Is U.S. Health Care Really That Good?

For those who have not read my earlier post about the impending health care overhaul in the U.S., I would like to reiterate my position on the matter then follow it with a question about your experience with the current system.

The most effective way to fix health care is to eliminate government plans and private insurance as middlemen for health care delivery, and to replace them with a system that gets back to the original idea behind insurance - pooled resources to help pay for things that cannot be paid for by one person all at once.

Everyone in the U.S. should get a high deductible health insurance plan with a health savings account. The savings account consists of pre-tax dollars that grow according to whatever kind of investment vehicle the individual chooses. Funds roll over from year to year, and can be used only for health-related expenditures. Since the high deductible plan would not start paying 100% until you have reached the maximum-out-of-pocket amount, say $5,000 to $10,000, the monthly premiums will be very low.

This solution would give more power to consumers, would make them more aware of their purchases, and would drive down the cost of coverage in the long term. I will discuss the uninsured and the poor in a different post.

Right now I want to ask the simple question: Do you like the U.S. health care system right now?

You have health insurance, you have the flexibility to use various doctors without long waiting lists. You have access to excellent surgeons very quickly. But have your experiences with doctors and hospitals met or exceeded your expectations? Do you feel like health care services cost what they should? How many of us have waited 45 minutes in our primary care physician's waiting room, then sat on the paper-covered bed while the nurse does all the work, followed by the time-constrained doctor who has his hand on the doorknob the whole time he is with you?

I ask these questions because many conservatives do not want a public expansion of health coverage, arguing that the market-based system we have is the best one possible. Liberals seem to think the main problem is just getting everyone covered, even if systemic changes are postponed. Also, I raise them because even though I adopt a free-market solution toward health care, I do not think that our current system is the best.

I personally have had many negative experiences with our health care system, from long wait times in doctor's offices to doctors who seemed completely ignorant of the problems I was experiencing. I have had a urine sample, which was supposed to be sent to a lab for testing, lost and never to be found again. I have been charged for services for which I had already paid. And I have had to call repeatedly to ask for lab test results. Fortunately, I have never had any major illnesses. A friend of mine once had to use the ER and was neglected repeatedly while she lay in pain. It is a good thing I was there to practically drag a nurse to the bed to get her a shot.

Honestly, I never go to the doctor now even if I think I should because I am sick of putting up with these problems. Even if I did go, it seems like doctors cannot even diagnose anything unless they can see you bleeding somewhere.

My current job requires me to meet with senior citizens most days of the week, and offer them health insurance plans based on their needs. You can imagine the stories I hear about their health issues. Sometimes they reveal too much information! After hearing horror stories from my clients, I can see that the problems I have had are not isolated incidents that apply only to me. They are problems with the system that affect everyone.

So while I do not advocate a government run system like they have in the U.K., I can't say that our system is everything it should be. I wish that more people would be honest about this.