Organizing for America | Finance Matters Blog: Heath Care Costs

Heath Care Costs - Reaching for the Moon

By Dale - Jul 23rd, 2009 at 12:11 am EDT

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Tags: Amsco, Bertchold, Cardinal Health, CNBC, foxnews, HCA, MedAssets, MSNBC, Novation, O'Reilly Factor, PREMIER, Skytron, Steris, Truman Medical Center

Thanks - well said! In addition, the health care bill has a long ways to go yet to achieve the objectives of reduced costs. Ultimately it requires fundamental changes in the way business, insurance companies, group purchasing organizations, medical equipment manufactures, and finally medical facilities themselves, are doing business.

The changes needed include;
1. eliminating wasteful overhead in insurance companies
2. eliminating group purchasing organization tactics of charging a 3% fee on every sale, creating monopolies by awarding contracts to 1 manufacturer for a minimum of 5 years, eliminating small business competition by requiring national sales force, national distribution and marketing, national service coverage, national repair as well as signing up hospitals and pressuring them into only doing business through the GPO.
3. eliminating predatory, sole source, and tying practices of medical equipment manufactures who are sole sourcing parts from overseas preventing others from buying direct which requires purchasing through the medical equipment manufacturer at huge markups.
4. eliminating wasteful billing practices by medical facilities - I mean when did you buy or repair a car and get a bill from the manufacturer of each part after you paid the repair shop to fix the car? - Yes, a hospital bill, an emergency room physician bill, a radiology group bill, a lab bill, and on and on and on!

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On Jul 22, 2009, at 2:05 PM, Miles Maestas wrote:

Americans actually reached for the moon 40 years ago. Some have forgotten its significance. Some people believe that it was a hoax. As far-fetched and fanciful an idea as *reaching the moon* sounds, I think that most people agree that the United States actually accomplished that goal and that it was a worthwhile effort.

In the early 1960's, there were complaints that it would COST TOO MUCH or that it was TOO HARD -- very much like we hear about health care reform today. Just as we figured out how to reach the moon, we can also figure out how to reform health care in America. And, if you think about it, the main goal of getting someone to the moon before the Soviet Union did seems like a trivial objective compared figuring out how to create an affordable, long-term health care system for millions of Americans.

It would be a shame if the achievement of the moon landing was reduced to mere bragging rights between rival football teams. Thank goodness for the practical and positive *side effects* of velcro, freeze-dried ice cream, and sparking human imagination.

A even more worthy and lasting achievement than the moon landing would be figure out as Americans how to end the real and ever-present concern that you, your family, and neighbors feel about paying for a doctor's visit or exhausting of your financial resources just to keep you or a family member healthy -- if not today, then possibly some day. It's absurd to just accept the games that the private sector - private insurance companies - have come up with in playing with our health. As fun as some people think it is to roll the dice in getting approved for a pre-existing condition, making phone calls, or writing letters to insurance companies to get coverage for basic health care -- it is also an unnecessary game to play.

Whether you're idealistic, like reaching for the moon, or practical, like getting medical treatment, it is well worth your time to find health care reform efforts near your zip code -- the benefits for you, your children, and our country can be even greater than putting a man on the moon.

Miles Maestas
Reston, VA 201910

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