provide a steady Income and appropriate use of billing labor.

I could go on with an number of alterations in medical practice which could present great advantage, but am running out of Time and Incentive; knowing that the Doctors are already mad at me. lgl