Last year we spent 19.7 percent of our GNP on health care. This has been increasing over the past five years at an annual increase of 3.8 percent. To avoid a financial crisis, we will need to make changes in how health care is funded.
We spend $10,729 per person on health care, which is on average twice that spent in any other industrialized country. We have excellent health care, but many countries have better indices of health outcomes, such as infant mortality rates and average life spans. Most also provide coverage for all citizens, 3.2 million in the U.S. are uninsured.
All stakeholders — public, doctors and hospitals — need to come together to develop a system that reduces cost and addresses this looming crisis. Some first steps that don’t affect patient care are: negotiated drug pricing and elimination of ads for prescription drugs. This will be a difficult process, but when complete, the American people will be the winners.
William Ford
SaddleBrooke
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
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