American healthcare reacts to crises, rather than prevent them
When patients control resources, healthcare system work for them, rather than around them.
Opinion:
By Charles Sauer
The Capitalist is a reader-supported publication
Reject Corporate Left Wing Journalism
Healthcare is intensely personal, and when devastating news arrives in the exam room, lives and families are changed in an instant. Yet a system bogged down by regulation and bureaucracy too often compounds that pain, forcing patients to navigate the most frightening chapter of their lives alone. We must change that.
That’s why President Trump’s plan to fund patients – not the system – is revolutionary. Shifting power from government bureaucrats, insurance companies, and big hospital systems will allow Americans to make their own healthcare decisions. When patients control the resources, the healthcare system begins to work for them rather than around them.
Today, one of the clearest examples of why this approach matters is Alzheimer’s disease.
In a powerful Wall Street Journal op-ed, Dr. Brent Beasley recounts how he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at age 57 after losing his job due to unexplained cognitive struggles. Despite being a physician with significant medical knowledge and strong connections, securing a diagnosis took nearly a year – precious time when early intervention can make a life-changing difference.
But Dr. Beasley’s story is not one of despair. It’s one of hope.
Because his disease was detected early enough, his care team successfully intervened. Treatment helped him regain clarity, remain active in his church, and live a purposeful life. His experience is deeply encouraging. You can read his story here.
An Alzheimer’s diagnosis no longer has to mean immediate decline.
Science is opening doors that did not exist a decade ago. Yet Dr. Beasley’s story demonstrates that America’s healthcare system is largely designed to react to crises rather than prevent them. Patients are often diagnosed too late even though early interventions and lifestyle changes can have profound impacts.
Removing barriers to early testing, expanding access to innovative treatments, and supporting caregivers must become a national priority.
There is another reason policymakers should pay attention.
Analysts, including President Trump’s former Domestic Policy Advisor Joe Grogan and Paragon Research Fellow Ryan Long, increasingly warn that Alzheimer’s is not only a medical challenge but an economic one. Without a serious strategy, the growing number of Alzheimer’s cases could strain families, shrink the workforce, and place additional pressure on federal programs.
China has a plan. Where’s America’s Plan?
China has launched a national Alzheimer’s effort focused on awareness, screening, and early intervention. America needs a similar focus. The health and wellness of our citizens and the fiscal strength of our nation are at stake.
The encouraging news is that the path forward is becoming clearer. It must include:
Detecting the disease earlier
Empowering primary care doctors
Supporting innovation
Reducing bureaucratic obstacles
Putting patients back at the center of care
With the right strategy, America can lead the world by extending not just lifespan, but healthspan, allowing millions to remain active contributors to their families, communities, and economies.
Dr. Beasley reminds us that behind every policy debate is a human story and hope is no longer theoretical. Now the question is whether we will learn from stories like his and act boldly to help families facing an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
About the Author:
Charles Sauer is the president of the Market Institute, and the author of Profit Motive: What Drives the Things We Do.
Chinese companies need to get OUT of our country. They are trying their damnest to take
over
The devil is in the details. Where can I read about it? There is nothing magical about funding patients; that’s how we finance college. Students get grants and loans, which depend on what the institutions charge. That incentives those institutions to raise prices.
To put us into a sensible free market path that also accounts for rare events, we need mandatory private insurance for catastrophic care, and free markets for most kinds of other care. If employers choose to pay for insurance, that needs to be taxable, so it is clear to employees that it isn’t free. Some at least would presumably prefer the money.
That should force hospitals and doctors to pay attention to costs.