Focus on affordable health care reform

Our county has a health care system that the rest of the world envies. We've always been at the forefront of medical research and innovation, and people come here from all over the world to address their health care problems.

Yes, I have heard the claims that the United States ranks below Costa Rica for health care. Well, I don't know anyone who is ill that wants to go to Costa Rica for their care. The world comes to the America when they are ill because they know we have the world's best health care.

Of course our health care system has its problems. Escalating costs have put a burden on many families, including my own. It is definitely a crisis when families cannot afford private insurance. But, it is also a crisis when some government bureaucrat is planted firmly between you and your doctor denying your level of care. Let's not trade one crisis for another.

Does anyone truly believe that the huge costs involved with Washington run health care will not eventually result in rationing, and huge tax increases? When have politicians in Washington ever provided a program that was smaller, smarter, cheaper, more efficient, and less intrusive in our lives? How many of you want a government bureaucrat making decisions that should be between you and the doctor of your choosing?

I've heard the rhetoric from politicians who say these things will never happen. Well, maybe they need to read the 1,000-plus-page bill this time before they vote on it because the legislation proposed so far is full of boards, committees, and over-sight panels, which will only get in the way of patients' treatments.

Is such a drastic re-invention of our health care system really necessary to address the real problems we have? Government is not always the answer. Most of the time government is the problem. A better option is to focus on reform efforts that make health care more affordable for everybody. So what should we do?

1. Hospitals can invest in healthcare information technology to achieve greater efficiency and accuracy in healthcare. This would save billions.

2. Reform our broken medical liability system, which currently adds to health care costs, forcing doctors to practice "defensive medicine" by ordering additional, sometimes duplicative, tests. Recent studies have reported that an average American family pays up to $2000 per year to cover the cost of defensive medicine.

3. Rid the system of waste, fraud, and abuse that is driving up the cost of healthcare. Estimates of abuse in Medicare and Medicaid are staggering.

4. We must take responsibility for ourselves. We drink too much, smoke too much, eat too much and exercise too little. Then, when these habits catch up with us, we expect the health care system to fix our ills. To encourage healthy living alternatives, we could also provide incentives for insurance companies and businesses to reward those who make lifestyle changes.

5. Why is it that we can buy our car insurance from any company in the nation but we cannot go across state lines when it comes to health insurance? Families need more options and insurance companies need more competition.

6. Larger cities should invest in Community Health Centers, which do so much for those in need. Doctors and healthcare providers could volunteer a little bit of time. Individuals and companies could volunteer a little money to make an investment.

7. Allow pooling of small businesses to get better health insurance rates.

8. Give tax credits to businesses that supply health insurance for employees.

The bottom line is there are a lot of good options available to reform health care without the massive upheaval of the system currently being orchestrated by Washington politicians. Most of the above can be done without any interference from Washington.

I'm urging Congress to use some common sense in reforming health care. Let's proceed with the reforms aimed at the problems we have—not reforms that tear down what already works. Urge Congress to focus on a "patient centered" not "government centered" approach. Tell them to uphold the doctor-patient relationship without interference from the Washington bureaucracy.

The many options available in America are what make our country's health care the best the world has to offer. Let's make it even better.

Roy Brown is a Montana state senator in Billings.