Profit conflicts

by Groff Schroeder

Virtually every developed nation on earth successfully provides high quality health care to their citizens routinely, economically, and equally with government operated not-for-profit systems. In America, political conflicts of interest, rigid ideology, and campaign "donations" have evolved a "market based" public not-for-profit (Medicare/Medicaid/Tricare) private for-profit (corporate insurance based) health care "partnership"characterized by inferior medical outcomes, relentless market upheaval, unequal access, conflicts of interest, bizarre legislative maneuvers, unprecedented public expense – and almost unimaginable private profit.

No nation on earth spends more and gets less from its health care system than America. Japan spends about $4,000 per year per capita on health care and has an average life expectancy of about 83.5 years. Chileans spend about $1,700 per year with an average life expectancy of about 81.5 years. Meanwhile, Americans spend about $9,000 yearly (almost five times more than Chileans), and have an average life expectancy of about 79 years. If a ~1.5 year average life expectancy difference seems trivial, try telling that to the countless Americans who would not be dead if they lived in Chile – and would have an extra ~$10,950 to boot.

Medical care is a basic human need and medical professionals performing the hard work of actually delivering medical care must comply with numerous medical ethics, including "do no harm." In contrast, corporate entities appear motivated by only one ethic – delivering profit to shareholders. This profit motive createsdirect conflicts of interest, because it appears the best way to profit from providing health care is to not provide health care.

Studies show the absence of health insurance results in increased poverty, disability, and death, especially in hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes. While it is illegal (at least for now) for insurers to reject people actively needing medical care, insurance bureaucrats still routinely overrule physicians' medical decisions, and insurer payouts end when insured hospitalized patients die – all of which appear to constitute significant medical and financial conflicts of interest.

Another medical ethic is informed consent. Americans are rarely informed of, or consent to, the immense profits health care insurers reap while relaying patient funds to providers. In 2016, the revenues of one health care mega-corporate insurer alone grew ~17% to ~$184 billion dollars (or about 17% of US 2015 budget). Yearly earnings increased ~20% from 2015 to ~$13 billion (US 2015 food and agriculture spending was ~$13.1 billion). America's for-profit health system allows corporations that do not provide medical care to profit from injuries and illnesses, and appears to promote, if not constitute, a monumental market in human suffering.

In addition to creating countless conflicts of interest, America's for-profit health insurance system fails to provide universal medical care and prioritizes political ideology and corporate profits over the basic human needs of American citizens. No matter whether your values stem from ethics (philosophy) or morals (religion) – it often appears that America's for-profit health care system is not only exclusive, expensive, inefficient, ineffective, and unequal – but also unethical and immoral.

Passing a simple Act to extend universal Medicare coverage equally to all Americans could improve medical outcomes, provide equal access, eliminate conflicts of interest, stabilize insurance markets, decrease costs, create new jobs, and finally put America's long for-profit politico-medical nightmare to an end. Nonetheless, if repeated recent attempts in Congress to use secrecy and brinkmanship to slash Medicaid spending are any indication, it may be easier to move to Chile.

Published August 2, 2017 in the Freethinkers of Colorado Springs Freethought Views column in the Colorado Springs Independent with the quotation below.

The only long-term solution to America's health care crisis is a single-payer national health care program.

Bernis Sanders