Public patients wait longer for surgery
Operating theatres shut to save cash as thousands wait for surgery
One of the aspects of a government-run health care system that is most terrifying to many Americans is the concept of rationed care. Rationing can take the form of long waits, delayed or denied appointments, delayed diagnoses, and delayed or denied treatments. Countless studies have shown Americans have a better chance of surviving cancer and other deadly diseases compared to citizens of other countries due to early detection. This survival rate for Americans could drastically decrease under a government-run system, as seen when American survival rates are compared with those of other countries. For leukemia, the American survival rate is almost 50 percent; the European rate is just 35 percent. Esophageal carcinoma: 12 percent in the United States, 6 percent in Europe. The survival rate for prostate cancer is 81.2 percent here, 61.7 percent in France and is just 44.3 percent in England—patients in England are only half as likely to survive prostate cancer than patients receiving treatment in the United States. This is staggering.
Other examples of the effects of rationing can be seen in instances where care is denied based on extraneous characteristics of the patient, such as age or lifestyle choice. There are many reported instances where older patients are denied treatments such as heart transplants because they have a statistically limited number of years of natural life left. According to the UK Telegraph, “Smokers, heavy drinkers, the obese and the elderly should be barred from receiving some operations, according to doctors, with most saying the health service cannot afford to provide free care to everyone.” Under a government-run plan, there is the danger that a government bureaucrat can make the decision that you are not worthy of receiving treatment because you have limited societal worth.
I do not support the rationing of care, and I do no support the creation of a plan that will allow politicians and special interests to stand between patients and the care they need. Our current health care system is unsustainable, and the prohibitive costs leave far too many without adequate health insurance. Reform to this system is necessary if we want to remain competitive in the global market place. I’d like to introduce to you my prescription for health care reform that I will be telling you about over the next couple of weeks:
- Portability: Allowing individuals to keep their health care coverage while between jobs would provide a safety net for those who become uninsured because of unemployment or disability.
- Affordability: Health care costs have become unmanageable, both for families and for governments, and has left many uninsured or under-insured. Removing burdensome state coverage mandates and opening up the health care marketplace to competition across state lines could dramatically reduce health care costs in New Jersey and across the country.
- Sustainability: We should not add to the government health care programs until we are able to fix the existing government programs – Medicare and Medicaid. Unless we are able to fix these entitlement programs, as well as Social Security, the cost of the entire federal government will double within three decades due to entitlement growth alone. Tax hikes to fix this problem is not the solution, nor is adding a new government-run health care bureaucracy.
- Effectiveness: The current health care system reimburses the number of procedures rather than the quality and efficacy of the care. While doctors are compensated for extra tests and hospitals visits, they are not paid for offering telephone consultations or implementing health care IT. By encouraging quality over quantity of care, we can down on over testing and strengthen the doctor-patient relationship. Moreover, protecting doctors from frivolous tort lawsuits will significantly reduce the cost of primary care and remove a significant burden from doctors’ shoulders.
- Innovation: The United States has been home to more life-saving drugs, ground-breaking research, and innovative medical procedures than anywhere else in the world. Any health care reform must continue to encourage medical and pharmaceutical research and not enforce price controls, which would destroy the American pharmaceutical market.
The American people deserve the freedom to choose the health care that is best for their families. I believe we need meaningful health care reform that would increase accessibility, decrease costs, and improve on what is already the best health care system in the world.
Sincerely,
Scott Garrett
Member of Congress
