Health Care Change

Well, with the Senate election in Massachusetts it looks like Health Care change as it was planned by the Democratic Congress is not going to happen. I, for one, am glad. But not for the reasons you might think.
What we really need is "meaningful--well-thought-out change!" If you ask almost any health care leader, "Do you want change?" the answer will be, "absolutely!" But the changes that need to be made cannot happen through politicians--who most likely learned what they know about health care from 20-minute briefings by 20-something staffers, who spent 20 minutes reading 20 articles on health care...how much could you learn?
I believe this is the origination of the idea, "Let's take $500 billion from Medicare to pay for health care for everyone." Where does that leave people on Medicare? Come on! Health care is THE largest, most complicated, confusing problem we have. Is it really something we want to trust to politicians?
Politicians legislated us into the health care red--what makes us think they can legislate us into the health care black? It's like asking Bernie Madhoff to solve thievery!
Politicians have caused the cost of heatlh care to increase through mandates--often un-funded--placed on insurance companies, employers, physicians and hospitals. Mandates that sound good, but cost much...like mental health parity, coverage for domestic partners, coverage for treatments that are scientifically un-proven. Maybe good ideas but every one increases the cost of health insurance. Politicians are anecdotal opportunists. They get one briefing by the 20-something and then legislate. That's why you wear loafers to the airport. Get ready for them to check your underwear! Sorry, I digress. Back to health care.
Here are a few of my ideas for change:
1. Stop Medicaid patients from going to the Emergency Room, where there is no deductible--because they won't (or can't) pay the $2 or $3 deductible to go to the doctor's office.
2. Give hospitals more discretion to stop drug-seekers from coming to their hospital with fabricated symptoms--sometimes 10-20 times per month. All at the hospital's expense.
3. Repeal the McCarran-Ferguson act and allow the sale of Health Insurance across state lines.
4. Allow people and employers to purchase health insurance that lets them choose what benefits they want.
5. If politicians want change, why don't they talk with people who know where the change needs to happen?
In conclusion, do I think real, meaningful change is going to happen in health care under the Democrats? No, I do not. Under the Repulicans? No, I do not. I believe things will remain pretty much the same and we will muddle through until the health care "tipping point" (what would we do without Malcolm Gladwell) is finally tipped--and things get really screwed up.
This is not very optimistic--but hey, this is the most complicated business in the world. You can't just solve the problem because you want to!