A Possible Cure for Healthcare: A Real-World Remedy

There is little doubt that the healthcare issue is a hot bed of emotional contention but, with all this rancor who is thinking creatively?

My wife and I have a few suggestions; a completely different approach to solving the healthcare problem These concepts were conceived to be put into practice on the community level; but we also realized that they could act as a national or universal model, given wider exposure.

1^st Tier: Triage

The first order of healthcare and the most often used is the walk in clinic. Where limited care can be administered or conditions diagnosed and evaluated to determine if the patient needs care that the clinic is not equipped to handle. Seventy to eighty percent of the time a walk in clinic serves the immediate needs of the public. This should be the least expensive form of healthcare offered to the public and sanctioned by the government.

The cost of malpractice insurance at this level should be minimal and provided by the government. The out-of-pocket-cost for this type of healthcare could be about $60/month per person.

The investors:

These clinics could be privately funded by doctors and lawyers or anyone with investment cash (government), with buildings being donated by the town for a tax write off. For the first five years it would operate as a non-profit organization returning realized profits back into creating other clinics. At the end of the five year period, full profits would be returned to the shareholders for an ample return on their investment in perpetuity. Ideally the government should support (invest in) such an endeavor as, it’s returns are self sustaining.

The Government:

The government’s part in this is to adopt legislation to draft interns into service in these clinics for two years tax free so they can get a leg up on paying down their schooling loans. At the same time drafting doctors who are two years from retiring to serve with the drafted interns -- acting as a mentor and medical adviser at the clinics. As an option, their time could be a tax deductible donation. This would supply the clinics with ample staff and benefits for participants.

Should this model work effectively there is no reason why the initial investors could not use the same model to provide a second tier of healthcare to provide services that cannot be provided by the first tier. This would provide a healthy form of business competition to the larger HMOs.

State-Level Emergency Action

To provide for a community when natural disasters occur, or to come to the aid of other towns affected by the same as first responders.

1. Location: If all states encourage their towns to find a vacant building no longer in use and prepare it for storage. The town can use this as a tax write off.

2. Supplies:

   1. Have the town managers talk to local businesses like Walmart, Sam's Club, etc to donate (tax deductible) camping articles, tents, flashlights, sleeping bags, etc to be used in case of emergencies.

   2. Have the same town managers talk to grocery stores to stock pile can goods and discontinued items that they would normally throw away into the town storage building. Fresh produce should be given to soup kitchens in the area for seniors and the indigent.

3. The same town managers should talk to fast food businesses to collect their waste grease at a town facility to be filtered and resold as bio-fuel at a slight profit, or used for town vehicles.

The reason for this is to provide for the community when natural disasters occur, or to come to the aid of other towns affected by the same as first-responders. As we have seen FEMA just doesn’t work the way we all thought it should work, so let’s do it ourselves.

WE CAN DO THIS! It doesn’t require an act of congress… thank God!

As a result, for instance, southern states – typical victims of hurricanes – and the variety of states plagued by floods would get a faster first response with the feds assistance as a follow up second responder. Many towns coming to the aid of another would be heart-warming and give an added sense of community beyond their borders.

More importantly, each state could now practice and exercise a greater autonomy.