It is time for Government to stop meddling with and exacerbating the problem with our failing healthcare system. We must allow for the industry to set the standards for best practices, economies of scale, innovation, preventative services, billing, accountability, and patient privacy. Government can help by enacting litigation controls that protect patients while cracking down on frivolous lawsuits, by establishing caps and accountability requirements. We can also address issues of high costs by getting tough on illegal immigration. It is simply unacceptable that an illegal immigrant can receive full medical treatment and get away without paying the bill. The rest of us are picking up the tab as a result.
Health care now represents more than 17% of the gross domestic product and is rising. The solution to this problem is not by supplementing the insurance companies, as proposed by Sen. Barack Obama, nor is it providing a massive government bureaucracy for universal coverage, as proposed by Sen. Hillary Clinton.
It is simply unacceptable that an illegal immigrant can receive full medical treatment and get away without paying the bill. The rest of us are picking up the tab as a result.
The solution is to deal with the problem and the enablers that are creating this tremendous burden on our system. If elected president, my administration would focus on industry solutions by drawing from the experts within the health care industry to help provide the solution.
I would also abolish the governmental HIPPA compliance mandates and instead set a requirement of patient protection which the industry would manage, not the government.
On a personal note, my 81-year old father - a World War II veteran with heart problems and living on a fixed income – is scared to call an ambulance because of the costs involved. Our elders deserve better from America. They worked hard their whole lives but are now dying in their homes because they cannot afford the proper care, or are too afraid to even ask for help.