I stand for real health care reform
To members of the U.S. House and Senate,
As medical professionals, we see patients struggling every day with the rapidly rising cost of health care. We see patients unable to get the care they need because they can't afford their premiums. We see patients who need medical attention denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. We see families living in fear of losing their coverage if they get laid off from work.
These problems are getting worse, not better. They are preventing us from administering the kind of care we were trained to provide and that all patients deserve.
As medical professionals, we are asking you to support a strong public health insurance option in health care reform this year. We believe a public health insurance plan will help guarantee quality, affordable health care for everyone and be a major step in improving our health care system for patients and doctors.
Our patients need a “R.E.A.L.” public health insurance option that meets the following key criteria:
Right away: Every day we wait on real reform, health care costs continue to rise. A strong public health insurance option right out of the gate is key. Proposals that would delay implementation for years—like the so-called “trigger”—would undermine the public option’s potential to help control costs and provide widespread care.
Everyone: A strong public health insurance option should be widely available and a core piece of an overall reform plan that will help guarantee access to quality health care for everyone in America.
Accountable: To ensure it's held to the highest standards of accountability, a public health insurance option must be publicly accountable and transparent to Congress and to voters.
Large enough to lower costs: In order to truly control costs, a public health insurance option must be available nationwide with a broad network of providers so that it is competitive and able to bargain on a level playing field with private plans.
Proposals lacking these elements—like plans for small, regional, private “co-ops”—are not adequate substitutes.
Our patients cannot afford to wait any longer for the care they need. As medical professionals, we strongly urge Congress to give Americans the choice of a real public health insurance plan —one that will help ensure all patients can get the high quality, affordable health care they deserve.
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13 comments:
Tort reform would cut the astronomical malpractice policies that all doctors and hospitals must carry. Not to mention the legal fees and judgments. ALL of these costs are passed on to the consumer.
Private policies we citizens own like car or home insurance would allow us to shop around for the policies we want. Competition is good. It means better products at lower costs for all of us.
Too many people think that their employers "provide" healthcare to them. This is nonsense. Labor cost is labor cost, whether it is in the benefits or salary. It all rolls up to one "fully burdened" number. Workers think they are entitled to "free" healthcare and they don't think twice about services and benefits that are included - after all - they are FREE. . . right?
Cindy, I commend you. Too bad people like sean don't get it. sad
There's that DESERVE word again. Why do some people feel that it is their God given right to have everything they want, and absolutely must have it because they deserve it. Everyone deserves to own a home.. everyone deserves a new computer.. everyone deserves free health care.. everyone deserves everything and anything they want because.. well.. because they deserve it.
Pat, nice post, but something struck me when I read it. No, you won't like it.
Why don't you and your colleges supply the health care needed? You talk about turning people away when you can help them, but have made a conscious decision not to. Is that compassionate? You and your colleges have the resources necessarily, yet you turn sick people away, to possible die. That makes no sense to me. Medical field is one of the largest paid industries in America. Medical professionals can afford to give free assistance to 12% of the population, but instead drive nice cars and have big houses.
Fix your own problems first, before you come after me and what I can't afford (like you can).
Sean, I have a post earlier about how President Obama took tort reform off the table. He is a lawyer and will not take that income out of the picture. Lawyers make billions of dollars off lawsuits where the plaintiff only gets pennies.
I think that there are too many frivolous lawsuits. I could have sued the emergency room, emergency room doctor, Work Comp insurance along with a whole slew of other peoples, but I do not believe that they misread the exray's of my back out of malice. I lived 9 months with a broken back before a specialist found the bread in the original emergency room exray's. I live in pain now because for 9 months the vertebrae that was split horizontally was moving around and caused the vertebrae above it to tilt back, putting strain on my nerves, damaging them permanently.
My dad Paul taught me more than he will ever know about "fairness".
I guess most of you didn't know that part of my back story. I know you think it is Karma that has me in pain. No, it was just a simple mistake. If I got sued for every mistake I made, I would be a poor man.
Dave, I was waiting for the right time to add what you said.
Do we supply every American with auto insurance, medical marijuana, computers, houses, cars, gasoline/diesel, electricity, etc...............?????
What is the end to the socialism?
Strange how it is the medical profession that has caused the problem, and now they will do nothing but ask the government to give them more money. Nothing to do with patient care, just money. Send enough patients away to die, and maybe the government will do something.
You are turning away people to die, in you own words.
Hey drl. That was my sisters post. Get it straight dude. (wish I had her paycheck though) hee hee
DRL, in my experience most people in the medical profession are caring, compassionate people who aren't just in it for the money...if that was the case, no one would do the job..it's just too stressful. I have 5 years of college and 30 years of experience and earn every penny I make. If we just took care of everyone for free we would all be out of jobs and hospitals would close (many already have..too expensive to stay in business). The health care system I work for is not-for-profit but we still need to make money to buy equipment, supplies, remodel and pay good salaries to attract the best doctors and other staff.
Do the quoted healthcare spending figures include the research and development and innovation? It costs money to innovate. It costs money to bring a new drug to market under FDA rules. Other countries don't have this cost because they are leaning on us.
When we are socialized, where will this innovation come from?
Pat, you are right. My mistake by name. You know by how I wrote it, it was to Cindy.
Cindy, you just made my point. I was saying that instead of turning them away, you and those in your profession could treat the 12% of Americans for free. You have the means to take care of the uninsured, I don't. Your response though is, why should you lose your hard earned money, when there are taxpayer you can take the money from. I love that your education and job experience is of greater value than mine. You are not going to give freely what can be taken from me. If you really cared, you would take care of the needy. You don't care, you won't take a loss, you are an elite citizen and I am not.
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