Sean Masaki Flynn, Ph.D., an assistant professor of economics at Scripps College and author of “Economics for Dummies,” is proposing the United States look to Singapore’s health care system for solutions.

In his book “The Cure That Works: How to Have the World’s Best Healthcare—at a Quarter of the Price” Flynn discusses visiting Singapore to learn firsthand about their health care, compares it to the U.S.’s system and offers ways to implement what Singapore is doing here in the United States.

As part of his research trip, Flynn talked not only with Doctors, nurses, dentists and public health officials, but also locals outside of the medical industry such as shop clerks and waiters.  In one exchange that he refers to as “a revelation,” Flynn asked a cab driver what he thought of Singapore’s health care system and was told without hesitation that he hated it because he has to go to the gym three days a week.

“Does the government force you to do that?” Flynn asked.

“No,” the cab driver explained. “But if I get fat and get diabetes, I am going to have to pay for a lot of the costs.  So I have to go to the gym three times a week.”

This conversation demonstrated for Flynn a major difference between health care in Singapore and in the United States.  Both countries have two parties involved in their individual health care systems: 1.) the Patient and 2.) the health care provider such as the Physician.  But unlike Singapore, the United States has a third party involved in their system: private health insurance, Medicaid or Medicare.  Flynn argues that this additional party is a major reason for problems in health care in the U.S.

“…the fact that payments flow from third parties to second parties reduces the second parties’ incentive to deliver what the first parties desire: high quality at low cost.”  Flynn argues that when there are only two parties, the second parties (the health care providers) are “forced to care [about the interests of the first parties], because they are competing with other second parties.”

This is what the cab driver was referring to in his conversation with Flynn.  He (the first party) is directly paying his health care provider (the second party), so he is incorporating regular exercise into his lifestyle to avoid medical problems that could be personally financially costly for him.

Flynn goes on to argue that the third party in America’s health care system has contributed to wasteful spending, making our health care more costly and less efficient than Singapore’s.  To illustrate his point, he draws a comparison between purchasing an expensive car versus a mid-priced one. “…a Honda or a Ford can do nearly everything that a Ferrari or Rolls-Royce can do…inducing first parties to demand a Ferrari when a Ford would have been sufficient is pure waste.”

Additional topics covered in “The Cure That Works” include:

• Health savings accounts (HSAs)

• U.S. companies who have implemented Singapore’s health care model

• Global statistics that explore individual countries’ health care spending, life expectancy, infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate

• “Single-payer” systems

• America’s employment-based health insurance system

• Singapore’s health care safety net

• Pharmaceuticals in Singapore

For more information, about this title visit Regnery Publishing’s website https://www.regnery.com/

What are your thoughts about this?  Should the U.S. implement some or all of Singapore’s approach to health care?  Or do you feel a different health care reform proposal is the better approach for the U.S.?  Write to us at info@hispanicoutlook.com and the person with the most thoughtful and interesting feedback will be featured on our website.