At the end of the day, there are fewer things that are more personal - and more important - than your health. But, the ongoing healthcare debate in Washington continues to distance itself from, what should be, the main goal: to improve access and decrease cost for patients.
When it comes to the Senate’s proposed healthcare bill, the focus should not be on the bottom line, but rather, what’s in the best interest of the patient – to allow each American to choose the right healthcare coverage for them, and not let the government or insurance providers dictate what they believe that to be. We need to focus on providing more choice for patients – the choice to choose the provider that’s best for them, the choice to choose how to purchase their coverage – and the choice to learn transparent costs up-front.
During the twenty years that I’ve been running my practice, I’ve seen how every decision in Washington trickles down to affects patients from all walks of life. Here are the five things I would recommend changing around healthcare today that would not only benefit the patient, but also fix the broken system so that it’s more self-sufficient and productive for all parties involved.
- Eliminate Incentives. Don’t bonus doctors for doing their job and don’t subsidize hospitals for participating in quality measures - quality should be assumed. Eliminating incentives and penalties, as well as the administrative costs associated with them, would redirect funds for the benefit of the patient. Hospitals have become so desperate to comply with government and insurance regulations, that physicians no longer have the latitude or resources to do what they have been trained to do. The priority is no longer the patient, but the bottom line. Just as there are schools struggling to meet national guidelines for better funding, there are plenty of hospital administrators nationwide who justify bending the rules in order to maintain revenue. Take the bonus out of the equation and the system decompresses instantly.
- Allow Individuals to Choose What’s Best for Them. Few things are more personal than your health, and everyone should have the right to choose the coverage that works for them. There does not have to be one single solution for everyone- different regions of the country have very different medical needs, and there is no one size fits all. By allowing patients the choice of how to spend their healthcare dollar, the responsibility shifts from the government to the individual. Our laws should guarantee healthcare - not health coverage.
- Let People Buy Medicare off of Their Tax Return. For some, buying Medicare straight from their tax return may be the right choice for them, and for others, private insurance providers might be a better option. Either way, there should be a limit put on how much of the healthcare dollar can be spent on administrative purposes. Pre-Obamacare, Medicare spent only 5% on overhead and the rest was directly paid to the provider. Most people would choose a new cancer therapy over yet another government agency.
- Focus Spending on Patient Care. The government’s only task should be to ensure that all healthcare dollars are spent solely for the care of the patient. The government should not subsidize insurance companies, but pay hospitals and providers for services instead. Pricing should be transparent - that is the only way to control cost, and simplify the billing by creating a single payment system used by both insurers and the government. This would streamline the billing process and avoid costly delays and denials. More surplus means better services, less stress - and providers could once again focus on patient care instead of paperwork.
- Let Individual States & Regions Have More Discretion. Repealing the Medicaid subsidies would give the state the responsibility of caring for their poor. Healthcare is personal and local and is at its best when delivered simply and efficiently at the regional level.
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Paula Muto, M.D., F.A.C.S
A graduate of Amherst College and New York Medical College, Paula Muto, M.D., F.A.C.S., is the founder of UBERDOC, the patient to specialist (P2S) direct access web app. Paula is in solo private practice, serving as the Director and CEO of the Vein Center at Mutosurgical. A fellowship trained vascular surgeon by specialty, she also practices general surgery and has been a long time advocate of women’s health issues - with a commitment to the care of uninsured, inner city patients with breast cancer. Never afraid to defend a patient, Paula has been outspoken and passionate on many issues regarding patient care in and outside the hospital. The mother of two college kids, Paula resides in Andover, Mass. with her husband Jonathan, who is also a surgeon. When not covering call, they are traveling, entertaining, or spending time on Martha’s Vineyard.
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