Here’s the answer to fixing healthcare

Editor's Note: Welcome to Medical Economics' blog section which features contributions from members of the medical community. These blogs are an opportunity for bloggers to engage with readers about a topic that is top of mind, whether it is practice management, experiences with patients, the industry, medicine in general, or healthcare reform. The series continues with Kumar Yogesh, MD, a practicing independent physician in Dresden, Tennessee. He is join in this blog by his daughter, Niti Yogesh, PA-S, a physician assistant student at Bethel University. The views expressed in these blogs are those of their respective contributors and do not represent the views of Medical Economics or UBM Medica.

 

 

The United States Congress failed once again to come up with any meaningful changes in Obamacare. Honestly, it does not break my heart because I'm very much doubtful that the new law would have made any difference anyway. Basically, what they were trying to do was an insurance reform (not a healthcare reform) which is a quagmire created by politicians themselves.

Dr. Kumar Yogesh

America is the most powerful and free nation in the world. It is a fact that our doctors are the best in the world and our nurses are the most competent and caring group of professionals in the world. The quality of healthcare that every American receives is unmatched anywhere else in the world.

 

RELATED READING: Is healthcare a collective right or individual privilege?

 

Despite these facts, why is our healthcare system being mismanaged?

There are two answers:

1)    Involvement of the government and insurance companies.

2)    Ourselves. Including the people and physicians.

The three most important groups involved here who have the most to lose or the most to gain are:

• Patients: This group includes all 325 million of us in America. Democrats, Republicans, independents, moderates, Libertarians and all others.

• Doctors: Approximately 800,000 or more. Democrats, Republicans, independents, moderates, Libertarians and all others.

• Nurses: Approximately 2,500,000 or more. Democrats, Republicans, independents, moderates, Libertarians and all others.

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Willful neglect' of Obamacare is unsafe and unacceptable

 

I have been told by senior physicians that in the early 1900s until the mid-1960s, doctors were very well-respected community members and medicine was truly a noble field. Since the mid-60s, with the inception of Medicare and the American Medical Association-created CPT system, things went downhill. Maybe we did allow ourselves to be commercialized and be controlled by the government and insurance companies rather than remaining true custodians of our patients.

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