Frau is in the hospital. Once again, I take up my keyboard to rant about what passes for “health care” today. Of course, I blame it ultimately on the gubamint. I have some direct and indirect reasoning. My rant goes like this:
(1) A hospital is basically a hotel for sick people. One should get “sicker” by something you catch in the hospital. I remember reading that Doctor’s ties were a residual source of infection, reinfection, and cross patient infection. Seems like we need a new “uniform” for doctors, nurses, orderlies, and housekeeping. A suit and a tie doesn’t necessarily inspire confidence. In my hospital, I’d have turtlenecks. And, colors to differentiate roles.

(2) When I go to Marriott, Hilton, or such, everyone is falling all over to satisfy me. When I pay at the checkout, they are interested if I’ll be coming back. Hotel rates are very competitive. At the hospital, no one much gives a rip. It’s an a la carte process with no holistic care. If a nurse needs to take everyone’s bp, then wake up the patient sleeping to get one’s tasks done. That wouldn’t happen at the local Marriott. Meals, cleaning, testing, doctor’s visits, all revolve around the service provider; not the client!

(3) The gubamint’s wage and price controls in WWII led companies to offer “medical insurance” as a back door way to evade the controls. That one thing has done more to mess up American medical care than anything I can think of. I remember when my Mom had to pay cash for my appendix operation. Care was first rate. Everyone was so helpful. That’s the thing we forget, the golden rule, he who has the gold makes the rules. In this case, it’s the gubamint and the insurance companies making the rules.

(4) The gubmint, via its Medicare and Medicaid rules, has inserted itself directly into the medical decisions of everyone’s care. Everyone! Even if you’re not covered by Medicare / Medicaid, they establish a standard of care. The insurance companies use that. They have coding and such that they piggy back on. Needless to say it’s a mess.

(5) So in a Libertarian America, the government would have NO role in medicine. The truly free marketplace would serve us all. You have the GOLD and make your own rules. One can foresee certain OBVIOUS market accommodations. Hospitals would be more like a hotel and less like a prison. Doctors would be holistic orchestra leaders working at keeping you healthy.  Insurance companies would be working to satisfy you, not your employer. Hence, the premiums would reflect your needs; into the government’s; not the employers.

(6) True charity care would be provided. Just not by the gubamint at the point of a gun. Remember that hospitals were CREATED by the religious and fraternal organizations. As were insurance companies. I remember when you bought Life Insurance from the Knights of Columbus. We need to return to that simpler time, when we VOLUNTARILY organized to solve problems.

(7) If one looks at the inefficiency of a government program or a government-regulated industry, one has a HUGE infrastructure cost of checking and rechecking. One analogy for medical care I read was give the government a dollar for 25 cents worth of service that they decide you can have. Let me keep my buck and I’ll bet I can get more than 25 cents worth of service for it. And, it will be the services that I want. And, people will be falling over themselves to have me pick them.

The free market is people having their needs and wants satisfied by greedy people in a very efficient and effective manner. No checking needed. No overhead required.