tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728663724412014068.post2005337918198243776..comments2023-05-25T04:35:32.728-05:00Comments on Let's Wake Up South Dakota: Better Healthcare for South Dakotans…Scott Munstermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03498247357188358121noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728663724412014068.post-89795930955902564282008-04-21T15:16:00.000-05:002008-04-21T15:16:00.000-05:00You're right - cost is the issue. Especially when ...You're right - cost is the issue. <BR/>Especially when our country is spending close to 16% of our GDP towards health care, when other economically developed countries are ranging between 8-12%. This creates a huge competitive advantage for business in those countries, as they compete against the business in our country...<BR/><BR/>In my opinion, we need to take control of the situation and create the competitive advantage our companies need in South Dakota, in part, by creating a better health care system that is universal and controls the rate of growth of the health care dollar.<BR/><BR/>Think about this for a minute, what are the incentives for private insurance carriers or HMOs to worry about health care costs? They simply pass it on through their premiums. That cost is absorbed largely by the employer and more recently by the consumer, through higher deductibles, joined with higher premiums. <BR/><BR/>We must design a system implemented with financial 'drivers' that would create incentives for the insurance industry to compete on quality of care and make their profits on reducing the cost of health care by preventing disease, rather than paying doctors and hospitals less for their procedures and services. This calls for incentives that would be geared more towards prevention models of care. <BR/><BR/>There are new models are out there. We need to make the bold change. You are right, "Half measrues will avail us nothing"; we need to fix this thing - incremental changes will not work. We must turn this ship 180 degrees. <BR/><BR/>And it won't cost us more if we structure it properly.<BR/><BR/>I appreciate the dialogue!Scott Munstermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03498247357188358121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3728663724412014068.post-52328665782365977872008-04-11T21:01:00.000-05:002008-04-11T21:01:00.000-05:00I agree, but suggest it would be best dealt with b...I agree, but suggest it would be best dealt with by the federal government. That would insure uniformity for those who move from one state to another. It would also keep sick people from flocking to benevolent states and breaking their budgets.<BR/><BR/>The biggest challenge is cost control, so we don't just switch from getting ripped off by big corporations to getting ripped off by big government.<BR/><BR/>I think Dennis Kucinich is the only one with the right solution to all this. "Half measures will avail us nothing ..." I don't like his financing plan, but there are other, less regressive ways to do it.<BR/><BR/>This, from a healthy Republican. Who'd-a thunk it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com