A Full-Scale Assault on Medical Debt, Part 3
By BOB HERTZ
The only way to
fully eliminate medical debt would be a comprehensive single payer plan, which
allowed no fees at the point of service.
However, such a
plan would require setting all prices for all doctors, hospitals, labs, and
drug companies. All providers would have to be satisfied – in advance — with
what the government is going to pay them on each procedure.
Countries like
Germany accomplish this through collective bargaining. Japan, France, Taiwan,
Israel and Scandinavia also have national fee schedules. However, I do not
think you could get all the providers in Toledo to agree on one schedule, much
less every provider group in America.
Single payer
would also require new income and payroll taxes of at least ten per cent more
than we pay now, if we want first-dollar coverage.
Most single
payer countries have a 10-20% sales tax as well. The Europeans are not shy
about taxing the middle class for health care.
Based on
consumer surveys, there are between seven and ten million households with over
$10,000 in medical debt. However, there are about 20 million households who
earn over $200,000 a year and would have to pay higher taxes to solve this
problem.
It took a
historic financial crisis, plus a fair amount of Democratic self-delusion, just
to get Obamacare passed. One Congress after another has refused to impose
relatively tiny cuts in Medicare reimbursements.
Therefore ………. the best we can do for now is
to
a. ...
Source: The Health Care Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Economics The Business of Health Care Bob Hertz Costs of Care health economics medical debt Source Type: blogs
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