Our Healthcare Delivery System Is About to Collapse: Wake up America!

By Lindsay L. Pratt M.D.

This book discusses health care’s problems, why health care’s costs will become unsustainable, and why there will be a physician shortage within a year. A delivery system is proposed to avoid both unsustainable costs and the physician shortage.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781546260271

Lindsay L. Pratt M.D.

I am a 92 year old retired physician, and although my writing skills are not the best, I have discussed why there will be unsustainable healthcare costs within the next decade, and why unfriendly physician regulations and policies are creating a physician shortage. Both will collapse our healthcare delivery system. My hope is this book alerts the public to both, and it alerts the public to a healthcare delivery system capable of avoiding both the unsustainable healthcare costs and the physician shortage.

Book preview

© 2018 Lindsay L. Pratt, M.D. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/04/2019

ISBN: 978-1-5462-6028-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-6027-1 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Introduction

Background Information

The Affordable Care Act

The Proposed Healthcare Delivery System

Reducing Healthcare’s Costs By 30%, and Possibly 40%

Reducing the Cost of Medically Unnecessary Healthcare Services

Reducing the Cost of A Physician’s Services

Reducing The Cost of A Hospitalization

Reducing The Cost of Healthcare Litigation

Mandatory Copays

The Proposed Free Healthcare Facilities

It Will Not Be Easy

A Final Comment

About the Author

Introduction

My concerns about our healthcare delivery system in the next decade are real, and the public should be sharing those concerns. The cost of healthcare’s services will become unsustainable, and there will be a physician shortage. Our healthcare delivery system will be collapsing, and healthcare’s services will be rationed.

You doubt me? Don’t.

I’m a 92 year old retired physician, and I have had the opportunity to practice medicine and surgery prior to, and after, the 1960s. Prior to the 1960s, there was the patient and the physician friendly practice of medicine offering all patients the opportunity to obtain their healthcare services regardless of their ability to pay for their services. But, during the 1960s, I watch the introduction of the employer’s and the government’s [Medicare and Medicaid] free health insurance programs change the practice of medicine into a politicized and an unfriendly health insurance driven business system called the healthcare delivery system.

Politicized? Yes! Government had never been in healthcare prior to the 1960s. But, after observing the political power England’s National Health Service had provided England’s politicians, there were members in our Congress seeking that power by introducing a National Health Service similar to England’s. But, there was no public support for government to enter healthcare. However, during the 1960s, government used free health insurance programs [Medicare and Medicaid] to enter healthcare, and in 2010, government used the Affordable Care Act to obtain the control of healthcare.

Unfriendly? Yes! Prior to the 1960s, the practice of medicine was patient friendly. There were many state, city, county, and local community healthcare facilities offering free healthcare services. But, during the 1960s, I watched the introduction of Medicare and Medicaid eliminate the need for those free healthcare facilities, and after their closing, I watched many patients have difficulty obtaining their services. Also, I have watched government impose many unfriendly regulations and policies on physicians.

An insurance driven business system? Yes! during the 1970s, I watched billions of the employer’s and the government’s free health insurance dollars flow into the healthcare delivery system, and those dollars were attracting business entrepreneurs and investors. As those business entrepreneurs and investors entered the healthcare delivery system, I watched them change healthcare’s services into commodities to be sold, to be purchased before receiving, and to be denied to those unable to purchase them.

Called the healthcare delivery system? Yes! Following the introduction of the employer’s and government’s free health insurance programs, I watched those health insurance programs transform the patient and the physician friendly practice of medicine into the healthcare delivery system. While the practice of medicine had been offering everyone the opportunity to obtain their healthcare services regardless of their ability to pay for the services, the healthcare delivery system required patients to pay for their healthcare services before receiving them, and was making healthcare’s services difficult to obtain without payment.

The public should be prepared for the cost of the politicized and the unfriendly business system’s healthcare services becoming unsustainable within the next decade. In addition, the unfriendly regulations and policies imposed on physicians will have created a physician shortage. The healthcare delivery system will be collapsing, and healthcare’s services will be rationed.

To avoid the collapse, a proven and a time tested healthcare delivery system is proposed in this book. The proposed delivery system is similar to the delivery system I knew, and I worked in, prior to the 1960s, and it will restore the patient and the physician friendly practice of medicine I knew prior to the 1960s; will avoid both unsustainable healthcare costs and a physician shortage; will introduce healthcare price controls; and will reduce the cost of healthcare’s services by at least 30%, and a 40% reduction is possible. Furthermore, the proposed delivery system will replace Medicaid with restored state funded free healthcare facilities similar to the free facilities I worked in prior to their closing in 1970. Those free facilities will be providing all patients, which Medicaid has not, the opportunity to obtain their healthcare services regardless of their ability to pay for their