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stef_tmNot that anyone asked, but I thought I'd piss away time at work and offend my FL share my thoughts with you regarding US healthcare reform:
- Reform is mandatory
- Reform will need to take place in multiple steps over time. It's too large a system to overhaul at once.
- There is no perfect solution.
- We need to be candid about the leading causes of disease in the US: smoking, high sugar/fat diet, lack of exercise.
- Preventative care is much less expensive than critical care
- Stop extending life in the ICU; giving an unconscious 90 year old six weeks in the cardiac unit is not quality of life. That's right: I'm all about killing your Grandpa. NOT. It's about respecting the death process. Hey "deathers" - it's called Hospice. Go look it up on Wiki. No one is going to put your Nana on an iceflow so stop bitching.
- Doctors aren't G_d and hospitals/insurance companies aren't babysitters. You'll have to manage your own healthcare and be a savvy consumer.
- Bring back PE in schools.
My primary issue is - how to pay for healthcare?
- Stop subsidizing corn (i.e. make high fructose corn syrup expensive.) Once soda is more expensive than milk, you'll see a change in the American diet. When broccoli is cheaper than Doritos, people may think twice. Use that farm subsidy to provide healthy meals in public schools and senior centers.
- Adopt a model that works. Northern Californians will throw rocks at me, but I'll say it: Kaiser Permanente. Not for profit. Focused on preventative care. Brings down the cost of private health insurance in the communities where it is offered because Cigna and others have to be competitive with KP. Funny that they do that in Nor Cal and *still* turn a profit. Go figure.
- Legalize pot then tax it.
- Stop incarcerating drug offenses. Use the $ savings for drug and alcohol education and treatment. Oh wait, there's still $ left over? Great! Use that for health screenings in public schools and at local libraries.
- Increase the number of physicians assistants and nurse practitioners; get out of the doctor-only system for health management. In that way, preventative care can be offered at an hourly rate much less than an MD. Doctors should be for trauma and cutting. Nurses/PAs for everything else.
Which modules first?
- All children (under age 21) have 100% coverage.
- Tax credits for buying personal catastrophic health care insurance.
- Free nutrition counseling.
- Free diabetic management including testing equipment/strips.
- Free weight loss management.
- Free vaccinations (childhood and flu)
Your thoughts?
(ETA: I thought this was interesting: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/why-health-reform-will-fa_b_248986.html)
- Reform is mandatory
- Reform will need to take place in multiple steps over time. It's too large a system to overhaul at once.
- There is no perfect solution.
- We need to be candid about the leading causes of disease in the US: smoking, high sugar/fat diet, lack of exercise.
- Preventative care is much less expensive than critical care
- Stop extending life in the ICU; giving an unconscious 90 year old six weeks in the cardiac unit is not quality of life. That's right: I'm all about killing your Grandpa. NOT. It's about respecting the death process. Hey "deathers" - it's called Hospice. Go look it up on Wiki. No one is going to put your Nana on an iceflow so stop bitching.
- Doctors aren't G_d and hospitals/insurance companies aren't babysitters. You'll have to manage your own healthcare and be a savvy consumer.
- Bring back PE in schools.
My primary issue is - how to pay for healthcare?
- Stop subsidizing corn (i.e. make high fructose corn syrup expensive.) Once soda is more expensive than milk, you'll see a change in the American diet. When broccoli is cheaper than Doritos, people may think twice. Use that farm subsidy to provide healthy meals in public schools and senior centers.
- Adopt a model that works. Northern Californians will throw rocks at me, but I'll say it: Kaiser Permanente. Not for profit. Focused on preventative care. Brings down the cost of private health insurance in the communities where it is offered because Cigna and others have to be competitive with KP. Funny that they do that in Nor Cal and *still* turn a profit. Go figure.
- Legalize pot then tax it.
- Stop incarcerating drug offenses. Use the $ savings for drug and alcohol education and treatment. Oh wait, there's still $ left over? Great! Use that for health screenings in public schools and at local libraries.
- Increase the number of physicians assistants and nurse practitioners; get out of the doctor-only system for health management. In that way, preventative care can be offered at an hourly rate much less than an MD. Doctors should be for trauma and cutting. Nurses/PAs for everything else.
Which modules first?
- All children (under age 21) have 100% coverage.
- Tax credits for buying personal catastrophic health care insurance.
- Free nutrition counseling.
- Free diabetic management including testing equipment/strips.
- Free weight loss management.
- Free vaccinations (childhood and flu)
Your thoughts?
(ETA: I thought this was interesting: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/why-health-reform-will-fa_b_248986.html)
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no subject
Date: 2009-08-15 03:08 am (UTC)I completely agree with you about legalization of some of the lesser vices - it's time that the heads and hookers start paying their share too. And you're right on - preventative care is less costly.
But good luck trying to sell it down there - I understand there's quite a bit of resistance. And personally I don't mind in the least the number of US born friends that have been coming up here for prescriptions and babies and stuff.