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.'"

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.
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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."

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."

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."

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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."

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."