Local doctor presents plan for health care

SANDPOINT — The proposed state health care exchange or federal management aren’t Idaho’s only options, according to longtime medical professional Loel Fenwick.

A respected doctor, inventor of the birthing room system and member of the Bird Aviation Museum advisory board, Fenwick has long been concerned about the future of health care in Idaho. He shared his vision for a different approach to keeping medical costs down at a pair of Friends of Idaho meetings in February and March, the first of which attracted more than 100 people.

“This is the biggest challenge of our lifetime in terms of our relationship to the state,” he told the audience.

At both meetings, Fenwick introduced what he dubbed the People’s Power Plan, which he believed would clamp down on the costs of America’s current, bloated health care system while avoiding the pitfalls that many people envision in the Affordable Care Act.

One thing, Fenwick said, is absolutely certain: the current national health care system is the world’s most expensive and leaves many American citizens out in the cold.

“There are 23 million people who don’t have health care, so the system is fundamentally wrong,” he said.

However, Fenwick also said that the proposed state exchange and the federal health care system will likely not help matters, especially given the overhead costs and privacy concerns the new system creates through central administration.

“Fortunately, Idaho and other states can still put a stop to the greatest tax increase and transfer of power in U.S. history,” Fenwick said.

Fenwick proposes a voluntary alternative to commercial insurance that makes securing a health care plan similar to booking a vacation on the Internet. He envisions a system where individuals can shop among a variety of health care providers for a benefits package and cost that fits their needs and budget. According to Fenwick, this system would be convenient, give customers the power over their health decisions and use the free market to drive costs down while increasing quality. Customers would fund their health needs by putting post-tax money into an account they own.

“It’s a common sense way of not trying to tame the bureaucratic monster,” Fenwick said. “Instead, it puts back into the system something that works everywhere else — the free market.”

As for the legality of Idaho implementing a different health care approach when the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, Fenwick argued the states have the ability to choose whether or not to comply. He backed this up with a section of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts’ opinion in the Affordable Care Act ruling, which reads, “The states are separate and  independent sovereigns. Sometimes they have to act like it.”

Fenwick believes that by instituting a program similar to that outlined in his proposal, Idaho can be a leader in alternatives to the federal system.

“We need people to look beyond the stories and do what’s best for the state,” he said.