Douglas Elmendorf, the director of the Congressional Budget Office had an opinion about the pending health care pact that is being argued over at present in Congress. He says that the kind of fundamental differences that would be needed to minimize the path of federal health spending has been increased by a recognizable amount. Let us tell you that of this opinion Elmendorf is not the only man. Mike Leavitt, the secretary of Health and Human Services who was in office before his term got over as well as Glenn Hackbarth were both of the same opinion and have stated that the plan does absolutely nothing to prevent the increasing health care costs from increasing. Under the jurisdiction of the government however, this increase will cause a huge budget deficit and will eventually be pushed on to the usual sufferers – the taxpayers.
Actually the main hindrance is that most of the plans suggested by the Congress tend to rely mostly on a fee-for-services kind of health care which provides almost 100% of each visit to the hospital, purchase of each service, visit of each doctor, the conducting of each test and the like. However the chiefs are of the opinion that this procedure helps to boost the long lasting treatments, unimportant tests and frequent doctor’s visits. The plan gives no incentive to either help prevent illnesses or to even maintain the health of a patient! Profits are made in trying to treat sick patients not in the attempt to recover them. The present plan too shares these defects with all the previously introduced plans.
Here we have presented a solution the problem that Safeway has helped to formulate and this has proved successful in many cases. If you make your patients accountable for finding the best facilities for the betterment of their health, Safeway has been able to reduce the per capita health care expenses by 15%. So we have been shown that it is the need of such innovative ideas and divergent thinking that is required to get both of us the kind and quality of health care facilities we need and want to avail of. Not just that, but also a health care facility we can afford at the same time! However the problem is not exactly this but something different. Both the Congress and the President are aware of all this. In fact the people who are promoting to work against this plan are those who are trusted inside the Congressional circle or at least are answerable to the Congress for explaining the feasibility of their plan.
None of the advisors are for this plan and are giving a negative response. Yet Congress is moving forward without a sign of hearing these warnings. However it is obvious we are all in need of health care facility but at the same time we must understand that Americans do not want to pay a heavy and unnecessary tax for something which is bound to blow up like a balloon. Congress must decide what they want from a nationalized health care facility so that the changes suggested by Douglas Elmendorf can be incorporated. Expediency should be allowed to go and wisdom needs to lead the way for these guys.
