Health Care in the USA or The Martyrdom of Brian Thompson

Brian Thompson was in all likelihood a fine man, good to his family and an ethical presence in the midst of his corporate culture. His brutal murder has been met with an outpouring of public comments that in summary sounds like “It serves him right.”  It appears that this event has lanced the boil of public sentiment, and the puss has come running out. There is no band aid, no antibiotic, no cure unless you are in plan and your request is approved.

 It has been fourteen years since health care has been a central issue in the political discourse. Obamacare was met with a huge political backlash in 2010. Since the benefits of the ACA have become apparent 50 million citizens are now enrolled in the program.  Sixty-eight million Americans are enrolled in Medicare, seventy-two million in Medicaid and yet politically the idea of Universal Health Care eludes us. We are the only industrialized democracy that has not figured this out and we spend twice as much on health care than they do. All that money and we still do not cover all our citizens.

 A CEO looking at this evident inefficiency would seek alternative solutions to lower costs and increase access. Instead, the CEO of a private sector insurance company looks to increase shareholder value at the expense of public health outcomes. And that is why Brian Thompson’s brutal murder has evoked little sympathy. It will however be a boon to companies that provide security to senior corporate executives.

The free market is a wonderful thing. It works well when the following conditions are met. The person who selects the product or service, the person who pays for the product or service and the person who uses the product or service is the same person. Automobiles: works great. Health Care not so much. I do not get to comparison shop or negotiate on price when an ambulance arrives in the midst of my health care crisis. I am not the person paying for the service. A third party negotiates price and pays the service provider. So, the constructive forces of the free market are not present, and we should not be surprised when pricing runs amuck.

Depending on what survey you believe it is estimated that somewhere between 20,000 and 50,000 of our fellow citizens die every year because they cannot pay for the health care that would save their lives. In a country that spends 4.8 trillion dollars a year on health care that is a moral disgrace.

So, when is any of this going to change? Given the results of the last election no time soon. Hopefully what begins to penetrate the mind of the voting public is that health care is where Sensible Governance helps citizens lead better lives. In this case healthier lives and longer lives.

Universal Coverage or Medicare for all will not be easy but the private sector has had eighty years to figure this out. Health Care in the USA is great if you have access but not so much if you don’t. It is time to fix it. The question is will we?