Health Care

The Dartmouth Atlas Project aims to improve health and health systems across the country. They track the differences in treatments and costs in regions around the country in order to improve ongoing healthcare efforts. They found surprising differences in health and treatment in various locations across America. There are huge variations in treatment and spending across the country. As supply drives demand in the world of medicine (more doctors allow for more doctor visits), the number of doctors in a region greatly effect how the healthcare system of that area is run. 

I think that access to health care is a right. Even looking as far back as the constitution, it is said that all men are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. How can man be entitled to life without proper health care? This would not be possible. Why should one man's life be more important than another's? I do not think that putting one man's life over another based on how much money the two men have is fair. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. 

In Grand Junction, Colorado, it is stated that the requirement of being a physician is that you agree to see all members of the system, even if that physician works in an independent medical practice. Doctors care both about the physical and mental aspects of their patients. Grand Junction is a place where all patients pay the same amount of money for the same procedures. As the general population in this area is very healthy, this system of health care is clearly efficient. This system was able to work because of charities and the money doctors set aside to cover the uninsured. In Grand Junction, everybody is covered, costs are controlled, and people are healthier. 

In Seattle, Washington, medical systems have embraced the idea of Co-Ops, where customers own businesses. One example is the Group Health Cooperative, where doctors organize their schedules around their patients. They are paid a salary, rather than being paid for the number of patients they see. 

In Everett, Washington, doctors take a less expensive approach. First, they treat diseases from the outset with generic drugs. Additionally, doctors don't perform as many expensive (sometimes unnecessary) procedures. For example, doctors will perform less MRIs. 

In Lebanon, New Hampshire, health care is up to the patient. The patients' insurance pays all of their bills, but the doctors leave most decisions up to the patients (shared decision making). This saves money as doctors cannot force patients to pay more money than they can for unnecessary procedures. I think this approach can be very effective if spread to other areas of the country. 

I think the most effective approach is the one in place in Lebanon, NH. Where I live, I find that most doctors want to make the most money they can. Living in NYC, professionals like doctors are very money-driven. Thus, sometimes it can be found that some doctors will perform unnecessary procedures that cost money the patient cannot spend. Therefore, I find that the shared decision making approach can be very effective. If doctors put aside their personal desires and become less motivated by money and (more motivated by personal reasons), the healthcare problem in NYC can greatly improve.