AEI: 'Is Competitiveness Worth Defending: Health Care Competition'

Source:AEI- some guy giving a speech at the American Enterprise Institute, in Washington.

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From AEI

If you were to design a Healthcare System from scratch, no one in their right minds would design a new health care system based on the American health care system. And perhaps some people in their wrong minds, wouldn't design a health care system based on the American health care System. Everyone in their right mind across the political spectrum from Libertarians to Socialists and perhaps some people in their wrong minds, would design a different health care system from what we have now. 

We spend too much money compared with other developed nations (As far as percentage of GDP) Around 17% and with this weak economy and those health care Costs are only going to climb. We leave out about 50M people from having access to health insurance, some decide to be left out. But the overwhelmingly majority can't afford health insurance. They make too much money to be eligible for Medicaid, which in some ways is a good thing, but not enough money to afford their own health insurance. Or they can't afford to buy their employers health insurance plan. 

We spend too much money on health care we don't need and are elective procedures. And we can't afford health care that people need to live healthy and stay alive. And we have a lot of people overcrowding our emergency rooms, getting health care that isn't an emergency, because they don't want make an appointment with a doctor and pay for health insurance or can't afford health insurance. 

What we need in America is a health care system that we can afford, obviously, but one where everyone has access to health insurance and health care. Which of course is easier said than done but is something that we can do and need to do before our health care system eats away at most of our economy. 

To create an affordable, quality health care system in America, gets to things like personal responsibility. Once we set up this system, people get themselves insured that are currently uninsured, but we do a better job of taking care of ourselves, stop smoking, drink less alcohol, eat better, exercise more and better, so we won't need to use as much health care in the future because we are healthier. And we would be able to bring down the costs of our own health care and health insurance. 

The 2010 Affordable Care Act which I supported and still do, was a positive first step in this direction, but just a first step. And even if it had a public option in it, it would've been just a bigger first step. The biggest contribution that the AFA made in my opinion is the Patient Bill of Rights in it, so people can't get dumped because they need health insurance and ending lifetime caps and other things like that. 

What we need in our health care system is more personal responsibility as I just explained. But more choice and competition, not less of it, which is one reason why I'm against single payer health insurance. And this is the reason why I'm in favor of a public option, but I'm not in favor of a public option, but fifty public options or more than that to cover the territory's as well as the states. And let's see what works across the country and what doesn't work. Expand what does work and eliminate what doesn't work. 

Fifty-plus non-profit, independent of government public options, that would be fully paid for that wouldn't have to come out of government tax revenue, because they would be financed by their consumers, that would compete with private non-profit health insurers, subjected to the same rules and regulations. And let's see who does the better jobs and attracts the most consumers. 

Freedom of choice works very well in the rest of our economy and is a big reason why we are the richest country in the World. And is something we should be applying to health care and education as well. And let the best and brightest the people who deliver the best service be rewarded for that. And breakup our monopolies.