Bob McCarty Writes

By Foster Friess
Guest Blogger

David Goldhill became health reform advocate after losing his father to a hospital infection.

Atlantic Monthly features David Goldhill’s story, “How American Health Care Killed My Father.”  Goldhill’s frustration with the American health care system stems from personal experience of losing his father to an infection acquired in a hospital.

At the core of our health care crisis, Goldhill lists the following: a wasteful insurance system; distorted incentives; a bias toward treatment; moral hazard; curbed competition; service to the wrong customer; hidden costs and a lack of transparency.

“I’m a Democrat, and have long been concerned about America’s lack of a health safety net. But based on my own work experience,  I also believe that unless we fix the problems at the foundation of our health system—largely problems of incentives—our reforms won’t do much good, and may do harm.”

Goldhill highlights flaws of our employer-based system.  As a small business owner, he calculates the cost to insure an employee over a lifetime.  Goldhill uses the scenario of a  22-year old starting at $30k; he marries, raises 2 children for 20 years, retires at 65 making $107k, dies at 80.  Total amount paid for health care costs over his lifetime?  $1.77 million, according to Goldhill’s calculations.

The problem is that the employee never sees, nor ever cares to see the real costs and bills of his health care — only premiums and co-pays.  Goldhill suggests we must move away from health insurance as a ‘benefit’ or entitlement.  Instead, we must ensure that consumers have “skin in the game.”  Goldhill says, “The current reform will likely expand our government’s already massive role in health-care decision-making—all just to continue the illusion that someone else is paying for our care.”

Click here to read “How American Health Care Killed My Father.”

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