The Massachusetts Plan

What will they think of next?

The sovereign state of Massachusetts has legislated the health insurance crisis out of existence! As soon as the governor signs a bill passed by the legislature, it will be a crime not to be covered. Breathless Pundits: “This may be a model for other states to follow.”

Many have suggested resemblance of this act to the provision in most states that a driver must have insurance for his car or face heavy penalties. I think there is a very important difference. Most people usually have to drive their cars – most people don’t go to the doctor until they get inconveniently ill. A safe prediction is that tracking down and punishing violators of the must-have-insurance law is going to require a whole new set of police.

Politicians in Massachusetts are certainly bold.

Like other unifocal nibbles at the edges of our massive, dysfunctional, healthcare industry, their proposal will not improve the whole, and may make it ever more expensive. Isn’t there some sort of rule of economics that adding more money to an already overheated system will raise costs for everyone? Will their next bold move be to put a cap on all healthcare costs?

Those of us in the healthcare industry are aware of the sickness within. The ailment takes many forms, one of which is that a lot of our citizens can’t afford us. Some of the other symptoms of healthcare-itis are:

Poor availability – how many clinics are open nights and weekends, let alone Wednesdays?

Poor accessibility – when was the last time you got to see a doctor on the day you wanted to see her and were ushered into the exam room and actually SEEN on time?

Loss of patient friendly – how many of you would call your doctor your friend? When was the last time he / she said, “Got any other problems for me, Joe? Don’t want you leaving here without everything shipshape”?

Pressure to prescribe – when did you last see a physician for a new problem and NOT get a prescription for a new drug?

Mistake prone – how many offices have you occupied in which nothing ever got lost and no errors ever occurred?

What do you think will be the result of giving more people the wherewithal, i.e. insurance, to allow increased use of the system?

Massachusetts has set itself on a collision course with reality. Remember the mantra: The unintended consequences of bold government undertakings are apt to be larger than, and contrary to, the intended ones.

Healthcare needs a makeover. One of our States is instead spraying it with perfume and saying it no longer smells bad.