Health Care Reform Gets a Failing Grade

Dr. Jeffrey S. Flier, Dean of the Harvard Medical School, gave it an "F" in today's Wall Street Journal.

In discussions with dozens of health-care leaders and economists, I find near unanimity of opinion that, whatever its shape, the final legislation that will emerge from Congress will markedly accelerate national health-care spending rather than restrain it. Likewise, nearly all agree that the legislation would do little or nothing to improve quality or change health-care's dysfunctional delivery system. The system we have now promotes fragmented care and makes it more difficult than it should be to assess outcomes and patient satisfaction. The true costs of health care are disguised, competition based on price and quality are almost impossible, and patients lose their ability to be the ultimate judges of value.

Fortunately, a majority of voters know all this, thus the strong opposition to it.  Again, health care reform is not about heath care.  It's about extending the reach of government, which in turn builds on what progressives hope will be their enduring majority.

A "Special Commission on the Health Care Payment System" recently declared that the Massachusetts health-care payment system must be changed over the next five years, most likely to one involving "capitated" payments instead of the traditional fee-for-service system. Capitation means that newly created organizations of physicians and other health-care providers will be given limited dollars per patient for all of their care, allowing for shared savings if spending is below the targets. Unfortunately, the details of this massive change—necessitated by skyrocketing costs and a desire to improve quality—are completely unspecified by the commission, although a new Massachusetts state bureaucracy clearly will be required.

Of course a new state bureaucracy will be required.  Gee, I wonder how they'll vote.

Comments

[akorozco]

Health care costs seem to be rising rapidly on their own... http://www.newsy.com/videos/drugmakers_raise_prices_ahead_of_health_care_reform

[Tom Bowler]

Rising on their own? Doesn't the newsy.com story say that the impetus for jacking prices is health care reform? How is that "rising on their own?" Companies are reacting to government action, or the threat of it.

[CaptDMO]

So.. how much of the phrase "...increase in health care spending" apply to actual medical doctorin' of a patient?

I'm sure that a few "extra" middlemen (than there already are), each adding their "mandated" value added fees and taxes, will go a long way in broadening the Chinese/Indian/Pacific Rim medical tourism industry.

Does 3 extra salaries in-between me and my drugs, with three pages of "warnings" for every page of "New and Improved", so I can continue to dig ditches -and pay for the privilege- well into my golden years, count as job creation/saving?

I think the growing Antarctic "Ice floe" tourism industry may benefit as well, after enough folks simply refuse to just go along.
You all have your NEW travel documents in order, don't you?