Bootstrap Mentality

From the Pacific view

"One of the things he found most outrageous was how Americans weren't held accountable for causing their bad health. (And, of course, Bush agrees.) After all, the individuals had a choice in living healthier lives and if they didn't, well, why should the insurance industry be held accountable for the fact Americans didn't have as long life expectancies as other countries? Never mind the fact that Cuba, a country that is god-awful poor has a higher life expectancy and many fewer babies dying in the first few years of life than the United States. Or that France (as Michael Moore noted) has more people smoking and drinking and having sex and still they have better life expectancies. Somehow, it is only Americans that have bad habits that lead to earlier death - but that's because Americans are especially culpable for their bad decisions.

Last week NOW had a piece on how Georgia's PeaceCare is leaving the people behind and even being incapable of supplying insulin to type one juvenile diabetes patients whose parents run into trouble. According to the governor, it isn't the state's responsibility to cover these people, it's the federal government and if you are unhappy, please contact your congressman. Then we get to see the fact that it really is the fault of the parents (the adults) who should not have gotten into this situation (lost job, have kid who has juvenile diabetes) and then expect others to cover their failure. In fact, our country is being severely compromised because we don't demand that individuals take care of their selves or their families. It is far, far better that their kids die than we pick up their health care costs. Besides which, that would be a really bad example and then every Tom, Dick and Harry would expect us to help them as well. Well, we can't have that kind of country, can we?

And now we know it is even worse than what NOW's expose showed: after all, if our country succumbs to universal healthcare, the terrorists win! Damn."

Physicians heal their wallets

Its about time physician greed has been discussed in this health care drama. I can't begin to tell you how many progressives naively believe that all physicians go to med school for humanitarian purposes.

Most of the doctors that I have encountered believe that since they were smart enough to get through med school, they are ENTITLED to get rich. ENTITLED. Let's not forget the physicians who hold MBAs.

Health care providers are part of the problem. They need to be part of the solution.

kudos to the Suburban Guerrilla for this gem.

Health Care our form of Terrorism?

“We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we know now that it is bad economics.” So declared F.D.R. in 1937, in words that apply perfectly to health care today. This isn’t one of those cases where we face painful tradeoffs — here, doing the right thing is also cost-efficient. Universal health care would save thousands of American lives each year, while actually saving money."

England's National Health care System

"Forty-seven million Americans are uninsured. This is a problem. Several million more are inadequately insured. Another problem. But that leaves more than 200 million fully insured Americans who’ve never heard of waiting lists. I envy them."

I believe there should be affordable health care. Period. People need acces to care. The discussion should include the delivery of health care. Insurance just adds an expensive administrative layer to the mix.

Italy v US

"The Italians won on health, family and food. The United States was better on race and opportunity."

If health care is not truly available to all in the good ole US, are we really morally superior on issues such as race and opportunity?

Michael Moore v Insurance Industry

Next to the war(s), health INSURANCE, is the second biggest concern of Americans polled. Insurance companies are part of the problem. Michael Moore's movie will point out a fact known to most of us in "business" already knew: there are caps and exclusions in most health plans.

In this debate about coverage, why do doctors get a free pass?

They are critical players in this expensive nightmare. Docs prescribe physical therapy, MRIs, x-rays, etc. Who owns these facilities?

Why do docs have to charge so much? They immediately blame the administrative costs associated with collecting money from insurance companies. Or malpractice insurance. Sounds like a vicious cycle to me.

I remember attending a forum on the Malpractice Crisis. The panel consisted of an insurance exec, two docs and a trial lawyer. The auditorium was packed with docs and little old ladies. The parking lot was filled with Audi, BMWs and Mercedes. They were ALL crying poor. Funny how that works.

We have Starbucks on every corner. Why do we have find doctors? Folks in the urban AND rural communities face the same challenges. Lack of affordable health care. Emergency room costs are skyrocketing. How about a storefront clinic that SERVES those who need non-emergency care?

How about dental care? Your mouth is not part of your body? Isn't dental care health care? Or vision? If you can't see how are you going to read the directions on the medicine your doc prescribed?

Not to include all health care providers in the "universal health care" discussion is irresponsible.

Newsflash folks, we have universal health coverage. It's called Medicare. Insurance companies are players in this arena. If folks what to pay for more services, so be it.

In the meantime, we have a real problem that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

Herbert: They lie about everything

"The Congressional Budget Office and most researchers have agreed on the six million figure for the number of youngsters who are eligible for government-sponsored health coverage but remain unenrolled — roughly four million for Medicaid and two million for S-chip. This has not been controversial.

Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services began circulating a study that tries to make the case that the total number of eligible but uninsured youngsters is a mere 794,000, an absurdly low figure.

If you can wave a magic wand and make five million poor kids disappear, you no longer have to think about caring for them.

Advocates like Dr. Redlener and Ms. Edelman don’t have that luxury.

“Kids who grow up with poor access to health care carry a high risk of having underdiagnosed and undertreated chronic illness, both physical and emotional,” said Dr. Redlener. “We know what to do. We should fully fund this effort at the $50 billion level and make coverage mandatory for all children.”

Herbert: Medical Care for our children

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul,” Nelson Mandela once said, “than the way in which it treats its children.”

There are nine million children who lack health care in the U.S. and millions more who are eligible for coverage but fall through the cracks for one reason or another.

What we need is a national commitment to provide basic health care to all children, not just the children of the well-to-do. This should be a no-brainer. You’re a child in the United States? You’ve got health care. We’re not going to let you die from a toothache. We’re better than that. We’re not going to let your family go bankrupt because you’ve got cancer or some other disease, or because you’ve been in a terrible accident.

The cost? Don’t fall for that bogyman.

There’s plenty of give in America’s glittering $13 trillion economy. What’s the sense of being the richest nation on the planet if you can’t even afford to keep your children healthy and alive?

Krugman: Timidity of Hope

Krugman weighs in Obama's Health Plan.

Gawande: Health Holes

The health care system is fractured because of the insurance companies AND the health care delivery systems.

Set up urgi-care systems in rural and urban areas. Stock them with Physician assistants, Nurses and Doctors who want to work off their expensive education bills. Retired docs are welcome too. They can provide wellness and non-emergency care those of us with health insurance take for granted.

This would drive the costs down. The wait time in the doctor's office and emergency room will be reduced as well.

Everybody wins except for the greedy insurance companies and health care delivery systems.

Screw the children

If I hear about one more pitch for tax deduction, credit whatever, regarding insurance I am going to scream. The people who need insurance for their kids can't afford to pay the co-payments or deductibles. This is a CASH FLOW discussion.

Why would Shrub actually discuss the situation with the governors? He would actually have to know something about it.

When his father ran for re-election, he was out of touch. The Shrub is out of touch about everything. He is such a punk he has never had to deal with any real life issues. He probably doesn't even know what is a co-payment.

I am surprised that he didn't recommend the Veteran's administration as a model.....

GGGRRRRR

Broken Promises

I grew up in a working class neighborhood. Not remote rural, certainly not suburbia. We had a nice yard and a driveway.

My father was one of the group of men who worked at the local steel mill. He managed to work his way up to Quality Control Foreman. He worked the plum day shift and wore a white shirt and hard hat.

By the time he returned from work at 4:20pm he smelled of the steel dust that coated his white shirt. The environment was challenging for a black man with just an associate's degree. He put up with far more indignities than I faced on my worst day.
The "rules" were to get an education, find a home at a good company, retire and die.

The steady income and the health insurance for us kept him loyal to his employer. The insurance gave him pride and security. With three children who participated in sports it was a nice benefit.

Eye care, medication and dental were included in the package. He would painstakingly sit at the dining room table and fill out the insurance forms. He paid a deductible.

Then came managed care. PPO's, gatekeepers, referral slips and co-payments. Has the cost of healthcare reduced in the last 40 years?

Insurance companies, healthcare providers and drug manufacturers are recording record profits.

The money not spent on healthcare went to our home, furniture, electricity, food, clothing, cars, gasoline. Products that stimulated the economy.

Most people in our country are closer to club poverty than club riches. Until people wrap their brain around this painful fact, nothing will change. A very dear friend of mine, whom I am convinced watches Fox News, is a very successful attorney. From his perspective he is the new middle class. Since when did making a income that exceeds six figures denotes the middle class?

Using the accounting principles of EBIDTA employees and their benefits lends itself to the outsourcing of jobs, to increase the profits for corporate shareholders.

After 35 years of service at the ripe old age of 58, Dad and many of his peers were given a package. He was not emotionally or financially ready to retire. Shortly, thereafter his company was sold twice. The community this plant supported looks like the retirees, tired and broken down.

Eventually, his life insurance was eliminated, pension and health coverage reduced. Try to find a life insurance policy after three bouts of cancer. I can't imagine it developed being exposed to steel dust for 35 years. Minor details. Familiar faces from the mill shared the chemo sessions with Dad. There are not many survivors.

Personal protection equipment mandated by OSHA was not a priority 40 years ago. The OSHA police continue to be underfunded.

My father worked everyday with his eye on the promise of a financially secure retirement. He makes too much money to receive Bush's donut hole prescription drug plan. His out-of-pocket expenses associated with the care of his health exceeds $700 per month.

He at least has what is left of his pension. The ERISA statue was created to make sure employers keep their promises. Employers are now whining that the pensions are killing their profitability. These are the same companies where the CEO's walk away with a platinum package. My daughter only knows of 401K plans.

If he had universal health coverage, he could die in peace.

OSHA and ERISA were created by the government to protect the employee from their employer. Both have failed due to lack of funding and enforcement.

I think it is great billionaire Mortimer Zuckerman writes on this topic. There is just one flaw in his essay. The middle class has already disappeared. No one wants to admit it.