Give me bankruptcy or give me death?
The Status Quo- Insurance Scam.
I work in the medical field and healthcare reform is a great idea. It's about time.
I've sat by powerless, while many people have died in my care waiting for insurance companies to authorize non-formulary medications or treatments. Most people are healthy and don't realize how small the list of authorized formulary items is, until it's too late. Bankruptcy or Death is not what Americans should have to choose between. Health Security should be a right.
Even greedy self-loathing hypocrites whom don't like being GUARANTEED protection will someday need more than they can afford, so then, its illness or bankruptcy or DEATH for themselves or a loved one. Anyone who has tried calling an insurance company knows the truth. There is almost no regulation and mostly people just dance in circles with the insurance companies until it is too late. Time is on the insurance companies’ side. For them, time is money and for us or our families it may be a matter of health or death.
Our united states government officials will pass
I give no one a pass. I don’t care the color of your skin or the position you may have, you will NEVER receive a pass or any excuses for your actions from me. NEVER! Not now, not ever!
President Barack Obama made a statement about Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Mr. Gates’ arrest. I’ve heard some say that Obama was in error when he said the cops acted "stupidity." I’ve heard from both Blacks and whites that Obama should have declined to answer the question. Me? What do I say? I say he answered the question and now so what? I don’t care! So what? Everyone says many things that maybe they not ought to have said, but they’re still living; it’s life. I don’t care, because it’s not an important issue that I wish to address right now.. I care that Barack Obama reminded america that there is still a problem with race in THIS country. Just because he’s the president of a white country, does not mean that it doesn’t exist. Have we already forgotten the 60 or so Black kids that were booted in Philadelphia? If you’ve have forgotten, here’s a quick reminder:
The Creative Steps Day Camp paid more than $1900 to The Valley Swim Club. The Valley Swim Club is a private club that advertises open membership. But the campers’ first visit to the pool suggested otherwise. "When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool," Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. "The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately." The next day the club told the camp director that the camp’s membership was being suspended and their money would be refunded. "There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club," John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club said in a statement. http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Pool-Boots-Kids-Who-Might-Change-the-Complexion.html
That was just 14 days ago! What about the cases we don’t hear about? Racism is alive. It’s ongoing and it has not ended with a Black man as president of these united states.
Nevertheless, racism is not the issue at this time. It’s going to be here, but what about healthcare? Will we, The People of the united states of america continue to be forced to pay high medical premiums? Will congress go on vacation before they tackle and succeed in healthcare reform? The american people need a recess! A recess from increasing medical bills? A recess from increasing water and electricity bills! A recess from increasing food prices – namely dairy products! Recesses from seeking jobs that aren’t there! The american People need a break!
Oh, but the President of the united states, congress, senators and all present and past government officials don’t have these worries. Oops, I meant a break from these problems.
The president said it is not about him as he and everyone in congress already have affordable healthcare. And I’ve said it more than once – in fact, I’ve lost count how many times I’ve said it, but I’ll say it again: when it’s not their problem, it’s not a problem.
ALL of our government officials receive lifetime benefits, so what’s the big deal? ALL americans should have become government officials so we too could have lifetime benefits?
The president said he is working with congress and other finance committees to find money to help with the nations’ problems? Well, what about the $4,000,000,000 we spend on secret service to protect former presidents? What about SOME of that money? Aren’t they already receiving lifetime benefits? Why couldn’t they use some of that money for The People? Why don’t the former presidents pay for protection themselves?
Seems like a waste to me. On the other hand, perhaps I’m missing the point. Didn’t they – former presidents – agree to live the life of a regular ol’ average Joe? Well, the average Joe isn’t receiving special protection. Yes we have our local police department, but even here in Denver, Colorado, they are scarce. Money is tight all over, but we The People are surviving with local police protection. Protect the last president, but the rest of them should be on their own; like the average everyday american. (This should go for ALL presidents. When Obama is no longer president, then George W. Bush will no longer receive it.)
In the mean time, I will not excuse Barack Obama, the senate, congress, or any of our government officials from staying in the fight; fighting for The People. I voted for them to work for ME, and I REFUSE to grant them a vacation. Please! I can’t remember the last time I took a vacation. I wish I would! If I did, I would be sitting and living with the other unfortunate people who were forced into foreclosure.
While both my spouse and I continue to pay increasing medical premiums, our elected officials are taking a vacation?
Who is upset by this?
While we, my spouse and I as well as too many other american fret over our bills, our elected officials receive lifetime benefits without a care in the world? As if this is some type of game? …to pussyfoot around? Healthcare isn’t the only problem our elected officials have on the table, but it is currently one of my main concerns. (I have much more.)
I know I do not speak for all americans, but I will continue to show respect for all americans who are severely effected by this economy. I will continue to use lower case "a" when typing "american" and lower case when typing "the united states." (I will not use a capital "A" until america works for ALL americans.)
Until our elected officials actually PROVE that they are working for The People, then I will continue to wave my flag upside down!
NO! It is not a display of disrespect for my country. Not hardly. It is in respect and deep concern for The People.
Until The american People have the means of saving themselves, my flag will remain in its current position.
Obama said he used to pray several times a day, but now prays all the time, well, thank you, Mr. President. Keep praying, as we will be doing the same. And please remember the victims and survivors of hurricane Katrina, those in Afghanistan, Iraq, our wounded soldiers, families of the many casualties of all wars, hostage victim Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, as well as the soldiers who risk their lives while battling in was but return home maimed, and mentally and emotionally disabled but if they "look" and/or "appear" physically able, get sent back to places such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Please do not forget victims such as Troy Davis, Gary Graham aka Shaka Sankofa, Jamie and Gladys Scott and their families, Tina, and all the other people who are trying to hold on to their jobs while needlessly suffering with chronic and terminal illness. Please remember all of us who are disabled, who live on the street, our senior citizens and everyone who is forced to live paycheck to paycheck.
We had lots of participation in our Health Care Matters Day Kick off on June 6, 2009 in San Dimas, CA. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTA86CDHhcI
This is from my father and me:
I have aortic stenosis, my father had a brain tumor. This is our story as quick as possible. Zack Edwards - I was born with aortic stenosis, I had open heart surgery with a technique from Europe and had to have it removed after only 7 years. When I went in to an appointment 7 years after that operation the doctor said that he would need to remove it and replace it with another valve. We scheduled the appointment for two weeks. The surgery cost over $100,000 and I paid less than $2000. I was very happy with my insurance. I have asked friends in England and Canada, about their healthcare and asked them a question that worries me very much. If I get to a certain age will I be able to get these surgeries as readily as possible. They all have said "no." They talk of lists and waiting periods and how sometimes you have to get second and third opinions to get on those lists. Is this what will happen to us in the United States, especially since I hear we are modeling our health care after their "failed" programs. My dad had a brain tumor three months ago and when the doctor saw him with this left side complete paralyzed. The doctor told his nurse to get him a bed and told my dad, that if they didn't get him into surgery the wheel chair he was in would be a permanent fixture. The tumor was the same as Ted Kennedy's and the doctor he used was on Ted Kennedy's substitute doctor list, one that is contacted if the other doctors are unavailable. My dad waited two days and was operated on. The doctor who had just operated on a surgeon from a country with Universal Healthcare the day before. The doctor had to wait and so paid a friend in the United States to do his operation. My father's doctor said that if he was in any other country he would have had to wait, even in this type of emergency. Wait for what approval. He is over 60 years old and could not wait a few days or risks permanent paralysis. Also with the shortage of doctors, inserting universal healthcare and lowering their wages will decrease the doctors we already have. Please President Obama, if you hear our voices do not make our healthcare universal or as some say socialized medicine. I beg you and so does my dad, who is now back up and walking, soon to be commercial fishing again in a few months.
I believe that as Americans, we should have the right to put in our own bodies what we will. It is clear that the war on drugs has failed us greatly. In this year already, we have spent over 12,000,000,000 dollars on the war against drugs with that number climbing in the tens of thousands with every few letters I type. This nonsense needs to end. By legalizing drugs, we could control them like we do any legal substance (alcohol, tobacco) today. We restrict their sales to people above a certain age, and we tax them. This would not only create money (and possibly jobs depending on how these substances were distributed/cultivated/dispensed), but it would mean that we would stop spending billions of dollars a year to feed a useless, highly destructive war. The current laws that control these substances are responsible for a few highly negative things: not only are we wasting billions of dollars in taxes, police/law enforcement funds, etc, but we are putting our money in the hands of criminals. Criminal organizations feed off of drug money, which the US government is essentially handing them given our current regulations. If substances were regulated y the government, rather than these criminal organizations, those organizations would be much less powerful. In addition to this, our law enforcement officers could spend much, much, much more time dealing with things of more importance.
Recent studies have shown that the PSA test is unreliable. The doctors now tell us that there is little to be done except doing a biopsy. I get one Wednesday.
The death rates from prostate cancer are the same as those from breast cancer, yet the government spends $700 for breast cancer research, for every $1 on prostate cancer.
Men's Health Network
Women Against Prostate Cancer (WAPC)
Within our Medical Whistleblower Organization trust is one of the most important assets we have. It is also the easiest asset to lose and very hard to rebuild. Trust is the key ingredient which leads to relationship building, which in turn leads to cooperative, collaborative opportunities to advance our goals and objectives.
How many of you have developed strategic plans for a non-profit organization? What is the first question one needs to ask in regards to strategic planning? Is it to define what goals and objectives they want to achieve? Where do they want to be in three years or five years from now? And how do you plan to get there?
Some will state that grant writing is the answer. Others have ideas for more direct grass roots ways to raise funds. Often I will hear that money is the answer. Other times I hear that political power is the answer. Many will say that creating strategic alliances or relationships with other organizations is the way to reach our goals, or by increasing our media coverage. Certainly we can improve our direct mail campaigns or other fund raising activities. We can certainly conference with others and discuss how important it is to work cooperatively to reach our common goals. But ultimately we must recognize that the motivating force behind deep social change is a shared emotional bond or trust between people.
In communication it is important to not get lost on focusing on achieving your goals and objectives and thereby failing to recognize that trust is the foundation of all our efforts. When someone goes as far as to ignore the trust factor and move forward with their own agenda, they undermine their own forward progress and will fall short of their ultimate goal.
If increased funding is one of your organization's key strategic goals but you engage in unethical fundraising behavior - such as false advertising or deceptive practices then you might gain in the short run but in the long term you will erode the trust of the public and lose your good name. These unethical practices do not bode well for a non-profit organization’s long term survivability.
We need to look long and hard at ourselves and ask “What are we going to do to earn the trust – both inside and outside of our organization –that will help us form the kind of emotional bond with others that will enable us to achieve our goals and objectives?”
We need to ask who our partners in this fight are. Who are the stakeholders who care about Medical Whistleblower issues? There are of course, the Medical Whistleblowers themselves. But there are also patient advocates. Of these two groups, who do you believe have the greatest number of people, financial resources, or grassroots political power? I assert that it is the Patient Advocates that win that comparison without a doubt.
So we, as Medical Whistleblowers, need to build trust with those who advocate for patient rights. Medical Whistleblowers must be found to be the ultimate safeguard for patient care, safety and human rights. This means we must listen to the patient advocate concerns if they express a lack of confidence in our ability to determine who should have advocacy as a Medical Whistleblower. We also must ask for them to understand the need for restraint with public allegations especially when there may have been Bad Faith Peer Review against a Medical Professional. There will be cases where our advocacy for the medical professional will seem initially to be in conflict with the advocacy for the patient, but on more careful reflection will reveal a commonality of purpose to safeguard the public’s health and safety. Medical Whistleblowers will be found to be the ultimate safeguard for patient care, safety and human rights. Individual cases present many problems which we must face with humility and honesty. It is a sad fact that there are medical professionals who do need to be disciplined, some who even need their medical licenses revoked.
True Medical Whistleblowers are for the integrity of the medical system and the protection of patients.
I am writing for a very special reason. "A Boy Needs Our Help America" and I know we can do something!!!
Please read this boys mother's journal and find a way to help them. I work with a family member and this touched my heart and an authorization number should not be a reason this boy should not be getting the treatment he needs.
I have emailed the president's team and now I am putting it out for America. Here is Kyle's website.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kylewahl
Now lets do what we can for them.
Melissa Langridge
hometracker@comcast.net
Share your ideas on any issue facing the new administration, then rate or comment on other ideas.
The best rated ideas will rise to the top -- and be gathered into a Citizen's Briefing Book to be delivered to President Obama after he is sworn in.
'Citizens Briefing Book' sample: Military Medical Coverage
I have been involved in healthcare for nearly 20 years in various capacities. During these years I have seen many items that were in need of change. I was personally involved with a case that had many issues that were need of fixing. One particular issue was the inability of medical professionals to consult online regarding a patient prior to a transfer. So the receiving physician would take a report from the sending physician and the patient would be accepted. The patient then would have his "studies" placed on a CD (ie. CT scans, MRI, ect) for the review of the receiving physician. The patient then would be t ransferred. If the CD was not lost in transfer, the accepting physician may attempt to view the "studies" from the CD. Unbeknown to me, more the 50% of the time the patient's care is delayed once received because they are unable to view the studies from the CD! The patient then is re-radiated from the CT scanner (because the physicians are unable to view the study or the quality is poor) and has an increased chance of developing cancer just from the that scan alone!
+One Chest CT of a 40 year old Male has a one in 500 chance of developing cancer from the CT alone? (Drs. Jeff Tabas and Jeff Kline, EM: RAP March 2007)
+A head CT on a child has a 1 in 1,500 chance of lifetime cancer from the CT alone? (Dr. Daughtery EM: RAP March 2007)
+Cancer is the second leading case of death in the US.
Unnecessary CT scans exposing patients to excessive radiation By Steve Sternberg, USA TODAY
Overuse of diagnostic CT scans may cause as many as 3 million excess cancers in the USA over the next two to three decades, doctors report today. Nov. 29, 2007
I am not usually the one who outwardly promotes new concepts but I truly think the EMDTransfer system will save lives and healthcare dollars.
So, President Elect Obama you may need to have you or a colleague check them out.
www.emdtransfer.com
The Pickens Plan: For those who would like to become an active participant in a solution for our nations energy needs I urge you to join with T.Boone Pickens in his quest for a cleaner planet through alternative energy.
Also see Green Wave Energy: Green Wave was founded by Mark Holmes and was formulated for viable alternative energy solutions. Green Wave Energy is promoting state-of-the-art energy-saving products and services throughout the country.
Green Wave Energy understands alternative energy technology will become “main stream” when
Call 949.645.1701 for information on how Green Wave Energy can help you save the planet.
Alternative EnergySource: David Apperson
url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy
Foreword by D.E Swain - PBS “FRONTLINE” correspondent and Washington Post reporter T.R. Reid researched Heath care around the World. He is currently writing a book and has made a PBS program on his findings. I have summarized what he found because I know many of you don’t know about the PBS program, have little to no knowledge of healthcare in countries outside the US and, don’t watch PBS or Frontline. Frontline produces outstanding documentaries on numerous subjects from around the World. I strongly encourage you to watch the program online or do your own research.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/.
I also encourage you to look at your own health policy if you have one, and find out what health coverage you actually have and to ask questions if you are unsure. Do you know what your deductible is? Do you know what coinsurance actually means? Do you know what your annual “maximum out of pocket” is and how it could effect you in the future? In my experience of actually selling health insurance in America, I can tell you that 100% of the people who come to me wanting to take out a plan, know little to nothing about what is available and they are so confused that they would rather ignore it all and take a chance and hope that they won’t need it. Most people “think” they know what it’s all about but in this country, it’s extremely complicated. Take it from someone who has been hospitalized in the USA both with and without health care coverage and hospitalized in the UK. Even though I strongly dislike the current system in America and make no secret of that, it’s what we have right now. At this point in time, the risk is too high to take if you have no coverage at all. Any assets you have today might be lost if you are hospitalized tomorrow. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person in America who cares about our health system and I wonder, why doesn’t America as a whole care more about Americans and demand that this ridiculous system be fixed? The media has so far done a good job of scaring citizens into thinking that our way is the only way. Everything else is socialist. Which drug companies are backing which newspapers and TV programs I wonder? Read on and thanks for listening.
The following was taken from a transcript of the PBS program and can be read in its entirety at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/etc/script.html
American health care is the world's most expensive medical system, yet it leaves 47 million people without coverage and drives hundreds of thousands into bankruptcy each year. T.R Reid went to five rich free-market democracies that provide health care for all to compare it to the USA.USA - The richest, most powerful nation in history. But when it comes to providing health care for people, it is a fourth rate power. The World Health Organization (WHO) says the U.S. health care system rates 37th in the world in terms of quality and fairness. All the other rich countries do better than we do, and yet they spend a lot less. How do they do it? Read on….Great Britain – Government run National Health Service, may seem too close to socialism for most Americans. For about half of what Americans pay per person, the NHS covers everybody and has better health statistics; longer life expectancy and lower infant mortality. Britain's National Health Service is dedicated to the proposition that you should never have to pay a medical bill. In the NHS, there's no insurance premium, no co-pay and no medical bankruptcy. The system covers everybody. Health care is paid for out of tax revenue, so the government owns the hospitals and the doctors are salaried government employees. David Sloman, CEO, Whittington Hospital: “I think people are proud of it. Ninety percent of people who use the NHS think it's good or excellent, so people think very, very highly of it. People who don't use it don't think so well of it, actually. Every single person who's born in the U.K. will use the NHS at one point in their lives. The majority of people will use it as the only provider of their medical care, and none of them will be presented a bill at any point during that time.”Britons pay higher taxes than Americans to cover health care. Elective care such as hip replacements and heart operations, used to be an 18-month wait. That's been greatly reduced by the current government (Labour) over the last 10 years (1997-2007). It's down to less than 6 months, and for most people about 2 or 3. The Government reduced the waiting time by spending more money and by bringing some market mechanisms into a government-run system. Today, government-owned hospitals compete against each other for government money. In today's NHS, patients can choose which hospital to go to.(Americans don't understand why people would compete when you can't make more money. In America, people compete to make profit.)Many NHS staffers are angry about new trends of privatization that could close some of the less popular hospitals. They are protesting government plans to privatize some NHS services. While the hospitals struggle with reforms, the General Practitioner’s (GPs) have embraced them. Nobody in Britain can to go directly to a specialist. First you have to go to a gatekeeper (GP). (Similar to HMO in USA). GPs hold down costs for the system. GPs are paid a fixed amount based on the number of patients they have. The average list is 1,800 people. They make a bonus for keeping their patients healthy. It works out about $180,000 bonus a year. With medical access this easy, the doctor and the system have a strong incentive to keep people healthy. The result, Britain has become a world leader in preventive medicine. In Summary - No bills, NHS waiting lists are getting shorter, there's excellent preventive medicine. But there's probably still too much government for American tastes, even if the NHS is trying to be more market-savvy.JAPAN - Has 130 million people. It's a ferociously capitalist economy. They have no natural resources, but they've built the second richest country in the world. They have better national health than the USA. They cover everybody and spend half as much as the United States on health care per capita. For just 8 percent of GDP, that's less than even the British spend, the Japanese have built a system with fabulous health statistics. They have the longest healthy life expectancy in the world and the lowest infant mortality rate. Part of that's due to diet and lifestyle. Everybody's covered, but unlike the Brits, the Japanese don't pay for all of it through taxes. Instead, everybody has to sign up for a health insurance policy. You get it at work or through a community-based insurer. The government picks up the tab for those who are too poor. This system is known as social insurance, and it's a model that's used in many wealthy countries.As for the health care itself, it’s not socialist. Eighty percent of the hospitals are private, more than in the U.S. and, almost every doctor's office is a private business. The Japanese are prodigious consumers of health care. They go to the doctor three times as often as Americans do. And since there are no gatekeepers, they can see any specialist they want. Surveys show the Japanese are highly satisfied with their health system. Japanese patients have much longer hospital stays than Americans, and they love technology, like scans. They have nearly twice as many MRIs per capita as Americans, eight times as many as the Brits.So how do they keep costs under control? The Japanese health ministry tightly controls the price of health care, right down to the smallest detail. Every two years, the physicians and the health ministry negotiate a fixed price for every single procedure and drug. Everything from open-heart surgery to a routine check-up has a standard price, and this price is the same everywhere in Japan.If a doctor tries to boost his income by increasing the number of procedures, at the next negotiation, the government lowers the price. That's what happened with MRIs, which are incredibly cheap in Japan. In Denver, if you get an MRI of your neck region, it's $1,200. In Japan a doctor gets $98 for an MRI. In 2002, the Japanese government said that MRI’s were costing too much. So, in order to be within the total budget, they cut them by 35 percent.So, why don’t Japanese doctors say, "Well, I'm not going to do an MRI. It's not enough money"?The Japanese have only one payment system. If you want to do your MRIs, unless you can get private-pay patients, which is almost impossible in Japan, you go out of business.Does it then shaft the medical device makers and limit innovation? No. Japanese manufacturers of scanning equipment, like Toshiba, found ways to make inexpensive machines they could sell to doctors. Now they're exporting those machines all over the world. But price regulation also hits the doctors hard. Dr’s can only charge what the official price book dictates. A cut that's less than 6 square inches to sew up is $4.30. If you stay in a hospital room with four people its $10 a night. If you have a private room $90. Doctors can't get rich. They have to live with the price book, but Japanese patients have to play their part in financing the system by paying into a social insurance fund. If you lose your job in Japan, you don't lose your health insurance. Unlike the U.S., you switch to a community insurer. And these insurance companies have very little in common with their American counterparts.It is forbidden to turn down a client for insurance if they have a preexisting illness such as heart disease. The health care plans don’t make a profit because they are not allowed to make a profit, and anything left over is carried over to the next year. If there's a lot carried over, then the premium rates go down. Insurance companies are barred from making a profit. The average premium for a Japanese family is just $280 a month, with the employer paying at least half, a lot less than most Americans pay. It's good news for Japanese employers, as well. J.R. Tokai, the company that runs the bullet train in Japan, says its health care costs are about half of 1 percent of operating expenses. General Motors in the USA pays eight times as much as that.Japan is a country with the longest life expectancy, excellent health results, no waiting lists and rock-bottom costs. But, the downside is that today 50 percent of hospitals are in financial deficit.So here's the weakness. While Americans spend too much on medicine, the Japanese seem to spend too little. In a country with $10 per night hospital stays, the prices are just not high enough to balance the books. But the Japanese system is so popular that they're not going to rip it apart. The expert’s say they'll have to increase prices a little to save the hospitals from going broke. In the USA, patients are going broke. In Japan they have never heard of medical bankruptcy. GERMANY - the nation that gave us aspirin and X-rays, has the third richest economy in the world. Otto von Bismarck, the Prussian chancellor in the 1880s, invented the concept of health care systems, the notion that a government has to provide mechanisms so all its people can get medical care when they need it. And today, the Bismarck model is used all over the world.Everybody in Germany is offered health care. While the rich are allowed to opt out and pay privately, about 90 percent of Germans choose to stay in the national system. And that system is famous not only for covering all the basics, plus mental health, dental and optical, they also pay for alternative therapies, like homeopathy. They'll pay you to go to a spa even. As in Japan, the delivery of health care is largely a market affair, carried out by private doctors and private hospitals. A non-emergency visit to the doctor could be a two-week wait. If it were a serious issue or an emergency, it would be the same day. It takes another one or two weeks to see a specialist and perhaps three weeks to get surgery. That's about the same waiting time as the U.S. It's faster than Britain, but not as quick as Japan would be.To finance health care, Germans pay premiums based on income to one of 240 private insurers. They call them "sickness funds." A worker earning $60,000 would split a $750 monthly family premium with her employer. It's more expensive than Japan and the U.K., but still a bargain by U.S. standards, about two thirds of ours. It is a system where the rich pay for the poor and where the ill are covered by the healthy. It is a social support system, which is highly accepted by the population.Pregnant women pay nothing to have a child but there is a co-payment for most patients of about $15 payable once every three months. Health insurance continues with no change if you lose your job. People who become unemployed are at an increased risk of becoming ill, and therefore becoming unemployed is about the worst time to lose health insurance. So, everyone who loses a job remains in exactly the health insurance system that he or she is in. German insurance plans actively compete among themselves for customers, even though they're not allowed to make a profit. So what's in it for them? Sickness funds do not want to perish. They want to survive and grow, and the management is better paid if the sickness fund is growing. The German health care system is between a for-profit system, on the one hand, and a single-payer system on the other hand.Mike McGury, an American living in Berlin for six years describes the health system as “top notch! You have many different choices, and the cost is a fraction of what is covered in the States. Most of your prescriptions are covered with very, very small co-pays.”Surveys show Germans are satisfied with their health care. The system is also efficient. Medical providers and sickness funds negotiate standard prices, and this cuts administrative costs. They're only around 6 percent. That's a quarter of what they are in the U.S. And drugs are a bargain too. The same drugs are cheaper in Germany than in America because, obviously, if all sickness funds negotiate with the drug companies for a single price, then the market power of the sickness funds is fully used. Every year, the sickness funds also negotiate standard prices with medical providers. And just as in Japan, some of the doctors feel undervalued and underpaid. By U.S. standards, doctors who work in hospitals in Germany are not paid very well. A 35-year-old might earn about $80,000 a year, about half of what he'd earn in the U.S. A family doctor makes around $120,000 a year, about two thirds of what they’d earn in the U.S. But they have a lot lower overhead in Germany. The malpractice premium is just $1,400 dollars a year, about a tenth of what it is in the U.S. And medical school doesn’t cost a penny. In March of 2006, German doctors felt sufficiently angry to stop work and take to the streets to protest in the heart of Berlin. But nothing changed.For Americans, there's nothing particularly foreign about German health care. You get health insurance through your employer and the company makes you pay for it. And the coverage is great. They get mental, surgical and dental. If your doctor says you're tired, the health insurance pays to send you to a spa. And the Germans have made this work. They provide universal coverage for a lot less money than we do. They did it by taking the profit out of health insurance, and they also pay doctors a lot less than in America. Re-cap - The Brits pay no doctor bills and have great preventive care. In Japan, there's no waiting time and doctors still make house calls. In Germany, insurance companies compete for business, even though they can't make a profit. What if you could pick and choose the best ideas from around the world? That’s what one small Asian nation did.Taiwan - an island nation of about 23 million that became rapidly industrialized and went from poor to rich in about 20 years. And when Taiwan got rich, the government said, "Wait a minute. We need a rich country's health care system." They set up a committee and they looked all over the world at different health care systems, looking for good ideas, and then designed their own." In the late 1980s, Taiwanese health care was even worse than America's is today. About half the population had no coverage at all. So they consulted experts from around the world, and asked William Hsiao, a Chinese-born Harvard health economist, to head a blue ribbon panel. They looked at 10-15 countries. The program that they finally set up in 1995 is like a car that was made of different parts imported from overseas, but manufactured domestically. They examined the major systems of a dozen European countries, Britain, France, Germany, the Nordic countries, Switzerland and Holland etc. Dr. Hongjen Chang: says of the American Health system: “It was the best system in the world, we thought. Well, American is not really a system that you can copy. It's a market. So if you let things happen, it will be like the United States. There are many supporters, but in the end we said, "No, this is not the way we want to go."The Taiwanese wanted a system that gave everybody equal access to health care, free choice of doctors, with no waiting time, and a system that encouraged lots of competition among medical providers. To finance the scheme, they chose a national insurance system that forced everybody to join in and pay. Professor William Hsiao thought Taiwan could improve on other countries like Japan and Germany. “We try to correct their mistakes. Japan has many funds, and we unified it. Germany let the rich people opt out. We do not let the rich people opt out. So we're building on what they have done correctly, but trying to overcome their deficiencies.”The solution: To have one government insurer collecting the money and no chance to opt out. The result: A system that works a bit like the U.S. Medicare system for the elderly, and in fact, a lot like Canada's.The Taiwan system has drug benefits, vision care, traditional Chinese medicine, kidney dialysis, inpatient care, and outpatient care. To satisfy the patients in Taiwan, there's no gatekeeper and no waiting time. Clinics are open on weekends. Wait time to see a specialist – immediate!High-tech Taiwan designed its new health system using state-of-the-art information technology. Everybody has to have a smart card to go to the doctor. The doc puts it in a reader, and the patient's history, medications, etc; all show up on the screen. And then the bill goes directly to the government insurance office and is paid automatically. So Taiwan has the lowest administrative costs in the world, less than 2 percent. Compare that to the endless paperwork and all the denied claims we get with for-profit U.S. health insurance.The smart card can also be used in other ways. If a patient goes to see a doctor or hospital over 20 times a month, or 50 times in a three-month period, then the IT picks that person out and then gets a visit from the government, the Bureau of National Health Insurance. That may be too much like Big Brother to get by in the U.S., but surveys show the Taiwanese are highly satisfied with their health care. How many people in Taiwan every year go bankrupt because of medical bills? None.6.23 % of Taiwan's GDP is spent on health care. In the USA it’s 16%. So the US spends too much on health care and doesn’t cover everybody. But the Taiwanese spend too little, less even than Japan and they just don't bring in enough money to pay for all the services they offer. The government is borrowing from banks to pay the providers. Taiwan's politicians are reluctant to increase premiums. They think voters will punish them. They know the solution is fairly straightforward, increase the spending a little to maybe 8 percent of GDP. Now, there's a problem the U.S. would love to have!Like the other countries, Taiwan is struggling to balance the hopes of patients and the expectations of doctors against the price people are willing to pay for health care.SWITZERLAND - People say it's politically impossible to fix the US health care system. And in fact, the last time we tried it in 1994, the result was a disastrous failure. But that same year, Switzerland, a country famous for huge insurance companies and drug companies, did take on health care reform and changed the system. Today they have universal coverage with high quality. Why did they make the change and how is it working?Like Americans, the Swiss tend to think they're exceptional. They don't follow the crowd. It's a nation of eight million people at the center of Europe, but it won't join the European Union. It denied women the vote until 1971. And it has higher gun ownership than the USA.In 1994, Switzerland's health care system resembled America's. Medical insurance was voluntary, generally linked to employment. If you lost your job, you could lose your coverage. And many did.Ruth Dreifuss back then was health minister of the left-leaning Social Democratic Party and later the first female president of the Swiss Federation. She spearheaded a new law called LAMal, or the sickness. It mandated that everybody buy insurance, with the state paying for the poor. In return, it guaranteed a comprehensive package of medical care for all. Amid opposition from drug companies and insurers, the Swiss voted in a referendum by a tiny margin.Once the law was passed, insurance companies could not cherry pick the young and healthy to avoid the old and the sick as they do in the USA today. And they were not allowed to make a profit on basic care, although they could profit from supplemental policies. People who refused to get coverage were automatically assigned to an insurance company and had to pay the monthly bills. More than 10 years later, LAMal is well accepted.Pascal Couchepin, from the center-right Free Democratic Party, is the current president of Switzerland. Originally unenthusiastic about LAMal, today he's a supporter. Quote “ Everybody has the right to health care.”In the USA we say everyone is entitled to education and legal protection if you get in trouble with the law but we don’t say that everyone's entitled to health care. Pres. Pascal Couchepin: “Why? Because it is a profound need for people to be sure that if they are struck by destiny, by a stroke of destiny, they can have a good health system.” Dreifuss, from the opposite political camp, agrees.Ruth Dreifuss: “I think it's a basic human right. This is really the aim and this is really the reason why I think that everybody now, or a large, large majority, would renew the confidence in this system because they see what it means to have a universal coverage.”What about LAMal's impact on drug and insurance companies? Pierre Marcel Revaz is CEO of Groupe Mutuel, one of Switzerland's biggest insurance companies. “What's different in Switzerland is that many Swiss insurers were already non-profit, so the transformation was easier than it might be for the USA. Ten years on, the insurers are doing fine. As in Germany, a lack of profit has not meant a lack of competition.Pierre-Marcel Revaz, CEO, Groupe Mutuel: “It's very competitive because each company wants to keep its old customers and get new clients. So there's extreme competition for service and price.”So, the benefit package here is fixed, it's the same for everybody so, companies compete in other ways like how quickly they pay. In Switzerland administrative costs are 5.5%. In America health insurance companies average administrative costs are about 22 percent!Swiss insurance companies can make a profit on supplemental coverage such as better hospital rooms. This is also how they attract more customers. But what about the drug companies? In America, the drug companies say, "Well, if you cut the price we get for the drugs, then we won't have as much money for research and innovation." Is that a legitimate argument?The Swiss pharmaceutical industry 10 years later, are in the top 10 internationally. Interestingly Swiss drug companies still make more than a third of their profits from the less-regulated U.S. market. One of the problems in America is that many people go bankrupt because of medical bills. Some studies say 700,000 people a year. In Switzerland nobody goes bankrupt.Switzerland has a challenge. Having achieved universal health care, it has to decide how much citizens are willing to pay. Today, an average monthly premium for a Swiss family is about $750. But there's pressure to raise the premiums. And it's already the second most expensive health care system in the world, although still much cheaper than the USA.What's interesting about Switzerland is that after LAMal's success, people in this proud capitalist country see limits now to the free market. Could a 100 percent free market system work in health care? Pres. Pascal Couchepin: “No, I don't think that. If you do that, you will lose solidarity and equal access for everybody.”What T.R Reid found is that it's not all "socialized medicine" out there. Many countries provide universal coverage with private insurance, private doctors, and private hospitals, using market ideas that might work for the USA. But these capitalist countries don't trust health care entirely to the free market. They all impose limits. There are three big ones. First, insurance companies must accept everyone and can't make a profit on basic care. Second, everybody's mandated to buy insurance, and the government pays the premium for the poor. Third, doctors and hospitals have to accept one standard set of fixed prices.Can Americans accept ideas like that? The fact is these foreign health care ideas aren't really so foreign to Americans. For American veterans, health care is just like the Britain's NHS. For seniors on Medicare, we're Taiwan. For working Americans with insurance, we're Germany. And for the tens of million without health insurance, we're just another poor country. But almost all of us can agree that this fragmented health care mess we have today cannot be ignored. The longer we leave it, the sicker it becomes, and the more expensive the cure.Excerpts from SICK AROUND THE WORLD, WRITTEN BY Jon Palfreman and T.R. ReidCORRESPONDENT T.R. ReidInformation provided by:University of Colorado DenverAmerican Medical Response, NWOregon Health Sciences UniversityKono Medical ClinicNagoya Central HospitalWhittington HospitalCharite University HospitalKladow Medical ClinicTaipei Medical University - Wan Fang HospitalYin Shu-Tien Memorial HospitalBai-Sheng ClinicPrinceton UniversityYou can watch the full program on line, find out more about correspondent T.R. Reid and his reporting of this story, read interviews with some of the world's leading health care experts and learn more about how the U.S. health care system compared to those in other countries. FRONTLINE's Sick Around the World is available on DVD. To order call PBS Home Video at 1-800-PLAY-PBS [$24.99 & s/h] or order on line at Shoppbs.org.April 15, 2008 Please view the program at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/.
The People of the State of Michigan enact: the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act.With the recent passage of Michigan's LEGISLATION, the relative state department must Promulgate Rules by which to function effectively. While there is now hope where there was none, these rules will either assist or be a hindrance to the patient.While this Law allows the patient or a "primary caregiver" to grow and provide the Marijuana for the patient, this dictates the patient or caregiver have the necessary skills, equipment, space, finances and time to dedicate to this task full time.Under Michigan Law, a designated caregiver can assist up to 5 patients. This would serve to pool the resources together more efficiently, providing one space, shared equipment cost and presumably a designated "primary caregiver" who is a professional grower.Today in California, of which the Michigan legislation was designed has had a set back handed down by their State Supreme Court which may affect the Promulgation of our Rules moving forward.California Supreme Court Ruling Limits Medical Marijuana DistributionNovember 24th, 2008 In an important legal case decided today that cannabis reform advocates have been waiting on for nearly two years, the California Supreme Court ruled that criminal defendants are not entitled to a defense as Proposition 215 (Prop 215) caregivers if their primary role is only to supply marijuana to patients.
"The Mentch decision highlights the inadequacy of California's current medical marijuana supply system," California NORML coordinator Dale Gieringer told the Indy Bay News . "The law needs to allow for professional licensed growers, as with other medicinal herbs."Full text of the People vs. Mentch is found here~@~The problem with this decision as well as the system set up to provide a "primary caregiver" status is that now the California Supreme Court is mandating these caregivers be relatives, personal friends and attendants, nurses. There are two problems with this finding, first those designated are not qualified to grow Marijuana and the second issue is that of the allowance for a "primary caregiver" to assist up to 5 patients. How many of your relatives and personal friends know 5 people who are legally allowed by state law to use marijuana for medical purposes ? Now expand that criteria throughout the entire state and apply it to the individual families of patients.Wanted: Full Time professional licensed growersWhile I am confident that I shall be approved under the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act, as it is currently being developed I am afraid it will be of no use to me.My individual circumstance is such that I live alone, in a one bedroom apartment on a fixed income which is under the level of poverty. Therefore I am unable to afford the cost of the equipment needed to grow marijuana indoors. I am unable to afford the cost of the energy needed to run a lighting system 24/7 for 90 days straight.I have one friend who has served as a primary caregiver for me when I needed assistance yet, he knows absolutely nothing about growing marijuana. Plus, he barely has time due to his working two jobs just to support himself.As this law stands today, passed by the people of Michigan, while I qualify for coverage under the law I am unable to take advantage of this program due to the stringent requirements related to growing the plants.The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act rules have not been written as yet.I wish to ask everyone to assist me by writing The Bureau of Health Professions (BHP) within the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) and lend your voice on this issue with my concerns in mind.http://www.michigan.gov/mdchI believe the best way forward, under the conditions spelled out in this legislation is for patients to organize under cooperatives and collectives with Full Time professional licensed growers.My preference would be to grow my marijuana in the soil, under the sun. That option is not allowed under this law because it calls for the marijuana to be grown in a locked, enclosed room.Thank you for your time and consideration on this matter.
Obfuscation of the facts for Political Gain is not what the Free Press is suppose to represent yet, for the most part during this election cycle that is precisely what is occurring. We all know the outrageous lies being perpetrated by the Republicans, they throw out so many falsehoods with abandon with the hope that the news media will not do their job in researching the facts. They rely upon the news media to simply print quotes, believing that as long as it gets printed, some of it may stick in the minds of the voters when they go to cast their ballot.
Here in Michigan we have a Ballot Proposal (1) which has been well crafted and has many safeguards put into effect to regulate the medicinal use of marijuana by verified patients in conjunction with their doctors assessment.
The opposition has been holding Press conferences alongside many prominent Law Enforcement personnel and local prosecutors. The problem is, they are not telling the voters the truth about the Proposal but, rather they are spreading false and unsubstantiated claims.
Here is one recent example.
~@~
The proposed Michigan law does not allow dispensaries.
This is a link to the full text of the initiative.
This morning I awoke to find an article in my local newspaper with the headline:
By Gordon Wilczynski, Macomb Daily Staff Writer
The use of marijuana for medical purposes is a bad idea in Macomb County, according to top law enforcement officials who joined Wednesday to denounce Proposition 1.
continued, . . .
In the article, Eastpointe Police Chief Michael Lauretti, Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel, Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith and Kathy Rager, executive director of the Macomb Community Assessment Referral & Education Center, joined with Court of Appeals Judge Bill Schuette to urge people to vote against it, saying Proposition 1 is unregulated and dangerous.
"Schuette said he is barnstorming across Michigan urging people to vote "no" on Proposition 1 because too many "yes" votes would lead to the opening of pot shops and smoking clubs."
Why is this falsehood being allowed to go unchallenged? Because I have found that the reporters who have covered this subject haven't read the Proposal for themselves but, rely on these individuals of authority to tell them the truth.
I went to the Macomb Daily Headquarters this morning and sat down with Gordon Wilczynski, Macomb Daily Staff Writer. He related to me that he was just doing his job in reporting what these individuals said at the Press Conference. He did tell me that he had not read the Proposal and would do so today. I am hopeful that after he reads the entire proposal, he will see that these highly regarded government officials are not arguing their opposition from truthful reflection of the actual proposed language but, are fostering a scare tactic by evoking concerns of rampant, wide spread abuse being allowed on our streets if this proposal is passed by the voters.
"There are more pot shops in California than Starbucks coffee shops," Schuette said. "Do we want that here in Michigan?" Sheriff Hackel said there is nothing in the proposal to monitor the use of marijuana. He added the proposal could make marijuana use out of control if approved. "It has no place in Michigan," Hackel said. "I can't believe any parent would vote for it." "I'm amazed at how poorly the proposal is written," Lauretti said. "There is not one good element in this law."
"There are more pot shops in California than Starbucks coffee shops," Schuette said. "Do we want that here in Michigan?"
Sheriff Hackel said there is nothing in the proposal to monitor the use of marijuana. He added the proposal could make marijuana use out of control if approved. "It has no place in Michigan,"
Hackel said. "I can't believe any parent would vote for it."
"I'm amazed at how poorly the proposal is written," Lauretti said.
"There is not one good element in this law."
This is a link to the full text of the initiative. The proposed Michigan law does not allow dispensaries.
Please assist me in exposing these lies being spread by those opposed to this Proposal. I do not mind if someone has a legitimate reason for being opposed to this legislation, as long as it has to do with the actual Proposal and not simply hyperbole and Obfuscation of the facts for Political Gain.
100 Macomb Daily DriveMount Clemens, MI 48043
Main Office:(586) 469-4510
Editorial page, Bill Ewald (e-mail)Online Editor, Bill Fleming (e-mail)
Publisher, Jeffrey Parra (e-mail)Executive Editor, Richard Kelley (e-mail)
Managing Editor, Ken Kish (e-mail)
Let the Macomb Daily know how you feel about this style of reporting which gives credence to authoritative figures who are not telling the voters the truth about Proposal 1 in their opposition to it's passage.
You’re a doctor. You need to bring in $3,000 apiece for your most common procedure. But Medicare and Medicaid – which pay for about half your patients – have just told you they’re only going to pay you one-third of what they’re billed. What do you do? You don’t need to be a CPA to know the answer is to start billing everyone $4,500 for your procedure. The half of your patients who pay full price thus pay $1,500 extra, covering the $1,500 shortfall for each Medicare/Medicaid-covered procedure.
Now the tricky question: If someone who’s NOT on Medicaid or Medicare visits your medical office to have this procedure done, and promptly pays his or her $4,500 in full, how much has he or she paid you, this year?
And the answer is: $6,000. Those who are not on Medicare or Medicaid are known as “taxpayers.” Where do you think Medicare/Medicaid got the $1,500 to pay for the welfare patient? The taxpayer pays $4,500 for his or her own procedure, and then an extra $1,500 in taxes to fund someone else’s.
For all those who have written in insisting that we need government to pay our medical bills because they’re so high, let’s keep this simple:
Medical bills are really high because the government promises to pay most of them, the same way government-backed “college loans” have driven up the cost of college, by allowing colleges to charge you whatever you can afford plus whatever the government will loan.
Perhaps it’s still technically a minority of Americans who are currently “covered” by Medicare and Medicaid. But since the old and the poor (the latter often skimping on health maintenance and prevention) use the most medicine and medical care, the majority of medical COSTS are covered and “paid for” by these two socialist programs.
Some say as much as two thirds.
If we switched over to “cash only” medicine tomorrow – no government or even private insurance payments allowed – what do you suppose would happen to medical costs?
Remember, the doctor who’s been accustomed to billing $4,500 for a procedure really only gets $1,500 from Medicare/Medicaid, a scheme that’s already jacked up YOUR cost by 50 percent.
Of that $1,500, another $500 (and that may be understated) goes to pay doctors’ non-medical office staff who negotiate bills and payments with the private and government “insurance” firms.
So the doc who “billed” $4,500 expected to get about half that. The rest is only “in there” to buy off this unholy private-public “insurance” bureaucracy.
If he could fire all those non-medical “billing” people in his office, and if the doctor could again assume that most patients might pay the full amount billed on a timely basis, in cash, he or she could drop many posted charges from $4,500 to $2,000 overnight.
Read the rest at http://www.lewrockwell.com/suprynowicz/suprynowicz100.html
Hello Folks, this morning I was listening to a local radio show, the Frank Beckmann on WJR NEWS AM 760
Two individuals were on air discussing the Michigan Proposal 1 which is about legalizing Medical Marijuana in our state.
Dianne Byrum is an advocate for the passage of Proposal 1 and Bill Schuette is opposed to passage of Proposal 1
The Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care (MCCC) is a grassroots organization devoted to passing Proposal 1, the medical marijuana initiative on the November 2008 ballot. Proposal 1 will protect seriously ill Michiganders suffering from illnesses like cancer, HIV/AIDS, and multiple sclerosis from the threat of arrest and jail for simply trying to alleviate their pain.
During the conversation, Bill Schuette made the age old claim that Marijuana use is a Gateway drug which leads to use of much harder drug use. Dianne Byrum, who has never smoked Marijuana asked Bill Schuette if he had ever smoked Marijuana. He responded YES, when he was in High School. He graduated in 1972 which places him in High School during 1968-1972, the height of the Youth movement in America.
She then commented that his previous use didn't appear to lead him to using hard drugs as he suggests with his argument that marijuana is a Gateway drug.
Bill Schuette became furious at the revealing of his obvious hypocrisy and said the conversation shouldn't be about him but, about what danger this Proposal 1 presents to the youth of Michigan.
We know that ridiculous claims have always been made by opponents of legalization of Marijuana. What bothers me is not that some people are opposed to this well-written Proposal but, that they can not conduct a discussion on the merits of their opposition. They feel they must spread falsehood and rumors in an effort to defeat this Proposal.
Before I continue, I would like to present the actual language which Michagan voters will be presented with. Please refer back to this as this conversation progresses.
STATE PROPOSAL - 08-1
A LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVE TO PERMIT THE USE AND CULTIVATION OF MARIJUANA FOR SPECIFIED MEDICAL CONDITIONS:
The proposed law would:
Permit physician approved use of marijuana by registered patients with debilitating medical conditions including cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, hepatitis C, MS and other conditions as may be approved by the Department of Community Health.
Permit registered individuals to grow limited amounts of marijuana for qualifying patients in an enclosed, locked facility.
Require Department of Community Health to establish an identification card system for patients qualified to use marijuana and individuals qualified to grow marijuana.
Permit registered and unregistered patients and primary caregivers to assert medical reasons for using marijuana as a defense to any prosecution involving marijuana.
Should this proposal be adopted? YES □ NO □
Medical Marijuana In The News
When Dr. George Wagoner, a retired obstetrician/gynecologist from Manistee, saw the suffering his wife of 51 years was enduring from her battle with ovarian cancer last year, he turned to marijuana to ease her pain. "During her chemotherapy she experienced intense nausea, and conventional anti-nausea drugs didn't help much. One drug cost $46.20 a pill and didn't help," said Dr. Wagoner. "Another made her hallucinate, so she refused to take it. Basically, pharmaceutical drugs were ineffective and the marijuana -- just a very small dose -- was most effective."Dr. Wagoner and his wife are among many who have taken the path of using marijuana for medical purposes. However, in Michigan, they are breaking the law. On November 4, Ballot Proposal 1 will give Michigan voters the opportunity to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Currently, 12 other states have laws allowing the use of medical marijuana.
The above article goes on to describe the issues being brought up by the opposition.
One of the criticisms launched by those that oppose the legalization of medical marijuana is that it is simply just a step in the process for the outright legalization of marijuana.Those in opposition also point to a pharmaceutical drug, Marinol, that accomplishes the same result. They point to the fact that Marinol is prescribed in doses, whereas smoking marijuana is not a controlled dose.
One of the criticisms launched by those that oppose the legalization of medical marijuana is that it is simply just a step in the process for the outright legalization of marijuana.
Those in opposition also point to a pharmaceutical drug, Marinol, that accomplishes the same result. They point to the fact that Marinol is prescribed in doses, whereas smoking marijuana is not a controlled dose.
The Citizens Protecting Michigan's Kids point to their concerns if the proposal passes:
Allow use of marijuana without a doctor's prescription.Allow a person arrested on any marijuana offense to use a "medical marijuana" defense in court.Allow a flood of lawsuits over things such as whether doctors and hospitals must allow patients to smoke marijuana in a doctor's office or hospital room, despite every other law banning smoking.Allow the opening of pot shops and smoking clubs in neighborhood strip malls, like has happened in California under a similar proposal.
Allow use of marijuana without a doctor's prescription.
Allow a person arrested on any marijuana offense to use a "medical marijuana" defense in court.
Allow a flood of lawsuits over things such as whether doctors and hospitals must allow patients to smoke marijuana in a doctor's office or hospital room, despite every other law banning smoking.
Allow the opening of pot shops and smoking clubs in neighborhood strip malls, like has happened in California under a similar proposal.
Again, I ask you to refer to the Legislation above and compare it's language to the outragious claims being promoted by the opposition.
"I am not sure they have read the legislation, but everything they are suggesting has been addressed and they are taking half truths to scare the public,"
The use of medical marijuana under the proposed legislation would be only allowed for certain medical conditions and patients would have to receive authorization from their doctor to grow and smoke marijuana for their condition. The conditions covered, as well as some of the concerns from the opposition, are detailed in the legislation including the stiff penalties for violating marijuana laws.
Will pot be OK in workplace? ~ Foes say Prop 1 may allow use
LANSING - Newly organized opponents to Michigan's medical marijuana ballot proposal are raising red flags about the proposal, citing negative workplace implications if the measure passes.A memo issued last week says the proposed law permits marijuana use in the workplace and warns of potential consequences such as increased employer liability and the inability to discipline employees who use marijuana in accordance with the act's medical treatment purposes.But backers of Proposal 1 say the law clearly states that it does not require an employer to accommodate the ingestion of marijuana in the workplace or to accommodate any employee who is working under the influence of the drug."We don't believe it has any workplace impact," said Dianne Byrum, spokeswoman for the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care and partner at Byrum & Fisk Advocacy Communications in East Lansing.
PAID FOR WITH REGULATED FUNDS BY CITIZENS PROTECTING MICHIGAN'S KIDS
Police chief critical of marijuana measure
Howell Police Chief George Basar, president of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, said Proposal 1 would make it easy for people to grow and use marijuana, and the lack of regulations would lead to more people, including children, using the drug.He said the message is, "If you feel bad, let's sit around and smoke marijuana and get high."Basar said there are associations of doctors, law enforcement and prosecuting attorneys opposed to this ballot issue.He also said this measure is really aimed at a more sweeping change."This is the nose under the tent to the general legalization of marijuana," Basar said.Supporters of the measure said that's not true.Former state lawmaker Dianne Byrum, spokeswoman for the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, said a community-based effort pushed for the statewide referendum to provide an option for patients who are experiencing pain due to disease or illness.She said legalization is not the goal. She said other states have approved similar measures allowing for medical use of marijuana, and those states have not legalized marijuana.Byrum said she met with numerous law enforcement officials this year to explain the ballot question, and she said many called the proposal "well-written." She said these officials knew about the issue for seven months and questioned why they would suddenly organize a "campaign of misinformation and rhetoric" to oppose the proposal.
Howell Police Chief George Basar, president of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, said Proposal 1 would make it easy for people to grow and use marijuana, and the lack of regulations would lead to more people, including children, using the drug.
He said the message is, "If you feel bad, let's sit around and smoke marijuana and get high."
Basar said there are associations of doctors, law enforcement and prosecuting attorneys opposed to this ballot issue.
He also said this measure is really aimed at a more sweeping change.
"This is the nose under the tent to the general legalization of marijuana," Basar said.
Supporters of the measure said that's not true.
Former state lawmaker Dianne Byrum, spokeswoman for the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, said a community-based effort pushed for the statewide referendum to provide an option for patients who are experiencing pain due to disease or illness.
She said legalization is not the goal. She said other states have approved similar measures allowing for medical use of marijuana, and those states have not legalized marijuana.
Byrum said she met with numerous law enforcement officials this year to explain the ballot question, and she said many called the proposal "well-written." She said these officials knew about the issue for seven months and questioned why they would suddenly organize a "campaign of misinformation and rhetoric" to oppose the proposal.
Pot bill would bring chaos to MichiganCalifornia shows why medical marijuana is dangerousBy Bill Schuette and Daniel Michael • October 10, 2008
A decade ago, voters in California approved a proposal to legalize marijuana smoking for so-called "medical" purposes. Today, even the proposal's most vocal supporters admit the California law has resulted in "chaos," "pot dealers in storefronts" and millions of dollars being dumped "into the criminal black market."Proposal 1 on the Nov. 4 ballot in Michigan is just like the California law. While its stated intent, to help people in serious pain, is well meaning, Proposal 1's vague language, careless loopholes and dangerous consequences place Michigan communities and kids at risk. Michigan voters should reject it.For doctors and hospitals, those on the front lines of medical care, Proposal 1 is "bad medicine." For one thing, Proposal 1 doesn't require a prescription.Judge Bill Schuette is a member of the Michigan Court of Appeals. Dr. Daniel Michael is a Detroit neurosurgeon and speaker of the Michigan State Medical Society's House of Delegates.
A decade ago, voters in California approved a proposal to legalize marijuana smoking for so-called "medical" purposes. Today, even the proposal's most vocal supporters admit the California law has resulted in "chaos," "pot dealers in storefronts" and millions of dollars being dumped "into the criminal black market."
Proposal 1 on the Nov. 4 ballot in Michigan is just like the California law. While its stated intent, to help people in serious pain, is well meaning, Proposal 1's vague language, careless loopholes and dangerous consequences place Michigan communities and kids at risk. Michigan voters should reject it.
For doctors and hospitals, those on the front lines of medical care, Proposal 1 is "bad medicine." For one thing, Proposal 1 doesn't require a prescription.
Judge Bill Schuette is a member of the Michigan Court of Appeals. Dr. Daniel Michael is a Detroit neurosurgeon and speaker of the Michigan State Medical Society's House of Delegates.
OK, I realize it's a lot of reading but, I hope you have taken the time to review all the misinformation and rhetoric, deception and hypocrisy being perpetrated by those opposed to passage of Proposal 1.
Now, my simply presenting this information might be useful to a few readers of this article but, my hope is that you will take the information presented here and spread it around to others who care about this issue. We must combat this effort, each one of us so that their lies do not take root and serve to defeat this noble and compassionate legislation. Please send this article to anyone and everyone you know who can have an impact upon getting the word out on these tactics.
If you need truthful and honest information regarding this Proposal, please visit http://www.stoparrestingpatients.org/
Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, Lansing State Journal, Battle Creek Enquirer, Jackson City Patriot, and Detroit Metro Times Endorse Proposal 1
This is an issue of simple compassion and common sense, and is overwhelmingly supported by residents across the state - 67%, according to a September 2008 poll. And in each of five citywide medical marijuana votes - in Flint in 2007, Traverse City and Ferndale in 2005, and Ann Arbor and Detroit in 2004 - medical marijuana won in a landslide. To get involved today, please visit our Take Action page
Most importantly, please vote Yes on Proposal 1 on November 4, and encourage everyone you know to do the same!
In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a patient who will benefit from passage of Proposal 1. Yesterday I had to go to the Social Security office and take a number. I spent over 5 hours at the office and I had to make the decision not to take the synthetic morphine because I had to drive myself. That meant I spent over 8 hours in pain because I have no alternative. See I can't handle doing much of anything when I'm drugged up on the pain medication I'm given. When I do take the pain medication I'm given, the most I can do is sit in a chair and nod out off and on throughout the day. If I want to go grocery shopping, I have to skip taking my medication because I wouldn't be able to walk around the store.
Medical marijuana is not a miracle drug that is going to solve all our problems and, of course there are other drugs which patients will need to take but, mandating patients to taking only those drugs that are profitable to the Pharmacuticle Industry and the stock portfolio the doctors profit from isn't the answer.
This legislation is well-written and would allow me or, if needed, a caregiver I legally designate to grow my own Marijuana for my personal use. That means I won't be giving criminal enterprises money.
Please read the Legislation and do all you can to get the word out to vote YES on Proposal 1.
http://www.stoparrestingpatients.org/files/sap/L300-MILit-FINAL.pdf
http://www.stoparrestingpatients.org/videos
