Article Contributed on: 3/9/2008 2:35:44 PM
A discussion engendered by the: Rocky Mountain News Opinion: 3/9/08; John Temple, editor; Vincent Carroll, Editor of the Editorial Pages (and combined with my own internet research):
The Coming Debate over health care:
Massachusetts now mandates subsidies for its 2 year - old program of mandated coverage. It's $158 million in 20907; will be $870 million in 2009; and now suddenly lawmakers are scrambling to impose new cost controls. On the menu: lower payments to doctors, hospitals and drug companies.
The similar California plan projected the program would cost at least $4 billion more in its first five years than proponents first suggested. The plan died in January.
McCain would have people shop nationwide and be able to compare prices.. He would allow organizations like AARP to offer cheaper group policies.
He would end the employer's tax deduction for health coverage: and instead give these same or larger tax credits directly to the worker (to purchase policies or invest in the Health Savings Accounts.
Workers would no longer depend upon their employers for health coverage, instead giving the patient control over his health-care options.
Colorado House bill 1061 which passed both houses allows advanced practice nurses with specialized certificates to take over some Physician's health care duties, thus bringing costs down, by having it delivered by "less educated, less skilled people". ... ROCKY Mountain News Opinion article p. D 5.
I'm not being judgmental here; just trying to indicate that if someone studies 2 years instead of 9 years, you'll probably have to pay them less. (MD's typically do 4 years medical school, 1 year internship, 4 years residency, or more) ... Del Knudson
Several Colorado and other state's bills are nibbling away at the uninsured patient population.
And then there's COMPLIMENTARY and ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (which, is the type of medicine, supplements, etc., notgenerally not taught in our Medical Schools, and also has costs):
CAM: (Complimentary and alternative medicine)
In one study:
For respondents who used CAM, mean total (and out-of-pocket) annual expenditures were $815 ($620) for herbs, vitamins, and supplements;
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/158/20/2257
In another study:
Annual retail sales of botanicals alone in 1997 estimated at $5.1 billion$
http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~shlevy/dietsuppqualitysafetyefficacy.htm
It has been estimated that the U.S. public spent between $36 billion and $47 billion on CAM therapies in 1997 (5). Of this amount, between $12.2 billion and $19.6 billion was paid out-of-pocket for the services of professional CAM health care providers such as chiropractors, acupuncturists, and massage therapists. These fees are more than the U.S. public paid out-of-pocket for all hospitalizations in 1997 and about half that paid for all out-of-pocket physician services (12).
Source: Center of Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad343.pdf
In a national telephone survey in 1990, it was estimated that 60 million US citizens used the CAM therapies spending $ 14 billion.
It is difficult to get a precise national up-to-date figure, some study results conflict or differ from others; but the amount spent on CAM appears to be steadily increasing. There are no federal programs to reduce cost in the CAM field.
It would be valuable to see more well-funded well-researched articles on all these aspects of health care; and I expect much of this will be forth-coming. A knee-jerk response is not really enough on these complex problems.
Delmar