Obamacare red tape costs Americans hundreds of millions of hours per year -- here's the solution

Did you know that doctors often order medical tests you don’t really need just so they won’t be sued? Bob Dorigo Jones from the Center for America joined Friday’s “The Morning Blaze with Doc Thompson” to talk about how government red tape and excessive litigation both damage the U.S. health care system.

Dorigo Jones wrote in a recent op-ed about the avalanche of paperwork that came along with Obamacare. Since the Affordable Care Act was passed, Americans have had to spend nearly twice as much time on paperwork, which is a burden not only on those who need health care but also on overworked doctors who have less time to spend with their patients.

Doc Thompson pointed out that legislation and government institutions intended to help people add more red tape while not really accomplishing anything. “These are failed systems; there are clearly other ways to do it, and it doesn’t actually help us,” he said.

Unintended consequences from legislation such as Obamacare hurt everyday Americans, Dorigo Jones asserted. “The solution is to use a more market-based solution,” he said. “This is something that I think the current administration has brought in; it’s a mindset that ideas shouldn’t flow out of Washington. Unleash the private sector.”

Another issue hurting the U.S. health care system is excessive litigation. Doctors often order expensive tests that patients don’t really need so they don’t get sued in frivolous medical lawsuits, Dorigo Jones explained.

To see more from Doc, visit his channel on TheBlaze and listen live to “The Morning Blaze with Doc Thompson” weekdays 6–9 a.m. ET, only on TheBlaze Radio Network.