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The Health Policy Cause
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Loading...Health Care Reform 2009: Just Words or Real Change?
HealthDay.com reports that in 2007, medical problems and expenses contributed to almost two thirds of all United States bankruptcies — a 50 percent jump from 2001 figures — and that was before the economic turndown. One can only imagine the figures for 2008-09.
The shocking thing is that 77.9 percent of these bankruptcies involved people who HAD medical insurance when their health problems began, only to lose it during the course of their illness. These are largely folks who’ve played by the rules and done what was expected of them. Mostly middle class, college-educated, tax-paying homeowners.
When we speak of health care reform, we have to get beyond just making provisions for the uninsured, although that is certainly at the top of the list. We must address the issue of people with medical insurance coverage who, because of escalating premiums, co-pays, and deductibles, cannot stay afloat under the crushing weight of medical expenses.
Who are the under-insured? It’s hard to say. How many of us truly understand what our insurance will and will not cover in our time of need? We’re all skating on pretty thin ice.
The chain of events caused when illness strikes and threatens employment, and then employer-based medical insurance, is disastrous. Just when you need it the most, your coverage is gone. COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) fills a gap for those who can afford it, but even under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) it is severely limited in its scope.
The three things that are missing now — coverage for all, portability, and an emphasis on prevention are essential ingredients to serious health care reform.
“If we don’t get it done this year, we’re not going to get it done.” – President Barack Obama, May 28, 2009
The President said it. Members of congress said it. 2009 is the year.
I, for one, am ready to see talk turn in to meaningful action — something tangible in the lives of every day Americans.
Read more: cobra, congress, economy, health care reform, health policy, obama, Stimulus, Underinsured, uninsured
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+ add your ownYes, we all need and deserve health coverage, and coverage we can afford. What we don't need is more forced this and forced that. I think what most people have not picked up on here, is the fact that Government has slyly slipped in a part to this bill that steals yet, more of our freedoms.
Its not bad enough we are forced to wear seat belts. Sure, seat belts can help save lives, but it should be our choice to wear or not wear them. Then, we're forced to get insurance.We all want Insurance. We don't need to be forced to get it, we just need affordable insurance that won't drop up because of a broken toe nail.
Slipping this into the bill (get insurance or lose your income tax return) is bull. We have a guarantee of Freedom of choice in this country. Read the Constitution , its there, really it is. So we all need to get off your bums and order the Government to remove this provision form the bill. Or fight it in court .
My husband lost his job at 61. He had insurance for both of us. I was 62 and had just signed up for early retirement. Three months later I could not sleep, could not breath and doctor asked me to get chest xray as an outpatient, cost $35.00. She called and said I had congestive heart failure and pneumonia. Uninsured I had to go to hospital to be initiated on Coumadin. While in hospital 4 days, only tests, no procedures, the bill ran up over $40,000. The hospital insisted they had to repeat chest xray even though outpatient was less than 24 hours old. They charged $500 for the same chest xray and added all kind of tests. Eliminating hospitals from duplicity of tests already performed currently and forcing them to only do the recommended tests from physician for admission, in this case e.g. Coumadin monitoring would have saved thousands. How many other retired wives will lose insurance as their husbands lose their jobs, not old enough for Medicare or able to pay for other insurance? Recommend:
1. Hospitals do not duplicate current outpatient tests needed for admission.
2. Hospitals only address current health problem, especiall when uninsured.
3. Consider baby boomers losing jobs before Medicare age, losing insurance and having no income just as health problems increase.
Now the conventional wisdom is that we will never get national health care passed this time. I say that we will know who and why if this prophecy is fulfilled. Congressmen and Senators very often are hugely invested personally in the stock market in health care companies and insurance. We will need to keep close track of who votes how, and follow the money. Obviously, Republicans, by and large, will excuse their votes as upholding free market capitalism: I have an answer then. They say there must be a "level playing field if we have public plans; great, only we'll pass laws that protect human rights. Some are: no one can be denied for pre-existing conditions; everyone is eligible if their COBRA runs out; and no one will be denied due to genetic pre-dispositions. These would be the minium requirements for a public plan, so must be fair for other insurers. Keep fighting no matter what and contact everyone you can. Ask your Congressmen if they have personal investments in a health insurance company.
I'm so curious to know what Blue Cross makes off people paying ridiculous premiums and/or ridiculous deductibles. I nearly had to file bankruptcy also because of nearly $1K in medical bills because of a $1K deductible. I won't be seeking any more health care because of a $1K out of pocket. I can't afford it. If I drop dead, I drop dead. Call me another statistic of our lovely health care system.
We won't have health care reform until we get universal health care. I applaud Obama for trying to reform the system, but until he comes out and helps us get universal health care, what he is doing is still playing into the hands of the insurance companies.
AN INVITATION
Would you like to work for real, workable healthcare reform? We’d love to have you join our group– Campaign for Universal Single Payer Health Care – hosted by Claudia S. and Laura H.
Learn more here: http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/Universal_Healthcare_Now
Our fight for equal access to healthcare for all is about democracy, human rights, civil rights, and basic human decency.
Please join us!
Two main arguments for single-payer healthcare:
THE MORAL ETHICAL ARGUMENT
Health insurance companies make their profit by denying health care to sick people. That is immoral and unethical.
THE ECONOMIC ARGUMENT
Our current system of for-profit corporate health insurance has created an unbearable national economic burden. Over 1500 separate insurance companies operate under different rules creating 30 % administrative overhead-- Medicare overhead is only 2%.
By converting to a single payer system, we immediately save 300 billion dollars.
We pay twice what other countries pay for healthcare, yet 50 million Americans have no healthcare coverage and 87 million were without health insurance in the past 2 years. 62% of bankruptcies are due to medical bills.
Despite what we pay, the US ranks LAST of 19 industrialized nations in preventable deaths, and 29th of 37 in infant mortality. The World Health Organization ranks the US at 72nd for healthcare accessibility and efficiency. We can no longer maintain the status quo for the ways we currently provide and pay for health care.
ACTION:
1. ASK President Obama to support Single Payer reform: http://www.healthreform.gov/contact/index.html
Phone: Comments: 202-456-1111; Switchboard: 202-456-1414; FAX: 202-456-2461
2. ASK your Senators to support S 703
ASK your Representative to support HR 676, The US National Health Insurance Act.
Contact information for your legislators: http://www.usa.gov/C
Despite the trials and tribulations of the past year, the health insurance executives are still raking in MILLIONS of dollars at the end of the day. This is a look at some of the top total compensation packages from 2008 based on information gathered from the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission.
1. Ron Williams, Aetna - $24.3 million
2. H. Edward Hanway, CIGNA - $12.2 million
3. Angela Braly, WellPoint - $9.8 million
4. Dale Wolf, Coventry Health Care - $9 million
5. Michael Neidorff, Centene - $8.8 million
6. James Carlson, AMERIGROUP - $5.3 million
7. Michael McCallister, Humana - $4.8 million
8. Jay Gellert, Health Net - $4.4 million
9. Richard Barasch, Universal American - $3.5 million
10. Stephen Hemsley, UnitedHealth Group - $3.2 million
– adapted from a Special Report by Dan Bowman
http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/special-reports/total-package-health-plan-ceo-compensations-2008
Only a single-payer approach to healthcare reform will END THE INHUMANITY OF OUR FAILED HEALTHCARE INSURANCE SYSTEM, WHERE PROFITS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN PATIENTS’ HEALTH, and where people die because of it.
We need to get the insurance companies OUT of healthcare.
Our fight for equal access to healthcare for all is about democracy, human rights, civil rights, and basic human decency.
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