Americans cannot afford to keep health insurance as is

Published on Sunday, October 25, 2009 8:00 AM MST

Editor:

There is a lot of chaff floating in the air regarding the attempt to legislate improvement in how health care is financed equitably. Our own senator, Mr. Kyl, is one of the bold-faced perpetrators of self-serving rhetoric that demonstrates just how prone to misrepresentation the opponents of truly progressive legislation can be. He and the likes of Rep. Eric Cantor, Rep. John Boehner, Senators Mitch McConnell and John Cornin and various self-anointed media "experts" should be sufficient cause for some real introspective consideration of the issues by the rank and file (us).

Here are a few observations that seem to not have surfaced in the political one-upmanship that is being passed off as intelligent debate: Commercial insurance should be removed from the system except for supplements for those who can afford them. Any medical coverage offered by commercial interests should be required to meet standards that protect patients from surprises once a medical need arises.

Medical malpractice actions should be regulated by adoption of standards that would apply to virtually any contended injury. The award process should be standardized so that support of a petitioning patient is not dependent upon how a given attorney views his prospects for recovery.

In addition, it would be well for malpractice coverage to be provided by a government agency staffed to ferret out incompetent doctors and other medical practitioners. Egregious malpractice should lead to permanent loss of authority to practice.

Advertising of drugs, medical devices and medical procedures should be outlawed, restoring these decisions to physician-patient consultations. The current system has doctors intimidated into prescribing high-profile drugs or seeking other medical interventions by people led down the primrose path, primarily by television commercials.

Expensive medical procedures such as the use of highly sophisticated equipment should be limited to hospitals that have staff adequately trained in reliably interpreting the data that is generated. Exotic medical equipment should not be in place to generate hospital or private practice revenues.

A single-payer approach (a la Medicare) should be put into place, and those who are covered by the plan should be made aware that not all doctors will settle for the fee schedule. Individuals who can afford it should access the insurance industry for supplemental coverage or be prepared to pay the difference from their private resources, and those below the poverty level should have that extended coverage provided as part of the government plan.

There is a final element at play. People with medical coverage should be encouraged to adopt lifestyles that will help minimize their need for medical attention so pressure on the available medical services is minimized, helping to stabilize costs. Sophisticated elderly people should adopt intelligent living wills that will relieve family members of ethical conflict during the end-of-life period that represents about 30 percent of the total cost of national medical services.

Preservation of the status quo, which unnecessarily launders money through insurance company middlemen and guarantees excessive profits for various medical services interests, is not sensible and should not be tolerated.

Rudy Dalpra

Safford

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Comments

12 comment(s)

Cowpies wrote on Oct 28, 2009 10:38 PM:

" What does "sensible thinking about financing health care" mean? Who decides what is sensible thinking - the members of congress who don't even take the time to read their own b.s. Oh, that's right, Obama told us we would all have the opportunity to study healthcare reform on the internet and see that everything is "transparent" and above board. What a load of cowpies! "

Rudy Dalpra wrote on Oct 28, 2009 9:35 PM:

" Loosen up, Brent ! !

What have Gila Valley roots got to do with sensible thinking about financing health care ? ?

Not your friend? Fine by me ! ! "

Pie wrote on Oct 27, 2009 10:48 PM:

" Actually, I think the IRS will be involved in some way with the health plan. If there is any kind of money collection required, you can bet your sweet posterior the revenue sharks will be circling to take their "fair share" bite of the pie. "

Confusing wrote on Oct 27, 2009 8:33 AM:

" Maybe we can turn everything over to the IRS. They're another compassionate and well run government agency that seems to know how to squeeze a dollar out of everyone, whether they owe or not. Why not let them regulate healthcare, too? If you think the 1400 page congressional healthcare bill is confusing, try reading the IRS code sometime. Not even our big brained judges in the judicial system can figure that one out. "

PimaTwo wrote on Oct 27, 2009 7:37 AM:

" Here's one. idea, Put a plan together and place it on the ballot for all the nation to vote on. That's the only fair way otherwise it's just blantant social engineering starting all over again in the 21st century. Ain't it grand folks ain't it grand. I wish the Lib's would think about money as an earned entity instead of growuing on trees. Oh wait I have to go and cash my government stimulus check. (NOT)
If Washington votes for this in it willt be our chance to replace them all. Mmost will be gone Just Watch! "

Brent Moody wrote on Oct 26, 2009 2:40 PM:

" Mr. Dalpra: First of all,, I'm not from Mesa, and I surely do not consider myself to be your "minder"--that would be an impossible task. As to your insinuation that responses to your liberal rantings should have some territorial limitations, that, of course is absurd; nevertheless, my deep roots in the Gila Valley more than adequately qualify. Regardless, when it comes to our legal/medical system concerning malpractice, you don't know what you're talking about, period. The rest of your comments are not based in fact, but are just nonsensical, liberal/socialistic claptrap. P.S. Only my friends call me Brent. "

AKA Dora wrote on Oct 26, 2009 12:38 PM:

" Let’s see if we understand: Auto Insurance is too expensive and profit driven; The government should automatically get those proceeds, because they can better manage them; Then we should restrict driving to the hour between 9am and 4pm, since those are the lower risk times to drive. PS, If you want to go out after 10PM, a coupon may be purchased at a costly premium. ...Just Say NO! "

To Rudy wrote on Oct 26, 2009 12:20 PM:

" I think all the tree hugging and granola eating has finaly done some permanent damage to your brain. "

Rudy wrote on Oct 26, 2009 9:41 AM:

" My minder from Mesa is at it again. Mr. Moody is high on right wing rhetoric but rarely deals with the actual issues, as I described them in my recent letter.

People of Mr. Moody's mindset come unglued at the prospect of an enlightened system that will place the welfare of the people above that of a warped establishment, of which he is apparently a member. No hard feelings Brent !! "

Brent Moody wrote on Oct 25, 2009 8:59 PM:

" When a liberal uses the word "progressive", he means "liberal". With that in mind, Mr. Dalpra's "observations" can be seen for what they are: the radical rantings of someone whose utter ignorance of our existing healthcare and legal systems results in a plan which would have government in charge of everything, including regulation of doctors via a government-controlled malpractice system. Read carefully what he says, because what he proposes is the worst kind of autocratic socialism. Everything, including the lifestyles of citizens, would be regulated by bureaucrats. Somewhere along the line, Mr. Dalpra has forgotten the meaning of freedom. "

Jeremy Engdahl-Johnson wrote on Oct 25, 2009 5:08 PM:

" Today's medical professional liability system is too adversarial and too expensive. There are alternatives. More at www. healthcaretownhall. com "

Rudy Dalpra wrote on Oct 25, 2009 4:24 PM:

" I'm posting this as an adendum to my initial letter. Various established economists and number crunchers not connected to the moneyed establishment which benefited from the recent ugly bailout are contending that in the end the total cost of the exercise to the taxpayers will be over $15 TRILLION.

Meanwhile a figure approaching $1 trillion over 10 years is said to be too expensive to guarantee medical coverage for our citizens. Equity is not a big part of current political thinking. "

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