Re: "It's up to all of us to understand, rein in U.S. health care costs, " Other Opinions, March 24. While I agree with the Rev. Kevin Wildes that the cost of health care in this country is rising significantly -- and it is difficult to understand all of the aspects of insurance coverage, fees for office visits, procedures, and hospitalization, and the intricacies of Medicare and the Affordable Care Act -- the editorial doesn't include two key factors.
The first is that the population is, and has been, aging, and with an aging population comes higher health care expenditures. The second is the medico-legal climate. Medical malpractice lawsuits have a significant impact on the cost of practicing medicine, not only regarding awards to plaintiffs and their attorneys, as well as malpractice insurance premiums paid by hospitals and physicians, but the cost of practicing "defensive medicine" is astronomical. So when patients expect or demand a test or procedure, chances are they will get it whether or not it is necessary.
Finally, I challenge the logic in suggesting that the health care system of this country is anything less that the best the world has to offer. Father Wildes states that we rank 51st in life expectancy in spite of the money spent on health care. However, we rank sixth in obesity, according to his source. Homicides, accidental deaths on our streets and highways, and the incidence of smoking and drug and alcohol abuse further erode life expectancy.
The fact that people come here from all over the world to seek medical care and to work in research and development to improve the health and lives of everyone speaks volumes. I will gladly pay my health insurance premiums, co-payments, and deductibles to know that, in spite of its flaws, I will receive the best health care anywhere.
David W. Hoerner
Metairie
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