August 31st, 2008
Last Thursday night, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) accepted his party’s presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention (DNC). His acceptance speech touched on nearly every issue under the sun that is of interest to voter’s in this election year. Regarding health care, Senator Obama’s approach was fairly predictable. He first pointed out where he believes his opponent Senator John McCain gets it wrong. He stated that the Republican senator doesn’t understand what’s really going on in the lives of Americans because if he did he wouldn’t propose a plan that taxes people’s health care benefits or rely on the market to “fix” the health care problem. Senator Obama then went on to point out what he proposes, which I have pulled straight from the speech transcript (which I will also link to below the speech video) and quoted below:
“Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don’t, you’ll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves. And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.”
And finally, Senator Obama pointed out where has believes he has already gotten it right by referencing the work he has done in Illinois, my home state, to expand health care coverage to more children and families than were covered prior to his senate career.
So, as we wrap up our look at the discussions of health care in some of the speeches given at the DNC, I leave you with a video of presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama’s acceptance speech below. I’m interested to know what you thought about these discussions? Are they hopeful, status quo and expected, or empty political promises? I’ll ask the same question following the Republic National Convention, and as that convention approaches, what do you expect to hear in terms of health care from that side of the aisle?
Senator Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention
speech text
Sources:
The Conventions - MSNBC
Democratic National Convention Official Web site
Tags: presidential election
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By Becky Ramsey -- 0 comments
August 30th, 2008
Even George Clooney can’t save what some in the press have nicknamed “The Republican E. R. Plan.” (This post is a follow-up to one I wrote yesterday about McCain’s top health care advisor, John Goodman, who thinks that access to the ER is the same thing as having health insurance.)
For someone with a PhD in economics, you would think that Goodman realizes that the emergency department is the most expensive way to access health care in this country. Moreover, treatment for a disease is almost always more expensive at later stages, and is definitely more expensive than preventing the disease in the first place. I can’t imagine telling diabetics to just sit tight and come to the ER when they have a crisis — that’s taking a problem that can be managed with relatively little expense if managed regularly and turning into a single episode of care that could cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Here’s exactly what was said:
“So I have a solution. And it will cost not one thin dime,” Mr. Goodman said. “The next president of the United States should sign an executive order requiring the Census Bureau to cease and desist from describing any American — even illegal aliens — as uninsured. Instead, the bureau should categorize people according to the likely source of payment should they need care.
“So, there you have it. Voila! Problem solved.”
Yeah, problem solved, all right. Thanks for making the world’s least efficient, most inequitable health care system even more expensive and dysfunctional. Or, as Steve Benen of CBS news puts it:
“In other words, the man responsible for crafting McCain’s healthcare policy effectively described the most inefficient system of socialized medicine ever devised.”
Tags: emergency rooms, John Goodman, McCain, the uninsured
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By Jen -- 0 comments
August 29th, 2008
For at least several decades, telling the elderly to get an annual flu shot seemed like a no brainer. After all, seniors are often in more fragile health, and a bout of influenza can be debilitating. Moreover, it can lead to pneumonia and other serious conditions.
But new data suggests that the flu shot doesn’t actually reduce deaths among the elderly. This contradicts a study published in 2007 that suggested that influenza immunization can actually reduce deaths in community dwelling elders. If the flu shot doesn’t save lives, is it still “worth it” to spend on promotion and delivery of the flu vaccine to the elderly, and for Medicare to pay for that vaccine? I admit, not covering flu vaccine would be a bit radical, and it might save the cost of an associated hospitalization and illness, but should we be actively trying to get every American over 65 to get a flu shot every year?
If flu shots are neither cost effective nor life-saving, is there a good argument for why we should recommend flu shots for everyone 65 and older? After all, other vaccines, such as the HPV vaccine that can protect against the virus that causes cervical cancer are coming under fire for their huge price tags and questionable ability to reduce death.
By the way - here’s an interesting read on why flu shots are not cost-effective in working adults.
Tags: cost effectiveness, flu shot, immunization, influenza, vaccines
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By Jen -- 0 comments
August 29th, 2008
In an interview yesterday, McCain’s top health care advisor, John Goodman (he also calls himself “The Father of Health Savings Accounts” — something I wouldn’t brag about) said that the term “uninsured” is a misnomer because Americans can access health care through the emergency room.
As an expert in cancer care and how that care is delivered to patients, I can categorically say that access to an emergency room is not the same as “access to health care.” If you’re a cancer patient, what you need is access to expensive pharmaceuticals, experienced physicians, and expert oncology nurses who will actually hook up your chemotherapy IV and treat you for the disease. I’ve never seen someone get their cycle of AC+T chemotherapy at the emergency room (which isn’t to say it’s never happened, but I’m having trouble thinking it might).
An emergency department can’t turn you away if you’re in need of “immediate” care, but what if you’re just fatigued and feeling bad, or experiencing fevers that come and go… these are symptoms of cancer, but I think you’d have trouble getting care from the emergency room unless something else went terribly wrong to send you there in the first place. And if you have to have a mastectomy for breast cancer, is the emergency room going to help you get reconstructive surgery afterwards? I doubt it.
The problem of the uninsured is real, and it’s not going away. Instead of ignoring the problem, we need to find ways to tackle it in this country.
(and if you’re interested in reading about the economics of health savings accounts, which I’ll post about another day, try this first — one of the best articles I’ve ever read on health or medical savings accounts and how they work.)
Tags: access to care, emergency room, health savings accounts, John Goodman, McCain, the uninsured
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By Jen -- 0 comments
August 28th, 2008
I’m noticing a theme. It seems that many of the speakers at the Democratic National Convention are happy to mention health care, but few seem to delve in to it. They point out the sad state that our system is in, present a few personal stories that they have heard from constituents, and then make reference to the fact that Senator Barack Obama will change the system. Few speeches, at least the ones I’ve watched/read (and please correct me if I’m wrong), have given any specifics as to how this change will happen. I know, I know, the convention is held to pump people up, not to dwell on all of the details, but I had hoped for a little more discussion of health care.
President Clinton pointed out ways in which he believed the Bush administration went wrong with health care, and that Senator John McCain’s plans are, “more band-aids for health care that will enrich insurance companies, impoverish families and increase the number of uninsured.” He went on to claim that Senator Obama’s plans are “far superior.” Senator and Vice Presidential hopeful Joe Biden, in his speech, highlighted some of the ways that Senator Obama has already succeeded in health care reform including fighting for health care access for more than 150,000 more children and adults in Illinois. He also stated that, if elected, Senator Obama, “will bring down health care costs by $2,500 for the typical family, and, at long last, deliver affordable, accessible health care for all Americans.” Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) also mentioned this in his speech.
Again, I have posted both videos and links to speech text below for President Clinton and Senator Biden’s speeches. I have also added a link to the speech given by Major Tammy Duckworth, Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Major Duckworth lost both of her legs when the Blackhawk helicopter that she was co-piloting while serving in Iraq was hit by a grenade. She has a commitment to health care reform, particularly as related to veterans, and she offers the unique perspective of a disabled veteran.
President Clinton at the Democratic National Convention
speech text
Joe Biden at the Democratic National Convention
speech text
Major Tammy Duckworth at the Democratic National Convention
speech text
Sources:
The Conventions - MSNBC
Democratic National Convention Official Web site
Tags: presidential election
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By Becky Ramsey -- 0 comments
August 28th, 2008
There’s buzz on the “internets” that Hillary might find a place as a health care czar in the Obama administration if Barack is successful with his quest. That position would likely not be a cabinet post, but would be similar to the role she had in her husband’s administration, when she was going to lead the charge in health care reform. However, with the enemies she made during that time, maybe she wouldn’t be the best individual to put Obama’s health care plan into action.
She mentioned health care 7 times in her speech at the Democratic National Convention — the same number of times she mentioned Iraq and one of the most frequent themes running throughout her appearance.
Do you think Hillary as a health care reform leader would be able to surmount the shadow hanging over the “Hillarycare” of the past, or would she be able to reinvent herself as a health care reformer for the 21st century?
Tags: Barack Obama, elections, health care reform, Hillary Clinton
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By Jen -- 0 comments
August 27th, 2008
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) and the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC) are a great way to hear what current politicians and advocates, as well as presidential hopefuls, have to say about health care. Now, not having cable, I have only been able to watch DNC highlights that are broadcast on my local channels and what I have time to locate online. So last night I was able to watch Michelle Obama’s speech online as well as Senator Hillary Clinton’s speech live on TV.
I’ll post both videos of both of the speeches below (available on MSNBC), as well as links to the transcripts if you’re interested. Health care highlights include Michelle Obama stating that Senator Barack Obama has fought and will fight to ensure that veterans receive mental health care in addition to medical care. If you read one of my first posts about PTSD among vets, you’ll know how glad I was to hear that! Senator Clinton reiterated her commitment to quality, affordable, universal health care and stressed that it’s Senator Obama’s commitment to the same things that in part garners her endorsement.
As I mentioned, there were many other speeches given that no doubt discussed health care, but these are two of the headliner speeches given. Feel free to watch or read their speeches and post your thoughts!
Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention
speech text
Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention
speech text
Sources:
The Conventions - MSNBC
Democratic National Convention Official Web site
Tags: presidential election
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By Becky Ramsey -- 0 comments
August 25th, 2008
The November presidential election is getting closer, and talk of health care reform and policy will be heating up in the next few months. The discussions will get more specific and that will mean lots of insider talk and what Public Citizen calls jargon. This could leave many Americans out of the discussion.
Public Citizen’s Health Research Group has put together a glossary of terms often used in the national political discussions of health care, insurance, policy, etc. I’ve only read through a view of the definitions, but I’m wondering if you find this helpful and straightforward.
Source:
“Talking the Talk: Decoding Political Jargon in an Election Year” - Public Citizen’s Health Research Group
Tags: glossary, health care reform, presidential election
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By Becky Ramsey -- 3 comments
August 24th, 2008
A new report from the Commonwealth Fund indicates that 79 million Americans are suffering under the burden of medical debt or medical bill problems, or 41% of working-age Americans. This data hardly comes as a surprise, considering that 9 million Americans have lost their health insurance coverage since 2000. But are medical costs due only to the growing number of uninsured?
Are you struggling with debt or dealing with a pile up of bills because you are uninsured? Or, are you insured, but for some reason have found that your insurance doesn’t cover your medical expenses
I wonder what people who are struggling with medical bill debt think about reforming the U.S. health care system. Do they support universal health care, or are they more in favor of a private health insurance system. Perhaps the growing number of people in medical debt (and the growing medical debt issue overall) is yet another symptom of how private health insurance might be a failing proposition for many American families.
Tags: Commonwealth Fund, medical debt, underinsured, universal coverage
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By Jen -- 1 comment
August 22nd, 2008
The FDA will now allow producers of fresh iceberg lettuce and spinach to use ionizing radiation on the greens to prevent the spread of pathogens such as E. coli and salmonella. Don’t be too surprised, apparently irradiated meat has been on the market for years, although not being much of a meat eater, THAT was a surprise to me!
My questions are:
1) Is it safe and healthy?
- 2) Is this the best solution they’ve come up with?
The FDA answers question #1 with a definitive YES, and the Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit consumer rights group, answers #2 with an unfortunate YES. The group has expressed its disbelief that the FDA has turned to radiation rather than working to help prevent contamination of the lettuce and spinach from the get-go. You can read more at the sources listed below.
What are you thoughts on this? I, myself, will try harder to get to the farmer’s markets to pick up my lettuce and spinach.
Sources:
“F.D.A. Allows Irradiation of Some Produce” - The New York Times, August 21, 2008
“FDA to permit irradiation of spinach, lettuce” - San Francisco Chronicle, SF Gate online, August 22, 2008
Tags: FDA, food safety, food-bourne pathogens
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By Becky Ramsey -- 0 comments
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