Michael Kinsley - Small Steps Could Mean Big Savings on Health-Care Reform - washingtonpost.com

Washington Post by Michael Kinsley | Jul. 9, 2009 (Opinion)

To achieve the goals of health-care reform -- universal coverage and reducing costs -- is it really necessary to overhaul our entire health-care system? The answer is probably yes. No one would design anything like our current system if he or she were starting from scratch. Why try to renovate this ancient mess of leaky pipes and rotting wood? Why not tear it down and replace it with something shiny and new? Full Story »

Posted by Samuel W. Velsor IV

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Samuel W. Velsor IV
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 by Samuel W. Velsor IV - Jul. 10, 2009

This opinion leans towards doing little steps at a time and is biased against the current Health Care Reforms. Poor analysis and assumptions.

The only part of this Opinion that I agree there needs to be actions taken to reduce paperwork. Computerization would be the most helpful regulation that could be written into the new Health Care.

Next on my list would be eliminating paperwork. This is the kind of savings that economists say can’t exist: Is anyone in favor of paperwork? Of course not. So if huge savings were possible, they would already have been made. But for whatever reason, unless I’m crazy, those endless, duplicative forms do still exist. And if I’m crazy, it’s from filling out all those forms.

The required flood of paperwork requirements in the medical claims process alone is staggering. Many a practice has to have two full time people just to handle that one issue.

Ambulances are way overused. So are emergency rooms. There are dozens of smallish, concrete reforms that we all could agree on and avoid a political cataclysm. There are two risks in comprehensive health-care reform. One is that it won’t pass — and a second failure would doom the project for decades. The second is that it will pass but won’t work. These mini-reforms are almost sure to work. So why not try them first?

Completely wrong small steps is the wrong way to go.

Samuel posted this story.

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