OPINION:
As the campaign winds down, the highest-priority economic issue for most families — the cost of health care — has received little attention.
Republican and Democratic candidates approach the issue differently; voters should think about that when they cast their ballot. Much has been made about the failures of the American health care system: It is expensive, difficult to access and focused on sickness, not health. With the increasing incidence of chronic disease, an aging population and ever-increasing health care costs, our failing health care system affects the lives of every American.
The Harris campaign has laid out a plan for Medicare expansion to cover more Americans. This fails to recognize that Medicare is unable to use free-market principles or active competition. Burdensome regulations are unlikely to be part of the solution.
Putting more people in a failing system doesn’t solve a problem; it exacerbates it. The lack of any clear plan to ensure healthy Americans deeply concerns me as a health care professional.
The Trump campaign has recognized that government policies beyond Medicare affect our nation’s health and must be addressed in a coordinated, comprehensive way. The Federal Trade Commission must address medical monopolies that drive up costs and limit competition. The Food and Drug Administration needs to limit patent abuse that keeps drug prices high and slows the approval of new drugs and treatments.
Tax policy should offer incentives to investment and savings that give consumers more control of their health care choices, and regulations that support the current volume-driven sickness system need to be addressed and removed.
The pillars of the Trump plan include improving access, reducing costs and holding health care providers accountable. Former President Donald Trump is the only candidate with a clear plan to ensure not only all Americans’ health but also that families have options and affordability when it comes to health care.
Our aging population will require a change in the health care workforce. We need to invest in primary care physicians who focus on prevention, wellness and the management of chronic disease, professionals who can address the nation’s mental health crisis and a workforce of skilled health care professionals who can work as a team to deliver education on nutrition, exercise and healthy living.
Having the right doctor in the right place at the right time should be the goal of our health care workforce. Economic incentives must align with these clinical priorities; reimbursement should be based on outcomes, not interventions.
The healthier a team of providers keeps their patients, the greater their reimbursement should be, not the current system that perversely compensates providers more as patients get sicker. Regulations that compensate based on the service site should be changed to compensate based on the quality of care. Isn’t that what we want from our health care system?
Prices should be easy to find and understand so patients can compare and shop for medical services instead of being surprised by a bill that exceeds their monthly mortgage payment or rent. Providers who take advantage of the system’s complexity to extract compensation without providing value need to be stopped. Fraud and abuse, combined with medical testing and procedures that have no evidence-based value, add up to tens of billions of dollars in health care expenses a year.
Stealing from patients directly or through their insurance coverage should be severely punished. The Trump plan sends a message that those practices will not be tolerated, and we should demand that our not-for-profit providers provide community goods or pay their taxes like everyone else.
Mr. Trump’s approach to improving health care for all Americans will promote the innovation, efficiencies and investment that have been successful in industries nationwide. Recognition of changing demographics, a commitment to wellness, prevention and the management of chronic disease, and the three pillars of improved accessibility, reduced cost and greater accountability is the Trump prescription for a healthier America.
Mr. Trump is up to the task. He has a plan, and he is the only candidate discussing the need to ensure Americans live longer and healthier lives.
As a doctor, I trust Donald Trump to make America healthy again.
• Clive Fields is a board-certified family physician and co-founder of VillageMD.
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