Political Thinking
It's time to confess something. I've been trying to avoid it, but I can't. Everyone's talking about it, and I've been thinking about it. So I'm going to do something about it.
I'm gonna talk.
All the uproar about changing the health care system has just been divisive. I don't honestly think that I can trust any solution the government puts forward. Really, what is the government's track record on making things better?
Let me be clear: no one should loose their homes to pay their medical bills. Costs are outrageous, and many people don't have access to care they need. Making people "realize" the costs of healthcare by making their insurance payments doesn't make them less likely to need medical care.
Hello, does anyone else realize this? Who wants to contract a major illness that disrupts their life and plunges them into debt? No one elects illness.
Instead of this major overhaul, let's start with something smaller. Let's unify the records and billing process.
People should promptly know what their medical costs are. This nonsense about having a procedure and waiting 120 days to get a bill from the provider is unacceptable. This is something the health care industry can fix themselves without any pressure from Washington. And I think they do a better job if they do it themselves. It's call industry standards. If they all decide to work together they can fix this problem.
Let's see them do it. And if they can't, let's see if the government can legislate a better system.
And then we'll talk about what's next.
I'm gonna talk.
All the uproar about changing the health care system has just been divisive. I don't honestly think that I can trust any solution the government puts forward. Really, what is the government's track record on making things better?
Let me be clear: no one should loose their homes to pay their medical bills. Costs are outrageous, and many people don't have access to care they need. Making people "realize" the costs of healthcare by making their insurance payments doesn't make them less likely to need medical care.
Hello, does anyone else realize this? Who wants to contract a major illness that disrupts their life and plunges them into debt? No one elects illness.
Instead of this major overhaul, let's start with something smaller. Let's unify the records and billing process.
People should promptly know what their medical costs are. This nonsense about having a procedure and waiting 120 days to get a bill from the provider is unacceptable. This is something the health care industry can fix themselves without any pressure from Washington. And I think they do a better job if they do it themselves. It's call industry standards. If they all decide to work together they can fix this problem.
Let's see them do it. And if they can't, let's see if the government can legislate a better system.
And then we'll talk about what's next.
Comments
BYU health insurance was pretty good.... as long as I would never leave Provo. I learned that the hard way when I left for Lake Powell and paid over 5 times at the ER what I would have paid for the same thing in a Provo ER at a "in network" hospital. The 6 hour car ride may have been worth it.
A big issue I also have is the inability to choose my doctor. Health Insurance has rendered that nearly impossible to do because if I want benefits, I have to go with the doctors on their list, not mine. That was a major factor when I decided to switch jobs.