Healthcare stimulus

The fundamental tenet of a capitalist society (of which we are hopefully still one) is that a free market and competition improve the quality for the consumer.

The problem is that the health care industry is falling prey to over-regulation, making it less and less attractive for investors to invest their money in. With less investment, comes reduced quality; with reduced quality comes greater potential harm to individual health.

While the government has good intentions by writing Acts (such 3200 as H.R, the “America’s Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009,” more regulation and less freedom spell risks to good medicine.

The reason why the United States can boast the most advanced and highest quality medical care is that innovation has been rewarded. While our educational system (I am not singling out education, but many countries have equally good system) may not be recognized as a global powerhouse, there is a reason that Middle Eastern sheikhs travel across the Great Pond to seek advanced, high quality medical care.

If we allow ourselves (Congress represents We The People) to over-regulate health care, then we are doing a disservice to all Americans.

Some public rules and laws makes sense – hospitals should not discriminate based on race, sex etc. This is why we have evolved (this is NOT a Creationism debate) from tribal communities to civilized society – to protect all Americans. Other proposed rules, however, do not necessarily serve us well. H.R, 3200 is a 1,017 page tome, which makes it difficult for the average, cash-strapped American, to invest their time in reading, fully digesting and commenting on it.

The headlines and sound bites surrounding health care reform, make it an obvious cause to champion. How could someone be so cruel as to not want to offer adequate health care to all Americans? Adequate is the key word here; do we want average, mediocre, rushed, adequate care or do we want to encourage innovation, medical breakthroughs and excellence? A corollary of this is how many medical students are opting to not go into primary care, but instead to enter specialties. If we reward technical skills over cognitive skills, are we doing a service to the community? If we reward following the government cost-saving plans over comprehensive, are we doing a service to the community?

As Americans, we should stimulate and demand high quality in medical care, just as we demand high quality in every other facet of our lives – by investing (our time, money, efforts) in it.


--Daniel Kantor, MD BSE
Medical Director
Neurologique

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