I am convinced that Americans have the world’s finest doctors and best hospitals. Our national conundrum is how we help each individual get the care they need.
Unfortunately, many Americans have too few treatment options available to them. Further, a huge number of our citizens are not covered at all. I have yet to see the program that answers all the issues, but I am encouraged by the direction that some opinion leaders are taking.
Senator Sam Brownback has made the following statement,
“Our healthcare system will thrive with increased consumer choice, consumer control and real competition. I believe it is important that we have price transparency within our health care system. This offers consumers, who are either enrolled in high deductible health plans or who pay out-of-pocket, the ability to shop around for the best prices and plan for health care expenditures. Also, the existing health insurance market forces consumers to pay for extra benefits in their premiums.”
Former mayor and presidential candidate Giuliani’s campaign web site says,
“America is at a crossroads when it comes to our health care. All Americans want to increase the quality, affordability and portability of health care… I believe we can reduce costs and improve the quality of care by increasing competition. We can do it through tax cuts, not tax hikes. We can do it by empowering patients and their doctors, not government bureaucrats. That's the American way to reform health care."
Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor and candidate for president, has made the following insightful remark concerning cutting healthcare costs,
“… spending is now about $2 trillion a year, which is close to $7,000 for each one of us. It consumes about 17% of our gross domestic product, easily surpassing the few European nations where spending is close to 10% and far higher than any other country in the world. If we reduced our out-of-control health care costs from 17% to 11%, we'd save $700 billion a year, which is about twice our annual national deficit.”
In addition to these quotes most thinking leaders would agree with the following conclusions:
1. The tax code needs to be reformed so that it does not penalize Americans without coverage.
2. Health access must be given to impoverished or low income citizens (a tax credit may be best way to handle this).
3. The nation needs to accelerate the speed of drug evaluation and release by the FDA.
4. Incentives that promote wellness and disease prevention must be written into health insurance programs.
There is a huge need for Americans to find an answer to our health care woes. As we have already stated, our medical system is the best in the world. Our doctors, nurses, and hospitals are the finest available on the planet. There is just one thing missing – the ability to make healing our own people a priority. We must heed the biblical challenge that was given to Jesus in his earthy ministry, “Physician, heal thyself!”