Do Americans have to stand in line to the doctors

Dr. Branovan discusses US healthcare reform

The US Supreme Court decided to consider the appeal filed against the health care reform initiated by President Obama. I sought clarification from a well-known doctor in our community, Igor Branovan, a graduate of medical school at Stanford University and the faculty of health management at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Branovan kindly agreed to share his thoughts on health care reform with the readers of the Forum newspaper, of which he is one of the founders and vice-president.

- First of all, what do you think about the health care reform that President Obama proposed?

- Of course, this issue has many nuances, and it can be viewed from different angles. Without going into details, I will express my opinion as a doctor. The Health Care Reform Act will allow 30 to get millions of Americans medical care. And that, of course, is good. At the same time, the law at the same time provides for a general reduction in health care spending in the United States. Simple arithmetic: many more people will spend much less money on their health. What will it mean? More people will have access to a more mediocre health care system than the current one. There will be queues to doctors, patients will have to wait for all sorts of medical procedures and operations. There will be no money for innovation. The world-famous quality of American medicine may disappear.

- What issue will be decided by the US Supreme Court?

- Judges of the Supreme Court will consider the issue of the legality of the requirement that bind Americans under the threat of a fine to have medical insurance and the compliance of this requirement with the US Constitution. By the way, the court will have to make its decision at the end of June, that is, at the height of the presidential campaign.

- Why do opponents of health care reform believe that it is contrary to the Constitution?

- They claim that the state has exceeded its authority and interfered in the private life of citizens, obliging everyone to buy health insurance. In their opinion, this is a violation of the principles of freedom and the rights of citizens to make decisions in their lives, on which American society was founded.

- But after all, no one has any problems with the fact that all drivers are obliged to get insurance in case of an accident. Why do health insurance problems arise?

- A person may not have a car, and then he is not obliged to buy insurance. The position of health care reform that everyone will be obliged to acquire health insurance, even if he is completely healthy and does not need it, has caused the most controversy. This requirement was challenged in the courts of many states of the country. Some courts confirmed its validity, and some recognized it as unconstitutional, deciding that Congress had exceeded its authority by obliging citizens to purchase health insurance.

- What do you think will be decided by the US Supreme Court?

- Many analysts suggest that the votes of the Supreme Court judges will split in the 5: 4 ratio versus health care reform proposed by President Obama. The main question is that the position of Judge Kennedy, whose voice will be decisive, is unknown. By his decision, Judge Kennedy can give 30 millions of Americans access to the much-needed health insurance and at the same time worsen the level of medical care for all of us, striking at the current health care system.