Exploratory_Paper

Exploratory Paper Insurance is an important part of life in the modern world; it can be a matter of life and death if you are not insured. I know in my country, Philippines, since most of the population is way below the poverty level they do not have the means to pay for such expensive fees concerning their health, and the government is too corrupt to find a solution of insuring its people. What does this leave' Thousands of people left to fend for themselves, and in most cases, helplessly wait for death to come. The solution to this problem may mean depending on insurance companies, who may insure a patient for profit. Leaving it up to the caretakers and physicians seems a bit more reasonable since they are someone a patient has built a relationship with, and build a trust with. There is also that characteristic of a doctor of choosing this career path with heart, to help save lives, and hopefully not just for profit. In the United States, “Studies also indicate that insurers find a reason to reject payment for up to 30 percent of the bills they receive.” (Gawande, 118) Knowing that insurers have their flaws, I am left to question this system. So even if people are insured, there is still a chance of running into problems with the doctor if the insurance rejects to pay them for the services they offered. Of course doctor’s deserve payment for their sacrifices, even if the there is the question, “In the end, are we working for the profits or for the patients'” (Gawande, 123) Being a doctor is still a career, and they do still need to make a living, as a general surgeon in the East Coast said, “’I think doctors shortchange themselves,’ he said. ‘Doctors are working for fees that are similar to or below those of plumbers or electricians’ – people who, he noted, don’t require a decade of school and training.” In such cases some doctor’s make the choice of not taking insurance at all and having patients pay out of pocket and deal with insurers themselves for reimbursement, “The fees he charges are what he finds the market will bear.” (Gawande, 122) If doctors and patients alike struggle to work with insurance companies, they should not waste their time and most definitely not depend on these companies. Albert Einstein once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If the system of helping patients find a fair and easy way of paying doctor’s for their services, then somebody should stand up and help brainstorm alternative ideas. Healthcare providers should offer health care at an annual fee that is fixed; this takes away the hassle of having to work with insurance companies, and makes the patients responsible for their payments, with no glitches, just straightforward. It is a great compromise between patients dealing with insurance premiums and doctors having patients follow through with their payment or dealing with the insurance codes. Those who may not have the income to pay a fixed fee, like with most insurance companies, have no choice but to go on without insurance, or having to depend on the government to help them. These individuals would have difficulty finding coverage. Barrack Obama, and other supporter may agree that a solution to this dilemma of insurance for the people would be universal insurance. Universal healthcare is a broad concept and has varied ways of being implemented, depending on government involvement. At least with universal healthcare, every citizen is assured of some type of assistance with paying for medical related matters. Not only does this settle the question of having some type of way of paying the doctor, but it creates a positive relationship between the government and its people. In order for the fixed fee experiment to work out, “They paid themselves fixed salaries of thirty thousand dollars a year, a modest income for a doctor at the time, with no differences between specialties.” (124)This system still does have its flaws since some specialists may feel their job requires more effort than the others, therefore deserve more pay, “In order to get an orthopedic surgeon to join, Berman had to pay him considerably more than what everyone else got. It was the first of many adjustments he had to make in how and what to pay his fellow physicians.” (125) Then rather than troubles with patients, there would be trouble among specialists. According to the government, back in the 80’s the “system discouraged good primary care and corrupted specialty care. So the government determined that payments ought to be commensurate with the amount of work involved.” (116) William Hsiao was commissioned to measure the exact amount of work involved with every task a doctor performs. According to him, “Cataract surgery was estimated to involve slightly less work than a hysterectomy.” This is from the formula he made, “Work he determined, was a function of time spent, mental effort and judgment, technical skill and physical effort, and stress.” According to this information gathered, it would then not be fair for specialists to be paid the same salary, because of the variance in the tasks they perform. Having healthcare providers provide an option of an annual fee to their patients is fair on both parties. The fixed salary provides equality among specialists, and patients, financially able or not become responsible for finding a provider that offers annual fixed fees at a reasonable cost to them. This keeps the issues of health and business between the patient and doctor, with no mediator to cause any complications. It is reasonable to argue the fact that some specialties require more effort than others, but this is only looking at one side of the spectrum. What gives a person a right to healthcare' Money, or should it be a right to any human being' People should not have to conform to the services they have the right to; rather, the providers of the service should conform to their patients needs. If conformity is true for almost any other service or product, why not in medicine' The need for insurance is undeniably essential in this generation, society has run on money, and needless to say, doctors play a role in this society, therefore they cannot help but have their eye on the green. Having a fixed fee would be the fairest way to go about in charging patients; this would hold them accountable for giving back something in return for the security of their heath. This would also be a way for doctors to find a common ground in their specialties and realize or remember that they entered this field not for the competition of making the most money, but in taking a part in helping out in the society, and saving people’s lives. This also takes away the greed from insurance companies that often cheat doctors and patients alike. Works Cited Gawande, Atul. Better: A surgeon’s notes on performance. New York: Metropolitan Books Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2007.