Health Savings Account Blog

- Ireland boasts the richest economy in Western Europe, but in a country of about 4 million people, there are 17 neurologists and it takes up to a year to get an appointment to see one for the initial visit.

- It takes about four months to get an MRI scan, about 14 weeks for diagnostic ultrasound and surgical cases are put on waiting lists.

- Canadians pay roughly a 50 percent income tax to help support their national health-care system.

- In Ontario, most Canadians who can afford it purchase private extended health coverage rather than relying upon the government-sponsored programs to avoid similar problems.

Further, government-sponsored health-care programs in our own country have serious problems, says Anzalone:

- Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage created more confusion that even Medicare representatives could answer.

- Over-utilization of Medicaid programs break the backs of state budgets.

- Recent news reports about the horrific conditions and abysmal patient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, our nation's flagship of government-managed health care, hardly inspire confidence in a government-run medical system.

Instead of trying to replace one bad system with another, the government should:

- Encourage even more competition among private insurers so that doctors and providers receive fair reimbursements for good medical care.

- Provide direct subsidies for people who purchase health insurance that they can afford and that is portable from job to job.

- Encourage the use of tax-sheltered Health Savings Accounts for those want to control where and how their health-care dollars are spent.