There is no simple fix, as long as “fear and greed” is the mantra for not only health care, but for the banking business, the investment industry, and on and on.

Dr Bob

Glad to see we will be moving toward a decentralized single payer system. The myth of choice and cowboy capitalism have been exposed as false directions. Wall Street, banking, mortgage as representatives of private solution must give even you some worries about the simple minded non regulatory capitalism?

Mass. health care model under Republican Romney may be a model for Texas to review.

Europe, even with whatever problems they have provides more solid directions for USA. Interesting the UK model which may be too cheap for us, is the model that third world or low income societies are looking toward, not USA. I was in Mexico recently, and it was apparent that USA cannot be model for Mexico.

Met some administrators with some 20 plus years in medical care administration, and they reported the amount of corruption in the nonprofit hospital sector and insurance industry to be extreme. Remember the large Harris Methodist Hospital system in FW, as one example. It finally feel apart… thank heaven. My colleague and I witnessed this mess sort of up close.

I do not know if you will not agree with much of my opinion. But I try to read your messages with an open mind. I have some 40 years of watching the mess but not the expertise that you have and the daily effort you put in. I merely teach students.

This post raises too many unanswered questions to merit comment!
1. Is Medicare the most important component or is it the lack of a competitive market in our nation’s private health care system? A competitive market is the best arbiter of efficacy, quality and price.
2. The fixed federal contribution you reference, exactly what is it?
3. Who is being permitted to reprice and repackage their service? Medicare providers only? Who determines whether cost and quality guidelines have been met? Sounds like another form of micromanagement to me!
4. You reference employers and employees setting aside 4% of payroll for future needs. Is this all out of payroll? Is it all meant to be saved until one qualifies for Medicare? Who owns and manages this account?

One other area you might want to address is the area of regulation. I work in the health care industry and the amount of redundant paperwork required to satisfy Medicare and Medicaid is atrocious. It consumes many hours of limited staff time, resulting in less time being available for real patient care.

Thanks for this proposal!

I pledge to do my part and spread the word!

THANKS!