Organizing for America | Danny Hunt's Blog: U.S. Health Care Reform Ideas

U.S. Health Care Reform Ideas - add your ideas and comments

By Unknown user - Jun 8th, 2009 at 9:07 am EDT

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Tags: costs, health, ideas, Reform

Using the principles of capitalism to find solutions to Health Care Costs and providing Health Care coverage as a safety measure to prevent death, the negative impacts on the U.S. economy, harmful perceptions, increase the health and productivity of the U.S. population, and increase economic growth.

Major objectives are to Reduce Costs, Guarantee Choice, and Ensure Affordable Care for all. The impact of health care and its costs on the capacity and productivity levels of the whole U.S. population, on the U.S economy.

The root and cause of health problems and increasing health care costs in the U.S. is the U.S. diet. obesity epidemic, heart and stoke, and cancer.

A monopoly and control over health by the medical community. The deteriorating health of the U.S. population would indicate that there has been some kind of failure by the medical community or some kind of contribution to it. incentives for costly solutions and profit, pharmaceuticals linked to costly solutions and increasing demand for their products, controlled information and documentation, self regulation

Concepts of law or human rights - Every person has a right to the safety and security of their person.
Concepts of policyy - Get tough on things that contribute to or increase health care costs.

Safety Measures, Universal Health Care, Reducing Health Care Cost, and the U.S. Economy

My knowledge of the medical industry is limited and the ideas and beliefs are simply given as is.

Using the principles of capitalism to find solutions to Health Care Costs and providing Health Care coverage as a safety measure to prevent death, the negative impacts on the U.S. economy, harmful perceptions, increase the health and productivity of the U.S. population, and increase economic growth.

Major objectives are to Reduce Costs, Guarantee Choice, and Ensure Affordable Care for all. The impact of health care and its costs on the capacity and productivity levels of the whole U.S. population, on the U.S economy.

The root and cause of health problems and increasing health care costs in the U.S. is the U.S. diet. obesity epidemic, heart and stoke, and cancer.

A monopoly and control over health by the medical community. The deteriorating health of the U.S. population would indicate that there has been some kind of failure by the medical community or some kind of contribution to it. incentives for costly solutions and profit, pharmaceuticals linked to costly solutions and increasing demand for their products, controlled information and documentation, self regulation

Concepts of law or human rights - Every person has a right to the safety and security of their person.
Concepts of policyy - Get tough on things that contribute to or increase health care costs.

Perceptions and False Beliefs

Comfort food needs to be void of nutrition and high in sugarr

Finding solutions for the sick and homeless is too expensive and cannot be done

Homelessness is part of capitalism
Homelessness is not capitalism or a part of capitalism and involves a lack of safety measures.

Capitalism involves crime or is crime
The economic downturn was caused by a fraud and a lack of regulations or de-regulations. Comments like “Capitalism went too far” “it was the excesses of capitalism” “capitalism has to be reformed” “it was the old capitalism” “we need a new capitalism with regulations” gives the impression or creates the perception that capitalism is somehow to blame, involved, or the cause of the economic downturn.

BBoth the economic collapse and homelessness were caused because of a lack of safety measures and regulations. The same is true concerning the lack of basic medical insurance or safety measures to make sure individuals and families do not die or end up homeless for not being able to pay for medical bills.

Why Basic Coverage, Safety Measures, and Lower Health Care Costs are Needed

The practice of dropping patients a few blocks away from hospitals because the patient has no insurance, but might die in front of the hospital, or the fact that this practice may not reflect positively on the hospital in terms of public relations needs to end;

Families and people losing their life savings, homes, or businesses because they did not have the medical coverage or the adequate medical coverage necessary also needs to end; “"The cost of health care now causes a bankruptcy in America every 30 seconds. By the end of the year, it could cause 1.5 million Americans to lose their homes," Obama said.”

Family members and people being told that they will mostly likely die because they do not have the adequate insurance and money to continue living needs to end;

The disproportionate numbers of veterans in the streets because they are most likely suffering from medical illnesses such as macromineral deficiencies, neurological disorders that are caused by macromineral deficiencies, and PTSD needs to end;

The resulting loss of life, to the economy, morals and values, negative self perception or image needs to end;

A healthier and more productive population results in lower absenteeism, disability, and death and therefore a better U.S. economy.

Lower health care costs results in more savings and purchasing power for individuals and families, which usually results in more spending, an economic stimulus, on products and services resulting in a higher GDP.

Psychological warfare, credibility, money, stress and sleep deprivation with its related physical and mental disorders, and homelessness are used as “invisible” weapons and to intimidate. (linked to crime and exposure)

SSafety and prevention measures are what are needed for the safety of individuals and families.

Universal Health Care and Things to Consider

There are many different models or structures possible for implementing Universal Health Care that involve capitalism, socialism, regulations, private enterprise, monopolies, rigidity, flexibility, and balance.

One example is the Canadian Universal Health Care system that I believe is too rigid, does not allow for enough free and private enterprise. The results are higher costs, reduced growth, reduced research, innovation, reduced flexibility, reduced adaptability, reduced services and freedoms, and the resulting rejection or feeling of resentment by some in the medical industry and clientele.

The principles of capitalism, incentives, and profitability are important to reduce costs and increase profit.

If the medical industry and community reject or resent the implementation of a Universal Health Care system it will result in retaliation and attempts to make the system inefficient and costly.

An unhealthy and sick population benefits the medical industry with demand, profit, and growth for the medical industry but has an adverse effect on the productivity and growth of the United States as a whole.

Pharmaceuticals are for profit corporations and aim to increase the use and demand for their products. Aim to find expensive or highly profitable and owned solutions instead of simple common and inexpensive solutions. The pharmaceuticals industry motives are profit and growth, the growth in demand and use of their products.
The miracle pill with a cost of $1000 a day instead of an apple a day solution of $1 a week.

Unhealthy or food products void of nutritional value are approved by the medical community and contribute to health care costs. Some examples are high caffeine and sugar content products.

Macromineral deficiencies, acid-base disorders, insomnia, sugar addictions, brain fog (sugar), sugar cravings (sugar), attention disorders (sugar), mood disorders (lift and crash sugar), obesity epidemic, heart and stoke, and cancer.

PPsychiatry has been hiding the use of psychological warfare, an invisible technology or weapon, and the effects of psychological warfare on victims. The related tools or weapons such as credibility, high levels of stress, sleep deprivation, macromineral deficiencies, acid-base disorders, depression (pharmaceuticals), fear conditioning and PTSD. Psychological warfare, credibility, and homelessness are used to intimidate and destroy selected individuals (invisible weapons).

Monopolies

Creating a controlled insurance monopoly to increase profitability through volume of clients, increase the quality of services provided, protect the client, and reduce costs through volume and profit.

Break the medical industry and community’s monopoly in the U.S. to reduce costs, the medical community’s power over the U.S., increase the services and quality of services, and increase the health of the U.S. population.

The Private Enterprise Insurance Structure

The idea is to have a regulation or law that all individuals must have an insurance plan or have or receive the basic government insurance plan as a default.

A controlled monopoly of several large insurers can be created by the government through bidding. These large insurance corporations will generate profitability through a large volume of customers or insurance policies but would be protected from smaller competitors that would undercut their volume and profitability. To protect costumers from the negative impact of bankruptcies from smaller competitors that would try to undercut their profits and would be unable to deal with the desired volume. Providing inadequate services or reduced quality of service standards. A controlled monopoly that involves free enterprise, a high level of control, regulation, easier monitoring, integration, and accountability would most likely result in better quality, protection to individuals, and reduced cost to the government. The profitability of these corporations is also tax revenue for the government.

Prevents and reduces government bureaucratic buildup. The corporations need to remain competitive, efficient, and profitable within this controlled monopoly.

Balance and flexibility - Flexibility is also a key factor in reducing cost or reducing cost measures.

Flexibility and Limiting the Possibilities of Abuse - Flexibility can give the administrators of such a basic health care plan the possibility to adjust this plan as required or deemed necessary. Flexible insurance plans gives the possibility to reduce costs, add additional and personal insurance for people who require more frequent visits for example or for people who have been identified as possible abusers of the basic health care system. Limiting the number of general visits an individual has per month or per year can reduce the possibilities of abuse, waiting times, and costs.

How does this reduce costs? This also gives the possibility to large, medium, and smaller insurers the possibilities to compete and offer a Varity of different insurance policies to individuals or corporate insurance group plans. These insurance policy offerings to individuals and to corporate benefits group plans remove individuals from the basic plan and the cost to the government.

Corporate group plans should be given tax incentives to take out as many individuals from the basic plan, therefore reducing the cost to the government. The increased number of policies from corporate group plans also increases growth and demand for services from the health and medical industry, which is also a source of tax revenue.

TThe promotion of private Clinique’s and hospitals that offer higher levels of services and speed also promotes the implementation of newer, better, faster technologies that might otherwise stagnate. It promotes innovation and adaptability. The resulting better, faster, and cost cutting technologies are also at one point adapted by other Clinique’s and hospitals. The fact that you are dealing with insurance policies and government regulations does not mean that a private Clinique, that has implemented a newer technology, would be able to turn away someone with the basic coverage that requires an immediate and faster medical result because of a life threatening condition, determined by the medical regulations or community, for example.

Insurance Plans – Balance and Flexibility

Free market competition for other insurance plans or any allowed additions to the default plan.

The government default plan could be modified as needed or adjusted as need to reduce costs, add or modify coverage. Given the fact that it is not known what would work best in the market, giving the market more flexibility and options could help monitor and determine the potential of different options in contributing to solutions or reducing the health care costs, which can later be modified or changed as needed.

An Integrated System for Claims and Processing

The U.S. government and large insurance corporations involved could pull their resources to create this system and software, contracts, its maintenance, etc. Online solutions and portal for cost reductions and easy answers. A question does not require a visit to the doctor. The aim is to improve the quality and speed of services and information.

Online Services and Portals

Online services and portals with questions and answers Q&A or FAQs, knowledge bases, online service chats with nurses or ask a doctor submissions through a portal user account can reduces cost. It does not require an absence from work, a waiting period or trip to a Clinique to ask a question or get information. See some current examples below.

https://healthmanager.mayoclinic.com/default.aspx Health Manager
http://www.merck.com/pubs/ Merck Manuals
http://www.doctorslounge.com/ Ask a Doctor Forums

Competitive forces and factors to reduce costs - Government Owned and Operated Hospitals

Increasing the number of possible competitors reduces costs. Government could own and operate their own hospitals that compete directly with private sector hospitals to help reduce costs and ensure the availability of services, another safety measure. As already mentioned, the medical industry needs to be profitable and this would be a way to make sure new technologies, innovations, and standards are also applied. A way to monitor a hospital that is implementing new changes, measures, systems, or innovations sponsored by the Federal government to judge and see the efficiency or the new changes or results.

Competitive forces and factors to reduce costs - Competitors from the International Community

Another way to increase competitive forces is from the international community. Cuba is used here simply as an example. Cuba, one of the poorest countries in the international community, is a world leader in different medical fields that even surpass the United States, one of the wealthiest. By allowing medical services from the international medical community, services that are approved, it breaks the U.S. medical community’s monopoly on medical services and it could help bring down costs, increase quality of services, and the speed of services available. The goal is to reduce the costs to the U.S. population as a whole, which could amount to billions of dollars, increasing the standard of living, increasing their savings, and increasing their purchasing power potential.

A large contributor to health care cost is insurance and liability

Creating a public or elected commission for medical complaints that also includes serious penalties for medical negligence and malpractice. It is the same concept used for law enforcement groups; police officers will protect police officers and medical professionals will protect medical professionals and hospitals. Penalties should be oriented more towards suspensions from work or medical practice for the individual offender, instead of monetary amounts that are paid by insurance groups, whose costs are redistributed to or paid for by the clientele and victims resulting in higher health care costs. Other possibilities exist to prevent the redistribution of the cost of negligence towards the clientele dealing with insurance companies. One example is to isolate insurers or Insurance Corporation that provide insurance to individuals in case of liabilities to help and give incentives to the medical community to better self regulate.

Specialized Nurses and Home Services

The use of specialized nurses to handle more of the work load directed towards doctors and their specialty. Example, the nurse can give a preliminary diagnosis and possibly a low risk prescription within a shorter period of time but still give the clientele the possibility and choice to see a doctor that requires a longer waiting time.

Increase home services to free up hospital beds and lower costs.

How to Pay and Reduce Costs

Get tough on things that contribute to or increase health care costs.

Tax Cuts Roll Back and Growth - The tax cuts that are scheduled to be rolled back, which were used to invest in other countries like China instead of in the United States, could be used or adjusted to provide employer incentives through tax credits to provide employee group plans resulting in cost saving and growth in the United States due to increased productivity by the U.S. population and growth in the medical and health industries for example.

Increase and encourage the use of Employer sponsored plans. Increase and promote of employer sponsored plans and use of health care services for growth of the medical industry.

The view is that the use of health care plans and services are encouraged, necessary, need to be implemented, and not taxed. A negative perception could be harmful. Incentives for employer sponsored plans and benefits and growth for the medical industry and community.

For lower and middle income class the employer plans should be encouraged to reduce the use of the government default plan and therefore reducing costs.

High income earners plans can create demand, competition, and growth. The growth of more expensive services can also lead to more services for less costly ones too. Example, a new private clinique offering high cost services may also offer less costly ones too. The infrastructure and service add to growth, etc.

The goal is to encourage sponsored benefits to lower, middle, and higher income earners. Taxing high income plans could have a negative effect on the medical industry and community. Private hospitals and cliniques that specialize in higher quality, faster services, and better services can lead the industry in growth, innovations, create high value jobs, and whose growth, revenues, incomes, and services are taxed. Taxing the health benefits of high income earners could have a negative effect on this market and result in less growth, innovations, and high value jobs.

Health Tax and not a Sin Tax - Unhealthy products contribute to increased costs and illnesses. The reduction of unhealthy products results in a healthier population and taxing them brings in revenue.

Incentives for insurers and insurance corporations to increase health and reduce costs to themselves. Investments in research, diet and nutrition, and cost effective natural healing or natural medicine, solutions, and prevention medicine.

Alcohol Tax and Fines

No one wants alcohol to be taxed but it is not a necessity and can also have a negative impact on health and society. Wine may be the only alcohol beverage with healthy benefits. Many wines and alcohol products are also imported. An unhealthy example, the beer belly and the related illnesses, linked to obesity and weight gain. Even a small tax on alcohol could bring in considerable revenues.

Not a get tough on crime policy but a get tough on one of the causes of health care costs and crime, alcohol or the irresponsible use of alcohol. Alcohol is actually the cause of many social ills such as violence and accidents, which increase health care costs.

Adding to the fines for drunk drivers to reduce health costs and drunk drivers, and any other alcohol related accidents.

Adding to the fines for violent offenders and violent crimes or other crimes while intoxicated with alcohol to reduce health care costs and crimes related to alcohol use and intoxication.

Adding fines for alcohol related crimes such as selling alcohol to minors or without a license.

Adding excessive risk and danger violations fines for excessive high way speeds, for example, that increase the risk of accidents and health care costs.

Nutritional Value and the Lack of Nutritional Value

A lack of nutritional value in the U.S. diet is also a cause of higher health costs and the increase in illnesses. Adding measures, health tax, to reduce the use of unhealthy food products that result in higher health cost, and therefore reducing health care costs while also bringing in revenue to pay for the costs.

Diet sodas may have more serious ill effects then naturally sweetened sodas that have high calorie content, but both are void of nutritional value. The use of artificial sweeteners can actually cause weight gain or other illness.

High caffeine drinks, now a trend, can cause many physical and mental disorders due to the depletion of macrominerals which in many case is also linked to sleep deprivation. It could be the cause or lead to another epidemic, mental disorders in later years.

To encourage the increase in real nutritional value such as real fruit juice with pulp that adds to demand for products and agricultural products.

Incentives to increasing the natural health and prevention market to increase knowledge and products with nutritional value.

High Sugar Content Products

High sugar and super sugar content products are major contributors to health care costs. They contribute to a large number of health disorders such as obesity, diabetes, acid-base disorders, brain fog and attention disorders in children, mood disorders, and cancer.

Cigarettes

Cigarettes are another health care cost contributor.

Pollution and Health Cost Fines

Additional taxes and fines to polluting industries or environmental standards violations that can have a negative impact on health and increase health care costs. Air and water pollution are examples and noise pollution is another example where these standards exist.

California, for example, could add costs for vehicles that do not meet the set emissions or pollution standards and contribute to smog and health care costs.

Fines for individuals that pollute, resulting in a cleaner and healthier environment for everyone. An example is individuals throwing garbage on the streets, having an adverse psychological health effect and increasing city costs. In some cases it can be a more serious health hazard.

Health standard violation fines in restaurants, food processing, laboratories, hospitals, and pharmaceutical industries that can increase health care costs.

Education

Nutrition and health education in schools and increased school activity will contribute to reduced health care costs. What is learned in schools is also taken home.

Vending Machines and Cafeterias

Vending machines and cafeterias in school and the work place should be regulated to contain more nutritional value and products that contain nutritional value.

A Contradiction of Safety Concerns and Measures

One example of a common every day safety measure is that individuals do not have their own private police officer or law enforcement organization that deal with public security and safety. Safety measures, law enforcement and the legal system, exist that are provided by the government.

It does not make much sense to give individuals traffic violation tickets out of safety concerns, while letting others die of exposure to harsh winter conditions and suffer from malnutrition, homelessness, or die because safety and prevention measures do not exist to treat a treatable condition due to a lack of insurance.

Homeless Veterans example, homelessness is also used as a weapon by powerful organizations to reduce a threat to themselves, prevent legal actions and exposure, and possibly to reduce costs too.

An Ideal for Employer Sponsored Plans Incentives

Is to legislate that an employer needs to give a set minimum contribution for individuals personal Health Plan. If incentives exist to provide employer group plan benefits with tax credits, some would op to provide group plans to obtain the savings rather than pay the minimum portion to individuals. The tax credits given to the employer could resemble something like the portion paid for the default plan. Offering group benefits also attracts more potential employees, results in healthier employees, and reduces absenteeism. Flexibility is also important to distinguish between large, medium, and small employers.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health_care/

Reduce Costs — Rising health care costs are crushing the budgets of governments, businesses, individuals and families and they must be brought under control

Guarantee Choice — Americans must have the freedom to keep whatever doctor and health care plan they have, or to select a new doctor or health care plan if they choose

Ensure Affordable Care for All — All Americans must have quality and affordable health care

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