Health care in Georgia- the big picture, Part 2
Last week, we analyzed the state of Georgia’s healthcare. We also examined the problems inherent in Georgia’s disastrous “Pathways” Medicaid waiver expansion program, which costs Georgia taxpayers much more than simple expansion- while covering almost no one.
This week, we will look at the broader problem of US healthcare financing versus other nations and how it affects Georgians.
As we indicated last week, Georgia has one of the nation’s poorest healthcare coverage situations. We have 18% of working age people who have no insurance. Many of the people who are covered have ridiculously unaffordable premiums and high deductibles. We also have a major problem with medical debt, the biggest reason for bankruptcies.
The basic problem is that we have a disorganized, fragmented financing and delivery system versus other developed nations. Put simply, our outcomes are worse, and the cost is higher here versus in other developed nations.
The situation is not entirely bleak. Before there was bi-partisan agreement to pass Medicare in 1965, 25% of Americans were uninsured. That figure is now down to 9%.
But over the last few decades, employer high deductible plans went from 55% to 88% of plans now. Annual deductibles averaged $303 then versus $1562 now. Also, our physicians are spending much less time with patients and more time filling out billing related forms.
Other wealthy nations provide insurance for all their residents. In the USA, many are uncovered. Even more are underinsured. Meanwhile, our per capita cost of healthcare (almost $13,000) is about double what other developed nations pay. Medical debt is the largest cause of US bankruptcies.
And our private sector “solutions” have turned out to be problems. Private insurance firms have much higher overhead and marketing costs (12%) versus 2% Medicare’s 2% overhead.
Never-the-less, private Medicare Advantage (MA) was pushed by the GOP as the solution to our cost problems. But involving private insurance companies with their wasteful overhead and marketing (think about the excessive William Shatner and Joe Namath commercials) has just made a bad situation worse
MA overcharged the US Govt. between $124-$140 billion in 2022 ( i.e., 31% to 35% more than traditional Medicare). The reason is simple.MA “cherrypicks” patients (taking the healthier folks), “upcodes” (bills for things not done) and promotes doing unnecessary procedures.
The technical solution is simple- Medicare for All. The problem is that the insurance, pharmaceutical and medical industry lobbies are too powerful. They have bought off both political parties.
Universal Health Reform for America 
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