Guest Author: Student

I was asked, as a student of UW-La Crosse, to give my opinion on the current health care reform, and in particular, my opinion regarding the role of technology in health care. Since I am a sociology/ criminal justice major, I must admit that I do not know a ton about the health care reform bill- however, after reading the previous reform statements by the blog authors, I can tell you what I agree with and what I disagree with.

I definitely agree that there should be a huge push towards preventative care. I was amazed at the huge cost of a colonoscopy. My grandpa had colon cancer so my Dad just recently got his first colonoscopy, and from what I can imagine it does not sound like a pleasant procedure. Luckily, we had insurance to cover the cost. I am very thankful for that fact that we have insurance, but even more I am thankful that the technology is available to my family to have a colonoscopy. I know many people do not have this privilege.

However, I also agree that preventive medicine can sometimes go way too far. Because of this, I agree with the Technology Reform Proposal 1 that states that many physicians perform numerous expensive and unnecessary tests to basically cover their butt if they were to get sued later on down the road. I think that something definitely needs to be done about the high costs of premiums for malpractice insurance, and there should also be a limit as to how much one can sue for. I know from experience that when a family member dies, a way of coping with your sadness and grief can be blaming their death on somebody else. All too often, the blame is put on the physician in charge of the deceased person’s care. Something needs to be done to put the money hospitals have been wasting on malpractice insurance to good use.

After reading these blogs, there is one thing I would like to point out that has been only mentioned briefly. Even though I am all for spending money on technology that can provide better diagnosis, quicker cures, and a better efficiency- I think that overspending could happen very easily. I would say that many people would want the latest and greatest technological procedure done – even if it is not any more beneficial than a standard, inexpensive procedure. Therefore, I think an important part of the reform should be an analysis of each technological procedure to see if the benefits really outweigh the costs.

Overall- I think that as Americans we should be proud of the efforts that we have put into technology and continue to provide the best healthcare for the most people possible. I agree that we need to cut money somewhere- but technology is just not the place to do it in my eyes.

- Jacob Lucey