To the editor: Sunday’s entrance web page article about UCLA healthcare says, “Progress of well being system spurs fear” (“UCLA Health expansion raises costs and concerns,” Oct. 25). Let’s go away apart the irony that many of the documented “fear” stems from a research at USC.
What the article lacks is affected person enter.
It talks about UCLA shopping for practices and means that prices go up in consequence whereas “sufferers get the identical care” … “however there’s a new title on the door.”
In my expertise, the alternative occurred. My prices went down, whereas the standard of care improved considerably.
A 3rd celebration has a frightening process in making an attempt to measure healthcare high quality. It takes time. And even over time, the result could also be fuzzy.
However a affected person can usually sense a step up in high quality virtually instantly. That’s what I felt once I met my new major care physician at a neighborhood UCLA facility about 18 months in the past. I’m a retiree counting on Medicare. I get the most effective medical care of my life via UCLA Well being.
I consider workers author Melody Petersen is heading in the right direction when she questions the efficacy of consolidation within the healthcare subject. I’ve seen proof of issues in recent times. However in her article, I consider she misidentified the villain.
Robert Emmett Dolan Jr., Thousand Oaks
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To the editor: These elevated prices had been predictable 20 years in the past.
Hospitals in addition to the personal insurance coverage market functioned moderately nicely till 1997, when Medicare was restructured. Recognizing that child boomers are getting older and the truth that older folks price extra to care for, Congress ignored its well being economists and discarded free-market rules.
Hospital directors tried to insulate themselves from this market manipulation. As Medicare affected person numbers elevated and later, Medicaid expanded, price pressures pressured hospitals to extend revenues, lower provides, consolidate and decrease nursing/affected person ratios. In underpaying and manipulating the funds to hospitals in addition to suppliers, Congress has created a hidden tax on those that buy personal medical insurance: massive employers, massive unions, small companies and people. The previous two teams can self-insure, insulating a few of this price shift, however the small-business and particular person markets have been devastated by multiples of inflation.
The most important expense of hospitals is labor, primarily nursing, and 50% of most establishments’ prices are labor-related. With the nursing scarcity, the Fed retaining rates of interest low for too lengthy, and congressionally inspired hyperinflation (COVID money), the hospitals of our nation are bleeding crimson ink.
Congress created this mess and might repair it. It has to discover a bipartisan resolution to extend the variety of energetic nurses in America in addition to broaden and strengthen our nursing training workforce.
Congress must be sincere with itself concerning the complexities of healthcare economics. We can’t have congressionally created hidden taxes and value shifts onto personal payers.
Howard C. Mandel, Los Angeles
This author is president emeritus of the Los Angeles Metropolis Well being Fee.
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To the editor: It’s nice that UCLA is increasing its affected person care attain, but it surely wants to rent an applicable variety of new docs to satisfy the elevated want. At present, the wait to see a UCLA specialist might be three to 5 months. That doesn’t appear to be serving present or new sufferers.
Laurel Bleak, Los Angeles
