New Healthcare plan in Massachucetts

[TM7]

Here's a new statewide healthcare plan apparently passed in Mass. This is a video link.
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http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?clip=/media/2006/04/05/video1476179&sec=3420&vidId=3420&title=Massachusetts'$@$New$@$Health$@$Plan
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]http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?clip=/media/2006/04/05/video1476179&sec=3420&vidId=3420&title=Massachusetts'$@$New$@$Health$@$Plan


fyi.................TM7

[dukkillr]

Very interesting story there... I've read several things about it in the last few days.  Time will tell what the results are.  At some point this country is going to need a new outlook on healthcare, when states volunteer to be the guinea pigs it's a good long term thing, even if the plan itself fails.

[Keith L]

I heard today that if we went to a single payer system in the country everyone could be covered with good quality health care for no additional money spent.  I know that my doctor's office now has a crew of folks taking care of all the different insurance claim forms instead of one person in the business office and a receptionist.  That has to cost something.

[magooch]

This is socialism--plain and simple.  Government should get the hell out of peoples lives.

[dukkillr]

This is socialism--plain and simple. Government should get the hell out of peoples lives.

I agree with you, in a perfect world.  Unfortunately we don't live in that perfect world.  As it is now, a hospital cannot refuse to offer necessary treatment to anyone, regardless of insurance or ability to pay.  This means that the hospitals have a great deal of trouble recovering their bill from those people and have to defray the cost among those of us who have insurance and pay our bills.  

That was a problem but not a huge one when healthcare expenses were lower, but as they go up it threatens to bankrupt the system.  The largest jump in government spending is healthcare reimbursement.  

There is something wrong with every option.  My own personal opinion is that states should go back to operating low quality county hospitals and clinics, but I'm open to any suggestions.

Treating people is usually cheaper than waiting until the problem gets worse.

[victorcharlie]

Anyone ever hear of Tenncare?  It almost drove the state broke as not only were those Tennesseans who for what ever reason,  unable to provide their own insurance covered but anyone without insurance in the 7 bordering states who needed medical care planted a mailbox in Tennessee.  Fraud was and still is a huge problem.  Phil Bredeson, the governor, reformed the system and disqualified many.  Funny thing is, he's a conservative democrat.

[Echo4Lima]

Gov. health care? Baaaaad idea!!!!  Socialized med. DOES NOT WORK!!

That Governor just shot himself in the foot for the GOP nomination for Prez!!

[Keith L]

What we have now is working well for fewer and fewer Americans each year.  I don't have much faith in the government taking health care over, but something will have to give soon.  Costs are throught the roof, and quality is failing.  Last year at a manufacturing conference a doctor and head of a major medical facility told us that one third of the cost of health care comes from the business costs of dealing with the hundreds of health insurance companies claim systems.  An another third is caused by quality problems such as wrong site surgeries and wrong medications given.   My Lean and six sigma consultant associates are just starting on that puzzle, but we also need to come up with standard procedures for all insurance companies to reduce that cost.  And mistake proofing just as we are doing in manufacturing can strongly reduce the mistakes.  Then we may not need tort reform if there are fewer reasons to sue.