Could you please describe your ideal health care program?
Sure. I'm not going to argue whether this is really feasible, rather the ideal we should be working toward.
- Eliminate red tape as much as possible. Put healthcare back in the hands of physicians rather than lawyers and business people.
- Basic coverage for everyone, but it's a no-frills service. Most people will not be happy about this - not because it's bad medical care, but rather because it wouldn't cater to the "gotta have it right now / designer medicine" attitude we've come to expect in this country. This would require a shift to primary care physicians, which is an issue because it's not the most desirable pathway for graduating medical students.
- A higher service tier, which is private pay. Want your MRI right now? You got it. Less than X% chance to survive that ailment? We'll still treat it (yes, this means rationing care in the basic tier; heartless, I know, but a lot of the most expensive things we do in the US are done when there is almost no chance for survival)
- Malpractice litigation system replaced with a "military tribunal," staffed with a panel of physicians (including representatives from primary care, surgery, radiology, pathology) from that state who have to volunteer some amount of time to review cases. Our current system can't distinguish between a bad outcome and malpractice, which isn't surprising given the amount of education you need to become an attending physician.
- Nationwide electronic health record.