Health care system needs fixes, not a complete overhaul
Irecently participated in a roundtable panel to discuss the results of a recent poll commissioned by Consumers for Quality Care regarding the state of health care in Nevada. Given my roles as a state senator and family physician, this topic is always at the forefront of my thoughts and concerns, and it is my goal to make health care better for my patients and all Nevadans. We all can agree on the need for accessible and quality care for each of us and our families, but what does that mean more specifically? The poll results shed some light on that.
The first conclusion was that Nevadans overwhelmingly concurred that health care is too expensive. Even those with insurance are unsure what their costs will be — causing many, both insured and not, to have unpaid medical bills. This is especially true of minority groups.
Asked what they believed was rising faster between their income or health care costs, Nevadans overwhelmingly (71%) answered health care costs. Further inquiry on this topic bears out that 75% of Nevadans agree that their health care costs increase every year.
Surprise billing was cited as the No. 1 cost-related concern. Seventy-three percent of respondents worry about receiving a surprise bill that will be in the thousands of dollars.
The No. 2 concern, at 71%, was the worry of not being able to afford high deductibles. Rounding out the top apprehensions were the delay of needed care due to cost and the inability to afford monthly health care premiums. Even further, 62% of those polled revealed that at least one time in their lives, they have struggled to pay a medical bill even when having health insurance. Of those polled, 27% currently have an unpaid or overdue bill, and this number bumps up to 50% if they classify themselves as financially burdened.
In terms of fixing this problem, most Nevadans believe Congress should be careful about making changes in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, the majority of voters (59%) want fixes to our current system versus an overhaul of the system. This is true even across party lines. Only 15% of Republicans want an overhaul of the system, and even 60% of Democrats do not support one. Only 13% want to see a fully government-run system.
According to the poll, the solutions voters most want are lower deductibles that don’t compromise the quality of care received, preventing insurance companies from covering so little that affordable quality care is out of reach, and making it easier to see a doctor. In Nevada, 56% of those polled believe the state has too few doctors.
Most of the poll findings had high support numbers, but one area where the numbers were more equally divided was regarding whether or not Nevadans could get any treatment needed here (44%) or if they’d have to go elsewhere (39%). The second number increases to 44% if the respondent currently had a health issue.
These results are just a peek at this immense issue, but it hopefully will provide insight to our decision makers and spark the conversation further. Please join me in urging my fellow state lawmakers, as well as our federal lawmakers, to look at that which is broken, make the necessary changes and build on that which is good.