Yet while he declared “nothing should be off the table” when considering reforms, he said he won't support a single-payer system where the government covers all citizens equally.
“We are Americans; we're different from Canada, we're different than the United Kingdom,” he said, referring to countries that have some form of single-payer, government-funded health care. “We have to come up with a uniquely American solution, probably a combination of private and public coverage.”
“If we don't undertake this now, we might not have this opportunity for another decade,” he said. “We gotta do it now. Because a decade from now, it's going to be a lot worse.”
The senator also led a freewheeling discussion on health care, during which people offered their own take on what must be done to reform health care and health care financing.
Some physicians in attendance said the nation needs more “primary care” doctors and fewer specialists, and that physicians should be paid less on volume and the number of procedures they perform and more for “thinking” and analyzing patient's health problems.
“I think we specialists are overpaid for many of the things we do,” said William Ballinger, a retired dermatologist from Helena. He suggested that physicians should be paid with set salaries, rather than by the procedure or patient.
Friday's meeting is one of 10 health care “listening sessions” Baucus is holding across the state through the end of October, to get public input before he tackles health care reform in 2009 before the Finance Committee.
Baucus has not tipped his hand on what specific proposals he might support, and won't say whether he prefers proposals by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama or the Republican nominee John McCain.
He did vow to work with the next president on the problem, and said while it may take “incremental” steps to fix health care, he is still committed to finding a “durable, overarching all-encompassing solution where all Americans are participating together.”
Baucus said the U.S. health-care system is “clearly broken,” in that America spends more than any other developed country on health care yet doesn't provide high-quality care on a consistent basis.
The United States ranks 19th in the world in the rate of preventable deaths, he said, and has 47 million people without health insurance - and health insurance premiums in Montana have increased at five times the rate of wages in the past seven years.
Jay Larson, a Helena physician who's an internist, who was part of a five-person panel that led off the discussion after Baucus spoke Friday, said the nation must take steps to increase the number and proportion of primary-care physicians who practice general medicine.
Fewer and fewer medical-school graduates are going into primary care, he said, and these are the type of doctors who can save the nation billions of dollars in unnecessary care.
About 150,000 Montanans are without access to a primary-care doctor, resulting in about $50 million worth of unnecessary emergency room visits, he said.
Kevin Rencher, a pediatric dentist from Helena, said scores of poor children are going without dental care in Montana, and urged state policymakers to increase the amount of money spent by Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Plan on dentistry. Medicaid and CHIP are government-financed insurance programs for low-income people.
Rencher told a wrenching story of one week at his practice - this week - where he's already seen several children ages 3-8 who had badly infected teeth and had to have multiple crowns, extractions or fillings, because their parents couldn't find a dentist who would see a patient insured by Medicaid.
“Access to dental services for children covered by Medicaid and CHIP is a significant, crying problem,” he said. “In 2008, dental problems continue to be the most common chronic disease of childhood. More kids miss school because of dental problems than any other problem.”
Medicaid payments for dental treatment are so low that dentists limit Medicaid patients they see, Fencher said.
Some in the audience said Americans need to take more personal responsibility for their health, and stop ingesting so much sugar, caffeine, alcohol and other substances, and get preventive care.
Yet Rachel Conn of Helena, who said she works three jobs and has no health insurance, said healthy food and basic health care are expensive.
“Maybe we want to buy healthy foods and get preventative care, but we just can't afford it,” she said.
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ATLATL wrote on Oct 18, 2008 12:43 PM:
" A statement by one of the most useless elected officials ever to occupy office. Why he is allowed to continue to use the title, Democrat, is a mystery. He is a Republican, bought and paid for by all of corporate America and owned by the insurance and drug companies reponsible for the disaster that is the U.S. healthcare system. He no longer even attempts to cover up his allegiance to everything Republican. His re-election will just ensure the Congress will continue to act as whimpering dogs to the corporate oligarchy. "
Stan Barkley wrote on Oct 18, 2008 2:43 PM:
" Does this mean that Baucus is going to drop his government (single payer) coverage and join the rest of us on the open market with no group. Don't do as I do, do as I say. "
Keith wrote on Dec 8, 2008 9:12 AM:
" The ‘free market’ has failed to contain costs and protect many Americans from poverty because of health problems. Our reliance on health care through employment means people are tethered to jobs they may dislike and discourages entrepreneurs, many of whom are parents, from starting new businesses. People on the public dole must remain poor for medical care. We’d be better off with public, self-insurance programs like Medicare. Conservative warnings our economy would go to hell in a hand basket with Social Security and Medicare were simply wrong, and they are wrong about public insurance.
Harry Truman (Democrat) and Earl Warren (Republican governor of California) knew the danger of welfare and why pooling our resources was economically sound when they proposed publicly funded health insurance after WW II. The insurance industry coined 'socialized medicine' to attack Truman and Warren.
There are many well run public entities from police and fire departments, public schools, and Medicare. Most irrigation systems are public entities. Cooperatives produce most of the power throughout the mid-west. State Fund, one of the best run workers compensation programs in California, has provided public, self insurance since 1915. We are better of pooling our resources instead of buying into the illusion we are better off on our own. "
Harry Truman (Democrat) and Earl Warren (Republican governor of California) knew the danger of welfare and why pooling our resources was economically sound when they proposed publicly funded health insurance after WW II. The insurance industry coined 'socialized medicine' to attack Truman and Warren.
There are many well run public entities from police and fire departments, public schools, and Medicare. Most irrigation systems are public entities. Cooperatives produce most of the power throughout the mid-west. State Fund, one of the best run workers compensation programs in California, has provided public, self insurance since 1915. We are better of pooling our resources instead of buying into the illusion we are better off on our own. "
Jack Lohman wrote on Dec 8, 2008 12:36 PM:
" It never ceases to amaze me, the amount of energy that can go into a project just to avoid doing the right thing. The best, simplest, least costly, most effective thing we could do is expand what has been working so well for years, Medicare. You get sick, you get care, and the caregiver gets paid. Nothing could be simpler.
Move all Medicaid patients to Medicare, and all private patients as well. It would be funded by the taxpayers and would be better than the $700B bailout we are now forced to pay for. It would also relieve all companies of their $6000 per year per employee health care premiums, thereby bailing out all industry, not just a few, and will encourage corporations to keep job in the US.
Of course, the insurance industry will not like this, as they currently drain 31% of healthcare costs without ever laying hands on the patient.
"America will always do the right thing, but only after everything else fails." Winston Churchill
Jack Lohman
http:/MoneyedPoliticians.net "
Move all Medicaid patients to Medicare, and all private patients as well. It would be funded by the taxpayers and would be better than the $700B bailout we are now forced to pay for. It would also relieve all companies of their $6000 per year per employee health care premiums, thereby bailing out all industry, not just a few, and will encourage corporations to keep job in the US.
Of course, the insurance industry will not like this, as they currently drain 31% of healthcare costs without ever laying hands on the patient.
"America will always do the right thing, but only after everything else fails." Winston Churchill
Jack Lohman
http:/MoneyedPoliticians.net "
Ritchie Nordstrom wrote on Dec 8, 2008 9:00 PM:
" Please support HR 676 which would create national health insurance and a single-payer system.
HR 676 is "The most fiscally conservative approach" to health care, because by having one payer/insurer (usually the government), you eliminate the profits of private health insurers, you negotiate bulk purchases of drugs, you negotiate reasonable fees with health care providers and you have global budgets for hospitals and large clinics. "
HR 676 is "The most fiscally conservative approach" to health care, because by having one payer/insurer (usually the government), you eliminate the profits of private health insurers, you negotiate bulk purchases of drugs, you negotiate reasonable fees with health care providers and you have global budgets for hospitals and large clinics. "
Vic and Barby Ulmer wrote on Dec 8, 2008 10:33 PM:
" As people who have donated to Sen. Max Baucus' campaigns for many years we are distressed that he can't see that offering single payer to everyone is the way to go. In Denmark it works well. Some companies offer a benefit of private insurance which offers faster service and results in shorter lines in the government plan which is a win-win.
We are one of only three industrialized nations who don't offer health care for all. That should be a right. Health care should not be for profit. "
We are one of only three industrialized nations who don't offer health care for all. That should be a right. Health care should not be for profit. "
Eldon Renaud wrote on Dec 9, 2008 9:28 AM:
" On behalf of the 2nd Congressional District UAW CAP Council, we are asking for your support on the Single Payer Health Plan. There has never been a issue debated so long and supported as intensely as the single payer health care plan. Our members voted unanimously to support it.
Eldon J. Renaud, Chairman
UAW South Central Kentucky CAP Council "
Eldon J. Renaud, Chairman
UAW South Central Kentucky CAP Council "
Tom wrote on Dec 22, 2008 7:30 PM:
" he fact that Sen. Baucus won't support single payer healthcare is very disturbing to say the least.. It just affirms the fact that the health insurance special interests are pulling the strings in this healthcare reform fiasco.. For profit insurance companies have pillage hard working Americans for far too long.. Yet the people in government let this nightmare exist.. Every member of government who supports health insurance companies over single payer should be ashamed and embarrased Nothing will ever change as long as profit is in the forefront of our healthcare system.. Support HR676 and end this healthcare travesty,,ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!!!! "
Nancy wrote on Oct 18, 2008 7:13 AM: