LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Health care system too wasteful, pricey

Jeffrey M. Shear, North Las Vegas

Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009 | 2:04 a.m.

In response to several recent writers who have argued that universal health care would cost too much, bankrupting the country and resulting in health care rationing:

If you add all government — local, state and federal — plus private industry payments/subsidies paid directly to providers or indirectly to insurance companies, health care consumes 17 percent of the gross domestic product of the United States. At its current rate of growth, it would threaten in less than 20 years to consume 25 percent of the GDP, bankrupting the U.S. taxpayer and private industry.

Though legislation being debated is a tentative first step, focused primarily on reforming insurance, if this is able to “bend the cost curve” and is followed by other reforms, meaningful cost savings could be obtained.

As for rationing, like every health care system in the world, the U.S. rations health care; only our current system of rationing is extremely arbitrary, with 15 million to 30 million Americans — based largely upon income, employment status and preconditions — having little and/or only sporadic access.

The net result is that the U.S. not only has the most expensive but also one of the world’s most inefficient systems, which in terms of outcomes for many common diseases and overall mortality, ranks near the bottom (21st) for all industrialized nations.

So should we leave the current system, with all its waste and inefficiencies, as is, or should we reform it and impose sensible policies and guidelines that potentially could control the system’s runaway costs and provide more equal access? I think it is our moral obligation to do this. The alternative is bankruptcy and increased American suffering and death.

The writer is a medical doctor.

Discussion: 16 comments so far…

By Burrittobandit2

11/15/09 at 3:02 a.m.

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Oh oh doc, you opened a can of worms when my liberal friends start their posts, just wait. Wonder if we are gonna read bout greedy pig insurance companies or the money whore doctors from Birdo?
By Houstonjac

11/15/09 at 4:12 a.m.

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What did you say doc? yadah ,yadah,yadah!
By Future

11/15/09 at 4:21 a.m.

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"Though legislation being debated is a tentative first step, focused primarily on reforming insurance, if this is able to "bend the cost curve" and is followed by other reforms, meaningful cost savings could be obtained."

...IF this is able to "bend the cost curve" and IF in the [FUTURE] this is followed by other reforms,

There is no bending the curve in the Nancy Pelosi House passed 2% solution.

IF IF IF IF does not produce results.

Yet the Democrats are celebrating

As the H.R. 3962 vote count hit the 218 needed to secure passage, Democrats erupted in whoops, hollers, cheers and high-fives. They turned to hug and kiss each other and then shouted out a countdown of the last 10 seconds before the vote closed.

On 11-7-2009, in a midnight vote, the Nancy Pelosi House passed her 2% solution. After a dramatic visit by President Obama (to "answer the call of history") and the Stupak Pro-life amendment voted 220-215 to pass Health Insurance reform Nancy has a Health Insurance bill with a public option that will only cover 2% of the people and it costs just 1.2 trillion dollars. The buying of Democratic votes had to go right down to the wire. Even with the Pro-life amendment bring over 64 votes, Democrats still had 39 defections; a switch of just 2 more congressmen would have lost it. The House also defeated the Republicans' plan (H.R. 3962 - Boehner Substitute Amendment), which was a more common-sense and fiscally responsible approach.
By Birdiedreamin

11/15/09 at 5:12 a.m.

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hey doc...
bravo...
it really is amazing how all these stupid pathetic lying republican blowhards defend these greedy pig insurance companies...
absolutely amazing...
their fiduciary duty is to maximize profits...
period...
end of story...
they manipulate the market...
they abuse their anti trust exemption...
they deny every single claim they can possibly deny...
and yet...
all these stupid pathetic lying republican blowhards defend these greedy pig insurance companies...
time and time again...
it boggles the mind...
By lcdrmandingonamvet

11/15/09 at 6:04 a.m.

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Funding abortions? Aren't we already doing that in Iraq-NAM and Afghanistan? Those missiles, bombs, and bullets aren't cheap. WASP have murdered more colored babies (Kurds, African Americans, Vietnamese, Koreans, Chinese, Palestinians, Lebanese, Japanese, Slavic muslims, Iraqis, Afghans, etc.)in the past 400 years, than I can shake a stick at. FDR, LBJ, and GWB trained the world's dictators and despots like Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Amin, Sharon, Olmert, etc. "This we do, in HIS name."
By fremmasmind

11/15/09 at 6:58 a.m.

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Without e-verify in the bill to protect our countries monies from going to illegals' healthcare, the cost to our citizens paying taxes in the future will be going skyhigh, why? Once this bill is passed without keeping illegals from recieving benefits, you'll be seeing thousands more illegals racing across the border getting in line to get medical attention. Is this what is known as an illegal stimulus package?
By LarryVegas

11/15/09 at 7:29 a.m.

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I guess it's all about money for this doctor. How about being about quality care.

Insurance companies have been paying for the best care possible and all this doctor thinks about is the money.

Jeffrey M. Shear must have just moved to Vegas from San Antonio, Texas. Must have got too hot for him down in good old San Antonio. Maybe he worked at the military hospital down there and would like a similar system for the rest of us.

Oh, by the way, Dr. Smear is not a first time wailer to the LV SUN. The good doctor is also a Bush hater who has a sarcastic view of Afghanistan.
By jlb101

11/15/09 at 7:58 a.m.

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Why should the taxpayer be forced to pay the doctor bill of some 600# slob who sits on his couch and watches television all day while comsuming a case of coke, fourteen bags of potato chips and twelve packages of twinkies a day.

Maybe the few million who don't have health care really don't deserve healthcare. Nothing is free. Someone has to pay for it.
By Rhooster

11/15/09 at 9:41 a.m.

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There we go with the colored babies routine again. 88 percent of all war dead are white. look it up doofus.
By jlb101

11/15/09 at 10:56 a.m.

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Rhooster-Please do not ask someone who is illiterate to look something up. The keep coming up with wrong and stupid facts every time they research something. Liberals cannot let facts overide their preconceived opinions.
By ghostcommander

11/15/09 at 12:53 p.m.

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Facts on health care can be viewed at: www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p60-236.pdf.... Also, more statistics can be viewed at: www.commonwealthfund.org. Nevada is number 1 in one category. What category is it?
By enteaser

11/15/09 at 1:39 p.m.

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LarryVegas,
You're right about Dr.(allegedly) Shear...if you google his name, you find many letters to the editor, no information on his alleged medical practice. Nevertheless, today's letter and his previous letter of Sept 27th this year both make good sense about the problems of the medical care system. The only problem is that the proposed legislation concerning health care reform will only exacerbate the existing problems as well as create a whole new batch of new problems.
By ecm

11/15/09 at 4:16 p.m.

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Questions for the good doctor:

How did the HMO act of 1973 add or take away from this issue?

In addition, how is it that pharmaceutical companies can make 134% profit and no one is talking about that?
By gmag39

11/15/09 at 5:03 p.m.

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Larry,
Then I say BULLY FOR THE DOC!
By jlb101

11/15/09 at 5:05 p.m.

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ecm-good question, how did a pharmaceutical company make a 134% profit? For example if they sold $1,000,000 worth of their product and of that $1,000,000 they made a profit of $1,340,000, there must be something in there I can't understand. I have a BS in Business Administration from a respected university and I never heard of someone having a profit that exceeded their sales. Maybe you could explain it to me and the other readers who have a basic grasp of accounting and finance. I would be interested in investing in any company that could pull off a business plan like that.
By ecm

11/16/09 at 6:40 a.m.

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jlb101 - My apologies, should have been clearer and more specific.

Bristol-Myers Squibb increased their profits from 2007 to 2008 by 142.4%.

Merck, same time frame 138.4%.

Hospira, same time frame 134.6%.