Healthcare costs

[Grace]

Susan Estrich was once a campaign manager for Michael Dukakis - which puts her out there on the left. She is a Professor in the USC Law School. She also writes a couple of columns each week.

Here is her take on the current health care reform -

Summer in Washington

The stimulus program must really be succeeding in Washington, D.C. Government is hiring; people are working. In fact, if news reports are to be believed, they're working night and day. So maybe there's some sleep deprivation thrown in for good measure. And don't forget the legendary heat and humidity that made service in the nation's Capitol hazardous before the advent of air conditioning.

What other explanation could there be for my friends in Congress and the administration thinking that what the country wants them to do right now is raise taxes and spend a trillion dollars to overhaul health care, much less to push it through in a month in a 1,000-page bill being rewritten every day?

In California, where I live, unemployment is in double digits and climbing, and the state has been issuing IOUs for weeks. I'm blessed, and I'm not complaining.

But not a day goes by that someone doesn't call me, desperate for help in finding a job. And it's never been harder to help. For all intents and purposes, unless you have some very special skill to sell, there are simply no jobs. You want to wait tables or make coffee drinks? Good luck. Get in line.

The idea that somehow you're going to tax the "rich" enough to pay for quality health care for every American who doesn't have it, can't afford it or stands to lose it, not to mention for all of the undocumented aliens who receive it for free now and presumably will continue to in Obama health land, is almost laughable. It's one of those things candidates say in campaigns, ignoring the fact that it doesn't add up. But in a bill that might pass? Add a 5 percent surtax on every small business in the country that makes $250,000 or more? This is going to create jobs? What am I missing?

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office came out with a report this week concluding that the bill being written by House Democrats would increase the deficit and weaken the already weak economy.
Duh.

No one is explaining to people how the big changes in the bill will affect people who have insurance now, which happens to be the overwhelming majority of all Americans (and an even higher percentage of all voters).

Will our premiums and deductibles go up or down? Will our doctors and hospitals be better or worse off? It is simply not credible to tell me that if I like my insurance now, nothing will change. If you turn the health care delivery system on its head and start regulating, mandating and controlling the terms, don't tell me it won't change things.

Changing the tax treatment of insurance benefits changes who gets them and who pays for them. "Controlling costs" means what? Does my doctor have to see more patients? Get more approvals before ordering tests? Order less expensive tests? I don't know a single person who is willing to sacrifice, or even risk, their health care right now to an uncertain plan that they don't begin to understand — except folks in D.C.

I went to my doctor this morning and suspect I had an experience that's being repeated in doctor's offices across the country. My doctor told me how worried she is about the plan. Actually, it was much stronger than "worried."

She wasn't a big fan of HillaryCare, but from her reading, it was a carefully drafted and thought-out program compared to what's being discussed now. She's convinced that if the administration succeeds, the ripple effect will cost Democrats the House in 2010 and her patients' their access to high quality, affordable care.

I reassured her that the Democrats would never be that foolish. I hope. Maybe it's time for Congress to get out of Washington. They'll get an earful when they do.

source

[RICHARD]

Susan Estrich was once a campaign manager for Michael Dukakis - which puts her out there on the left. She is a Professor in the USC Law School. She also writes a couple of columns each week.

Here is her take on the current health care reform -



source

She's one of my favorite talking heads!


Good article. It asks the basic 'consumer' questions.


There is no good reason for the gov't. to be so gun-ho about pushing the bil thru, I'd expect our 'reps' to question the wisdom of even thinking that the bill would be a 'cure all' -pun intended- for HCR.

First the costs have to be reigned in....start there and I think the people would be satisfied about any plan.

Showing someone 1k pages worth of paper and saying that "that is the answer !" is rather asinine and dangerous. The idea may be good, but the idea that you can reform an industry as large as the HC/Health insurance model is akin to trying to stop a hurricane.


About Hillary and her attempt to reform/introduce HCR.

The only reason she was not able to get things going is she was 'just' the wife of the prez. Had she any voice in politics then, and had any success in implementing her program, we probably would not be having this conversation.



Blue,

Just out of curiosity, how far is the closest JITB from you?

[Grace]

She's one of my favorite talking heads!


Good article. It asks the basic 'consumer' questions.

I really enjoy her articles. She seems to have more common sense than some of the others who prattle incessantly.

[RICHARD]

I was listening to the radio and the HMO that I worked for had a commercial about how 'wonderful' it was to be a member...

Now you can,

Send an email to the doctor's office.
Get info on your Med Recs.
Get info on your prescriptions.
Schedule appts., cancel appts.


I stood there and laughed for about three minutes because the woman said the system was "safe and secure".

This is the same company that was fined almost 450k for letting employees look at the Octomom's files.

-----------------------------------
Use your imagination to see what a email from a HMO member would look like, what the person who answers the email has to do to decode it and what the timeline in answering the note is!


Deer Doktor Mel Practice.

I have a prblm with da way dat I go 2 da b-room. I 8 some food dat made me sick. I cannot go numbr 2 for three daze! I hurtz when I tri to push and may be I need 2 c u fast. I want 2 eat sumthing but only do G2, a sportz drink!
Let me no what 2 do, I am hurtin!


I love technology!
---------------

Now they will increase the cost of your premiums because they have to hire 'peeps' that will do nothing but answer emails all day long.

Please remember this when the HCR bills go for a vote.

I am all for tech and improving service in the health care sector, but find that this is a recipe for disaster.


You will see that the lawsuit about the person who WILL NOT SEE A DOC will send an email in to the HMO, wait and then die beacuse of some 'hitch' in the system.


"The patient did not read the disclaimer-if they have a serious condition they need to call 911 of go directly to the medical center/ER for help."

What a colossal eff up this is going to be!

[Grace]

The latest from Susan Estrich -

Mother Knows Best

The president is "not familiar" with the bill. No one can explain how it will work yet, as Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., told a contentious town meeting. There are various plans, and negotiations are still in the early stages.

But whatever it is, we should be for it.

Am I missing something?

We're only talking about our health and our kids' health, the things my mother, may she rest in peace, told me a thousand times are the only things worth caring about. If you have your health, you have everything. And if you don't, what in the world matters more than the best health care in the world, which is found right here?

Not by everybody, mind you, and not cheaply, for anybody. No one's suggesting for a moment that there aren't major problems with both access and cost. But the best health care in the world is still here, and before we take steps that could make things much worse, I'd like to be very certain that they will indeed make things much better.

Your health, as I now tell my children, is not something to fool around with. Read the labels. Don't take unnecessary risks. Look before you leap. The devil is in the details.

Why would it be different for a health care plan?

I'm glad no one is calling me to ask whether I "support" health care reform.
At this point, the question — and the polls measuring people's answers to it — is utterly meaningless. What is health care reform?

Would I love to see every American have access to high-quality medical care? Of course.

Am I just as appalled as the next person when I get the bill (that for me, luckily, is mostly paid by insurance) and see what various tests and scans cost, or, rather, what hospitals are forced to charge patients with insurance in order to cover the ones without it? Sure.

But I'm not willing to give up my doctor or the time I spend with him. I'm not willing to give up the relationship we have. My children, now grown, feel as comfortable calling him as I do because he has taken the time with them over the years to build that trust.

And no matter how high the final price tag on those tests have been, never once have I said, "If I'd known how much they would cost, I wouldn't have had them done." No, I'm grateful for my insurance, grateful for the technology, grateful for good care.

So am I for health care reform? Do I support the House bill, whatever it is, or the Obama plan, which may or may not be the same thing?

Not yet. Not until I know what it is. Not until someone convinces me that whatever it is will do more good than harm, both for the country and for my family. Mother knows best.

source

Someone please explain to me why they are in such a hurry to pass this? Even Medicare took 18 months.

[lizbud]

Susan Estrich was once a campaign manager for Michael Dukakis - which puts her out there on the left. She is a Professor in the USC Law School. She also writes a couple of columns each week.

Here is her take on the current health care reform -



source

The AMA supports health care reform. If the Senate & Congress stop
giving news conferances & sit down to read what the bill is about, they
wouldn't be giving knee-jerk reactions.

[Lady's Human]

The AMA supports health care reform. If the Senate & Congress stop
giving news conferances & sits down to read what the bill is about

If the Congressional Reps haven't read the bill why in hell are they doing ANYTHING with regards to it other than reading the bills?

This (and the last) Congress should be recalled en toto for their ineptitude.

If you haven't read the bill, how can you debate it or vote on it?

[Grace]

If the Congressional Reps haven't read the bill why in hell are they doing ANYTHING with regards to it other than reading the bills?

This (and the last) Congress should be recalled en toto for their ineptitude.

If you haven't read the bill, how can you debate it or vote on it?

Agree.

I am not opposed to health care reform. I am opposed to rushing full-speed ahead when those voting are not well-informed.

Congress hasn’t read the proposal – neither has the President. He was asked a question and didn’t know the answer.

What is the rush? Why can they not take the time to get it right the first time?

As I said before, Medicare didn’t happen over night – why should this plan?

[RICHARD]

I have to disagree with the call on this thread for our reps to read the bill-

Osmosis worked for me when I was in school, whywon't it work for passing and voting for legislation?

This is nothing but 'feel good' plan to fool the country into making us feel like we are cared for by the government.

The people who currently work, or have in the past intimately know about the problems that the HC system has.

And they also know that the 'system' is well past the point of throwing money at it for it to be reformed.

It's nothing more that a "LOOK, I care because I put money into it".

Money is good, but a little thought would be better?

[lizbud]

If the Congressional Reps haven't read the bill why in hell are they doing ANYTHING with regards to it other than reading the bills?


If you haven't read the bill, how can you debate it or vote on it?

You would be amazed who really reads the language of any proposed bill.
(or maybe You wouldn't) They have staff that brief them on "facts".

[Lady's Human]

It wouldn't amaze me in the least.

I sincerely doubt that many sitting congressional representatives read much, if any of the legislation that they vote on. I doubt that congressional staffs function much different from military staffs.

If they were required to read the bills they write, they wouldn't have time to vote on anything other than the budgets.

[RICHARD]

It wouldn't amaze me in the least.

I sincerely doubt that many sitting congressional representatives read much, if any of the legislation that they vote on.

Do they at least look at the pictures?

[blue]

Do they at least look at the pictures?

They get issued pop up books.

[Puckstop31]

As I said before, Medicare didn’t happen over night – why should this plan?

What does your gut tell you? What does it say to you when politicians are screaming "hurry, hurry!", before they even know what is in the bill... OR at least are willing to SAY that they know what is really in the bill.

The CBO has been clear on what it means if this bill becomes law.

[cassiesmom]

What does your gut tell you? What does it say to you when politicians are screaming "hurry, hurry!", before they even know what is in the bill... OR at least are willing to SAY that they know what is really in the bill.

The CBO has been clear on what it means if this bill becomes law.

It tells me that a bill thrown together quickly probably won't offer the best possible solution. I can't imagine that the August deadline will be met because there are so many stakeholders - doctors, hospitals, insurers, patient advocacy groups. I bet the AMA and the American Hospital Association have powerful lobbyists and I know the insurance industry does! Changing health care in America is a tough question.