How Heath Care became Unaffordable

Healthcare was affordable when Hospitals were owned by the Churches and Charitable Organizations and Medical and Nursing Schools were run by these Hospitals.  When counties entered to provide clinics and hospitals, their costs were subsidized by the county taxpayers, but their costs were still low or lower than the large “Private” Hospitals. 

 

The call for medical research loomed large after 1945.  The development of Penicillin in 1942 was huge. Infections finally had a life-saving cure.  The next advance came with Dr. Johas Salk discovered the Polio vaccine in 1952. Dr. Albert Sabin’s vaccine using dead polio virus was licensed in 1962.  These advances set off the optimistic notions that Cancer could be cured and heart disease could be prevented.

 

States had already been funding State Universities. State and Private Universities were in full operation with Medical, Dental and Nursing Schools, but costs were still affordable. 

 

Universities Churches and Hospitals received gifts from large donors.  Catholic Nuns ran the Catholic Hospitals.  That all kept the costs down.  Although many households had Health Insurance, some didn’t need it, because costs were affordable. Malpractice was policed by local Medical Societies.  After 1962 everything changed.

 

The Nuns sold the hospitals to Accountants and left.  A Healthcare Cabal was forming between Big Pharma, the Accountants who were buying hospitals, University Medical and Nursing Schools and Medical Equipment Manufacturers.  The Lawyers entered to file malpractice lawsuits.

 

When patent laws were weakened to allow for large corporations to seize and keep or bury patents, the free market took a hit. Monopoly powers allowed Big Pharma to overcharge for drugs prescribed for life-threatening illnesses.  Corporations began to develop expensive machines to replace manual testing and introduce new machines to treat cancer with radiation. 

 

This expensive equipment that required specialists to run it raised the cost of hospitalization.  Based on the “theory” that radiation was an effective treatment to cure Cancer, it hasn’t turn out to be the case. 

 

The addition of Medicaid in 1965 provided government funded healthcare for the poor. When the federal government started to fund Medicare in 1966, Government saw fit to fund medical research through NIH and now they were taking over retiree health insurance.  Costs began to rise. 

 

The “Theory” was that Medicine needed “Specialists” was advanced to support Big Pharma and Big Medical Equipment Manufacturers. The government provided cover and the Healthcare Cabal was complete.

 

Fear of malpractice suits caused providers to over-prescribe tests. Government collusion and Monopoly powers allowed the Cabal to influence Universities, provider schools and research.

 

Government now spends a large percentage of its revenue on healthcare.  A few decades ago, it spent nothing.

 

Healthcare is now beyond affordable.  Government funding and predatory lawsuits and regulations need to be reduced to allow Healthcare to return back to the Price/Demand curve.  Otherwise, consumers will “drop out”.

 

In healthcare, “less is more”.  The less you get, the better off you will be.  If a test is suggested and it seems redundant you have the option to disregard it.

 

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader