The Tipping Point on Health Care Reform

“First, the rising costs of health care must be brought down. Second, Americans must have the freedom to keep whatever doctor and health care plan they have or to choose a new doctor or health care plan if they want it. And, third, all Americans must have quality, affordable health care.” – President Barack Obama, May 11, 2009

In Monday’s historical meeting that included insurers, hospital representatives, physicians, medical device companies, pharmaceutical companies, labor, and administration officials, the focus was on comprehensive health care reform as key to laying a new foundation for our economy.

Reaffirming his commitment to health care reform, President Obama said it was the “kind of broad coalition — everybody with a seat at the table — that I talked about during the campaign, that is required to achieve meaningful health care reform. In the coming weeks and months, Congress will be engaged in the difficult issue of how best to reform health care in America.”

A letter signed by representatives of Advanced Medical Technology Association, American’s Health Insurance Plans, American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and Service Employees International Union, expressed a desire for a public-private partnership that could save billions through:

• Implementing proposals in all sectors of the health care system, focusing on administrative simplification, standardization, and transparency that supports effective markets;

• Reducing over-use and under-use of health care by aligning quality and efficiency incentives among providers across the continuum of care so that physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers are encouraged and enabled to work together towards the highest standards of quality and efficiency;

• Encouraging coordinated care, both in the public and private sectors, and adherence to evidence-based best practices and therapies that reduce hospitalization, manage chronic disease more efficiently and effectively, and implement proven clinical prevention strategies; and,

• Reducing the cost of doing business by addressing cost drivers in each sector and through common sense improvements in care delivery models, health information technology, workforce deployment and development, and regulatory reforms.

The very fact that such a meeting was held, with these particular attendees, suggests that the need and the desire for reform have finally reached the tipping point.

Too many of us have been paying the consequences of inaction, but it is no longer something we can simply sweep under the carpet to be dealt with later. Reform has become a top priority and it is going to happen.

If we can adhere to the three basic principals — lower costs, freedom of choice, and access to affordable care — and actually implement meaningful change, it will be a great day in America, and a lot of us will breathe easier.

Source:

HealthReform.gov

Read more: health care reform, health policy, obama

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Benjamin B.

5:10PM PDT on Jul 6, 2009

SIGN AMERICA'S MANDATE FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM

send a green star

5:09PM PDT on Jul 6, 2009

SIGN AMERICA'S MANDATE FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/americas-mandate-for-health-care-reform

5:08PM PDT on Jul 6, 2009

SIGN AMERICA'S MANDATE FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM .

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/americas-mandate-for-health-care-reform

Past Member .

5:48AM PDT on May 18, 2009

Supporters to single payer were arrested and not at the table!

9:30AM PDT on May 16, 2009

Yes, there are ways to fund quality healthcare for us all, and those ways do NOT include the corrupt insurance companies.

A new study shows that SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE REFORM WOULD BE A MAJOR STIMULUS FOR THE US ECONOMY and would provide:

** 2.6 Million New Jobs,
** $317 Billion in Business Revenue,
** $100 Billion in Wages, and
** $44 Billion New Tax Revenues

The press release is here: http://www.calnurses.org/media-center/press-releases/2009/january/nurses-to-congress-expanding-medicare-could-reverse-job-losses-and-repair-our-broken-healthcare-system-and-safety-net.html

Here’s the study: http://www.calnurses.org/research/pdfs/ihsp_sp_economic_study_2009.pdf

It’s clear that single-payer is the solution, not only in terms of providing quality care for all, but also economically!

WHY ISN’T SINGLE-PAYER ON THE TABLE?

Don Z.

5:48PM PDT on May 15, 2009

I have been following health reform for over 2 years now and being a retired engineer, I connected with the problems happening in our present Health Care System. I have watched the discussions of the Health Care Forum our President put together and read the transcripts of all the sessions. I assume these are all qualified people to talk on health care. I agree with most of their views and especially President Obama’s outline of the 8 principles he would like to see happen.

I am frustrated that no one is looking at a National Sales tax to fund the system. Mike Huckelby brought up a consumption tax during the primaries. When I looked up sales tax, it made sense that this is the type tax we need for health care. It brings in money daily and health care uses money daily. Everybody who spends money pays a tax, and everyone that uses health care pays for health care when they spend money. It is the easiest to implement and the hardest to avoid. The tax itself is very small when paid, thereby doesn’t hurt people paying a tax in small increments. The only problem I found was it is disproportionate between the rich and poor, based on the available money to spend. I figured to make it fairer to everyone, 4 tax rates could be implemented on money used to fund the National Health care System. The lowest rate for what is necessary to life healthy, the second would for what makes life more enjoyable and easier, the third for what we would all like if we could affor

Shannon G.

6:33AM PDT on May 15, 2009

While I agree that there needs to be a solution to make health care more affordable and available to everyone, I am a little worried about having a federal agency be in charge of my health care. I have to ask myself if the goverment cannot be fiscally responsible with the many other programs that are in place, can they be responsible about this? What happens then? I think that every option needs to be carefully examined along with future consequences. I am very concerned about giving more control of my life to the feds. I do not disagree with the need for reform, I am just a little gun shy about trusting the feds.

Jeffrey W.

11:13AM PDT on May 13, 2009

More nonsense from the left on health care. The Obama plan is nothing but froth and words - there is no plan. As the CBO wrote:

"Approaches such as the wider adoption of health information technology or greater use of preventive medical care could improve people’s health but would probably generate either modest reductions in the overall costs of health care or increases in such spending within a 10-year budgetary time frame."

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9924/12-18-KeyIssues.pdf

11:03AM PDT on May 13, 2009

Video address was cut off of the last post. Here it is:

http://www.healthcare-now.org/2009/05/the-ed-show-fighting-for-single-payer-video/

11:01AM PDT on May 13, 2009

WE WILL HAVE TO FIGHT HARD TO GET SINGLE-PAYER ON THE TABLE. The insurance and drug companies are spending millions of dollars on media scare tactics so they can keep their profits. Baucus refuses to consider it.

We saw Senators laugh at peaceful demonstrators at the Senate Finance Committee Hearing last week, as 8 single-payer advocates were removed one-by-one from the Hearing and arrested. 5 single-payer advocates were arrested at the Senate Finance Committee meeting yesterday. We need to make sure these elected officials hear from all of us.

There are single-payer bills in the Senate and House.

ACTION PLAN:

1. ASK your Senators to co-sponsor and support S 703, The American Health Security Act.

2. ASK your Representative to co-sponsor and support HR 676, The United States National Health Insurance Act.

Contact here: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

Tell them that SINGLE-PAYER REFORM, MUST BE ON THE TABLE AND GIVEN FULL AND FAIR HEARINGS BY THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE.

3. Leave a message for President Obama and ask him to support NON-PROFIT, SINGLE-PAYER healthcare reform and to get the insurance companies OUT of healthcare. You can leave your comments for Obama here:

http://www.healthreform.gov/contact/index.html
FAX: 202-456-2461
Phone: Comments: 202-456-1111; Switchboard: 202-456-1414 

More information: http://www.healthcare-now.org/
http://www.pnhp.org
Video: http://www.healthcare-now.org/2009/05/the-ed-show-fight