An Opportunity to Improve Obamacare
- T Michael White MD FACP
- Nov 9, 2024
- 2 min read
By T Michael White MD FACP
“…taking a hard look at needed reforms to build an affordable, accessible and high-quality health care system.” Representative Earl L. “Buddy” Carter
Friday, November 8, 2024
Dear Mr. President, Honorable Members of Congress and Distinguished Staff,
Today’s New York Times’ opinion headline reads: Will Trump Have an Opening to Repeal Obamacare? Reading beyond the headline, one finds that reporter Mr. Noah Weiland has submitted a balanced article. Except to say the article should have been entitled An Opportunity to Improve Obamacare, I will refrain from a yellow journalism rant. I shall move on.
In the vernacular of Western Pennsylvania, the article confirms that the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) ‘needs fixed.’ My takeaways (my perception = my reality):
Despite subsidies, premiums, co-pays, deductibles and massive annual maximum out of pocket requirements (which renew every January 1st) make Obamacare unaffordable for many;
For those in good health, those ‘covered’ by Obamacare have a false sense of security. Many ‘covered’ by Obamacare who have become seriously ill have faced bankruptcy due to uncovered medical expenses (outlined above);
As worrisome, many citizens (millions actually) who make too much to qualify for Medicaid, despite subsidies, cannot begin to even consider enrolling in Obamacare; and
As the article reports, Congress is aware that Obamacare is “ripe with waste, fraud and abuse, to the tune of tens of billions of dollars annually.”
I am delighted that your new administration is dedicated to a fresh look — a look to investigate, design, implement and maintain affordable basic healthcare for all. It is the decent thing for our fine country to do — decency that is long overdue. As it should have been for decades, affordable basic healthcare that offers all compassionate, safe, efficient, effective, equitable (just) patient-centered care (C-STEEEP) must now become infrastructure funded by the U.S. Treasury.
As you embark, let me humbly proffer two recommendations:
First, define basic healthcare (the program cannot realistically support every next new best idea). Help us all walk before some can run; and
Please eliminate too many unnecessary, expensive, redundant, conflicting moving parts by modeling our health care system after efficient 5-star Medicare Advantage Plans.
Thank you for giving this your serious consideration. I will be pleased to hear from you.
Respectfully submitted,
T Michael White MD FACP
Copy to: We The People (at fixingushealthcare.com)
(335 words)
In order to fund basic health care coverage for all Americans, as you advocate in your first point, we need the savings available from your second point about eliminating wasteful, redundant and unnecessary costs. Doing so will require good-faith efforts by the key stakeholders in the health care industry. Great post. Thanks!
Very thoughtful.
Congratulations on launching the site. I hope it will attract many reviews and comments.