Response

Donald W. Brown

doi:10.7556/jaoa.2011.111.5.349

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Response

Donald W. Brown

Published/Copyright: May 1, 2011

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From the journal Journal of Osteopathic Medicine Volume 111 Issue 5

Dr Graham cites studies implying that Medicare performs better than private insurers and that it is a burden for physicians to pursue multiple payer sources.

However, Medicare is rapidly running out of money,¹ and the recently passed healthcare reform law (ie, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010) will only add to the rolls.^2,3 Can we as a nation afford this new law when we are already more than $14 trillion in debt⁴ and when entitlement spending, of which Medicare and Medicaid are a part, compromise more than 60% of the federal budget?⁵

There are 2 possible outcomes to this problem: (1) raise taxes and cut benefits or (2) institute true free-market reforms. Allowing the purchase of insurance across state lines, eliminating individual mandates, and expanding the use of health savings accounts could be a good start to such free-market reforms. These steps would help control costs and make it easier for patients to afford their own healthcare.⁶

By making the patient the single payer, all would benefit, and we would not be enslaving future generations to pay for someone else's healthcare.

1 Pear R. Recession drains Social Security and Medicare. New York Times. May 12, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/us/politics/13health.html. Accessed March 26, 2011.Search in Google Scholar

2 Effects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on the federal budget and the balance in the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund. Congressional Budget Office Web site. December 23, 2009. http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/108xx/doc10868/12-23-Trust_Fund_Accounting.pdf. Accessed March 26, 2011.Search in Google Scholar

3 Congressional Budget Office. The Long-Term Budget Outlook. Washington, DC: Congressional Budget Office; June 2010 (rev August 2010):ix-xi. Publication No. 4130. http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/115xx/doc11579/06-30-LTBO.pdf. Accessed March 26, 2011.Search in Google Scholar

4 The debt to the penny and who holds it. TreasuryDirect Web site. http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np. Accessed March 26, 2011.Search in Google Scholar

5 Hook J. House GOP weighs Medicare limits. Wall Street Journal. February 3, 2011. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704775604576120544123067576.html. Accessed March 26, 2011.Search in Google Scholar

6 Cannon MF. Policy Analysis: Yes, Mr President, A Free Market Can Fix Health Care. Washington, DC: Cato Institute; October 21, 2009. No. 650 http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa650.pdf. Accessed March 26, 2011.Search in Google Scholar

Published Online: 2011-05-01

Published in Print: 2011-05-01

The American Osteopathic Association

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