Physicians enjoy a year-end rush
This show the failure of high deductibles.
Managed Care through the HMO model failed. High deductibles are failing too. This article shows how this wastes resources as well as how it punishes the sick and poor. This year end rush is like getting a government grant and doing a year end spending spree because of the use it or lose it way the grant works. Take the insurance company model out of health care and we can fix this mess. Create one single source of payment and provide universal access to health care without all the managing and blaming patients or docs for overuse and we can avoid all the waste in our system today - saving 30% which will allow universal access.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Hospitals ill from more bad debt, credit troubles - Yahoo! News
Hospitals ill from more bad debt, credit troubles - Yahoo! News
"Around the country, while some hospitals still are doing well, closings and bankruptcies seem to be picking up.
In New Jersey, where 47 percent of hospitals posted losses in 2007, five of the 79 acute-care hospitals closed this year, and a sixth may close soon. In Hawaii, nearly every hospital is in trouble, with two filing for bankruptcy and one nearly closing recently.
All over, hospitals are cutting costs by outsourcing services like housekeeping and security and trimming staff through layoffs, hiring freezes and attrition. Most are trying not to touch patient care jobs — nurses, pharmacists, therapists and X-ray technicians — as those already have staff shortages.
"The last thing we can do is skinny down our staffing right where we need it the most," said Mike Killian, marketing vice president for the three Beaumont Hospitals in suburban Detroit. "
We are all paying for this in getting sicker before we seek care and/or in higher cost for our medical bills and our insurance premiums. Closer to home we see dramatic increases in charity care. We are in need of a bail out and a nationalization of the health insurance industry.
"Around the country, while some hospitals still are doing well, closings and bankruptcies seem to be picking up.
In New Jersey, where 47 percent of hospitals posted losses in 2007, five of the 79 acute-care hospitals closed this year, and a sixth may close soon. In Hawaii, nearly every hospital is in trouble, with two filing for bankruptcy and one nearly closing recently.
All over, hospitals are cutting costs by outsourcing services like housekeeping and security and trimming staff through layoffs, hiring freezes and attrition. Most are trying not to touch patient care jobs — nurses, pharmacists, therapists and X-ray technicians — as those already have staff shortages.
"The last thing we can do is skinny down our staffing right where we need it the most," said Mike Killian, marketing vice president for the three Beaumont Hospitals in suburban Detroit. "
We are all paying for this in getting sicker before we seek care and/or in higher cost for our medical bills and our insurance premiums. Closer to home we see dramatic increases in charity care. We are in need of a bail out and a nationalization of the health insurance industry.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
RAM, the uninsured, and the underinsured
RAM, the uninsured, and the underinsured
"Even though universal health insurance under a single-payer system would provide all Americans with medical, dental, eye care, and psychological treatment at a cost substantially lower than what we now pay for private insurance, we don't care. We have been brainwashed by conservatives in the Bush Administration and in Congress who claim it would be "socialized medicine."
Such thinking is shoddy and immoral. We have had Medicare for decades and it has not led us into socialism. On the contrary, the medical profession has thrived in under Medicare. Now it is time for Americans to start caring about one-another and provide Medicare for all of our people."
"Even though universal health insurance under a single-payer system would provide all Americans with medical, dental, eye care, and psychological treatment at a cost substantially lower than what we now pay for private insurance, we don't care. We have been brainwashed by conservatives in the Bush Administration and in Congress who claim it would be "socialized medicine."Such thinking is shoddy and immoral. We have had Medicare for decades and it has not led us into socialism. On the contrary, the medical profession has thrived in under Medicare. Now it is time for Americans to start caring about one-another and provide Medicare for all of our people."
CJOnline Blogs - Roy: Prospects rising for better health care delivery
CJOnline Blogs - Roy: Prospects rising for better health care delivery
" Our problem isn't money, it's trying to deliver care through scores of money-making private health insurance companies."
This opinion piece is by a retired Kansas Congressman/Doctor.
" Our problem isn't money, it's trying to deliver care through scores of money-making private health insurance companies."
This opinion piece is by a retired Kansas Congressman/Doctor.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Medicaid applicants grow as recession widens
AP : Winona Daily News
This is the Catch 22 that so many just don't get. Too many think that Welfare is used by lazy people who can make it on their own if forced to. Most expense is actually medical bills and most of that is for the elderly and disabled. Now more and more people need to turn to the government for medical help and this is the time that so many politicians turn first to the poor to cut. So coverage, eligibility and benifits are proposed to be cut at the same time as those in need increase. Guess it is OK to bail out the guys who come to meetings in their private jets but at the same time cut services to the laid off workers.
This is the Catch 22 that so many just don't get. Too many think that Welfare is used by lazy people who can make it on their own if forced to. Most expense is actually medical bills and most of that is for the elderly and disabled. Now more and more people need to turn to the government for medical help and this is the time that so many politicians turn first to the poor to cut. So coverage, eligibility and benifits are proposed to be cut at the same time as those in need increase. Guess it is OK to bail out the guys who come to meetings in their private jets but at the same time cut services to the laid off workers.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
New fault line forms in health care fight - Chris Frates - Politico.com
New fault line forms in health care fight - Chris Frates - Politico.com
This article outlines some of the issues between two parts of the health care reform movement.
This article outlines some of the issues between two parts of the health care reform movement.
Analysis of Choices for How to Cover the Uninsured
This Kaiser paper looks at options for how to cover the uninsured. It has some useful information. I continue to be disappointed with the many, many good intentioned people and groups, (like this one maybe), who write off single payer (Medicare for All) as not politically feasible. Bailing out banks, insurance companies and the auto industry is now politically feasible. Why not the health care mess. Nationalize the health insurance industry.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Remove the Middle Man!
Look very carefully at the role the insurance companies have played in our current healthcare crisis. Today’s health insurance industry is BIG BUSINESS. The companies make huge profits and their CEOs make millions,while the rest of us, employers and workers alike, face skyrocketing healthcare costs, impossible bureaucracy, and life-diminishing insurance denials.
HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANY PROFITS IN 2007:
1. UnitedHealth Group -- $ 4,654 BILLION. UnitedHealth Group owns Oxford,PacifiCare, IBA, AmeriChoice, Evercare, Ovations, MAMSI and Ingenix, ahealthcare data company
2. WellPoint -- $ 3,345 BILLION. Wellpoint owns BLUES across the US,including Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia,Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin, Empire HealthChoice Assurance, HealthyAlliance, and many others
3. Aetna Inc. -- $ 1,831 BILLION
4. CIGNA Corp -- $ 1,115 BILLION
5. Humana Inc. -- $ 834 million
6. Coventry Health Care -- $626 million. Coventry owns Altius, Carelink,Group Health Plan, HealthAmerica, OmniCare, WellPath, others
7. Health Net -- $ 194 million
The huge insurance company profits could provide healthcare for the entire U.S., and pay physicians adequately for their work.
Get the insurance companies OUT of healthcare. The solution is a non-profit, single-payer healthcare system – and the single payer should not be an insurance company or a group of insurance companies.
HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANY PROFITS IN 2007:
1. UnitedHealth Group -- $ 4,654 BILLION. UnitedHealth Group owns Oxford,PacifiCare, IBA, AmeriChoice, Evercare, Ovations, MAMSI and Ingenix, ahealthcare data company
2. WellPoint -- $ 3,345 BILLION. Wellpoint owns BLUES across the US,including Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia,Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin, Empire HealthChoice Assurance, HealthyAlliance, and many others
3. Aetna Inc. -- $ 1,831 BILLION
4. CIGNA Corp -- $ 1,115 BILLION
5. Humana Inc. -- $ 834 million
6. Coventry Health Care -- $626 million. Coventry owns Altius, Carelink,Group Health Plan, HealthAmerica, OmniCare, WellPath, others
7. Health Net -- $ 194 million
The huge insurance company profits could provide healthcare for the entire U.S., and pay physicians adequately for their work.
Get the insurance companies OUT of healthcare. The solution is a non-profit, single-payer healthcare system – and the single payer should not be an insurance company or a group of insurance companies.
Monday, December 8, 2008
5 misconceptions about health care
5 misconceptions about health care
A good article on the need to do something major now and not wait. They miss some things concerning the role insurance companies play in driving up cost and the red tape cost of multiple payer system not only in the insurance companies but in the providers business offices.
A good article on the need to do something major now and not wait. They miss some things concerning the role insurance companies play in driving up cost and the red tape cost of multiple payer system not only in the insurance companies but in the providers business offices.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Recession afflicting metro-area hospitals
Recession afflicting metro-area hospitals
This is part of the crisis that can help motivate change. We need to make major changes in how hospitals are funded.
This is part of the crisis that can help motivate change. We need to make major changes in how hospitals are funded.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Making sense of health care becomes a new career
Making sense of health care becomes a new career
We know that of the three ways to finance health care - Managed Care, High Deductibles and Single Payer - we are now seeing all sorts of high deductibles being pushed by insurance companies, employers and polititicians. This article shows that there is even more money to be made in this high deductible -- health savings accounts mess -- it is so complex a consultant needs to be hired.
On the same day we see that the biggest insurance company is now selling insurnace insurance. They are making money by taking advantage of fear generated by the threat of losing insurance. The harder it is to get medical care paid for the more likely people who have some money will be to buy this crap.
We know that of the three ways to finance health care - Managed Care, High Deductibles and Single Payer - we are now seeing all sorts of high deductibles being pushed by insurance companies, employers and polititicians. This article shows that there is even more money to be made in this high deductible -- health savings accounts mess -- it is so complex a consultant needs to be hired.
On the same day we see that the biggest insurance company is now selling insurnace insurance. They are making money by taking advantage of fear generated by the threat of losing insurance. The harder it is to get medical care paid for the more likely people who have some money will be to buy this crap.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Advice for Obama: Reinvent government as partner, not parent - TwinCities.com
Advice for Obama: Reinvent government as partner, not parent - TwinCities.com: "The big three health risks — smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise — occur outside the organized health care system. Care of the chronically ill is done mostly by families. What if we reboot our thinking about health care as primarily the work of individuals, families and communities, with health care professionals and institutions as partners, consultants and sometimes interveners in this important communal task?"
Monday, November 24, 2008
Drugmakers Push Free-Market System in Face of Obama's Health Care Reform
Drugmakers Push Free-Market System in Face of Obama's Health Care Reform
Drugmakers Push Free-Market System in Face of Obama's Health Care Reform
As the "first salvo in what likely will be a huge battle over health care reform during the Obama presidency," Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) is launching a multimillion-dollar campaign that advocates for a free-market system in order to "undercut an expected push by the Obama administration for price controls of prescription drugs," reports the Washington Times.
President-elect Barack Obama's plan to allow the federal government to negotiate the price of drugs under Medicare could cost drug manufacturers $10 billion to $30 billion in annual revenues, according to the Boston Consulting Group. "If you start to take a pretty big price decrease out of that large market, it has an enormous impact on drug companies and really their ability to generate their type of shareholder return that they have had in the past," said Peter Lawyer of Boston Consulting. As a result, drugmakers could charge more for drugs overall and could have less money to spend on research and development, according to Lawyer.
The Washington Times compares the PhRMA campaign to the "Harry and Louise" TV ads that attacked President Bill Clinton's health care reform plan in 1993. "The lobbying group Health Insurance Association of America, which ran the ads, spent $10 million on the campaign," which was "widely credited as playing a key role in killing the plan." But PhRMA, the nation's largest pharmaceutical lobbying group, claims that its campaign does not criticize Obama's proposals but rather is "designed to make people aware of the importance of preserving your free-market health care system," said Ken Johnson, senior vice president of PhRMA.
Up until now, drugmakers have taken a "wait-and-see approach to Mr. Obama's pending health care reforms." In fact, they gave more than $1.6 million to the Obama campaign, which is almost triple the amount given to the Republican contender, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). PhRMA also recognizes that "some reforms are needed in order to keep that system vibrant," according to Johnson. Still, the organization's expensive public relations campaign "indicates that the industry is leaving nothing to chance," reports the Times. (Lengell, Washington Times, 11/14/08)
Drugmakers Push Free-Market System in Face of Obama's Health Care Reform
As the "first salvo in what likely will be a huge battle over health care reform during the Obama presidency," Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) is launching a multimillion-dollar campaign that advocates for a free-market system in order to "undercut an expected push by the Obama administration for price controls of prescription drugs," reports the Washington Times.
President-elect Barack Obama's plan to allow the federal government to negotiate the price of drugs under Medicare could cost drug manufacturers $10 billion to $30 billion in annual revenues, according to the Boston Consulting Group. "If you start to take a pretty big price decrease out of that large market, it has an enormous impact on drug companies and really their ability to generate their type of shareholder return that they have had in the past," said Peter Lawyer of Boston Consulting. As a result, drugmakers could charge more for drugs overall and could have less money to spend on research and development, according to Lawyer.
The Washington Times compares the PhRMA campaign to the "Harry and Louise" TV ads that attacked President Bill Clinton's health care reform plan in 1993. "The lobbying group Health Insurance Association of America, which ran the ads, spent $10 million on the campaign," which was "widely credited as playing a key role in killing the plan." But PhRMA, the nation's largest pharmaceutical lobbying group, claims that its campaign does not criticize Obama's proposals but rather is "designed to make people aware of the importance of preserving your free-market health care system," said Ken Johnson, senior vice president of PhRMA.
Up until now, drugmakers have taken a "wait-and-see approach to Mr. Obama's pending health care reforms." In fact, they gave more than $1.6 million to the Obama campaign, which is almost triple the amount given to the Republican contender, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). PhRMA also recognizes that "some reforms are needed in order to keep that system vibrant," according to Johnson. Still, the organization's expensive public relations campaign "indicates that the industry is leaving nothing to chance," reports the Times. (Lengell, Washington Times, 11/14/08)
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Health Insurers Prime for New Business With Democratic Rule - WSJ.com
Health Insurers Prime for New Business With Democratic Rule - WSJ.com
Not a surprise that the insurance industry is salivating at the chance to milk the public coffers even drier than they have all ready. They lose business every day to big employers who can't afford their prices and go the self insured route. They now make most of their profits off the public programs and all their millions in lobbying efforts are really paying off -- look at the subsidy they get for the Medicare Advantage Plans and for Part D.
Not a surprise that the insurance industry is salivating at the chance to milk the public coffers even drier than they have all ready. They lose business every day to big employers who can't afford their prices and go the self insured route. They now make most of their profits off the public programs and all their millions in lobbying efforts are really paying off -- look at the subsidy they get for the Medicare Advantage Plans and for Part D.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
AARP stops selling some UNH health insurance plans
AARP stops selling some UNH health insurance plans
Conflict of Interest
I will not join AARP! They sell insurance and therefore can not give us good advice or fair representation politically. They are in the pocket and under the control of the second largest health insurance company in the nation -- UnitedHealth. That is the place that pays its exec well over 100 million to NOT provide health care -- to deny health care. That is the place that dumps poor people out of hospitals in LA still in their hospital gowns onto the doorsteps of the nearest homeless shelters. That is the place that WASTES 30% of every health care dollar you pay into the system. Message to AARP -- Please stop pretending you care about me -- you only care about the money the big corporations are giving you. Stop that and maybe I'll consider becoming a member. Right now you are an enemy of retired people. Look in the mirror -- you have become your own worst enemy.
Conflict of Interest
I will not join AARP! They sell insurance and therefore can not give us good advice or fair representation politically. They are in the pocket and under the control of the second largest health insurance company in the nation -- UnitedHealth. That is the place that pays its exec well over 100 million to NOT provide health care -- to deny health care. That is the place that dumps poor people out of hospitals in LA still in their hospital gowns onto the doorsteps of the nearest homeless shelters. That is the place that WASTES 30% of every health care dollar you pay into the system. Message to AARP -- Please stop pretending you care about me -- you only care about the money the big corporations are giving you. Stop that and maybe I'll consider becoming a member. Right now you are an enemy of retired people. Look in the mirror -- you have become your own worst enemy.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Senator opens investigation into AARP insurance
Senator opens investigation into AARP insurance
These are some of the reasons why I think AARP should get out of the cozy relationship with UnitedHealth and get out of the business of selling insurance. How can we trust their opinions and trust them to represent us if all they are doing is pleasing the biggest and worst health insurance company in the country? They should be helping to get the insurance industry out of the system, not be part and parcel of the profit hording part of the system that leaves us patients at the end of the food chain.
These are some of the reasons why I think AARP should get out of the cozy relationship with UnitedHealth and get out of the business of selling insurance. How can we trust their opinions and trust them to represent us if all they are doing is pleasing the biggest and worst health insurance company in the country? They should be helping to get the insurance industry out of the system, not be part and parcel of the profit hording part of the system that leaves us patients at the end of the food chain.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Is health care a right or a privilege?
Joe Orso: Is health care a right or a privilege? : La Crosse Tribune#blogcomments#blogcomments#blogcomments
This links to a great article. The St. Clare Health Mission does wonderful work. But the message about the need to treat health care as a right is most important.
This links to a great article. The St. Clare Health Mission does wonderful work. But the message about the need to treat health care as a right is most important.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
How Universal Health Care Changes Everything | OurFuture.org
How Universal Health Care Changes Everything OurFuture.org
Now is the time for all great citizens to come to the aid of their country and get this damn thing passed!
Now is the time for all great citizens to come to the aid of their country and get this damn thing passed!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
MPR: Expect higher health care costs this enrollment season
MPR: Expect higher health care costs this enrollment season
Higher costs mean more motivation for major change!
Higher costs mean more motivation for major change!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
news: State universal health care to be advisory referendum question in county
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/305567
We should all be working on getting this kind of measure on ballots. Many have before but we need to do it again and again.
We should all be working on getting this kind of measure on ballots. Many have before but we need to do it again and again.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
If you think HMOs were different, just you wait
If you think HMOs were different, just you wait:
"Pay now, please
Finally, get ready to pay upfront for care.
Ten percent of insured Minnesotans already are enrolled in a high-deductible plan. But because of the idiosyncrasies of the insurance system, many don't get asked to pay a cent until long after they've left the doctors' office.
Clinics and hospitals say they are seeing a rise in bad debt from these patients.
Now some doctors are looking at installing kiosks and other devices to swipe a credit card upfront -- just like at hotels and car rental companies. The card is charged only after a service has been performed and the insurer clarifies how much is owed. Minneapolis-based mPay Gateway already has 300 customers for its Web-based software that helps doctors estimate a bill and authorize that amount."
This is the logical result of high deductibles like HSAs. Can't get service unless you pre-pay. Again, forcing the patient to use the ER or go without care.
"Pay now, please
Finally, get ready to pay upfront for care.
Ten percent of insured Minnesotans already are enrolled in a high-deductible plan. But because of the idiosyncrasies of the insurance system, many don't get asked to pay a cent until long after they've left the doctors' office.
Clinics and hospitals say they are seeing a rise in bad debt from these patients.
Now some doctors are looking at installing kiosks and other devices to swipe a credit card upfront -- just like at hotels and car rental companies. The card is charged only after a service has been performed and the insurer clarifies how much is owed. Minneapolis-based mPay Gateway already has 300 customers for its Web-based software that helps doctors estimate a bill and authorize that amount."
This is the logical result of high deductibles like HSAs. Can't get service unless you pre-pay. Again, forcing the patient to use the ER or go without care.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Minnesota poor suffer disparity in medical care, study confirms - TwinCities.com
Minnesota poor suffer disparity in medical care, study confirms - TwinCities.com: "While doctors might be providing preferential treatment to privately insured patients, several other factors likely contribute to the disparities. English language and transportation barriers can make it harder for publicly funded
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patients to show up for screenings. Limited income makes it harder for them to afford healthy diets and to control their blood sugar and blood pressure. That penalizes clinics that are measured on the health of their diabetic patients."
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patients to show up for screenings. Limited income makes it harder for them to afford healthy diets and to control their blood sugar and blood pressure. That penalizes clinics that are measured on the health of their diabetic patients."
Monday, September 22, 2008
Majority Favor Medicare For All
See slide 13 in the presentation.
*****************************
Comments from Kip Sullivan:
The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) reported a poll recently which indicates 74% of Americans support adding the nonelderly to Medicare. The poll asked people if they "favor" any of six options, including "expanding Medicare to people under 65." Seventy-four percent said they favor this option. The poll was reported by KFF in Figure 13 in a February 2008 "tutorial" entitled "Public opinion: Health care and election '08" http://www.kaiseredu.org:80/tutorials/hcelection08/player.htmlIt is not clear from the slide whether the slide lists the actual questions or abbreviated forms of the questions. I can't tell from the small print on the slide who conducted the poll. It was probably KFF; they do a ton of polling. I have sent KFF an email asking them to send me the questions used in that poll. One of the other five options asked about was described simply as "national single-payer plan." Only 37% said they favor that option. That phrase probably means nothing to most people. "Expanding Medicare to people under 65" and the other four options (for example, "tax credits for business") were very clear. If we combine the results of this KFF poll with the results of the AP-Yahoo poll reported last January (conducted in the last week of 2007), we get a clear picture of how the wording of poll questions influences the outcomes. Here again are the AP-Yahoo questions and the results: "The United States should adopt a universal health insurance program in which everyone is covered under a program like Medicare that is run by the government and financed by taxpayers." 65% said yes.
"Do you consider yourself a supporter of a single-payer health care system, that is a national health plan financed by taxpayers in which all Americans would get their insurance from a single government plan, or not?" 54% said yes, 44% said no. Conclusion: The clearer the question is, the greater the support for single-payer. To sum up: * if you just ask people if they support "a national single-payer plan," and you don't give them any details about what that means, 37% will say yes. * if you ask people if they support "a single-payer health care system," and you give them just a few rather abstract details, 54% say yes. * if you ask people if they support a Medicare-for-all system, and you say it will be "run by the government and financed by taxpayers," 65% say yes. * if you ask people if they support "expanding Medicare to people under 65," and you don't mention taxes and "government," 74% will say yes.
*****************************
Comments from Kip Sullivan:
The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) reported a poll recently which indicates 74% of Americans support adding the nonelderly to Medicare. The poll asked people if they "favor" any of six options, including "expanding Medicare to people under 65." Seventy-four percent said they favor this option. The poll was reported by KFF in Figure 13 in a February 2008 "tutorial" entitled "Public opinion: Health care and election '08" http://www.kaiseredu.org:80/tutorials/hcelection08/player.htmlIt is not clear from the slide whether the slide lists the actual questions or abbreviated forms of the questions. I can't tell from the small print on the slide who conducted the poll. It was probably KFF; they do a ton of polling. I have sent KFF an email asking them to send me the questions used in that poll. One of the other five options asked about was described simply as "national single-payer plan." Only 37% said they favor that option. That phrase probably means nothing to most people. "Expanding Medicare to people under 65" and the other four options (for example, "tax credits for business") were very clear. If we combine the results of this KFF poll with the results of the AP-Yahoo poll reported last January (conducted in the last week of 2007), we get a clear picture of how the wording of poll questions influences the outcomes. Here again are the AP-Yahoo questions and the results: "The United States should adopt a universal health insurance program in which everyone is covered under a program like Medicare that is run by the government and financed by taxpayers." 65% said yes.
"Do you consider yourself a supporter of a single-payer health care system, that is a national health plan financed by taxpayers in which all Americans would get their insurance from a single government plan, or not?" 54% said yes, 44% said no. Conclusion: The clearer the question is, the greater the support for single-payer. To sum up: * if you just ask people if they support "a national single-payer plan," and you don't give them any details about what that means, 37% will say yes. * if you ask people if they support "a single-payer health care system," and you give them just a few rather abstract details, 54% say yes. * if you ask people if they support a Medicare-for-all system, and you say it will be "run by the government and financed by taxpayers," 65% say yes. * if you ask people if they support "expanding Medicare to people under 65," and you don't mention taxes and "government," 74% will say yes.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
The Company Doc Makes a Comeback
Minnesota Medical Trends / Companies launching on-site health clinics - TwinCities.com
Might not be a bad idea. What do you think? Not much help if you don't have a job or work for a place too small to even consider this.
Might not be a bad idea. What do you think? Not much help if you don't have a job or work for a place too small to even consider this.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Blues' new health plan locks rate increases for 3 years
Blues' new health plan locks rate increases for 3 years
This article shows that the big managed care companies and insurance companies see the employer as their customer. They have been losing that business more and more since it costs so much. This shifting of the burden to the patient will hurt the sick and those least able to afford it. It creates a downward spiral and it will fail as the HMO experiment has failed. Single payer is the only solution we can afford.
This article shows that the big managed care companies and insurance companies see the employer as their customer. They have been losing that business more and more since it costs so much. This shifting of the burden to the patient will hurt the sick and those least able to afford it. It creates a downward spiral and it will fail as the HMO experiment has failed. Single payer is the only solution we can afford.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Economists say Obama's health plan won't cut costs and McCain's won't lower ranks of uninsured
Economists say Obama's health plan won't cut costs and McCain's won't lower ranks of uninsured
As far as I'm concerned this analysis just helps support the need for a universal single payer system in this country as the only affordable choice.
As far as I'm concerned this analysis just helps support the need for a universal single payer system in this country as the only affordable choice.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Governing: Electronic health records/September 2008
Governing: Electronic health records/September 2008: "In Minnesota, the Department of Finance and Employee Relations is seeking proposals that would put each of the state's 50,000 employees in a secure and portable online personal health portfolio. Once that's accomplished, Governor Tim Pawlenty wants to extend that program to all state residents by 2011."
Friday, August 22, 2008
Can It Happen Here?
Op-Ed Columnist - Can It Happen Here? - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com
"What’s easy about guaranteed health care for all? For one thing, we know that it’s economically feasible: every wealthy country except the United States already has some form of guaranteed health care. The hazards Americans treat as facts of life — the risk of losing your insurance, the risk that you won’t be able to afford necessary care, the chance that you’ll be financially ruined by medical costs — would be considered unthinkable in any other advanced nation.
The politics of guaranteed care are also easy, at least in one sense: if the Democrats do manage to establish a system of universal coverage, the nation will love it.
I know that’s not what everyone says; some pundits claim that the United States has a uniquely individualistic culture, and that Americans won’t accept any system that makes health care a collective responsibility. Those who say this, however, seem to forget that we already have a program — you may have heard of it — called Medicare. It’s a program that collects money from every worker’s paycheck and uses it to pay the medical bills of everyone 65 and older. And it’s immensely popular."
"What’s easy about guaranteed health care for all? For one thing, we know that it’s economically feasible: every wealthy country except the United States already has some form of guaranteed health care. The hazards Americans treat as facts of life — the risk of losing your insurance, the risk that you won’t be able to afford necessary care, the chance that you’ll be financially ruined by medical costs — would be considered unthinkable in any other advanced nation.
The politics of guaranteed care are also easy, at least in one sense: if the Democrats do manage to establish a system of universal coverage, the nation will love it.
I know that’s not what everyone says; some pundits claim that the United States has a uniquely individualistic culture, and that Americans won’t accept any system that makes health care a collective responsibility. Those who say this, however, seem to forget that we already have a program — you may have heard of it — called Medicare. It’s a program that collects money from every worker’s paycheck and uses it to pay the medical bills of everyone 65 and older. And it’s immensely popular."
Universal health makes 'cents' - Paradise Post
Universal health makes 'cents' - Paradise Post: "Reinhardt says, 'This is what some politicians cannot get through their heads. They talk about socialized medicine like it were something evil. These systems use socialized insurance to socialize the financial risk of getting sick - but the delivery system is private, often a for-profit mix. If you want to look at a purely socialized health care, you would have to go to the United States, where we have it. That's the system we reserve for our veterans.
So if I hear politicians run down socialized medicine - and I have done that before the Congress - I say, 'Do you hate your veterans? Why do you reserve purely socialized medicine - there's only the U.S. and Cuba that have that - for the veterans.' Americans keep telling me they hate government. I tell them: 'Man, I've got a country for you: Go to Afghanistan. They don't have one.'' Cheng adds, 'America is the only developed country that doesn't have universal health insurance. A country's health care system reflects its basic social values.'"
So if I hear politicians run down socialized medicine - and I have done that before the Congress - I say, 'Do you hate your veterans? Why do you reserve purely socialized medicine - there's only the U.S. and Cuba that have that - for the veterans.' Americans keep telling me they hate government. I tell them: 'Man, I've got a country for you: Go to Afghanistan. They don't have one.'' Cheng adds, 'America is the only developed country that doesn't have universal health insurance. A country's health care system reflects its basic social values.'"
Miles Mogulescu: Is MoveOn.Org Ignoring Its Core Democratic Principles in Setting its Direction on Health Care Reform?
Miles Mogulescu: Is MoveOn.Org Ignoring Its Core Democratic Principles in Setting its Direction on Health Care Reform?
"However, when it comes to health care reform, MoveOn's leaders seem to be overlooking its core democratic principles. Without asking the opinion of its members, MoveOn's leaders have elected to join the steering committee of (and pledge at least $500,000 of its members' money to) a new health care coalition called Health Care For America Now, which excludes supporters of single payer health care, many of whom are MoveOn members. HCAN instead supports preserving and reforming the private health insurance system (while offering an expensive public alternative that individuals and employers can buy into with their own money)."
"However, when it comes to health care reform, MoveOn's leaders seem to be overlooking its core democratic principles. Without asking the opinion of its members, MoveOn's leaders have elected to join the steering committee of (and pledge at least $500,000 of its members' money to) a new health care coalition called Health Care For America Now, which excludes supporters of single payer health care, many of whom are MoveOn members. HCAN instead supports preserving and reforming the private health insurance system (while offering an expensive public alternative that individuals and employers can buy into with their own money)."
Massachusetts law spurs rise in health coverage
Massachusetts law spurs rise in health coverage
"More than 250 Massachusetts doctors signed a letter this year that said public funds for care of the poor that previously flowed directly to hospitals and clinics now flowed through insurers with higher administrative costs.
"While patients, the state and safety net providers struggle, private insurers have prospered under the new law, and the costs of bureaucracy have risen," said the letter."
"More than 250 Massachusetts doctors signed a letter this year that said public funds for care of the poor that previously flowed directly to hospitals and clinics now flowed through insurers with higher administrative costs.
"While patients, the state and safety net providers struggle, private insurers have prospered under the new law, and the costs of bureaucracy have risen," said the letter."
Michigan Health Care Reform Panel Supports Universal Health Care | workforce.com
Michigan Health Care Reform Panel Supports Universal Health Care workforce.com
"Universal health insurance would eliminate the commercial health insurers that take 30 percent of every health care dollar in administration, profits and advertising, Conyers said. In comparison, Medicare spends about 7 percent of every dollar on administrative costs, he said."
"Universal health insurance would eliminate the commercial health insurers that take 30 percent of every health care dollar in administration, profits and advertising, Conyers said. In comparison, Medicare spends about 7 percent of every dollar on administrative costs, he said."
MinnPost - Harry and Louise are back -- but this time they're ready for change
MinnPost - Harry and Louise are back -- but this time they're ready for change
"Remember Harry and Louise, the couple whose ads are often credited with unraveling the Clinton administration's universal health-care proposal 15 years ago?They're baaack. And we're going to see a lot of them. Only this time around, the fictional Harry and Louise don't entirely dismiss the idea of government interference. In fact, Louise says at the end of one 30-second spot: "Whoever the next president is, health care should be at the top of his agenda.""
"Remember Harry and Louise, the couple whose ads are often credited with unraveling the Clinton administration's universal health-care proposal 15 years ago?They're baaack. And we're going to see a lot of them. Only this time around, the fictional Harry and Louise don't entirely dismiss the idea of government interference. In fact, Louise says at the end of one 30-second spot: "Whoever the next president is, health care should be at the top of his agenda.""
Geneva hearing tackles universal health care :: Geneva Sun :: News
Geneva hearing tackles universal health care :: Geneva Sun :: News
"The bill proposes abolishing private health insurance in Illinois in favor of a single-payer system. According to Nicholas Skala, author of the bill, the question to ask is not "if," but "when."
"Chances are good of changing to (single-payer)," Skala said. "Our economy can’t afford any other option for much longer."
"The bill proposes abolishing private health insurance in Illinois in favor of a single-payer system. According to Nicholas Skala, author of the bill, the question to ask is not "if," but "when."
"Chances are good of changing to (single-payer)," Skala said. "Our economy can’t afford any other option for much longer."
Why Uncle Sam is Dr No of healthcare
Why Uncle Sam is Dr No of healthcare
"There is also no question of trying to exclude people with pre-existing illnesses from insurance, nor of charging some people and small businesses cripplingly high premiums because a family member or employee has had a disease. These activities keep US insurance companies busy and cost money. All other advanced countries shun them, designing their health systems to help people who need it, not to exclude them. In the US, insurance firms also compete to sell their health plans to employers and employees, running up marketing expenses that, of course, contribute nothing to preventing or curing any patient's illness.The insurance companies have created, among other things, a claims paperwork nightmare for patients, doctors, labs and hospitals that simply does not exist in a single-payer, universal health care system. In a typical doctor's office in the US there seem to be more clerks than nurses."
"There is also no question of trying to exclude people with pre-existing illnesses from insurance, nor of charging some people and small businesses cripplingly high premiums because a family member or employee has had a disease. These activities keep US insurance companies busy and cost money. All other advanced countries shun them, designing their health systems to help people who need it, not to exclude them. In the US, insurance firms also compete to sell their health plans to employers and employees, running up marketing expenses that, of course, contribute nothing to preventing or curing any patient's illness.The insurance companies have created, among other things, a claims paperwork nightmare for patients, doctors, labs and hospitals that simply does not exist in a single-payer, universal health care system. In a typical doctor's office in the US there seem to be more clerks than nurses."
Friday, August 8, 2008
Disputations: Is Single-Payer Health Care The Best Option?
Disputations: Is Single-Payer Health Care The Best Option?
"Superficially, the model seems to be a workable compromise between those who believe that markets should provide health care coverage through competing private health plans, giving more control to the individual, and those who believe that a government insurance program would be more efficient and effective in ensuring that everyone has adequate health care coverage. Those on the right can support the private plans, and those on the left can purchase the competing public, Medicare-like program. Those in the middle can decide which model would become more prevalent, so goes the theory.
Anyone who really believes in this model understands that the private insurance plans would have to be very tightly regulated to reduce the profound deficiencies in our current insurance markets. The current private insurance business model depends on selling the insurers' products to the large numbers of us who are healthy, especially the healthy workforce and their healthy families, while avoiding the need to contribute to the risk pools that cover those who have greater health care needs. Those costs are largely passed on to taxpayers through government programs.
Other nations that use private plans require effective pooling between plans through various regulatory mechanisms, reducing the problem of adverse selection and ensuring that premiums or taxes are adequate to pay for the care for those with greater needs. Even if the pools are nominally segregated, they function more like a universal risk pool through mechanisms such as risk adjustment and post-claims inter-insurance transfers.
The United States has a unique problem that would make it much more difficult to require private insurers to participate in a quasi-universal risk pool. On a per capita basis, we pay far more for health care than do other nations. Average-income individuals in other nations that use private plans can still afford premiums (or their tax equivalents). In those countries, only low-income individuals require some form of government subsidy for their care.
Compare that with the United States. For healthy risk pools, such as those of employer-sponsored plans, premiums are no longer affordable for average-income individuals and families, whether paid directly by the insured, or nominally by the employer. Imagine a tightly regulated insurance market that ended adverse selection and required benefits at a level that would prevent financial hardship for those with health care needs. The private insurers would find it absolutely impossible to provide us with compliant products that had affordable premiums."
"Superficially, the model seems to be a workable compromise between those who believe that markets should provide health care coverage through competing private health plans, giving more control to the individual, and those who believe that a government insurance program would be more efficient and effective in ensuring that everyone has adequate health care coverage. Those on the right can support the private plans, and those on the left can purchase the competing public, Medicare-like program. Those in the middle can decide which model would become more prevalent, so goes the theory.
Anyone who really believes in this model understands that the private insurance plans would have to be very tightly regulated to reduce the profound deficiencies in our current insurance markets. The current private insurance business model depends on selling the insurers' products to the large numbers of us who are healthy, especially the healthy workforce and their healthy families, while avoiding the need to contribute to the risk pools that cover those who have greater health care needs. Those costs are largely passed on to taxpayers through government programs.
Other nations that use private plans require effective pooling between plans through various regulatory mechanisms, reducing the problem of adverse selection and ensuring that premiums or taxes are adequate to pay for the care for those with greater needs. Even if the pools are nominally segregated, they function more like a universal risk pool through mechanisms such as risk adjustment and post-claims inter-insurance transfers.
The United States has a unique problem that would make it much more difficult to require private insurers to participate in a quasi-universal risk pool. On a per capita basis, we pay far more for health care than do other nations. Average-income individuals in other nations that use private plans can still afford premiums (or their tax equivalents). In those countries, only low-income individuals require some form of government subsidy for their care.
Compare that with the United States. For healthy risk pools, such as those of employer-sponsored plans, premiums are no longer affordable for average-income individuals and families, whether paid directly by the insured, or nominally by the employer. Imagine a tightly regulated insurance market that ended adverse selection and required benefits at a level that would prevent financial hardship for those with health care needs. The private insurers would find it absolutely impossible to provide us with compliant products that had affordable premiums."
California - Harris: SB 840 saves local governments millions
Lake County News California - Harris: SB 840 saves local governments millions
"Around the state of California, these studies are being requested of local jurisdictions, by citizens who are interested in a cost-effective and fair implementation of health care delivery.
For example, the Sonoma County Office of Education calculated a savings of $1.35 million, the city of Rohnert Park calculated a cost savings of $1.4 million, the county of Sonoma calculated a cost savings of $20 million, the City of Newport Beach calculated a cost savings of $6 million. The Grey Panthers of California have made similar calculations for other jurisdictions. Of the only 15 government entities in California that have been calculated, the savings to taxpayers range from $230 to $435 million.
The Lewin Group, an independent, nationally respected health care research organization, analyzed SB 840 and California's current broken health care system. They reported that around $20 billion in premiums paid to the health insurance industry in California each year never reaches health care providers. It disappears into competing advertising and other overhead expenses, and multimillion dollar bonuses to health care industry CEOs.
The Lewin Report says that California could save around $8 billion in health care costs in the first year after SB 840's enactment. (Reference site: www.healthcareforall.org.)
Here’s how to calculate savings in four simple steps:
Step One: Multiply $7,000 (the exemption per employee) by the number of insured employees. The result is the amount of the total payroll that is exempt from SB 840 taxes.
Step Two: Subtract the result in step one from the total annual payroll of those same employees. The result is the SB 840 taxable payroll.
Step Three: Multiply the result in step two by 0.0817 (the SB 840 factor of 8.17 percent, as shown in the Lake County memo). The result is the new annual health care cost under SB 840.
Step Four: Subtract the result in step three from the current annual health care cost (include retirees' cost). The result is the potential annual cost reduction.
Taxpayers would be well advised to contact their local school boards, water boards, and city and county governments and ask those jurisdictions to calculate the savings under a single-payer health care plan.Around the state of California, these studies are being requested of local jurisdictions, by citizens who are interested in a cost-effective and fair implementation of health care delivery.
For example, the Sonoma County Office of Education calculated a savings of $1.35 million, the city of Rohnert Park calculated a cost savings of $1.4 million, the county of Sonoma calculated a cost savings of $20 million, the City of Newport Beach calculated a cost savings of $6 million. The Grey Panthers of California have made similar calculations for other jurisdictions. Of the only 15 government entities in California that have been calculated, the savings to taxpayers range from $230 to $435 million.
The Lewin Group, an independent, nationally respected health care research organization, analyzed SB 840 and California's current broken health care system. They reported that around $20 billion in premiums paid to the health insurance industry in California each year never reaches health care providers. It disappears into competing advertising and other overhead expenses, and multimillion dollar bonuses to health care industry CEOs.
The Lewin Report says that California could save around $8 billion in health care costs in the first year after SB 840's enactment. (Reference site: www.healthcareforall.org.)
Here’s how to calculate savings in four simple steps:
Step One: Multiply $7,000 (the exemption per employee) by the number of insured employees. The result is the amount of the total payroll that is exempt from SB 840 taxes.
Step Two: Subtract the result in step one from the total annual payroll of those same employees. The result is the SB 840 taxable payroll.
Step Three: Multiply the result in step two by 0.0817 (the SB 840 factor of 8.17 percent, as shown in the Lake County memo). The result is the new annual health care cost under SB 840.
Step Four: Subtract the result in step three from the current annual health care cost (include retirees' cost). The result is the potential annual cost reduction.
Taxpayers would be well advised to contact their local school boards, water boards, and city and county governments and ask those jurisdictions to calculate the savings under a single-payer health care plan."
written by Elizabeth Larson & Written by Wanda Harris
"Around the state of California, these studies are being requested of local jurisdictions, by citizens who are interested in a cost-effective and fair implementation of health care delivery.
For example, the Sonoma County Office of Education calculated a savings of $1.35 million, the city of Rohnert Park calculated a cost savings of $1.4 million, the county of Sonoma calculated a cost savings of $20 million, the City of Newport Beach calculated a cost savings of $6 million. The Grey Panthers of California have made similar calculations for other jurisdictions. Of the only 15 government entities in California that have been calculated, the savings to taxpayers range from $230 to $435 million.
The Lewin Group, an independent, nationally respected health care research organization, analyzed SB 840 and California's current broken health care system. They reported that around $20 billion in premiums paid to the health insurance industry in California each year never reaches health care providers. It disappears into competing advertising and other overhead expenses, and multimillion dollar bonuses to health care industry CEOs.
The Lewin Report says that California could save around $8 billion in health care costs in the first year after SB 840's enactment. (Reference site: www.healthcareforall.org.)
Here’s how to calculate savings in four simple steps:
Step One: Multiply $7,000 (the exemption per employee) by the number of insured employees. The result is the amount of the total payroll that is exempt from SB 840 taxes.
Step Two: Subtract the result in step one from the total annual payroll of those same employees. The result is the SB 840 taxable payroll.
Step Three: Multiply the result in step two by 0.0817 (the SB 840 factor of 8.17 percent, as shown in the Lake County memo). The result is the new annual health care cost under SB 840.
Step Four: Subtract the result in step three from the current annual health care cost (include retirees' cost). The result is the potential annual cost reduction.
Taxpayers would be well advised to contact their local school boards, water boards, and city and county governments and ask those jurisdictions to calculate the savings under a single-payer health care plan.Around the state of California, these studies are being requested of local jurisdictions, by citizens who are interested in a cost-effective and fair implementation of health care delivery.
For example, the Sonoma County Office of Education calculated a savings of $1.35 million, the city of Rohnert Park calculated a cost savings of $1.4 million, the county of Sonoma calculated a cost savings of $20 million, the City of Newport Beach calculated a cost savings of $6 million. The Grey Panthers of California have made similar calculations for other jurisdictions. Of the only 15 government entities in California that have been calculated, the savings to taxpayers range from $230 to $435 million.
The Lewin Group, an independent, nationally respected health care research organization, analyzed SB 840 and California's current broken health care system. They reported that around $20 billion in premiums paid to the health insurance industry in California each year never reaches health care providers. It disappears into competing advertising and other overhead expenses, and multimillion dollar bonuses to health care industry CEOs.
The Lewin Report says that California could save around $8 billion in health care costs in the first year after SB 840's enactment. (Reference site: www.healthcareforall.org.)
Here’s how to calculate savings in four simple steps:
Step One: Multiply $7,000 (the exemption per employee) by the number of insured employees. The result is the amount of the total payroll that is exempt from SB 840 taxes.
Step Two: Subtract the result in step one from the total annual payroll of those same employees. The result is the SB 840 taxable payroll.
Step Three: Multiply the result in step two by 0.0817 (the SB 840 factor of 8.17 percent, as shown in the Lake County memo). The result is the new annual health care cost under SB 840.
Step Four: Subtract the result in step three from the current annual health care cost (include retirees' cost). The result is the potential annual cost reduction.
Taxpayers would be well advised to contact their local school boards, water boards, and city and county governments and ask those jurisdictions to calculate the savings under a single-payer health care plan."
written by Elizabeth Larson & Written by Wanda Harris
The Pueblo Chieftain Online :: Medicare anniversary brings calls for health care reform
The Pueblo Chieftain Online :: Medicare anniversary brings calls for health care reform: "It's been 40 years since President Lyndon Johnson signed the legislation creating the Medicare health insurance program for senior citizens - an anniversary noted by several Pueblo doctors on Thursday by calling on Congress to establish a single-payer health insurance program for all U.S. residents.
'This country spends 16 percent of its total income on health care and we leave millions uninsured,' said Dr. David Zehring, of La Veta. 'Our European allies spend about 11 percent of their income on health care and cover everyone, while Canada spends about 9 percent for universal coverage. I'm confident we will get universal coverage here some day.'It's been 40 years since President Lyndon Johnson signed the legislation creating the Medicare health insurance program for senior citizens - an anniversary noted by several Pueblo doctors on Thursday by calling on Congress to establish a single-payer health insurance program for all U.S. residents.
'This country spends 16 percent of its total income on health care and we leave millions uninsured,' said Dr. David Zehring, of La Veta. 'Our European allies spend about 11 percent of their income on health care and cover everyone, while Canada spends about 9 percent for universal coverage. I'm confident we will get universal coverage here some day.'"
'This country spends 16 percent of its total income on health care and we leave millions uninsured,' said Dr. David Zehring, of La Veta. 'Our European allies spend about 11 percent of their income on health care and cover everyone, while Canada spends about 9 percent for universal coverage. I'm confident we will get universal coverage here some day.'It's been 40 years since President Lyndon Johnson signed the legislation creating the Medicare health insurance program for senior citizens - an anniversary noted by several Pueblo doctors on Thursday by calling on Congress to establish a single-payer health insurance program for all U.S. residents.
'This country spends 16 percent of its total income on health care and we leave millions uninsured,' said Dr. David Zehring, of La Veta. 'Our European allies spend about 11 percent of their income on health care and cover everyone, while Canada spends about 9 percent for universal coverage. I'm confident we will get universal coverage here some day.'"
Seeking a Health Care for All Platform - Yahoo! News
Seeking a Health Care for All Platform - Yahoo! News: "Progressive Democrats of America continues its campaign to add a firm commitment to universal health care to the 2008 Democratic platform. PDA activists were at the platform committee's gathering in Cleveland last weekend, and they plan a major presence at the key pre-convention session this coming weekend in Pittsburgh.
ADVERTISEMENT
Getting language as strong as PDA seeks will be difficult. Illinois Senator Barack Obama, whose campaign controls the platform-writing process, has been cautious about committing too firmly to the mandates that would be required to insure universal coverage."
ADVERTISEMENT
Getting language as strong as PDA seeks will be difficult. Illinois Senator Barack Obama, whose campaign controls the platform-writing process, has been cautious about committing too firmly to the mandates that would be required to insure universal coverage."
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Stewart Shaw: Our health -- A community parable : Winona Daily News
Stewart Shaw: Our health -- A community parable : Winona Daily News: "Now Jesus used parables in his teaching. He told stories about things that were easy to understand in order to help his disciples see things that were difficult to comprehend and accept. He explained some of the parables, with statements of the form, “This is like that.”
In this parable, fire insurance is like health insurance; the linkage between fire insurance companies and fire fighting departments is like the connection between health insurance companies and “in network” care providers. The fire coverage available to employees of the big corporation is like employer-based group health insurance. And the reluctance of the father to seek professional fire fighting help is like the unwillingness of people to seek professional treatment before emergency care is required."
In this parable, fire insurance is like health insurance; the linkage between fire insurance companies and fire fighting departments is like the connection between health insurance companies and “in network” care providers. The fire coverage available to employees of the big corporation is like employer-based group health insurance. And the reluctance of the father to seek professional fire fighting help is like the unwillingness of people to seek professional treatment before emergency care is required."
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Unions Back Plan that Could Kill Off Real Health Care Reform | Labor Notes
Unions Back Plan that Could Kill Off Real Health Care Reform Labor Notes: "If Barack Obama wins the fall election, he will be under more pressure to establish universal health insurance than any president in U.S. history. This will be due not only to public disgust with the current health care system, but to the hard work of organizations dedicated to universal health insurance.
But the most powerful of these groups, including the AFL-CIO and Service Employees (the major Change to Win health care union) are promoting a solution that won’t fix the problem."
But the most powerful of these groups, including the AFL-CIO and Service Employees (the major Change to Win health care union) are promoting a solution that won’t fix the problem."
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
How Medicare Payments Discourage Doctor-Patient Time
Op-Ed Contributor - How Medicare Payments Discourage Doctor-Patient - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com: "In contrast, the doctor-patient visit, which involves no expensive equipment, offers no significant profit opportunity. So the best way for a doctor to make money in his practice is not to spend time with patients but to use equipment as much as possible. That means moving the maximum number of patients through the practice, and spending the minimum amount of time with each one."
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Health Care and the Economy in Two Swing States: A Look at Ohio and Florida - Kaiser Family Foundation
Health Care and the Economy in Two Swing States: A Look at Ohio and Florida - Kaiser Family Foundation: "Two new surveys by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health examine the pocketbook problems facing people in Ohio and Florida -- two presidential swing states -- including their struggles with gas prices, getting and keeing a well-paying job and affording health care. The surveys, Health Care and the Economy in Two Swing States: A Look at Ohio and Florida, also take an in-depth look at the impact of medical bills on family finances and health care, and provide insights into the way health care costs affect people's daily life decisions. The polls were conducted jointly by NPR and public opinion researchers at Kaiser and Harvard."
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Paying More, Getting Less | Dollars & Sense
Paying More, Getting Less Dollars & Sense: "By now the high overall cost of health care in the United States is broadly recognized. And many Americans are acutely aware of how much they pay for their own care. Those without health insurance face sky-high doctor and hospital bills and ever more aggressive collection tactics—when they receive care at all. Those who are fortunate enough to have insurance experience steep annual premium hikes along with rising deductibles and co-pays, and, all too often, a well-founded fear of losing their coverage should they lose a job or have a serious illness in the family."
This is a great article on the REAL cost of health care. Families are paying about $22,000 per year.
This is a great article on the REAL cost of health care. Families are paying about $22,000 per year.
House Clears Medicare Package - WSJ.com
House Clears Medicare Package - WSJ.com
Seems like more effort to funnel money to the insurance companies. No one knows if any of this is doing any good but they want to keep it up anyway. Getting money to insurance companies takes priority over cost effectiveness and quality. Too Bad!
Seems like more effort to funnel money to the insurance companies. No one knows if any of this is doing any good but they want to keep it up anyway. Getting money to insurance companies takes priority over cost effectiveness and quality. Too Bad!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Health Care for Minnesota.Org
Health Care for Minnesota.Org
A new health care site. Not sure who all is behind it. Got it from this message from a Minneapolis State Rep.
***
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Paul Thissen
To: Paul Thissen
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 2:29:12 PM
Subject: Update from Rep. Thissen
Families USA released today another important report on the state of health care and health coverage in Minnesota. You can find the report, Failing Grades: State Consumer Protections in the Individual Health Insurance Market, at http://familiesusa.org/resources/publications/reports/failing-grades.html.
Among other items, the report documents that Minnesota is in the bottom half of states in denying coverage for preexisting health conditions. The report also criticizes Minnesota rules that allow insurance companies to revoke coverage after an individual contracts a serious illness.
The report will also be posted at www.healthcareformn.org, a new website focused on health care reform in Minnesota.
A new health care site. Not sure who all is behind it. Got it from this message from a Minneapolis State Rep.
***
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Paul Thissen
To: Paul Thissen
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 2:29:12 PM
Subject: Update from Rep. Thissen
Families USA released today another important report on the state of health care and health coverage in Minnesota. You can find the report, Failing Grades: State Consumer Protections in the Individual Health Insurance Market, at http://familiesusa.org/resources/publications/reports/failing-grades.html.
Among other items, the report documents that Minnesota is in the bottom half of states in denying coverage for preexisting health conditions. The report also criticizes Minnesota rules that allow insurance companies to revoke coverage after an individual contracts a serious illness.
The report will also be posted at www.healthcareformn.org, a new website focused on health care reform in Minnesota.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Don’t expect health reform any time soon
The Buffalo News: City & Region: Rod Watson: Don’t expect health reform any time soon:
"The stories of unnecessary suffering and infant death in Sunday’s paper should be enough to spark outrage and the overthrow of a mercenary health care system.
But those stories will be repeated four years from now, no matter which of the three candidates becomes president. You can count on it.
As long as we have a system built around private insurers, we will suffer the results as insurance companies do what they do best: take your money and try to keep it. Or, if you have a pre-existing condition, refuse to take your money because they might have to pay too much of it back.
The richest and smartest nation in the world has the dumbest health care system, one that leaves out 47 million people while spending far more than any other nation.
It’s a system in which costly emergency rooms get overused because too many people don’t have access to routine care. Here, for instance, 88 percent of kids’ emergency room visits could have been avoided by regular care, according to a survey by the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York.
It’s a system in which those on Medicaid — like a father who lost his 4-month-old daughter — get shunned or wonder if they’re getting substandard treatment.
"The stories of unnecessary suffering and infant death in Sunday’s paper should be enough to spark outrage and the overthrow of a mercenary health care system.
But those stories will be repeated four years from now, no matter which of the three candidates becomes president. You can count on it.
As long as we have a system built around private insurers, we will suffer the results as insurance companies do what they do best: take your money and try to keep it. Or, if you have a pre-existing condition, refuse to take your money because they might have to pay too much of it back.
The richest and smartest nation in the world has the dumbest health care system, one that leaves out 47 million people while spending far more than any other nation.
It’s a system in which costly emergency rooms get overused because too many people don’t have access to routine care. Here, for instance, 88 percent of kids’ emergency room visits could have been avoided by regular care, according to a survey by the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York.
It’s a system in which those on Medicaid — like a father who lost his 4-month-old daughter — get shunned or wonder if they’re getting substandard treatment.
It’s a system other advanced nations would never tolerate.
“The kind of coverage we don’t provide for children, they would be shocked at,” said Dr. Ida Hellander, executive director of Physicians for a National Health Program. “Children in other countries don’t go through periods of uninsurance like our children do.”
Yet you won’t hear Sens. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John McCain talking about the obvious solution: a national, single-payer system that could preserve private doctors and hospitals, yet stop wasting money on health insurers who give no shots and perform no surgeries.
It’s a simplified system that could save enough to insure every American and improve care in a country whose health system ranked 37th in a World Health Organization analysis in 2000 and hasn’t gotten any better since.
The problems nationally are reflected here. In its survey released this year, the Community Health Foundation found a “fragmented” and “fragile” safety net in Western New York, according to President Ann F. Monroe.
Such findings are why a medical journal survey last month found that 59 percent of those who know our system best — doctors — now favor single-payer.
Opponents conjure up bogeymen about waiting times, rationed care and “socialized medicine.” But we already wait to see a doctor, care is rationed by income, and the epitome of socialized medicine — Medicare — is treasured.
Such opposition is all a crock to keep feeding the special interests that leech off the system — a system that fails those like Terrence Gaiter.
Gaiter lost his daughter, Leilani, when an emergency room intern misdiagnosed her infection. He said that no supervising doctor ever looked at the girl, and he suspects he would have gotten better treatment if he hadn’t been on Medicaid.
“Maybe it was the insurance we had is why the doctor never bothered coming into the room,” Gaiter said.
No father should have to live with that.
Single-payer is not a panacea. Monroe cautioned that it would have to be structured with the right incentives.
But other industrialized nations make it work, at far less cost and with far better health outcomes.
But maybe they’re just smarter than we are — or smarter than our politicians think we are."
Chellie Pingree: My brother Bob
Chellie Pingree: My brother Bob
Please take a look at this article from Maine in the link above. Our local State efforts need to continue as we also work for national change. The voice of the people needs to be heard loud and clear in order to overcome the money power of the drug companies and insurance companies. Now is the time that change will be possible.
Please take a look at this article from Maine in the link above. Our local State efforts need to continue as we also work for national change. The voice of the people needs to be heard loud and clear in order to overcome the money power of the drug companies and insurance companies. Now is the time that change will be possible.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Ultimately, who's going to get stuck with the bill?
Ultimately, who's going to get stuck with the bill?
Hospitals should be put on a budget and stop all itemized billings.
Hospitals should be put on a budget and stop all itemized billings.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
More underinsured as economy sinks
More underinsured as economy sinks: "In a recent survey by Deloitte's health research center, only 7 percent of people said they felt financially prepared for their future health care needs.
Experts say that too often for the underinsured, coverage can seem like health insurance in name only -- adequate only as long as they have no medical problems."
Experts say that too often for the underinsured, coverage can seem like health insurance in name only -- adequate only as long as they have no medical problems."
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Pushing the Single-Payer Solution | Turn the Wind
Pushing the Single-Payer Solution | Health and Wellness | AlterNet
This article shares the views of a conservative doctor who now supports single payer universal access to care.
It mentions an updated book on the subject:
Health Care Meltdown: Confronting the Myths and Fixing Our Failing System
And, I love the quote from the rural CO doc:
"I think that our current presidential candidates understand that ideally single-payer would be the best, but they don't have the political will to move that forward. Their job is to feel which way the wind is blowing. Our job is to turn that wind."
This article shares the views of a conservative doctor who now supports single payer universal access to care.
It mentions an updated book on the subject:
Health Care Meltdown: Confronting the Myths and Fixing Our Failing System
And, I love the quote from the rural CO doc:
"I think that our current presidential candidates understand that ideally single-payer would be the best, but they don't have the political will to move that forward. Their job is to feel which way the wind is blowing. Our job is to turn that wind."
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
JS Online: Get serious about health care reform
JS Online: Get serious about health care reform
Medical Tourism -- you gotta love it!
Medical Tourism -- you gotta love it!
California Lessons
Lives at stake in health-care reform
Article Launched: 04/20/2008 07:43:05 PM PDT
IF you want to know why health care will continue to be a big issue in November, ask Beth Glover of Glendora.
During a Christmas party at her house last December, Glover, a registered nurse at an area hospital, describes what happened when one of her co-workers, who has a severe peanut allergy, inadvertently tasted a broccoli salad that apparently had been exposed to peanuts and experienced a serious reaction.
It was decided that someone would drive her home, but within minutes she was in grave distress, "turning black in the face, grunting as her airway closed up, and fell unconscious with no respirations.
"We called 9-1-1, pulled her out of the car onto the cold asphalt driveway, and began CPR." Soon, she was taken to a nearby emergency room, intubated and put on a ventilator.
"Within 48 hours, she was weaned off the ventilator, and discharged to home, but because of injuries suffered during the trauma, was out of work for almost two months. She also was having a hard time getting her allergies and asthma under control. One of our allergists gave her a whole lot of `sample' allergy medications because she can't afford all of her prescriptions. Her son also has allergies, so they `share medications.' The allergist told us that the medication that she should be on costs tens of thousands per year. So she is not on it.
"Blue Cross is denying her claim for hospitalization and emergency care, because she was `out of network.'
Apparently they believe she should have risen from the dead and driven to a network provider. My friend is appealing her claim, seeking legal assistance, and of course a boatload of angry, politically astute RNs are pulling for her. Blue Cross will probably regret that they harassed this particular single mom who works in a non-profit hospital caring for children with cancer."
This story illustrates what we need to remind the presidential candidates - "having" insurance can provide little protection when you actually have to use it.
Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both propose comprehensive health-care plans with an array of subsidies and some requirements on insurer. Their primary difference is on who should be required to buy private insurance.
But selling insurance is not "universal health care." Especially when insurers are permitted to continue to charge as much as they want and have no limits on the all too routine practice of denying needed medical treatment because they don't want to spend the money.
Sen. John McCain's plan is the most troublesome, offering little beyond the dismal status quo. McCain proposes tax credits to encourage the uninsured to buy insurance. But once-a-year tax credits are of little help to those already facing financial distress in an imploding economy.
His advocacy of high deductible health savings accounts as an alternative to expanded coverage will make it harder for the sicker, less wealthy among us, and retirees, to get health care. And his plan to promote the selling of insurance policies "across state lines" - code talk for more deregulation - could eradicate hard-won minimum standards we've placed on insurance carriers in California.
Ultimately, we will all have to recognize that reliance on the insurance industry will not end our health care nightmare. Insurance companies' priority is to guarantee a high rate of return to their shareholders, not making sure you get the care you need.
America's nurses know there is another approach, a single-payer system, sort of an expanded and improved Medicare for all, as in a bill still before the California Legislature, SB 840.
It guarantees everyone has quality health-care coverage and eliminates the waste and bureaucracy reflected in administrative costs of up to 30 percent for private insurers compared to just 3percent for Medicare.
Perhaps most importantly, it takes decisions about your health out of the hands of insurance companies and their built-in economic incentive to deny care.
It's a system essentially in place in every other Western country, and it works. A January 2008 study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, for example, found the U.S. ranked worst among 19 industrial nations in preventable deaths.
Surely that's the real reform all Americans deserve.
Geri Jenkins, RN is a member of the Council of Presidents of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee.
Governor, legislators haggle over health care system changes
Governor, legislators haggle over health care system changes: I know the MN Gov does not want real reform in health care but his recent interest does show the power of the people to get even his attention. One quote from the article - "He said Minnesota still has 'what is arguably the most generous human services system in the country.'" - needs to be addressed. Under his leadership MN has been slipping in national rankings in most stats that relate to services for citizens - education and health/human services most notably. One I heard recently from a state wide child care advocacy group is that MN had been in the top 5 for financial support for child care assistance to low income working families and now is ranked 42nd among the states. That is what is really happening under his leadership.
MPR: Pawlenty to host health care meeting for legislators
MPR: Pawlenty to host health care meeting for legislators
What the public is not hearing is how the major proposals from the MN Legislature and the Governor are still protecting the insurance / managed care big boys and their wonderful campaign contributions. The only way to truly save money and achieve universal coverage is to remove the middleman from the equation -- not to protect them and guarantee their premium payments.
What the public is not hearing is how the major proposals from the MN Legislature and the Governor are still protecting the insurance / managed care big boys and their wonderful campaign contributions. The only way to truly save money and achieve universal coverage is to remove the middleman from the equation -- not to protect them and guarantee their premium payments.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
California Health Insurers Must Reinstate Policies - On Health and Money (usnews.com)
California Health Insurers Must Reinstate Policies - On Health and Money (usnews.com)
"The 26 cases represent the most egregious examples of insurers wrongly "rescinding" policies, typically for inadvertent errors. "
Just more examples of the need for change and the power of the individual to fight the wrongs of the current system.
"The 26 cases represent the most egregious examples of insurers wrongly "rescinding" policies, typically for inadvertent errors. "
Just more examples of the need for change and the power of the individual to fight the wrongs of the current system.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
U.S. deserves responsible health care -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY
U.S. deserves responsible health care -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY:
Docs support Universal Care.
"Health care is increasingly seen as a right of citizenship in an industrial country. It should not be a privilege based on socioeconomic status. This survey adds to the convincing data showing that a majority of patients and doctors now believe that comprehensive, universally available health care for all our citizens regardless of race, creed and socioeconomic status is essential to our collective and personal security."
Docs support Universal Care.
"Health care is increasingly seen as a right of citizenship in an industrial country. It should not be a privilege based on socioeconomic status. This survey adds to the convincing data showing that a majority of patients and doctors now believe that comprehensive, universally available health care for all our citizens regardless of race, creed and socioeconomic status is essential to our collective and personal security."
MinnPost - State health reform runs into dose of reality
MinnPost - State health reform runs into dose of reality
This is a pretty good summary of where the MN health reform effort is at in the political process. This is not the single payer plan and this plan has many serious problems. The single payer bill got through one committee. This proposal might even get to the Governor's desk. It is so hard to be critical of any health care reform measures. Is getting your foot in the door worth the compromises? Not sure.
This is a pretty good summary of where the MN health reform effort is at in the political process. This is not the single payer plan and this plan has many serious problems. The single payer bill got through one committee. This proposal might even get to the Governor's desk. It is so hard to be critical of any health care reform measures. Is getting your foot in the door worth the compromises? Not sure.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Free? Yes, we are free to take care of one another!
Free? Yes, we are free to take care of one another!
A good op-ed on the need for single payer.
A good op-ed on the need for single payer.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Families USA: The Voice for Health Care Consumers
Families USA: The Voice for Health Care Consumers
Check out the Dying for Coverage links. Shows estimates of numbers who die per year per state because they do not have adequate coverage to access health care.
Check out the Dying for Coverage links. Shows estimates of numbers who die per year per state because they do not have adequate coverage to access health care.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Hoping to get healthy through HSAs
Hoping to get healthy through HSAs
More and more of these will be cropping up to take our money and call it medical care.
More and more of these will be cropping up to take our money and call it medical care.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Sound Bite That Has Some Teeth - New York Times
Sound Bite That Has Some Teeth - New York Times
I have no intention to campaign here for one candidate or another. What I am sharing is a look at the story and video concerning how important health care reform is in this election.
I have no intention to campaign here for one candidate or another. What I am sharing is a look at the story and video concerning how important health care reform is in this election.
Universal health care or universal nightmare? : Indybay
Universal health care or universal nightmare? : Indybay: "The deepest problem is confusing universal health insurance with universal access to comprehensive medical care. Clearly, in both cases universal means “everybody”, but a “universal” social health insurance, such as single payer health care reform, and a “universal” health insurance mandate, based on liability insurance, differ in fundamental ways, and the implications of this difference for health reform are enormous."
Monday, March 10, 2008
Look North - Stategic Lessons Learned
Article | The American Prospect: "Building upon the public's highly negative experiences with insurance company's and hospital administrators, the campaign needs to use public 'street heat' to intensify the level of public anger, focus it relentlessly on insurance, drug, and hospital decision-makers, and pressure specific 'swing' Republican legislators.
'We're going to have to spark a public backlash against the culprits blocking health care reform,' says Kraig. 'We need to get people indignant about particular actors and to call for government to be their watchdog in the health economy.'"
'We're going to have to spark a public backlash against the culprits blocking health care reform,' says Kraig. 'We need to get people indignant about particular actors and to call for government to be their watchdog in the health economy.'"
Thursday, March 6, 2008
The Next Failure of Health Reform
Vincent Navarro: The Next Failure of Health Reform
"Why does this situation persist in the U.S.?
For any society, medicine is a mirror of the power relations in that society. And nowhere is the lack of human rights more evident than in the house of medicine. In the U.S., insensitivity toward human needs goes hand-in-hand with enormous profits made from that suffering. The root of the problem, as noted earlier, is not lack of money but the channels through which that money is managed and spent. The problem is the privatization of the funding of medicine that allows profits to boom. The insurance and pharmaceutical industries enjoy the highest rates of profit in the U.S. Just last year, insurance industry profits reached $12 billion, and pharmaceutical industry profits $49 billion, the highest in the U.S. and in the world. According to Fortune Magazine, health-related industries are among the most profitable industries in the country. A lot of money is being made from people's suffering. "
Check out the rest of the commentary about reform proposals being bandied about right now.
"Why does this situation persist in the U.S.?
For any society, medicine is a mirror of the power relations in that society. And nowhere is the lack of human rights more evident than in the house of medicine. In the U.S., insensitivity toward human needs goes hand-in-hand with enormous profits made from that suffering. The root of the problem, as noted earlier, is not lack of money but the channels through which that money is managed and spent. The problem is the privatization of the funding of medicine that allows profits to boom. The insurance and pharmaceutical industries enjoy the highest rates of profit in the U.S. Just last year, insurance industry profits reached $12 billion, and pharmaceutical industry profits $49 billion, the highest in the U.S. and in the world. According to Fortune Magazine, health-related industries are among the most profitable industries in the country. A lot of money is being made from people's suffering. "
Check out the rest of the commentary about reform proposals being bandied about right now.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Physicians criticize Massachusetts health insurance plan
People's Weekly World - Physicians criticize Massachusetts health insurance plan: "Over 250 Massachusetts doctors have signed an open letter to the country warning that the health reform model enacted by Massachusetts is failing and that a single payer program is the only alternative.
An Open Letter to the Nation from Massachusetts Physicians: Early Outcomes from Massachusetts' Health Care Reform
We write to alert colleagues and the nation to the disturbing early outcomes of Massachusetts' widely-heralded approach to health care reform. Although we wish that the current reform could secure health insurance for all, its failings reinforce our conviction that only a single payer program can assure patients the care they need."
An Open Letter to the Nation from Massachusetts Physicians: Early Outcomes from Massachusetts' Health Care Reform
We write to alert colleagues and the nation to the disturbing early outcomes of Massachusetts' widely-heralded approach to health care reform. Although we wish that the current reform could secure health insurance for all, its failings reinforce our conviction that only a single payer program can assure patients the care they need."
Friday, February 29, 2008
Blue Cross letter brings outrage - San Jose Mercury News
Blue Cross letter brings outrage - San Jose Mercury News
"It came in response to a letter Blue Cross wrote last week asking doctors to rat out their patients with undisclosed prior medical conditions so the insurer can dump them from its rolls.
The move comes just months after Blue Cross was fined $1 million by the state for unfairly revoking coverage to scores of its policy holders."
Sunday, February 17, 2008
NEJM -- Market-Based Failure -- A Second Opinion on U.S. Health Care Costs
NEJM -- Market-Based Failure -- A Second Opinion on U.S. Health Care Costs: "Changing demographics and medical technology pose a cost challenge for every nation's system, but ours is the outlier. The extreme failure of the United States to contain medical costs results primarily from our unique, pervasive commercialization. The dominance of for-profit insurance and pharmaceutical companies, a new wave of investor-owned specialty hospitals, and profit-maximizing behavior even by nonprofit players raise costs and distort resource allocation. Profits, billing, marketing, and the gratuitous costs of private bureaucracies siphon off $400 billion to $500 billion of the $2.1 trillion spent, but the more serious and less appreciated syndrome is the set of perverse incentives produced by commercial dominance of the system."
Thursday, February 14, 2008
UnitedHealth accused of shortchanging patients
UnitedHealth accused of shortchanging patients
"AMA weighs in
"AMA weighs in
There is a profit motive for keeping reimbursements low, said Dr. Nancy Nielson, president-elect of the American Medical Association. She also complained that there is no oversight of the data provided by Ingenix.
"It's shocking and unacceptable for an insurance company to hide behind a shroud of secrecy," Nielson said. "Its another example of United Health playing by its own rules.""
I know United Health hides it's for profit business in MN where HMOs must be non-profit. However, it is involved in selling service to those same HMOs. I wonder if it is behind the scenes in WI as well. Does anyone know?
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
MN Single Payer Bill Introduced at Winona Town Hall Meeting
A great presentation happened Saturday Feb. 9th.
Rep. Madore was especially riveting. Her story is even more clearly stated in a Mpls. Trib. article.
The proposed law can be reviewed at the Minnesota Health Plan web site.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Health Care Forum
Healthy State
Legislators Tour State, Unveil Health Care Solutions
Duluth • Hibbing • Bemidji • Brainerd • Mankato • Winona • Northfield
YOU’RE INVITED TO A
HEALTH CARE TOWN HALL MEETING
Saturday February 9th at 9:30 am
Great Hall, Watkins Manor
175 E Wabasha (7th) St. Winona MN 55987
FFI: Craig Brooks • 507-457-6255 •Craig.brooks@gmail.com
Host: Rep. Ken Tschumper
With co-signers of the Minnesota Health Care Act, Minnesota State Legislators Senator John Marty & Representatives Ken Tschumper, David Bly, Carolyn Laine & Shelley Madore. Local officials invited.
Minnesotans Have Spoken
We have heard from you: our health care system is broken. Even with insurance, many have trouble affording necessary care. Losing insurance coverage is a very real concern. And for those who are without health insurance, the stories get even worse.
Legislators Must Act
We have proven solutions to our health care mess in hand. Come join us in the town hall meeting. We will tell you about the Minnesota Health Care Act that would provide quality, affordable, comprehensive health care to all Minnesotans through all stages of life.
REAL HEALTH
CARE REFORM
Serious health care reform means:
• All Minnesotans covered
• Pre-existing conditions covered
• Deductibles, co-pays eliminated
• Choice of doctors, hospitals, clinics
• Guaranteed for life
SOLVING OUR HEALTH CARE CRIS WASTE, MORE VALUE & BETTER HEALTH
*For general questions or additional meeting locations call Rep. David Bly 651-296-7065 or see www.mnhealthplan.org
Friday, January 25, 2008
Tempering Health-Care Goals - WSJ.com
Tempering Health-Care Goals - WSJ.com
This Wall Street Journal article outlines the politics of this debate. A recent poll (seems to be a solid scientific one) one says :
Is there a doctor in the house?
This Wall Street Journal article outlines the politics of this debate. A recent poll (seems to be a solid scientific one) one says :
Is there a doctor in the house?
Sixty-five percent of those polled said the United States should adopt universal health insurance that covers everyone under a program such as Medicare that is run by the government and financed by taxpayers. Fifty-four percent went where politicians dare not tread, saying they supported a "single-payer" health system whereby all Americans would get their health coverage from a single government plan financed by taxpayers.
…
The Associated Press-Yahoo News survey of 1,821 adults was conducted from Dec. 14-20, and had an overall margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points. Included were interviews with 847 Democrats, for whom the margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3.4 points, and 655 Republicans, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.8 points. The poll was conducted on the Internet by Knowledge Networks.
****
The survey question:
Which comes closest to your view?
The United States should continue the current health insurance
system in which most people get their health insurance from
private employers, but some people have no insurance 34%
The United States should adopt a universal health insurance
program in which everyone is covered under a program like
Medicare that is run by the government and financed by
Taxpayers 65%
Refused / Not Answered 2%
Do you consider yourself a supporter of a single-payer health care system, that is a national health plan financed by taxpayers in which all Americans would get their insurance from a single government plan, or not?
Yes 54%
No 44%
Refused / Not Answered 2%
Thursday, January 24, 2008
The Lessons of '94 | The American Prospect
The Lessons of '94 | The American Prospect
Interesting article on lessons from the Clinton era reform efforts.
Interesting article on lessons from the Clinton era reform efforts.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
WSJ Interactive Map on Health Care Proposals
This link on the Wall Street Journal site shows the national opinion polls supporting change and shows some statisics for the states. It also specifically mentions some state proposals including Doyle's recent one for WI.
Minnesota - Two panels will propose big shifts in state health care
Two panels will propose big shifts in state health care
The link is to the story (mentions WI proposal) and here's a summary of what again is a proposal to give insurance to all -- much of the suggestions are unproven and not likely to save money unless the red tape of screening applicants and processing insurance bills is dealt with.
The link is to the story (mentions WI proposal) and here's a summary of what again is a proposal to give insurance to all -- much of the suggestions are unproven and not likely to save money unless the red tape of screening applicants and processing insurance bills is dealt with.
CHANGING MINNESOTA'S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
Key proposals emerging from Gov. Tim Pawlenty's Health Care Task Force and the Legislature's Health Care Access Commission:
• Spreading insurance to all Minnesotans by 2011.
• Designating a "medical home" for people with chronic conditions such as diabetes to coordinate care and promote prevention to improve care and drive down costs.
• Paying providers to prevent illness, rather than by office visit, test or procedure.
• Creating programs to reduce smoking, obesity, alcohol abuse and drug addiction to drive down costs from associated health problems.
• Requiring providers to set a single fee that individuals would pay for the same service, no longer negotiating different prices with different insurance companies.
• Giving patients ways to easily compare costs and quality of competing providers.
• Ensuring that patients could stay with their chosen health providers, even if they change jobs or health insurers, and could move their health insurance from job to job.
Our Fear of Socialized Medicine
This pretty well summarizes the uphill battle we have ahead of us. But, the hill is getting easier to climb!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Brattleboro Reformer - Worried sick
Brattleboro Reformer - Worried sick
Vermont has a single payer bill and this article shows much of the good arguments for why it is needed.
Vermont has a single payer bill and this article shows much of the good arguments for why it is needed.
ABX1 1: Universal health insurance without health care : Indybay
ABX1 1: Universal health insurance without health care : Indybay
Comments on why mandatory insurance for California will not work.
Comments on why mandatory insurance for California will not work.
Massachusetts Program Does Not Work
Doctors Give Massachusetts Health Reform a Failing Grade
| Written by PHNP | |
| Thursday, 10 January 2008 | |
| Poor Early Outcomes Raise Red Flags, Only Private Insurers Profit "It is urgent that the rest of the country know that Massachusetts is a living laboratory for the health care reforms being pushed in California and by the Obama/Clinton/Edwards campaigns. Right now the Gov. Romney/Massachusetts' plan gets a failing grade on the ground," said Dr.Rachel Nardin, Assistant Professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. An Open Letter to the Nation from Massachusetts Physicians: Early Outcomes from Massachusetts' Health Care Reform We write to alert colleagues and the nation to the disturbing early outcomes of Massachusetts' widely-heralded approach to health care reform. Although we wish that the current reform could secure health insurance for all, its failings reinforce our conviction that only a single payer program can assure patients the care they need. In 2006, our state enacted a law designed to extend health coverage to virtually all state residents. Political leaders in other states as well as several Democratic presidential candidates have embraced this model. Massachusetts' law mandates that uninsured individuals must purchase private insurance or pay a fine. The law established a new state agency to ensure that affordable plans were available; offered low income residents subsidies to help them buy coverage; and expanded Medicaid coverage for the very poor. (Immigrants are mostly excluded from these subsidized programs.) Moneys that previously funded free care for the uninsured were shifted to the new insurance program, along with revenues from new fines on employers who fail to offer health benefits to their workers. In addition, the federal government provided extra funds for the program's first two years. Starting January 1, 2008 Massachusetts residents face fines if they cannot offer proof of insurance. Yet as of December 1, 2007 only 37% of the 657,000 uninsured had gained coverage under the new program. These individuals often feel well served by the reform in that they now have health insurance. However, 79% of these newly insured individuals are very poor people enrolled in Medicaid or similar free plans. Virtually all of them were previously eligible for completely free care funded by the state, but face co-payments under the new plan. In effect, public funds for care of the poor that previously flowed directly to hospitals and clinics now flow through insurers with their higher administrative costs. Among the near poor uninsured (who are eligible for partial premium subsidies) only 16% had enrolled in the new coverage. And barely 7% of the uninsured individuals with incomes too high to qualify for subsidies had enrolled according to the official state figures. Few can afford premiums for even the skimpiest coverage; the lowest cost plan offered for a couple in their fifties costs $8,200 annually, and carries a $2,000 per person deductible. Moreover, the state's cost for subsidies is running $147 million over the $472 million budgeted for fiscal year 2007. Meanwhile, collections from fines on employers who fail to provide coverage are 80% below the original projections. The funding gap will widen in future years as health care costs escalate and insurers raise premiums. Already, state officials speak of making up the shortfall by forcing patients to pay sharply higher co-pays and deductibles, and by slashing funds promised to safety net hospitals. While patients, the state and safety net providers struggle, private insurers have prospered under the new law, and the costs of bureaucracy have risen. Blue Cross, the state's largest insurer, is reaping a surplus of more than $1 million each day, and awarded its chairman a $16.4 million retirement bonus even as he continues to draw a $3 million salary. All of the major insurers in our state continue to charge overhead costs five times higher than Medicare and eleven-fold higher than Canada's single payer system. Moreover, the new state agency that brokers private coverage adds its own surcharge of 4.5% to each policy it sells. A single payer program could save Massachusetts more than $9 billion annually on health care bureaucracy, making universal coverage affordable. But because the 2006 law deepened our dependence on private insurance, it can only add coverage by adding costs. Though politically feasible, this approach is already proving fiscally unsustainable. The next economic downturn will push up the number of uninsured just as the tax revenues needed to fund subsidies fall. The lesson from Massachusetts is that we still need real health care reform: single payer, non-profit national health insurance. | |
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
No Patient Left Behind
Kip Sullivan: Report cards won't improve health care
Kip does a great job of comparing Health Report Cards to No Child Left Behind.
Kip does a great job of comparing Health Report Cards to No Child Left Behind.
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