Team Taiwan

Since learning about the Taiwanese system in class, I am all about incorporating many aspects of their health care organization into my "ideal" health care system. According to the interview with the Harvard economist that helped to develop the Taiwanese reform, it was interesting that they chose to use the Canadian system. I feel like the one aspect that should be mandatory in the perfect system would be a smart card. Its the single best way to integrate medical records, track uses of each patient, ensure access to services, and keep medicine streamlined electronically.

I can even imagine the world of good if the U.S. decided to implement a smart card. Patients wouldn't be over-prescribed medication or doctors would have a more honest view of what patients use. Deaths like Michael Jackson's may be avoided with a smart card; his doctor prescribed him a sleep aide that was already administered at Jackson's request which directly contributed to his cardiac arrest and death. Even though many are uninsured in America, there are plenty of abusers among those that receive insurance through employers or Medicare.

I thought it was a brilliant idea of Taiwan to initially recognize the need for health care reform and most importantly, look at other successful nations. Its amazing to me that they actually hired an outside consultant in the matter as well. I think most countries would not dare to do that, but it makes sense as the Harvard professor would have no biases or interests in a health care system that would largely unaffect him. Its amazing to think they delegate a very small number of leaders to head their reform and the U.S. has such a large and complicated reform committees. It is also eye-opening to see how fast reform can be passed in Taiwan and how political our country has become where it takes ages to change anything.