In his Aug. 4 letter to The Advocate, Stanford Bardwell makes quite clear his opinion we should each mostly look after our own health care and pay for what we can afford, supplementing personal savings with major-medical insurance for catastrophes. This concept worked fairly well for a brief period in our history. People with low-paying or no jobs may have lacked adequate care because they couldnt afford it, but that is still the case for many today. <\/p>\n
Here are just two of the many reasons a return to such a system would not work today: <\/p>\n
1. Medical inflation. I suggest anybody who has been to the doctor, had lab tests, taken prescription drugs or received medical care for any number of conditions take out the bills and look at the totals stated. For the sake of argument, lets assume the charges bear some semblance to the actual cost of the services. Do you honestly believe most people could easily pay these bills, in full, from savings or any other liquid assets? <\/p>\n
Kudos to Lloyd Ray for his letter of July 24 on solving the health care debate in Congress. <\/p>\n
2. Changes in services ordered. Go to a doctor for something he or she cannot immediately treat. Note the number of expensive tests, specialist referrals and ancillary treatments physicians now order. This was not always the case not by a long shot, and not least because many of these options simply did not exist. Do you believe all these extras are essential? Do you believe most people could afford to pay to pay for these, even if the costs were more reasonable? At what level should major-medical insurance kick in? <\/p>\n
Bardwell is a well-respected and successful person. His letter reflects a disturbing lack compassion for those less privileged. Comparing easy health care access to opioid addiction is appalling. Attacking Hillary and the last administration with unfounded conspiratorial allegations about the ACA is ridiculous. The ACA was a compromise neither Clinton nor Obama would have proposed. <\/p>\n
Our current health care system is expensive, irrational, inefficient, ineffective and inequitable. The ACA provides for more coverage, but it does little to address any of these issues. Mr. Bardwell presents a simple solution, but as Einstein is credited with saying, Things should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler. Mr. Bardwells letter does not meet that test. <\/p>\n
We live in neither a third-world nor a let them eat cake country, and we should all hope we never do. <\/p>\n
Stephen Winham <\/p>\n
retired state budget director <\/p>\n
St. Francisville <\/p>\n
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See more here:<\/p>\n
Letters: Don't oversimplify health care - The Advocate<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In his Aug. Continue reading