| Things we can do ... Dr. Randy K, from N. Myrtle Beach (we all know doctors are busy; but look what Randy makes time for!) Our church and Horry County Helping Hands held an event at Atlantic Beach a few weeks ago and we distributed 3,000 pounds of food as well as did some health screenings and had social services agencies signing folks up for benefits. Things economically are pretty scary for so many folks right now. Some of my patients will not come in because they have lost their jobs and insurance. We do our best to find work-arounds for them, but I am sure this is happening everywhere. We can try the above idea in each of our communities. Don't wait for someone else to organize the event ... figure out what needs doin' and get at it! |
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Health Care
YOUR COMMENTS: yoursiteSC@comcast.net
Obama Is Leaving Some Stem Cell Issues to Congress
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG. New York Times
Published: March 8, 2009
WASHINGTON — While lifting the Bush administration’s restrictions on federally financed human embryonic stem cell research, President Obama intends to
avoid the thorniest question in the debate: whether taxpayer dollars should be used to experiment on embryos themselves, two senior administration officials said
Sunday. (more)
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG. New York Times
Published: March 8, 2009
WASHINGTON — While lifting the Bush administration’s restrictions on federally financed human embryonic stem cell research, President Obama intends to
avoid the thorniest question in the debate: whether taxpayer dollars should be used to experiment on embryos themselves, two senior administration officials said
Sunday. (more)
A Healthcare Plan for America
Randy M. Kiriluk, MD
N. Myrtle Beach
We all keep hearing about how America’s healthcare system is broken, and it is, even more so than the average citizen or certainly the average politician imagines. We
remain the only industrialized nation without national health coverage. Our industries face bankruptcy, in large part from the burden of healthcare costs that competing foreign
industries do not have to bear. We have at least 47 million uninsured citizens, with some studies suggesting a much higher number. Those who are insured are covered by
an industry whose profitability is directly dependent on the quantity and quality of healthcare denied. Technologies designed to keep us healthier longer do so at ever
increasing expense. No wonder we are in such a mess.
Even those who think they are well insured are often let down by our failing Healthcare System. Expensive but proven procedures are often deemed “experimental” by Health
Insurance Companies intent on avoiding payment for them. If you develop a life threatening or chronic medical condition, which most of us due at some point, you are highly
likely to be deemed uninsurable, or have the condition you need help for carved out of your coverage.
As a physician, I frequently argue that we need to catch up to the rest of the world regarding National Health Coverage. I frequently hear people make arguments such as “do
you know how long they have to wait for an MRI in Canada or Europe?”. Unfortunately, my answer is that if you are uninsured or underinsured in The United States, you will
likely wait forever. I have certainly seen many patients elect not to have a needed work-up due to the prohibitive cost, and even when financing is available, it seldom helps.
Sixty-four percent of Americans in a New York Times/CBS poll think that “the Federal Government should guarantee health insurance for all Americans. Sixty percent were
“willing to pay higher taxes so that all Americans have health insurance that they can’t lose, no matter what”. But would higher taxes even be necessary? As it stands, Health
Insurance companies overhead and profit alone amounts to at least hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
Here are a few more facts to ponder.
• Half of all bankruptcies in the US are caused by medical bills.. Three-fourths of those bankrupted had health insurance at the time the got sick or injured.
• Taxes already pay for 60% of US health spending.
• Business currently pays for less than 20% of our nation’s health bill. It is a misnomer that our health system is privately financed. Sixty percent is paid by taxes and 20
percent as out of pocket expenses.
• Americans pay the most for healthcare in the world. We in effect pay for national health insurance, but don’t get it.
• The uninsured do not receive adequate healthcare. They live sicker and die younger. Those most in need of preventative services often do not receive them.
It is past time that we consider a single payer national health care plan for all. It is a tried and true system embraced by nations from Canada to Japan, and all of western
Europe. Our current system has not resulted in better care for any of us. Despite folklore to the contrary, Canadians have better access to care, better outcomes, and are
healthier than Americans.
Single Payer National Health Insurance is a solution that is not nearly so scary as we have been lead to believe. It would be federally administered and remove complex and
redundant bureaucracy by eliminating private insurance. Currently 31% of every healthcare dollar is spent on billing, re-billing and administrative costs. Physicians and
hospitals often spend as much time arguing with insurers about the correct plan of diagnosis and treatment than they do treating patients.
According to several studies by the general accounting office, eliminating for-profit third parties from healthcare could save as much as $200 billion per year. It is quite
probable that single payer would result in real healthcare savings and improved care. There are many entrenched interests who will profit by keeping things the same, or
maneuvering themselves into the middle of whatever change does take place. It is time both to put American Citizens first, and to assist American business to be competitive
internationally by removing the heavy burden of healthcare costs. The program could easily be funded by combining current sources of government health care spending into
a single fund with modest new taxes that would be offset by savings on insurance premiums and out of pocket spending. Reducing administrative and billing costs would
reduce healthcare costs still further. We can no longer afford not to move forward.
“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and most inhuman,” Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Citations and Journal articles are available upon request.
Randy M. Kiriluk, MD
N. Myrtle Beach
We all keep hearing about how America’s healthcare system is broken, and it is, even more so than the average citizen or certainly the average politician imagines. We
remain the only industrialized nation without national health coverage. Our industries face bankruptcy, in large part from the burden of healthcare costs that competing foreign
industries do not have to bear. We have at least 47 million uninsured citizens, with some studies suggesting a much higher number. Those who are insured are covered by
an industry whose profitability is directly dependent on the quantity and quality of healthcare denied. Technologies designed to keep us healthier longer do so at ever
increasing expense. No wonder we are in such a mess.
Even those who think they are well insured are often let down by our failing Healthcare System. Expensive but proven procedures are often deemed “experimental” by Health
Insurance Companies intent on avoiding payment for them. If you develop a life threatening or chronic medical condition, which most of us due at some point, you are highly
likely to be deemed uninsurable, or have the condition you need help for carved out of your coverage.
As a physician, I frequently argue that we need to catch up to the rest of the world regarding National Health Coverage. I frequently hear people make arguments such as “do
you know how long they have to wait for an MRI in Canada or Europe?”. Unfortunately, my answer is that if you are uninsured or underinsured in The United States, you will
likely wait forever. I have certainly seen many patients elect not to have a needed work-up due to the prohibitive cost, and even when financing is available, it seldom helps.
Sixty-four percent of Americans in a New York Times/CBS poll think that “the Federal Government should guarantee health insurance for all Americans. Sixty percent were
“willing to pay higher taxes so that all Americans have health insurance that they can’t lose, no matter what”. But would higher taxes even be necessary? As it stands, Health
Insurance companies overhead and profit alone amounts to at least hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
Here are a few more facts to ponder.
• Half of all bankruptcies in the US are caused by medical bills.. Three-fourths of those bankrupted had health insurance at the time the got sick or injured.
• Taxes already pay for 60% of US health spending.
• Business currently pays for less than 20% of our nation’s health bill. It is a misnomer that our health system is privately financed. Sixty percent is paid by taxes and 20
percent as out of pocket expenses.
• Americans pay the most for healthcare in the world. We in effect pay for national health insurance, but don’t get it.
• The uninsured do not receive adequate healthcare. They live sicker and die younger. Those most in need of preventative services often do not receive them.
It is past time that we consider a single payer national health care plan for all. It is a tried and true system embraced by nations from Canada to Japan, and all of western
Europe. Our current system has not resulted in better care for any of us. Despite folklore to the contrary, Canadians have better access to care, better outcomes, and are
healthier than Americans.
Single Payer National Health Insurance is a solution that is not nearly so scary as we have been lead to believe. It would be federally administered and remove complex and
redundant bureaucracy by eliminating private insurance. Currently 31% of every healthcare dollar is spent on billing, re-billing and administrative costs. Physicians and
hospitals often spend as much time arguing with insurers about the correct plan of diagnosis and treatment than they do treating patients.
According to several studies by the general accounting office, eliminating for-profit third parties from healthcare could save as much as $200 billion per year. It is quite
probable that single payer would result in real healthcare savings and improved care. There are many entrenched interests who will profit by keeping things the same, or
maneuvering themselves into the middle of whatever change does take place. It is time both to put American Citizens first, and to assist American business to be competitive
internationally by removing the heavy burden of healthcare costs. The program could easily be funded by combining current sources of government health care spending into
a single fund with modest new taxes that would be offset by savings on insurance premiums and out of pocket spending. Reducing administrative and billing costs would
reduce healthcare costs still further. We can no longer afford not to move forward.
“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and most inhuman,” Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Citations and Journal articles are available upon request.
Obama Outlining Healthcare Reform Principles And Leaving Details To Congress
Synopsis, Reuters, March 5, 2009, David Alexander
'STARTING POINT'
Kenneth Thorpe, director of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, said healthcare legislation in
Congress would likely take the shape of a white paper issued last year by Max Baucus, chairman of the
Senate Finance Committee.
"That really is the starting point," he said. "It largely reflects candidate Obama's healthcare reform
proposals."
The Baucus plan would require health insurance for all, going a step further than Obama proposed. But the
plan envisions many of the principles outlined by Obama, including better management of chronic
illnesses, steps to encourage preventive care, insurance reform and improving healthcare delivery.
Baucus promised this week to "do all I can to make meaningful comprehensive health reform pass this
year."
He said Obama and Congress had already taken important steps to advance healthcare reform by
extending insurance to children of low-income families and approving an economic stimulus that included
$19 billion for healthcare information technology.
Baucus said Obama's decision to set aside $634 billion for healthcare reform in his 2010 budget showed
the president's "very strong commitment."
Synopsis, Reuters, March 5, 2009, David Alexander
'STARTING POINT'
Kenneth Thorpe, director of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, said healthcare legislation in
Congress would likely take the shape of a white paper issued last year by Max Baucus, chairman of the
Senate Finance Committee.
"That really is the starting point," he said. "It largely reflects candidate Obama's healthcare reform
proposals."
The Baucus plan would require health insurance for all, going a step further than Obama proposed. But the
plan envisions many of the principles outlined by Obama, including better management of chronic
illnesses, steps to encourage preventive care, insurance reform and improving healthcare delivery.
Baucus promised this week to "do all I can to make meaningful comprehensive health reform pass this
year."
He said Obama and Congress had already taken important steps to advance healthcare reform by
extending insurance to children of low-income families and approving an economic stimulus that included
$19 billion for healthcare information technology.
Baucus said Obama's decision to set aside $634 billion for healthcare reform in his 2010 budget showed
the president's "very strong commitment."
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