Fritz Scheffel is the moderator for our conversation on Fixing Health Care in the United States. Join the conversation by adding Article Blogs to our community and commenting on other articles on health care and how to fix it. Thank you!

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Ask Dr. Health Care

Question: Is there really a Health Care crisis?
Answer: The short answer is "Yes" there is a health care crisis. Having been involved in health care for many years I know without doubt we have a crisis because politicians, beginning in the 1930’s, were looking for votes and eventually too many people bought into the idea of someone else paying for their health care needs. Currently health care represents about 25% of our federal budget but the reality is that only 10% or our population utilizes 90% of these health care resources. To say it is inefficient is a gross understatement. But the good news is the problem can be fixed if we will but force our politicians to do the right and moral thing. We should “un-elect” all politicians if they do not return health care to private sector people who know something about the subject and second, we need for them to enact “loser pay” laws to get lawyers out of health care.

Question: Why have Health Care costs increased so much in recent years?
Answer: The two primary culprits are health insurance companies and litigious lawyers. Understand that insurance companies do not care about your health, it is a business to them and as long as people abuse the system they will keep raising the rates and reducing covered services. The thing that scares me the most is that insurance companies would love to be able to place a monetary value on life which would allow them to recognize limits of coverage based on that value. Litigious lawyers are the most dangerous threat to any health care system because they prey on the system and offer nothing of value in return. The hidden costs they inflict on the health care system is humongous and completely unnecessary. “Loser pay” legislation is the only solutions, so make your politicians do the right thing.

Question: I have many medical problems and it seems universal health care is the only solution.
Answer: For your sake, I wish I could offer hope that universal health care would be a solution, but in all honesty it is not a viable option for any of us. Let’s be clear about universal health care, it is more accurately defined as “socialized medicine”. Socialized medicine is currently being applied in many countries around the world and there is not one single example of it being successful. If anything it makes health care worse because it is limited by money, lack of incentives, a severe shortage of doctors and worse would probably lead to rationing of health care services. When a country goes down the path of socialized medicine it is doomed to being a third rate power in the world because it cannot sustain financially ever increasing demands for health care. I know from experience that all of us could more easily afford services if we could reform the way health insurance is offered and get government out of the health care arena.

Question: I cannot afford health insurance, what other options do I have?
Answer: You must first begin to understand that 'health insurance' is not what people think it is. This type of insurance is unique in that it is a way to pre-pay for health care needs. The insurance industry has succeeded in teaching most Americans how to become 'co-pay' junkies. The mentality of a co-pay junkie is that by paying only a modest co-pay amount they think they are taking advantage of the system because the big dollar payouts for services do not flow through their fingers. People do not do the math, or worse, do not understand the math of health insurance. Understanding the math is probably best saved for another day when it can be explored in a more comprehensive way. For now, your best option is to live a healthy life style. Please consider this fact; if you eat a proper diet, exercise routinely and avoid unhealthy endeavors you will eliminate well over 50% of all possible diseases and illnesses you could possible come down with.

Question: What politicians are doing something good about this issue?
Answer: There are NO politicians doing anything good for health care. Some think they are, but the truth is that government being involved in health care at all IS THE PROBLEM.

Question: Is health care the same as health insurance?
Answer: Health Care is definitely NOT health insurance. Briefly, the term "health care" refers to the status of your indivitual health. Health Insurance is caractized as a means of paying for health care services. Health Insurance is a "business" and insurance companies care about your health only to the extent of how much it costs them when they pay for your health care claims.