Where Is Healthcare Going?

The government single-payer model that liberals aspire to for the U.S. is already in trouble in other
developed countries.

The liberal attraction to the Britain's socialized National Health Service (NHS) became increasingly clear
when the White House installed an outspoken NHS fan, Donald Berwick, as an interim appointee (2010-
11) to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

It’s curious how liberal think tanks like the Commonwealth Fund issue reports ranking the NHS as the
best medical system among those in 11 of the world's most advanced nations, including Canada,
France, Germany, Switzerland and Sweden. Coming in last by their rankings of course: U.S. health care.

What’s curious is how the Commonwealth rankings are contradicted by objective data.  For instance:
Americans diagnosed with heart disease receive treatment with medications significantly more frequently
than patients in Western Europe
American cancer patients have survival rates better than those in Western Europe and Britain.
For many more causes of death, ample scientific evidence shows we are leading not falling behind.

The disparity in news reports vs. reality is the that  liberal reports are most often based on surveys that
rely heavily on subjective surveys about perceptions and experiences of patients and physicians.

Curiously, even as the single-payer NHS system remains the ideal for many on the left, it's worth looking
closer at how Britain's NHS is faring.  Recent reports tell us:

Hospital waiting list soared to their highest point since 2006, with 3.2 million patients waiting for treatment
after diagnosis.
Over half a million people in London alone were waiting for operations or other treatments
More than 15% of patients diagnosed with suspected cancer waited more than two months—to begin
their first treatment.

Not surprisingly, the British are discovering their government is not all that great at managing
healthcare.  As you might expect, Britons who can afford to avoid the NHS are eager to do so.  Despite
the government plan to provide “free” healthcare to all, many British citizens now buy private health
insurance with hundreds of thousands choosing to pay for private treatment out-of-pocket.

The socialized-medicine model is struggling across Europe. Even in Sweden, often the favorite example
of welfare state success, long wait times for treatment available in the U.S. have been widely
documented.  What is not usually reported by the liberal press is that the Swedish government has
greatly pushed the introduction of private-market forces to improve access, quality and choices.  Almost
600,000 Swedes now use private insurance, though they are "guaranteed" public health care.

In the United States the Veterans Affairs scandals remain glaring red flags that Government run
healthcare is a disaster waiting to happen again and again.

Although rarely reported in the press, evidence is coming in from other countries that have tried  
socialized medicine and found it lacking.

The reality is that reducing spending, expanding access to affordable coverage, preserving personal
choice, portability of coverage, promoting competition in insurance markets, and maintaining excellence
in medicine—do not require government to directly provide health care.

Getting quality medical service will increasingly require selecting a doctor that offers a more
personalized service.  For a fee, seniors can contract with a personal care/concierge doctor that offers
prompt access, adequate time for appointments, options for calling them directly, time to make good
medical decisions, and advocacy when seeking care beyond the primary care doctor’s office.

In Huntsville, Alabama, many view the opportunity to obtain personal care as a positive since it provides
their doctor time to listen, make the best medical decisions and teach them what they need to know
rather than 5-7 minute appointments where healthcare needs get kicked down the road.  By providing
adequate appointment time and care, this new type of personal care doctor helps keep their patients
maintain the best quality of life, stay out of the hospital and avoid unnecessary procedures.


Tell Me More about Concierge Physicians in Huntsville, Alabama.



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