The case for restructuring health care in the United States: the Hawaii paradigm

Health care in the United States is plagued by many problems. This includes excessive specialization with too few generalists, burdensome bureaucratic federal rules and regulations, and outlandish malpractice awards--all contributing to costs of care that exceeds all other nations. Cost has erroneously been identified as the cause of the problem rather than being one of many results of a failing system. Rather than repetitive unsuccessful efforts to tinker with cost as the cause, it makes far more sense to design and build a better structure of health care including expanding the existing biomedical model into a broader biomedical-psychosocial model. Hawaii, with virtually 100% of its population insured, is closer to this model than most states. It also manages to be ranked the healthiest state with one of the lowest health care costs in the nation.