How can North Carolina promote quality, access, and affordability in our healthcare system?
SUMMARY
- Healthcare options are a critical aspect of everyone’s life. State policy plays a significant role in promoting a healthcare system that achieves better outcomes, reaches more people, and makes care more affordable.
- Politicized solutions and bureaucratic regulation remove patients and families from the central focus of healthcare decisions. Healthcare innovation has been hindered by incentives that do not align with delivering better outcomes.
- Putting patients and families at the center of the healthcare system starts by offering choice. When healthcare markets have more latitude to respond to the choices that patients and families make, healthcare systems increase quality, expand accessibility and decrease cost.
State regulation impacts the quality and accessibility of healthcare options
Access to high-quality, affordable healthcare is a critical concern in everyone’s life. We want the rapid pace of innovation and adoption that has cured disease and delivered world-class treatments. We also want a system that is within the reach of everyone in North Carolina. With state regulation controlling every aspect of health delivery, legislative and bureaucratic policy plays a major role in the quality, access, and affordability of our healthcare system.
Political solutions do not put the patient at the center of decision making
Healthcare policy that removes the patient from the center of the decision-making process introduces incentives that do not align with the goals of providing high quality, accessible, affordable care. For too long, politicians, bureaucrats, and special interests have been making the decisions that should be made by the people and families whose lives are directly affected. But even when people can make decisions around health options, state law often stands in the way of healthcare providers offering innovative services.
Choice can create a high-quality, accessible, affordable healthcare system
There is a better approach to developing healthcare options for people throughout North Carolina. This approach is based on the freedom for individuals and families to make personal decisions about which options meet their individual healthcare needs. It creates stronger relationships between patients, doctors and healthcare specialists. And it incorporates the incentives that introduce innovation, serves more of our communities and brings down the cost of care.
North Carolina can promote a high-quality, accessible, affordable healthcare system based on choice. Individuals and families need choices that address their lifestyle and care needs. They need the choice to find the healthcare options that meet their health management goals. They need the choices that introduce incentives to drive down cost while maintaining quality. With more choices to define healthcare options, we can promote a healthcare system that achieves better care outcomes in North Carolina.
Real, practical, effective solutions for healthcare policy
- Transition the current Medicaid direct payment model to a state-funded health savings account, giving people more flexibility in defining the healthcare options that best serve their individual circumstances.
- Eliminate anticompetitive and protectionist Certificate of Need laws that hamper the growth and affordability of healthcare services, especially in rural and disadvantaged urban communities.
- Address the state licensing roadblocks preventing innovative healthcare delivery options such as direct primary care, telemedicine, and out-of-state licensed doctors providing charitable care.
- Repeal laws and regulations that mandate or prohibit any type of healthcare, medication, vaccination, or medical care or treatment.
- Decriminalize medical cannabis. Modern medical research indicates that this natural substance effective valley alleviates pain, nausea, and other symptoms associated with several debilitating medical conditions.