Public health care debate usually begins by addressing the need for third-party financing solutions. Little is said, however, about the actual care providers: hospitals and clinics. I would recommend a different approach which will cost less while also strengthening the nation’s health care infrastructure: Let us buy insurance from facilities that provide our medical care. In other words, let’s go straight to the source and avoiding intermediaries.

Under a system where hospitals and clinics offer health insurance to people in their community:

1. medical facilities can cover their overhead through monthly insurance premiums. Like now, hospital administrators, some of whom I have interviewed, said they could only hope to admit the patient is adequately insured to cover salaries and operational costs. A flow is consistent and predictable revenue will enable the facility to adequately staff, pay better salaries, medical equipment and optimize operational efficiency – and provide better health care.

2. The cost of coverage would be lower than most health care plans (corporate entity attached a long list of financial beneficiaries, the broker for marketers to investors hungry). For example, if the overhead for the facility is $ 5 million / year, 5,000 insured can pay $ 85/month to maintain operations. Implementation of co-pay or include further members will bear the monthly premium. Each medical facility will be free to develop their own agreements with members of their community.

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