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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
E-NEWSLETTER
SWEEPING HEALTH CARE CHANGES?
Neighbor-
Proposals for government-run health care plans are making news on both the federal and state levels. Many citizens do not realize how sweeping the proposed changes are, and the effects those changes will have on their own health care.
Health care is complex, with so many entities involved, from patients to doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, insurance companies, government, employers, suppliers, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, etc. The question we have to ask is whether a government takeover would help us in two key areas: cost savings and improved patient care.
If the federal government succeeds in passing its “public option” insurance plan, it will eliminate the private market, subsidizing the public plan with new fees and taxes. Consumers will then pay taxes to support government-run health coverage (aka the single-payer option), similar to the model for Medicare.
Government-run health care systems - like Canada’s - have drawbacks like denied, delayed, and rationed care due to government limitations. A New York Times article quoted Dr. Brian Day as saying, “(Canada) is a country in which dogs can get a hip replacement in under a week and humans can wait two to three years.”
That is partly because government-run health care systems must set a budget for how much will be spent in a given year. The system figures out how to spend that much and no more. One way to stay under budget is by delaying or dropping surgeries to a lower priority level.
Government-run health care systems also lack efficiency of delivery, consumer choice, provider competition, and immediate patient access. Here is some information regarding Canada’s government-run system, from reports issued by the Frazier Institute and the College of Family Physicians of Canada:
• Five million Canadians do not have family doctors; two million can’t find a physician
• Patients wait 5-10 weeks for diagnostic technology; CT scans, MRIs, Ultrasounds
• Canadians wait 17 weeks for surgical or therapeutic treatment
• Canadians wait six months for elective surgeries
• Sick Canadians wait six days to see a doctor
• Two-thirds of Canadians must pay for their own prescription drugs;
• 60 percent of all personal income taxes paid in Canada is spent on health care
• Canada work force productivity is reduced with waiting times; delayed treatments
America has the world’s most responsive system of health care, but true reform is needed to reduce cost and improve quality. State-funded health care expenses in Minnesota are growing by more than 20 percent each two-year budget cycle and we cannot support that rate of growth. The state health care program for adults without children costs us $10,000 per enrollee per year, at least double the cost of worthy alternatives.
What is lacking is direct consumer involvement in health care purchasing decisions. Consumers can drive the market from the bottom up, rather than government dictating terms from the top down. Consumer power already works for car insurance, food, TVs, and the other things we buy every day.
Consumers – not legislators and Health Department staff who want to force-feed regulations – should be in the driver’s seat. Incentives should be available to help citizens make healthy decisions and lower health care costs for everyone.
Sincerely,
Paul
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