We Need Healthcare Reform not Health Insurance Reform

 By Mary Hill

Healthcare reform is basically stalled.  Republicans in Congress are refusing to fund any programs related to Obama’s Healthcare Reform iniative. Additionally, the entire South has succeeded from the Healthcare Reform iniative with many states refusing to expand Medicaid rolls for the poorest citizens in their states. The failure to expand the rolls in this state will have the greatest impact on women and children.

Expanding Medicaid rolls is an essential part of the reform program, according to officials with the National Women’s Law Center. If the full law is implemented in January more than 7 millions women who are currently uninsured will become eligible for Medicaid because their incomes are at 133 percent of the national poverty rate. (The 133 percent rate means that a family of four can make $33,000 a year and be eligible for full Medicaid benefits.)

The Supreme Court ruled that states do not have to participate in the expansion of Medicaid rolls. Thirteen states, most of them in the South, have announced that because of the ruling they will not participate in the expansion of Medicaid. These decisions come despite overwhelming public support in polls of expanding Medicaid.

Other major news outlets from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal are also predicting that insurance premiums will skyrocket next year whtn the law goes into effect.  

I supported the main concepts of the law, quality healthcare for all.  The law, however, has given to much power to the health insurance industry which is notorious for not looking out for the welfare of its customers and cares only about profit. I feel that the law should have funded more local health care initiatives that looked at ways of empowering patients in finding quality healthcare not health insurance.

We should be allowed to pay our doctors directly thus bypassing the insurance companies.  I propose that grants be made available that allow doctors and hospitals to establish patient physician cooperatives.  Patients can choose their primary doctors and their hospital.  Instead of monthly premiums to health insurance companies, patients can pay a monthly fee to their primary doctor and hospital of choice.  Local doctors and hospital boards determine the fee rates.

With this system, I think healthcare costs would come down. Local doctors and hospitals would be freed up from having to depend on insurance companies to pay them for the costs that they give to their patients.  You also would not have to deal with things like precertification for tests and surgeries.  Doctors would choose the best path of care for their patients.

What are your ideas for true healthcare reform?  Please share. Thanks.