Networking to Develop the Ideal HealthPlan for the USA

Quarterly Newsletter

The $1.4 trillion health care industry is the only segment of the economy that is failing, and there is nothing the employer, insurance carrier or government can do about it.

Health care is the only product or service (outside of public education) that has consistently grown worse over the past 30 years, with decreasing customer (patient) satisfaction. Every other product and service in our economy has improved in quality and grown less expensive over time, with increasing customer satisfaction.

Health care is the only sector of the economy where prices have been steadily increasing since the end of WWII. Every other sector of the economy is reaping the benefits of Moore’s Law which states that the cost of digital technology decreases by 50 percent every 18 months. In health care, although the Length of Stay (LOS) for delivery of a child has decreased from five days to two days, the hospital cost has more than doubled. The LOS for gallbladder surgery has decreased from five days to one day, but the hospital cost has nearly doubled. The surgeons' fees have remained level or even decreased during this time.

HPUSA is the only true Market-based Health Plan that uses the Internet and Digital Information Technology to bring the Insurance Carrier, Service Providers (Hospitals, Surgicenters, Physicians, Pharmacies, Diagnostic and Treatment Centers), Patients and Credit Providers together at the same interface, allowing data, information and fund transfers to occur in real time.

The patient takes an interest in making an informed decision at every step of the health care process when he or she has a financial obligation in all decision-making processes–which doctor to see, which hospital to use, which pharmacy to utilize, which laboratory to draw blood, which x-ray facility for diagnostic testing. The financial stake is proportional to the cost incurred without limit. Thus, each service provider will provide the best service for the money in order to assure a continuing customer (patient) base.

• Healthcare costs are reduced making it more affordable and available to all Americans, thus eliminating the uninsured concerns.

• Quality is increased by cutting down delays in patient care, thus decreasing unnecessary patient suffering and premature death.

• Efficiency is increased by cutting the time between providing medical services and payment to service providers: hospitals, surgicenters, physicians, pharmacies, laboratory, x-ray, CTs, MRIs and other diagnostic and treatment centers. (Although experiential data is currently not available, some actuaries have informally estimated that this is a 20-50 percent decrease in business office costs for hospitals, physicians and other providers.)

• Choice is unlimited as patients make their own choice on the basis of cost, quality and efficiency. Unless they improve, poor or incompetent providers will be eliminated more efficiently than any HMO, insurance plan, PEER Review, government, FBI, Medical Board or other overseeing or policing agency can do, thus saving multiple bureaucratic costs and further decreasing health care costs. (Although accurate data is elusive, some actuaries have informally estimated that this is a 40-60 percent decrease in administrative and bureaucratic costs.)

• Spectrum of a customer market base is increased to insurance and credit providers by the direct digital interface with the patient and service providers.

• The nation’s $1 trillion privately funded health care costs (of the $1.4 trillion total) will be significantly reduced. Although accurate data is elusive, conservative estimates by actuaries suggest the nation’s health care costs should be reduced by at least thirty percent making health care affordable to all Americans that fall between the Medicaid and the Medicare programs. As Medicare goes bankrupt and eliminates 66 and 67 year-olds, progressing higher as it follows social security benefit restrictions, HealthPlanUSA will easily be able to absorb these unfortunate Americans who have lost an unrealistic unfunded coverage base.