Here’s to your Health -

Many of us come from a health care background, including doctors and nurses and general health department workers.

The truth is that We Do Not Have a Health Care System

What America has is a health care puzzle. We have a bunch of antiquated pieces cobbled together in a process that was not thought out, nor integrated. There is the Veterans System, as well as the Indian Health Care System, as well as Disability, and various types of Medicare and Medicaid, the Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Affordable Health Care subsidies, The Military Healthcare Services, Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, Substance Abuse and Mental health Services (SAMHSA), the Ryan White program, the Community Health Care clinic system… Do you see what we are talking about? The majority of these programs are functional and helpful. But collectively they contribute to our Federal Deficit by the tune of 2 trillion every year - making it the largest category by far of federal spending. This is a mess.

There is no need to eliminate anything. But, doesn’t it really make sense to create an integrated system and streamline all of these bits and pieces under one organized plan or plans? The result would be more efficient and lead to better care - especially for the IHS and Veterans Systems who suffer from staff shortages and limitations.

This has nothing to do with the insurance healthcare system. This is just streamlining for Federal Moneys.

It is an idea whose time has come. The Federal deficit is ballooning. The fragments are becoming dysfunctional.

There is no consensus in what overlying strategy would be best - Medicare for all, or combinations brought together under Community Health or something different entirely. But we do not have to invent the wheel. Japan utilized our healthcare system for years before creating a functional medical integrated system. There are as many ideas as there are countries and we can research, discuss and model ideas.

The cost savings need to happen. The organizations needs to happen.

Let’s think about it logically and organize it into a health care system.