The answer is money. There is a LOT LOT LOT of money in the health care industry, and they are not shy of spending it to get what they want. Having posted record profits for the past 3 quarters when the rest of the country is suffering staggering unemployment and huge losses in savings and bankrupted retirement plans, the industry has a lot to gain if they do not pass Health Care Reform. The Health Care as an industry is spending $1.4 MILLION, yes that’s right, MILLION dollars a DAY to prevent significant reform. Here’s some of the actual numbers that are available to any researcher.

Tort Reform. This means reducing the number of lawsuits insurance companies and doctors would be liable for. Those who are FOR tort reform believe that doctors wouldn’t have to provide “preventative care” and thus cost less per patient if this reform was passed. Those who are against this are concerned that a number of doctors will have little to no accountability. Republicans will tell you that tort reform could save the medical community and therefore the public $100 billion dollars. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office has stated that tort reform will save money for the budget, but at a much smaller price tag. The CBO states that tort reform would save the medical community only $11 billion dollars, and could cost American’s a level of health care they have come to receive.

The same industry that will tell you that Health Care Reform will bankrupt the country and cause health care to decline has paid their CEO’s around $690 billion dollars total. By increasing premiums four times in the past year, denying coverage for “pre-existing conditions” and increasing co-pays and deductibles at will, the insurance companies have a lot to lose with Reform.

Here are the numbers posted on Open Secrets.org. The Health Care Insurance lobbying database shows Pharmaceutical Research and Development paying out over $20 million dollars for their say in the reform agenda. Blue Cross Blue Shield is next with over $16 million dollars to have their voice heard. The American Medical and American Hospital Associations follow with $12 million dollars for their share of your representatives time. All of these numbers are approximately 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans, so they seem to all have their hand in the till.

Reform for you could mean insurance with no elimination of pre-existing conditions. It would include portability, going from one job to the next, and it would mean that you would need notification of increases so you could shop around for the best coverage. It could mean a plan that is run to be competition and keep prices down. No reform will keep things as they are.

Too many people are out of insurance, and many are going bankrupt daily because of care costs. Many more are dying as a result of inability to pay for the cost of care. Failure to reform this situation will continue profits for the few, and serious crises for the rest.

Tags: HealthCare, Reform, Money, Insurance, Medical Professionals,

The answer is money. There is a LOT LOT LOT of money in the health care industry, and they are not shy of spending it to get what they want. Having posted record profits for the past 3 quarters when the rest of the country is suffering staggering unemployment and huge losses in savings and bankrupted retirement plans, the industry has a lot to gain if they do not pass Health Care Reform. The Health Care as an industry is spending $1.4 MILLION, yes that’s right, MILLION dollars a DAY to prevent significant reform. Here’s some of the actual numbers that are available to any researcher.

Tort Reform. This means reducing the number of lawsuits insurance companies and doctors would be liable for. Those who are FOR tort reform believe that doctors wouldn’t have to provide “preventative care” and thus cost less per patient if this reform was passed. Those who are against this are concerned that a number of doctors will have little to no accountability. Republicans will tell you that tort reform could save the medical community and therefore the public $100 billion dollars. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office has stated that tort reform will save money for the budget, but at a much smaller price tag. The CBO states that tort reform would save the medical community only $11 billion dollars, and could cost American’s a level of health care they have come to receive.

The same industry that will tell you that Health Care Reform will bankrupt the country and cause health care to decline has paid their CEO’s around $690 billion dollars total. By increasing premiums four times in the past year, denying coverage for “pre-existing conditions” and increasing co-pays and deductibles at will, the insurance companies have a lot to lose with Reform.

Here are the numbers posted on Open Secrets.org. The Health Care Insurance lobbying database shows Pharmaceutical Research and Development paying out over $20 million dollars for their say in the reform agenda. Blue Cross Blue Shield is next with over $16 million dollars to have their voice heard. The American Medical and American Hospital Associations follow with $12 million dollars for their share of your representatives time. All of these numbers are approximately 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans, so they seem to all have their hand in the till.

Reform for you could mean insurance with no elimination of pre-existing conditions. It would include portability, going from one job to the next, and it would mean that you would need notification of increases so you could shop around for the best coverage. It could mean a plan that is run to be competition and keep prices down. No reform will keep things as they are.

Too many people are out of insurance, and many are going bankrupt daily because of care costs. Many more are dying as a result of inability to pay for the cost of care. Failure to reform this situation will continue profits for the few, and serious crises for the rest.

Tags: HealthCare, Reform, Money, Insurance, Medical Professionals,

Another type of Public Option that has another name is Champus, which is health care for the families and children of active duty military families. Finally the Veteran’s Administration offers yet another government run health care agency run by our government for our Vets. Both of these agencies have low co-pays, and affordable premiums.While these agencies run very good health care insurance for all those included by our government, you are being told by those SAME INDIVIDUALS that the government CANNOT manage a public option!

In both the Senate bill and the House bill the reforms that are truly going to be mandated would be the very high premiums that many households are barely able to afford at present. It would also ensure that no-one could be refused care or dropped from their current care over pre-existing conditions. (You can bet that the Health Industry is really fighting that one!) Finally, the bills are an attempt to bring AFFORDABLE health care to those who truly need assistance and health care.

As I have written in earlier blogs, one reason the insurance industry is fighting reform so hard is that pesky pre-existing condition clause. People with long term diseases, or deadly diseases absolutely use more health care dollars than healthy people. Still, you would think that given the opportunity to have more contributors to the pool of premiums that more people with good health would also be available. The health care industry doesn’t see it that way. They want the really high premiums on the healthy, and to drop the not so health so that their bottom line continues to grow. Insurance companies and doctors have no problem posting record high profits at any time. Why would they want to change a thing?

Why do employers resist health care reform? The new bill would require employers of a certain size to carry health care insurance available to ALL their employees. This costs them money. If you are currently employed by a medium or large business, you know how well that will go over. The new rules will limit the cost the employers can be charged, and small businesses will get subsidies for carrying insurance, but that doesn’t really help. You are still going to cut that “good ole profit margin” and businesses will resent that greatly.

So, while our legislators are in their respective houses making grand speeches, the Medicare, Champus, Veteran Care continues with less problems than many will admit. When our Senator or Congressperson is on television and making bold and sweeping statements, ask yourself this: Who does he/she get his health care from and who pays for it? You would be very surprised at the answer, since they have a Doctor in both houses for on call situations. They said the government can’t do what?

Tags: HealthCare, Insurance, employers,

While the Senate debates whether the Public Option will be a simple optional choice for consumers, or whether they insert it as a “trigger” option, it seems more and more likely that we will see some version of a public option. While 52% of Americans are very much for the public option, some 57+% is for reform that restricts the pre-existing condition clauses and poor pharmaceutical supports. The 72% of reported individuals for the public option is not truly a survey related to public option, but rather a survey related to reform. It must also be noted that those who are healthier like their insurance much more than those who have multiple health care needs.

So, with that, we can honestly say that the majority of Americans want REAL  Reform. But real reform is going to be hard to come by if we don’t watch our representatives in Congress and the Senate. It is important to see where the money from the health care industry is flowing. In 2008 health care professionals have donated $95 million dollars to both parties. Democrats got 53% of that, while Republicans have gotten 47% of same. This is a total of PAC’s and individuals. Money that has been banked for the 2010 election is already up to $15 million dollars, 59% to Democrats, 41% to Republicans.

Here is something really interesting. Those donations were made by Health Care Professionals.  There is a category for the Insurance Industry on it’s own.In 2008 contributions from Health Services and HMO’s totalled $14+ Million from both individuals and PAC’s. 60% of this went to Democrats, and 40% to Republicans. The moneys available for the 2010 election currently totals nearly $3 million dollars, 66% to Democrats and 34% to republicans. Again, those numbers are from Health Services and HMO’s.

I currently have a Democratic Senator and Congressperson, and I have to wonder…how much money does he collect from these sources with the delay or watering down the health care reform bill? A bill with no teeth and with no aid for the uninsured is not real reform. A bill that continues the current devastation that acute health crisis causes is not real reform  either. A public option that would be affordable to everyone? That is reform of the highest caliber. So check with your Senators and Congresspersons. Who pays their election bills?

Tags: HealthCare Reform, PAC’s, HMO’s, Reform Financials

My website and the blog are primarily focused on the health care debate and health care in general. If you spent much time reading my Twitter posts or the website, you would see that not only am I pro-health care reform, but I also am very much pro-public option. Why reform and the public option? Because I know of too many people who went bankrupt under the current system, and a few who have lost loved ones due to poor insurance availability. This blog will spend time looking into those situations, and the need for change to prevent these things from continuing to happen. If you are reading this, and want your story told, feel free to leave a reply or email. I will respond and let your story be told as well.

In my case we had health insurance through my husband’s employer. He worked for a hospital, and we were patients of the doctors of that same hospital. The insurance seemed very good, and we had several years of great coverage. Premiums went up, coverage went down, but as the family was basically healthy that was not a real problem. Then I had my first heart attack.

Realize, I had no indicators for a heart attack. I am thin (120#), low cholesterol, (90), and exercised routinely. Still, one day I couldn’t breathe, and my problems started. Shortly after recovery from that, I had a series of catastrophic health issues, as well as having lost a son who was just 13. My mental health took a hit, and I needed even more care. Insurance failed to cover a great deal, and we maxed out most of what insurance would cover. Total up to the end of 5 years of physical and mental disaster, and we were $20,000.00 in debt and more piling up. We ended up bankrupt and were glad to keep the house and our two beaters for cars.

My close friend is another story. Due to poor insurance coverage, her husband found out he had cancer long after it was too late to treat. He simply needed an MRI, but insurance denied it. Once the MRI was done, he had 3 months to live.

Health care reform needs to take place for several reasons. First of all, insurers are ALREADY dictating your health care. You already need second opinions or have to call your insurance for permission for any number of procedures and treatments. Pre-existing conditions are excluding huge number of individuals and families from getting the coverage they so desperately need.

Finally, there are hundreds of thousands of people who would pay for insurance, and be happy to do so, if there was a policy they could afford. And if huge profits were not a motive for providers, they would provide fitting care for everyone. Profits, however, dictate insurance companies to look to the bottom line first, and at the needs of the people they insure second. A simple re-arrangement of this system would be beneficial.

I look forward to your opinions and thoughts.

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