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The Role of Data Centers in a Single Payer System – In America
by RAMIN HAMIDI , DO , MSc , MBA
OPINION
As a person who grew up in Canada and then moved to the U . S . to study medicine , people often ask me about the benefits of a single payer health care system . Many Americans feel strongly that health care should be a human right and not a privilege for the wealthy . Some opine that health care insurance should not be dependent upon employment status so that people do not lose their insurance after leaving a job . In fact , many are forced to stay in jobs they do not want to do , because they need to keep their health insurance . The aim of this writing is to describe some of the benefits and challenges of a single payer system in America – and the single most important place to start .
One of the least mentioned benefits of a single payer system is economic growth . A single payer system could relieve small , or start up , companies from struggling to afford competitive health benefits , thereby freeing up resources for growth . Of note , many private practices have joined hospitals and other networks because of the cost of health care ! A single payer system would increase physician autonomy by supporting smaller private practices that do not require heavy administrative burdens . In other countries , when a physician generates a bill for patient care received , 1 it is paid in full – in days , not months !
Larger companies , such as automakers , would also benefit . Ford , Chrysler and General Motors have plants in Windsor , Ontario as the cost of health care is cheaper in Canada . This is not to say that labor unions will go away anytime soon , but that they will not be required to help members negotiate for health care .
The availability of treatment for mental health issues is also paramount for economic growth . It may seem counterintuitive at first , but when there is less mental illness , there is less gun , gang and domestic violence . Our communities would spend less money downstream managing the health care issues of people who have become paraplegic or quadriplegic following gun or alcohol related incidents . Similarly , help for substance use disorders and other mental health disorders could reduce crime rates , thereby increasing safety in neighborhoods . It is also conceivable that better health care could lower the government burden of paying for benefits as more people would be able to work . Obviously , those who have lost their lives in drug and alcohol related accidents are no longer available to contribute to their communities .
The Affordable Care Act encouraged mergers that didn ’ t translate into better health care or to savings for patients . Furthermore , practices are required to purchase electronic medical records , raising administrative costs . When it comes to health care , bigger is not always better , but bigger can be more expensive . The question that begs to be answered is this : what are the hurdles that limit the establishment of a single payer and how can they be overcome ?
The answer , in part , is that the U . S . does not have the infrastructure to administer a national health care system . For instance , in comparison to Canada and England , Americans do not have health insurance numbers . At the present time , each hospital issues its own patient medical record number , and every insurance policy card has its own patient identification number as well . The VA Hospitals use social security numbers to identify patients . What these systems have in common is that they do not communicate with each other . If the government were to issue a health insurance number ( continued on page 36 )
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