1) End the 3rd party payer system...have patients pay for services directly, and then get their reimbursement checks from the insurance companies like they used to prior to mid 1970's.
This separation of the payment from the service has resulted in an awful lot of unnecessary cost.
Advantages: marked drop in overuse of medical system by patients - injects personal accountability back into the equation for patients.
Marked savings in beuracracy with billing that now exists (this is a massive cost on both sides of the fence...both Dr offices, hospitals, and insurance companies).
Cuts out much of insurance industry profits and puts it back in the pockets of the people.
Makes insurance companies accountable for cuts in their coverage to their clients rather than the present system which allows them to shaft the medical field with continually lower payments while increasing their own coffers. This will help the patients because the medical community turns around and passes the cost on to patients by increasing the cost of services to people who do not have a negotiated contract (ie the uninsured). Thus uninsured health costs can decrease.
2) Tied to tort reform but different......don't give the tort reform to the medical community for free
Give Dr's and hospitals an option: You want caps on malpractice? Only if you agree to see a certain % of indigent patients. What % would need to be determined, but I don't know of any Dr or hospital in the bread and butter fields of medicine that wouldn't jump at this.
The Dr's and hospitals are also allowed the choice of not taking deal, but then they have to continue to live with the present tort system.
This idea would result in coverage for all indigent patients fee of charge, it would reduce medical costs far more than the silly % you posted, and it would take a big burden off the tax payer by taking these patients off of the govt medicaid/medicare payroll. Patients could still sue for malpractice as well, but nor for the exhorbitant figures they now do....but still in a million dollar range.
The problem? One loser = Trial Lawyers. Thus it isn't likely to happen cuz they control Washington.
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