Why is health care reform faltering? Delaware's experience.
Many managed care plans propose short-term economics, without stressing quality, assuring universal access, supporting research, or caring for the poor. None provide much in the way of preventive services. In the absence of any major national changes to assure universal access to health services, local health care providers and state regulatory agencies need to be freed from many restrictive federal laws and regulations. Relief is needed from well-intended federal controls which have usually made the health care system more expensive 1) by applying federal anti-trust regulations to prevent physicians from self-regulation and working to improve the health care system, 2) by making it difficult for physicians to do office laboratory work for their patients' convenience, 3) by making "safe" drugs expensive because of FDA regulations, 4) by sequentially spawning PRO, PSRO, and now the Health Care Quality Improvement Program (HCQIP) to "assure quality control" (they probably have not paid for themselves), 5) by not using the RBRVS system (accepted by HCFA as a way to relate a physician's fees to the resources required to perform a service) to stimulate physicians to enter primary care practice, 6) by giving tax breaks for insurance costs to big corporations but not to small businesses, and 7) by protecting self-insured businesses from state regulations. States should be allowed to obtain waivers from ERISA (which incidentally would improve competition) so states could regulate health insurers, try such proposals as a single payer system, or at least restore community rating and equity. This should improve access to technological advances in prevention and health care for all. More commissions and studies and federal laws are not the answer. Health care providers should be able to work together freely to deliver efficient, cost-effective health care. States should be able to assure preventive services, clinical research, public health support, professional education and care for the poor.
Frelick
R W
RW
D003691:Delaware; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000191:economics