baby steps.

The United States is changing and health care system in the United States also needs to change in the way health is delivered and the way the system is run; we need a change. Though we all agree on this and that is why we are here in Congress debating the health care reform. It is always wise to learn from mistakes, those of your own and those of others. Therefore I think it is worth the time for US health care reform committees to consider lessons learned by looking at mistakes and accomplishments of reformed foreign health care systems around the world.
It is widely known that when a society is physically healthy and well the people are happier, more productive, and live more fulfilling lives. It would also be widely accepted that this is the desired state for all societies. Therefore, I would like to direct your attention to three main reform lessons: 1. National health Care coverage actually protects your people better than providing health services only to your citizens; 2. Increased Primary Care Services saves lives and saves money; 3. Implementing only Not-for-Profit Health Insurance Companies would control currently inflating cost of health care. Change occurs with baby steps and due to current opposition to ideas of national health care coverage, I believe current reform can negotiate small steps following suit from foreign health care policies and bring about better services for the American people and her inhabitants.
First, National Health Care Coverage, I believe we can learn from looking at the UK, German, France, Switzerland, New Zealand, Cuban, Taiwan, and Japanese systems to see that disease knows no boundaries. As policy makers we make decisions with our Citizens best health at heart and acknowledge that in order to do so we must treat all people living within her boarders. This is where much current reform becomes heated. Please consider, for example, what people groups currently work many of the service jobs in the USA today. Are many of them not undocumented workers or refugees? Health disparities already exist among these disadvantaged minority groups and by providing health insurance for America’s citizens but denying health care coverage to these disadvantaged groups would only put them at higher risk for contracting disease/infection, and so forth with decreased opportunity to receive treatment. However, if as a US government we were to offer health care to these minority populations by protecting our citizens, we would be protecting the health of our nation and her people in a more effective manner, not to mention acting in a truly just and humane way.
Secondly, with an additive mentality, we would increase front-line defense against disease prevention by promoting primary care services which would in-turn decrease the need for costly specialty services. The United Kingdom is a country we can learn this lesson from. Their health care system is built around this very concept. For example, the NHS (National Health Care Service) takes primary prevention seriously by providing incentives to primary care physicians who keep their patients healthy; reduce prevalence rates of high blood pressure, obesity, etc… in a given year. The investment is made into primary care services with the knowledge and proven statistics that preventing the onset of disease is a more cost-effective health care measure than treating disease with expensive, invasive specialty services. In addition, disease prevention keeps the nation’s people living happier, longer lives, their politicians included!
Thirdly, by permitting only Not-for-Profit Health Insurance companies to operate within the United States we would be able to control the quickly rising costs of medical insurance. The cost of Health Care Services has increased at an exuberant and unsustainable rate since 1970. If they continue to inflate at these rates, the current health care system will collapse under the burden of costs. The USA can learn from the not-for-profit health insurance companies operated for example in Germany. Where CEO companies operate on the prestige of running the most efficient and largest insurance company in the country, where the honor comes from doing their constituents a beneficial service, not paying their CEO’s 1.5 million dollar bonuses at the price of killing their customers.