A reader sent me the following comments.
“Sorry Doc,
I like and Highly respect you, but You are Wrong:
My Ideal Medical Savings Account is essential. OK BUT WHAT ABOUT THOSE THAT LITERALLY LIVE PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK??? How are these Americans going to start and contribute to MEDICAL SAVING ACCT?
Patients must be responsible for their care and healthcare dollars. WHAT ABOUT THOSE CHILDREN AND SENIORS DISABLED—-HOW WILL THEY DO SUCH?”
This reader has misinterpreted my post entitled “My Ideal Medical Savings Account Is Democratic!”
There are many problems with the healthcare system. It has become unaffordable and inaccessible. The expansion of entitlement programs usually makes the problems in the healthcare system worse.
Healthcare policies should be introduced to solve problems in the healthcare system and not expand them.
Innovative systems and software need to be developed to fix the problems. Just think of the revolutionary way the IPhone changed the way we communicate in the last ten years.
Our healthcare system can be changed in a way that promotes free choice, improves the quality of care and reduces costs.
Our healthcare system has become unaffordable and unworkable for many of its stakeholders. The most important stakeholder is the patient.
This reader has misinterpreted my arguments in favor of My Ideal Medical Savings Account.
The expansions of entitlements has proven to be unaffordable and ineffective in the past.
In the present Republican healthcare bill to repeal and replace Obamacare people who live from paycheck to paycheck will be eligible for a tax credit that is paid to them in advance. This will allow them to have money to pay for their Medical Saving Account.
If the government subsidizes consumers in this way consumers will not only have the money to pay for their medical care they will also have first dollar coverage above the deductible amount provided by the tax credit.
My Ideal Medical Saving Account convert indigent patients from a complete entitlement program (Medicaid) toward a system where patients would be responsible for their care. Patients would try to conserve their healthcare dollars.
If indigent patients save money on their healthcare coverage they will receive the unspent money in a retirement trust account.
Consumers will have the incentive to stay healthy or be treated appropriately and not overuse the healthcare system. This is the way to My Ideal Medical Savings Account can apply to the indigent and consumers of all income levels.
Essential to Medical Savings Accounts are all prices must be transparent. This is where effective software comes in.
The definition of a tax credit in this context is different than applying a tax credit to income earned. If a consumer is eligible to receive a tax credit he receives the money directly from the government to pay for his Medical Saving Account.
The positive effect to the healthcare system is that if the individuals take good care of themselves and are responsible for their health and healthcare and their healthcare dollars they will not end up in the Emergency Room or hospital and spend a lot of their deductible money.
They will have money left from the tax credit given to them by the government. The money is their money and will go directly into a retirement trust fund. The leftover money is not saved to be spent on future healthcare needs.
This financial incentive will keep the cost down for consumers and the healthcare system.
Please read my blog “My Ideal Medical Saving Accounts Are Democratic” carefully.
In the Medicaid entitlement program for the indigent and disabled consumers do not have a financial incentive to be responsible for their health and healthcare dollars. With Medical Savings Accounts there is a financial incentive for consumers to be responsible for their health and healthcare dollars.
“The Ideal Electronic Medical Record is essential. YES BUT SOME CAN BE HACKED SO HOW EFFECTIVE WOULD IT BE?”
When going to a Clinic or hospital consumers automatically sign a consent form for the release of medical records. When buying a healthcare insurance policy consumer sign a similar release of medical records form.
Medical records are not as private as we all would like them to be.
It is the Ideal Electronic Medical Record’s software developer who is responsible for developing medical records that cannot be hacked. Americans have been cautioned about computer privacy since 1980. The problem has not been solved yet.
Most of the electronic medical records that are bought by physician offices and hospital systems are from private vendors. The software is expensive and cannot do everything it is supposed to do including protecting the patient’s privacy rights.
The ideal medical record should provide an educational experience to physicians. Presently the software available does not do this.
The EMRs provide a surveillance tool for the government and the insurance companies to judge patient care.
The government should build an un-hackable software system that resides the cloud. Physicians and hospitals should pay for it by the click. It should provide an educational experience for physicians in order to improve patient care. It should not be used as a punitive tool
We have been told over the years that the VA Hospital System has an excellent EMR. Why is the VA Hospital System switching to Cerner’s EMR? Cerner’s EMR has all the defects of commercial EMRs
Cerner’s EMR is not an Ideal Electronic Medical Record. The company probably obtained the government contract because of its political connections.
“Patient education must be an extension of their physicians’ care. ABSOLUTELY BUT IN ENGLISH NOT MED TERMS!”
This is the reason the healthcare system must be consumer driven with community social networking.
If a physician does not satisfy the community he practices in, consumers will know about it quickly through community social networking. They will then have the choice not to use that physician.
If the government, healthcare insurance companies and physicians will not provide the necessary transparency in the system, consumers must.
“A team approach to chronic disease management must be adopted with the patients becoming the professor of their disease.”
AHH But When a patient Tries to Educate themselves on Such—THE INTERNET HONESTLY HAS CONTRADICTING INFO!
I KNOW THIS ONE PERSONALLY AS I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING FOODS AND INFO ON HIGH CREATININE LEVELS!
MY CREATININE LEVELS ARE HIGHER THAN NORMAL, but there is so much Contradictory Info out there—
-I.E. Should I EAT UNSALTED NUTS OR NOT EAT NUTS> SHOULD I EAT BLAND WHITE BREADS OR THE MORE HEALTHFUL MULTI GRAIN AND WHEAT BREADS!!! And Should I consume Lean Meats and Poultry or NOT! Some say yes, others say No!
Patients’ cannot educate themselves by solely using the Internet. The educational process has to be through their physician and his healthcare team’s selected Internet sites.
The team should pick the Internet resources it wants the patient to use. The appropriately chosen Internet sites should be used as an extension of the physician’s care. Consumers should be confident of the information source picked by their physician and his healthcare team. It will also enhance the physician patient relationship
“Hence on some of the issues you wrote I slightly agree with, but over all you fail to consider the Poorer Americans and that not all Americans have intelligence to research or are too disabled to RESEARCH!”
I believe that everyone should be responsible for his or her medical care and medical education. Ever the poorest people can be responsible for their care and can be educate.
Many social agencies exist to help poor people be responsible for themselves.
Individual responsibility and initiative is the principle that has made America great. If a person is not capable of being responsible for himself, artificial intelligence systems could be developed to help this very small percentage of the population survive and thrive.
Entitlements and dependence on the central government by all is what President Obama wanted. It simply results in more debt and a weaker society.
There are many problems in our society. We have to start somewhere with good ideas to invigorate all levels of society.