Another interesting look at various elements of the health care debate linked below. I have often expressed my opinion that the free market will do a better job of addressing the problems we see with medical care than a central command and control government system. One argument against this is that health care is life and death and that changes our usual decision making process.  OK maybe.

The linked article addresses this and makes the point that in fact most medical situations (including dentistry) are not life and death. Maybe we should stop trying to stuff all health care into the same over filled bag and address different aspects of the situation with different solutions.

…health care is different because it involves life and death decisions. Yes, that is an unusual feature of some elements of health care, but not all: indeed, not most. For example: going to the dentist is rarely a life-or-death decision.

via Health Care is Divisible – The Agenda – National Review Online.

Another interesting reaction / solution to healthcare issues. The article at the link is about a new company that is designed to help people negotiate the health care mess and make good choices.

Three thing about the article interested me:

First the whole system relies on technology in order to provide the service. Without digital records it would be almost impossible to do efficiently.

Second it confronts the notion that health care is a commodity. That is that all health care is the same so the only variable factor is price. This is a primary idea behind all bureaucratic approaches to health care including insurance and government plans. That is that since it is all the same just get the lowest price.

However most people know that is simply not true; some doctors, some medications and some treatments are just better than others. Which brings us to the third issue.

Third, different people value healthcare at different levels. Not everyone believes a Mercedes is worth the extra bucks and not everyone will spend the time and money for a trip to the Cleveland Clinic. And that is OK.

They start by computerizing your records, and then having a third-party doctor analyze your complete health picture. Depending upon the findings, along with personal factors such as age and family history, tests or procedures are identified that may help maintain or improve your health.

via Townhall – The Future of Our Health Care System.

This article is interesting on so many levels. It is most definitely a political rant but it is also a look at the emerging world of exact science and medicine in the digital age. See this article for another quick take. Who owns the data? Who can or should control our access to our own medical data? The government? The medical profession? Or the individual? 

The phrase “outside of a clinical setting” means information provided by someone who is not part of the medical priesthood.

via FuturePundit: UC Berkeley Students Denied Genetic Test Results.

Update: Related

Entrepreneurs with a vision for the future can take their chances, and most may fail. But some will turn out to be Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, who changed our world in ways that 99 percent of economic experts were unable to predict

Michael Barone

…a congressional panel has released the first chart illustrating the 2,801 page health care law President Obama signed into law in March.

via Committee News – News – Joint Economic Committee Republicans.

Federal health officials say the website – which cost $3.5 million to build – will work as a bridge to help consumers until 2014 when much of the new law takes effect,

via What You Need To Know About The Government’s New Health Insurance Website – Kaiser Health News.

The link below is to an ADA News article re: the electronic health record (EHR) and what the ADA is doing to help. However I never did see a statement regarding the key question. Are we required to have EHRs by 2014? Right now the answer is no; I wish they would make that clear. Never the less, there are many reasons to convert your office to paperless EHRs right now even if it is not a government mandate.

There is chatter among physicians, dentists and others in the health care community that the federal government will require health records to be electronic by 2014. The ADA is working hard to keep members updated on developments and to streamline the process.

via ADA: American Dental Association – Electronic health record.

By comparing the cost (in hours worked) of electronics and technology today compared to the recent past the article linked below makes it very clear that we live in amazing and prosperous times. (Read the article)

Human nature being what it is, it is routine for people to complain about how hard the times are, how much better things used to be and how we are headed for some dreadful future. When in fact we are leading lives of general prosperity supported by incredible technology and what is more, it will most likely just keep getting better.

I am certain some people reading this right now are screaming to themselves. “What a fool doesn’t this guy pay attention – unemployment is too high and..and…things just aren’t all that great!”

Yes, of course I am aware of the difficult economic times we have all had to deal with. Where I live, in Phoenix, we have been especially hard hit and many dentists have gone out of business. (Something that was unheard of just a decade ago.) For these individuals times aren’t so great. I believe it is proper to recognize and sympathize with these individuals.

On the other hand over 90% of Americans do have jobs and they can easily afford everyday technology that would have seemed like magic to our grandparents.

Two thoughts:

Adding technology to our dental practices is easier and less expensive that it has ever been. Don’t get left behind fretting about the bad times. It really isn’t all that bad.

These amazing and inexpensive new technologies, which have improved all our lives, have not come about as a result of the careful management of the economy by the government. They are the result of entrepreneurs working in a free market.

My personal belief is that medical and dental care would follow the same pattern if left to the market. I also believe that technology will play a very significant role in this process.

When measured in what is ultimately most important—the “time cost” of goods—that 1964 stereo equipment was actually very, very expensive

via The Good Old Days Are Now: Radio Shack Version « The Enterprise Blog.

Consumer-driven plans blend the decentralizers individual focus with a lighter version of the centralizers risk sharing. That means they harness the power of individual preference and decision-making, but without sacrificing stability and security. Patients make their own decisions about relatively inexpensive, routine care, but limit their exposure to expensive, unforeseen illnesses or injuries.

via The Rise of Consumer-Driven Care – Reason Magazine.

Hmmm

A study by the National Center for Policy Analysis shows that tax credits in the new healthcare law could negatively impact small-business hiring decisions.

via Report: Healthcare law tax credits encourage small businesses to stay small, not hire – The Hill’s On The Money.