[BwayDems] Refroming healthcare

[polly de mille/richard siegel]

Many forces are aggressively trying to stop healthcare reform.  They are using scare tactics and lying about what reform will do.  It will not create panels to decide who will live and who will die.  It will not fundamentally alter Medicare.  

Please contact as many legislators as you can to support their efforts to reform health care.    While a single payor system would make the most sense, most believe that is not obtainable at this time.  Attached is some more information that explains some of the facts in the debate:


The healthcare debate continues this week.  Once again the focus is on how to pay for increasing coverage.  Everyone agrees that developing a healthcare model that emphasizes prevention over disease treatment will help lower the cost of healthcare.  There is very little agreement on what that model would look like.

 

In addition, a study published in Heath Affairs states new research shows that medical spending averages $1,400 more a year for an obese person than for someone at a healthy weight.  It also states the spending gap will only get worse if the country does not get its weight problem under control. Deborah Katz, in Heart Health states:

 

So what can we do? Two new studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association identify specific health habits that help us live younger by avoiding heart failure and high blood pressure. The first study, involving nearly 21,000 male physicians, found that those who followed four or more healthful lifestyle approaches had a 10 percent chance of developing heart failure, compared with a 21 percent chance for those who didn't follow any. In the second study, of more than 83,000 female nurses, good health habits led to a nearly 80 percent lower risk of developing high blood pressure, compared with those who smoked, didn't exercise, and ate poorly. The studies "underscore that healthy lifestyle will help prevent cardiovascular disease and greatly enhance health," Veronique Roger, a professor of public health at the Mayo Clinic, wrote in an editorial that accompanied the studies.

 

The challenge for lawmakers is to create a healthcare system that promotes the above noted health behaviors.  The goal is to prevent all unhealthy conditions that cause significant medical problems.  It must fairly reward individuals, providers, and insurers that accomplish this goal.  It must create some dis-incentives for those that do not.

 

One current system that seems to be somewhat effective in achieving this goal is the VA system.  In an article in My Auburn states:

The Annals of Internal Medicine recently published a study that compared VA health care facilities with commercial managed-care systems in the treatment of diabetes and geriatric illnesses. In seven out of seven measures of quality the government provided better care...  It turns out that precisely because the VA is a huge government-run system that has a near-lifetime relationship with its six million-plus patients, it has incentives for investing in quality and keeping its patients well; incentives that are absent in for-profit medicine. And because the VA is able to purchase immense quantities of drugs and equipment it can virtually set the quality standard and the price it wants to pay. Turns out that government-run health care is not only highest quality available in America, it is more efficient and it's cheaper than for-profit health care. Best of all, the patients love it. 



To me, the bolded sentence (my emphasis) is one of the strongest arguments for a public option.  This may be where the real battle occurs in the debate.  What do you think?  We welcome your feedback.



Richard A. Siegel
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