E-Party HEALTHCARE ANSWERS FOR OBAMA's TRANSITION TEAM! Must be done by 12/31
Highlights of our concerns pulled from past discussions. (Seems, in review, that we were more focused prior to election – with planks and points and purpose…btw).
Concerns:
1. Insurance companies are making money at the expense of American’s health.
They made 5 times the profit of oil companies last year.
• - CEO’s are making in excess of $20 million a year while denying coverage to those who need it. Insurance companies are fully responsible for the mess that we are in and are doing nothing to help but only to compound the issues and lying to the policyholders because they know we “have to have insurance” – controlling EVEN the amount that doctor’s are allowed to charge self-pay patients by saying they can’t offer discounts less than the discount given to them in network savings.
• Insurance companies are increasing their pressure to control what services a patient receives – taking over the decision making process (away from the patient and physician) by frequently denying services and medicines.
• Pharmacuetical companies have inflated the costs of drugs to Americans while discounting them to other countries all under the guise of research. This has to stop. Fair payment is fair payment for all.
• Premiums and co-payments go up every year while at the same time payments (reimbursements) to physicians and facilities go DOWN every year. The “charge” amount by facilities and physicians are not real as insurance and Medicare determine beforehand what each service is worth so facilities and physicians have no control over the “COST” of healthcare. For example – an office visit cost $65, ins says it’s worth 36, patient pays $25 co-payment, insurance only pays $11. But tell the patient “costs are up?”
• Premiums should be more like auto insurance – with positive and negative effects based on personal responsibility. You smoke – it goes up, morbidly obese – it goes up, treated for suicide, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, etc – up. As with insurance – somethings should cause you to be denied regular insurance and pay higher rates. Drunk driving – you have to sign up for high risk insurance , so consequently –drug abuse, suicide ? should be treated the same way.
• Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should any illegal citizens be allowed coverage. Illegals who show up for medical care – can receive up but INS must then be responsible for deporting them so they cannot continue to be a drain on the system without paying into it.
• Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should retired or disabled military pay anything for healthcare.
• Tort Reform: Malpractice insurance goes up EVERY YEAR – thanks to suit happy lawyers and patients who think they can sue any and everybody for any stupid reason with no personal accountability. I.e. – suing a physician because you develop complication during a procedure which was a direct result of you being at risk because of your poor choices in life – smoking, drinking, obesity, not taking care of risk factors, and general non-compliance with your own healthcare.
Universal Healthcare – Majority are against any system that limits quality of care and access to quality physicians. There were some very good arguments for a ‘variation’ of Universal Healthcare that included accountability, tort reform, and called for REASONABLE premiums that even the poor could afford.
Another idea was the tax (cost of insurance) to be built into a national sales tax so that everyone pays into it.
So here is the best summary I can come up with for our E-Party Universal Healthcare:
1. Healthcare is offered and available to EVERYONE.
2. Management of Healthcare – is NON-PROFIT!
3. Payment to the physicians will be fee based on a schedule similar to the fee
schedule currently used by commercial insurance but higher than medicare as the
current medicare fee schedule won’t even pay for a physician’s overhead. We
DEMAND a great deal from the people we trust with our lives – they should be
reasonably compensated for the hours of training and hours on call, as well as
overhead expenses to provide care.
4. Physicians MUST be RECREDENTIAL – or REQUALIFY no less often than
every three years and ACCOUNTABILITY must be by peers and Medical Board
– NOT HOT SHOT LAWYERS AND LAWSUITS!
5. We do NOT WANT THIRD WORLD MEDICINE – with restricted access to
necessary care such as annual mammograms, diagnostic testing, etc.
6. Paying for it:
A REASONABLE portion funded through sales tax.
The rest should be PREMIUM paid based upon a percentage of income (can be
obtained through yearly tax statements)
7. PENALTIES (increases) in premiums should be added when EXCESSIVE
personal abuse is documented. I.E. – suicide, drug or alcohol abuse, fraud or
misuse of the system (such as obtaining p*********** drugs only to sell them on
the street), MORBID CONTINUOUS obesity NOT directly related to a
diagnosed issue (such as thyroid or hormones issues).
8. No COSMETIC SURGERY will be paid unless it is reconstruction for injury or illness related amputation.
9. Disabled and Retired Military personnel should NOT be subject to the tax (they can present a card as business and non-profits do at the time of
purchase) and are exempt from Premiums.
10. We expect WHATEVER healthcare is offered that our CONGRESSMAN AND SENATORS AND PRESIDENT – have the SAME THING! No more special golden packages. THEY MUST LIVE WITH THE LAWS THEY MAKE!
11. LONG TERM NURSING HOME CARE – This was not discussed much
– so I’m throwing this out there for you to feed on: -
Qualification for nursing care should be broken into three categories based on the ability to recover.
Long Term care with rehab designed to get the patient back home.
Hospice care in the home (theirs or their childrens) for the terminally ill or
permanently disabled with DNR status. *Substantially less costly than nursing home care**.
Minimal ACCESS with STRICT guidelines – permanent facilities for indigent and homeless with no where else to go who are terminal or permanently disabled and UNABLE to do anything for themselves (such a severe stroke or brain damaged).
I believe FAMILY should be required to provide a home for hospice care if there is family! Hospice care can take much of the hands on daily burden away from the family members but the family can provide the roof and bed and food – at least!
OKAY - HAVE AT IT! Please make points specific to a particular # or issue. Remember we are looking for SPECIFIC PROBLEMS and SPECIFIC SOLUTIONS to present to our President!
Add, delete, amend....Go for it!
Concerns:
1. Insurance companies are making money at the expense of American’s health.
They made 5 times the profit of oil companies last year.
• - CEO’s are making in excess of $20 million a year while denying coverage to those who need it. Insurance companies are fully responsible for the mess that we are in and are doing nothing to help but only to compound the issues and lying to the policyholders because they know we “have to have insurance” – controlling EVEN the amount that doctor’s are allowed to charge self-pay patients by saying they can’t offer discounts less than the discount given to them in network savings.
• Insurance companies are increasing their pressure to control what services a patient receives – taking over the decision making process (away from the patient and physician) by frequently denying services and medicines.
• Pharmacuetical companies have inflated the costs of drugs to Americans while discounting them to other countries all under the guise of research. This has to stop. Fair payment is fair payment for all.
• Premiums and co-payments go up every year while at the same time payments (reimbursements) to physicians and facilities go DOWN every year. The “charge” amount by facilities and physicians are not real as insurance and Medicare determine beforehand what each service is worth so facilities and physicians have no control over the “COST” of healthcare. For example – an office visit cost $65, ins says it’s worth 36, patient pays $25 co-payment, insurance only pays $11. But tell the patient “costs are up?”
• Premiums should be more like auto insurance – with positive and negative effects based on personal responsibility. You smoke – it goes up, morbidly obese – it goes up, treated for suicide, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, etc – up. As with insurance – somethings should cause you to be denied regular insurance and pay higher rates. Drunk driving – you have to sign up for high risk insurance , so consequently –drug abuse, suicide ? should be treated the same way.
• Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should any illegal citizens be allowed coverage. Illegals who show up for medical care – can receive up but INS must then be responsible for deporting them so they cannot continue to be a drain on the system without paying into it.
• Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should retired or disabled military pay anything for healthcare.
• Tort Reform: Malpractice insurance goes up EVERY YEAR – thanks to suit happy lawyers and patients who think they can sue any and everybody for any stupid reason with no personal accountability. I.e. – suing a physician because you develop complication during a procedure which was a direct result of you being at risk because of your poor choices in life – smoking, drinking, obesity, not taking care of risk factors, and general non-compliance with your own healthcare.
Universal Healthcare – Majority are against any system that limits quality of care and access to quality physicians. There were some very good arguments for a ‘variation’ of Universal Healthcare that included accountability, tort reform, and called for REASONABLE premiums that even the poor could afford.
Another idea was the tax (cost of insurance) to be built into a national sales tax so that everyone pays into it.
So here is the best summary I can come up with for our E-Party Universal Healthcare:
1. Healthcare is offered and available to EVERYONE.
2. Management of Healthcare – is NON-PROFIT!
3. Payment to the physicians will be fee based on a schedule similar to the fee
schedule currently used by commercial insurance but higher than medicare as the
current medicare fee schedule won’t even pay for a physician’s overhead. We
DEMAND a great deal from the people we trust with our lives – they should be
reasonably compensated for the hours of training and hours on call, as well as
overhead expenses to provide care.
4. Physicians MUST be RECREDENTIAL – or REQUALIFY no less often than
every three years and ACCOUNTABILITY must be by peers and Medical Board
– NOT HOT SHOT LAWYERS AND LAWSUITS!
5. We do NOT WANT THIRD WORLD MEDICINE – with restricted access to
necessary care such as annual mammograms, diagnostic testing, etc.
6. Paying for it:
A REASONABLE portion funded through sales tax.
The rest should be PREMIUM paid based upon a percentage of income (can be
obtained through yearly tax statements)
7. PENALTIES (increases) in premiums should be added when EXCESSIVE
personal abuse is documented. I.E. – suicide, drug or alcohol abuse, fraud or
misuse of the system (such as obtaining p*********** drugs only to sell them on
the street), MORBID CONTINUOUS obesity NOT directly related to a
diagnosed issue (such as thyroid or hormones issues).
8. No COSMETIC SURGERY will be paid unless it is reconstruction for injury or illness related amputation.
9. Disabled and Retired Military personnel should NOT be subject to the tax (they can present a card as business and non-profits do at the time of
purchase) and are exempt from Premiums.
10. We expect WHATEVER healthcare is offered that our CONGRESSMAN AND SENATORS AND PRESIDENT – have the SAME THING! No more special golden packages. THEY MUST LIVE WITH THE LAWS THEY MAKE!
11. LONG TERM NURSING HOME CARE – This was not discussed much
– so I’m throwing this out there for you to feed on: -
Qualification for nursing care should be broken into three categories based on the ability to recover.
Long Term care with rehab designed to get the patient back home.
Hospice care in the home (theirs or their childrens) for the terminally ill or
permanently disabled with DNR status. *Substantially less costly than nursing home care**.
Minimal ACCESS with STRICT guidelines – permanent facilities for indigent and homeless with no where else to go who are terminal or permanently disabled and UNABLE to do anything for themselves (such a severe stroke or brain damaged).
I believe FAMILY should be required to provide a home for hospice care if there is family! Hospice care can take much of the hands on daily burden away from the family members but the family can provide the roof and bed and food – at least!
OKAY - HAVE AT IT! Please make points specific to a particular # or issue. Remember we are looking for SPECIFIC PROBLEMS and SPECIFIC SOLUTIONS to present to our President!
Add, delete, amend....Go for it!
Views: 0
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Steve at work on -
I will probably sound like a one note band but the solution to this problem, the shortage of medical personnel, is also immigration reform. We are careless about criminals and unskilled labor crossing our borders but if you are a foreign doctor or nurse wanting to come here legally it takes years and tons of paper.If we actually had control of our borders we might have time and room to accept the best and brightest from around the world along with the huddled masses.
Yea tort reform.
Notice the new name? I added a little so everyone will know it's me. -
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Permalink Reply by Bill Tucker on -
Steve @ work,
I didn't know who you were for sure till I went to your page, you were not your cantankerous self. ROFL
To your illegal immigration thing, I agree. I think it is easier for those in charge of such things to pay us lip service than to do their job. By the way when exactly did it become illegal of the Armed forces to act in a law enforcement capacity? It would seem to me that was the story of the old west or did all that just pertain to the west before statehood?
It is not just doctors and professionals that it takes allot of paperwork and time to enter legally, it is everyone. Which begs the question why if there is supposedly so much work that Americans won't do why is it so hard to get a work visa?
2010 -
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Permalink Reply by Steve at work on
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Hey bill:
I sent that reply out earlier, just after my meds had kicked in.
I'm not sure when it kicked in but it is called the posse comatatas (sp) act and it actually does prohibit using the military from acting as police except under certain circumstances. Post civil war era if I remember correctly.I may try to look it up later.
Their are no jobs that Americans will not do. They just will not do them for sub minimum wage. If a legal or an American can get $7 an hour to work at mcdonalds why would he or she work picking lettice in the hot sun for $2 an hour. We find all kinds of Americans to work in the hot sun in construstion etc.but they get paid a living wage. The whole arguement if a falsehood pushed off on us to justify letting them in by 1)companies that want them in for cheap labor 2) democrats that want their votes and 3)the organizations that exist to serve the needs of the hispanic community. Follow the money. If they actually got people here on work visas they would have to pay minimum wage plus benefits, they could not vote, and it would be time limited so no donations to the folks trying to keep you here.
I guess that is about all the reality that I can stand for now. -
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Permalink Reply by Bill Tucker on
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Steve,
You just reminded me about the posse comitatus (I had to look up the spelling), I did research that after I had a fight with a bottle of scotch (and lost) forgot all about. Thank you for reminding me.
You are so right about follow the money, while I was still building homes there was a fella that would bring 20 illegals out @ $80.00 a head per day and block an entire home, the job paid $4000 + in labor, since he was not paying workman's comp or paying taxes on them he was clearing around $2000 per day, a regular block crew is only about 6 men, 4 masons, and 2 laborers, and it would take them three days to do the same job. So this fella was in essence making $6000 instead of making $1100. Not hard to figure out is it. That's figuring $17.00 an hour for the masons, and $9.00 for the laborers plus workman's comp and tax contributions. To make matters worse the fella was also running 2 block crews and when we were all working he was blocking 8 to 10 homes per week, $16,000 to $20,000 versus $4800.
The thing that really makes it all that much worse is the company I was working for knew all about it, they didn't care because the fella making all the money was in fact properly licensed and insured, he got around "legallites" by treating his labor force as independent contractors. He also had two slab crews and did drive ways and sidewalks to boot. This creep was pulling in an easy $25,000 per week after expenses before taxes. In numbers that are easy to understand he was clearing in excess of a million a year.
2010 -
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Permalink Reply by Fred Mars on -
The Posse Comitatus Act is a United States federal law (18 U.S.C. § 1385) passed on June 16, 1878 after the end of Reconstruction, with the intention (in concert with the Insurrection Act of 1807) of substantially limiting the powers of the federal government to use the military for law enforcement. The Act prohibits most members of the federal uniformed services (the Army, Air Force, and State National Guard forces when such are called into federal service) from exercising nominally state law enforcement, police, or peace officer powers that maintain "law and order" on non-federal property (states and their counties and municipal divisions) in the former Confederate states.
The statute generally prohibits federal military personnel and units of the National Guard under federal authority from acting in a law enforcement capacity within the United States, except where expressly authorized by the Constitution or Congress. The Coast Guard is exempt from the Act.
Is this what you are talking about?
FM
The only reason some people get lost in thought is because its unfamiliar territory. -
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Permalink Reply by Bill Tucker on
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Fred,
Thank you for the refresher.
How is border security considered a law enforcement act on the state level?
Though I may be in unfamiliar territory because I am lost in thought, it would seem to me that states who share a border with a foriegn country would not be responsible for their own border security (not that any state is) because that border is also the border of our country and therefore "policing" and security of that border would be a direct responsiblity of the federal government and the Armed Forces. The name uniformed services equates soliders to with janitors.
2010 -
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Permalink Reply by Fred Mars on
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First before someone takes offense to my statement, I meant no disrespect to armed services, police or fire fighters, or the uniforms of those EMT folks that save lives daily. And while it may be the responsibility under some mandates that have been enacted since this nation was founded and expanded, if my backyard faced another nation's border with the US, I would be most vigilant for sure.
Those states that share the southern border and even those that are on the northern border, by their awareness and vigilance will be protecting themselves and their neighbors. If you noticed a stranger attempting entrance to your neighbor's home, would you say it is the responsibility of the local police or sheriff?
I'm speaking of a shift in how we think. I am talking about taking responsibility for one's own well being and not expecting the government should or could do more. If we were more caring and responsible, we would not be leaning on the government for so many things we should be responsible for ourselves.
This whole energy issue is the result of greedy people, taking advantage of the uninformed. But now, it has come to crisis point, and all bets are off. Are you going to continue to read all the data that has been analyzes (probably by "experts" paid by the oil and power industries) and come up with reason why we should approach this slowly and with caution, or are you going to say, "To hell with those greedy SOB's!" and really put effort into making America truly energy independent?
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain and keep buying into the spin, and we will all be working for mere sustenance. -
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Permalink Reply by Bill Tucker on
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Fred,
I doubt anyone would disagree with as far as the man behind the curtain, I for one have been preaching about the mess we are in now since I read Frank Herbert's "Dune" over thirty years ago. That said, of course the energy issue and the reason we have put off massive wide spread action towards averting global warming for twenty years is the direct responsiblity of the greedy people and their talking heads.
You showed your liberitarian colors well which if you are in tune with the core philosophy and I can understand that philosophy but in this case you are very wrong. Of course I would act if I saw someone breaking into my neighbors home, anyone who wouldn't is reprehensible.
It doesn't matter which border be it north or south local counties and municipalites simply have their hands full with what they are already tasked to do without trying to cover vasts areas with limited manpower and more limited resources. One Texas Army post is host to not one but two active combat divisons. Our Armed Forces are at present in 30 different countries around the world including European ones, I am not refering to Air Force bases but ground combat units. Why are we protecting the world's interest and not our own? The United States, even the name says it all we are united, part of the basic function of our federal government is not to provide for the peace and tranquility to the world but to provide for the common defense of the United States. That includes BORDER SECURITY. Local and state law enforcement can and should do what is possible to assit in that mission but it is first and foremost the responsiblity of the federal government, and the federal government is not doing it's job!
With all due respect to the individual agents of the border patrol our border patrol is a joke. They are so few and spread so far that MILLIONS cross the border in both directions undected every year.
To sum it up, this is not a shift in towards becoming more dependant on the federal government where we should first depend on our selves, it is one of the founding principles of our government and they are not doing their job. If we had the same amount of border patrol as we do the army of staffers and lobbyist in Washington there would not be a problem in the first place. Every illegal alien puts a drain on resources in some way, anyone who thinks I am going overboard on the subject needs to look at the big h*** in the Manhattan skyline.
If you would like I will be more than happy to debate the finer points but not until Friday. I wish you and yours and every one that reads this a very Merry Christmas.
2010 -
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Permalink Reply by Steve at work on
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Hey Fred;
Interesting discussion. I have a slightly different slant on the problem which I would like to share before I escape to Christmas.
Entering the country illegally is a federal law and state and local authorities have little authority other then turning the illegals over to ICE. ICE has little interest in deporting illegals that have not committed a serious crime and in some cases will not even come to pick them up. If they commit a serious crime then they have to be sent to state prison in most cases and will not be deported until they serve their sentence and have cost the taxpayers of that state a big pile of money. Border patrol tries to do a good job but there are so few of them and they are hamstrung by the legal profession and federal prosecutors. We all know about the two border patrol agents that went to prison for shooting at some illegal bringing in a van full of drugs.
I can not remember the name of the group but people went voluntarily to the southern border unarmed to watch for illegals crossing the border and to report them to the border patrol. Everyone from the president on down jumped all over them and they were called racist and God knows what else for trying to help just like you are suggesting. They made the mistake of pointing out the flaws in the system and asking that they be fixed. The federal authorities were embarrassed and unloaded on these people. Then the illegals lobby put their smear machine in high gear and preasured the authorities to force them to leave.
As far as the military goes. How about we bring back the Third Marine Division from Okinawa or where ever it might be. They could provide security for the fifteen or so combat engineer batalions that we have in the military while they built the fence. It would not be a military action as they would be doing construction but the marines would make sure they werenot bothered in any way.
Finally. On our southern border local law enforcement is shot at from the safety of Mexico by the drug and human traffic gangs that control the Mexican side. The criminals have heavy machine guns and rockets. Their plan is to intimadate the locals into leaving portions of the border open to them. The lightly armed police are outgunned and are not allowed to fire into Mexico. Do you really want our border to become like the border between Pakistan and Afganistan? At least we are now firing back into Pakistan which we could not do in the past and can not now do on our southern border. The Third Marines have the equipment and the ability to resolve this problem very shortly. We, and by that I mean the cowards and thieves that run our country, do not have the desire or the will to solve it. And there is the reason that we need a third party that is ready for real change not just cosmetic smoke and mirrors. -
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Permalink Reply by Fred Mars on
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So what you are saying is that people in Arizona and Texas are intimidated by the very government they elected? There is a big difference between our border and Afghanistan and Pakistan. This one is our country's and if someone on the other side shoots at me for doing what is right, I can promise that I will shoot back, and will have lots of support.
It's time that Americans start realizing that their government is not there to run our lives, it is there to serve our lives.
Merry Christmas -
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Permalink Reply by Steve at work on
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Hey Kelly;
Could you publish what you finally sent to the Transition Team? Did you hear anything back? -
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