Health Care Reform effective 2014

November 26, 2010

By Padmini Arhant

In the health care reform, the ramifications are currently experienced by a vast majority dealing with the health insurance industry detrimental policies on premium hikes and care denial, if not delaying treatment on preventable and serious illnesses.

The health care victims’ anguish cannot be ignored and expecting them to endure the health industry unfair practices for another three years is harsh and already affecting many patients’ lives.

As discussed in the July 10, 2010 post titled “Health Insurance Industry Policy between 2010-2014 – Impact on the Average American Life,” published on this site – the American plight is elevated rather than alleviated in the present environment and,

Beyond 2014 the health insurance industry with a large client base through mandatory insurance are yet to demonstrate that quality health care at competitive costs will be available to all regardless.

The BigPharma deal on prescription drugs and general medications having direct impact on senior citizens and chronically ill patients share similar conundrum with others in the health industry.

These are critical concerns among the suffering individuals and families that need to be addressed effectively by the authorities behind the health care reform and more importantly the health industry – the real beneficiary in the immediate and long run.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Health | Leave a Comment 

Mobilize America on Health Care Reform

July 26, 2009

By Padmini Arhant

Given the partisanship in Washington, the special interests and their representatives in the legislature along with the repugnant network, are emboldened more than ever to kill the health care reform simply because they are deluded in their employment security with a premium health care and a handsome reward from the industries hiring them to stomp the process.

This whole hysteria about the government incapable of handling anything right is nothing but a calculated propaganda by the health care conglomerate reluctant to part with the thriving profiteering racket within the industry.

Who is actually responsible for the current economic mess, worsening unemployment, environmental deterioration and fluctuating energy crisis?

It’s none other than the Corporations running the world empire from the financial markets, health care, energy down to the government. The Corporations through enormous funding into election campaigns and beyond successfully force their agenda by proxy in the legislation as currently witnessed in the health care, energy and financial debacle.

A classic example is the ominous California budget – deal struck between the recalcitrant Republican authorities comprising the Governor, the minority group and the special interests at the expense of the nation’s future i.e. everything to do with children from their health, human services to education and the environment.

The rumor on the rising lack of confidence among the American public towards the government performance is due for a truthful and candid explanation to demystify the myth created by the oligarchs.

The handling of Iraq war, Katrina, financial crisis and the gamut of catastrophes in the past eight years referred to as the ‘government’ failure in the present debate targeting the health care legislation
.
ALTHOUGH, THE OPERATIONS SEEMINGLY RUN BY THE GOVERNMENT IN THE PAST EIGHT YEARS, IT’S A WELL KNOWN FACT THAT THE BUSH-CHENEY GOVERNMENT WAS NEVER DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED DURING BOTH TERMS.

IT WAS ESSENTIALLY A CHENEY’S ‘HALLIBURTON’, THE ENERGY CARTELS – EXXON MOBIL, CHEVRON DOMINATED, AND THE CREAM OF THE CROP – HENRY PAULSON’S ALMA MATER GOLDMAN SACHS AND SUBORDINATES IN THE WALL STREET MANAGED À LA CARTE ADMINISTRATION.

During the first term, in the 2000 elections the Supreme Court, the highest Court in the land returning its favor to the political faction by nominating their preferred candidate to the highest office in the land. Never mind about the popular vote and other legitimate factors in a democracy.

In the second term, the pre-meditated premise to invade Iraq besides the precisely calibrated nation unable to reject a wartime President despite the scandals and looming economic crisis camouflaged with color coded national security threat tactics, notwithstanding the deliberate malfunctioning of the electronic voting machines was symbolic in the ‘so-called’ democratic election.

Ironically, the nation particularly the privileged lawmakers with some of them having direct access to the classified information abdicated their constitutional oath to defend the sovereignty from peril, instead followed the historically deceitful administration in droves and completely swept off their feet in the ‘weapons of mass deception’ moment. They not only supported the President George W. Bush leading the nation literally to the Death Valley but also rallied behind the propaganda war machines in the media.

Perhaps, if there were any consideration then for the impact on the national deficit and the long-term economic turmoil, their constituents as the citizens of the United States would not be at the mercy of the corporate power pulling strings on the puppet legislators.

However, now when there is a real opportunity for the people to lead the governance of the nation in the most important issue of health care concerning their own life and the loved ones, the polarization on both sides of the political aisles is not surprising.

If the issue is all about costs then the legislators must earnestly review the prevailing costs driven predominantly by the health industry’s greed in the disproportionate profits draining the economy by the hour, not to mention the precious lives lost due to the partisan procrastination.

As for the Conservative Democrats, aka the blue dog members stalling the issue based on lower payments for the medical providers in the rural communities, the solution would be to set a fair standard with equal pay for all in the medical community to incentivize medical professionals outreaching the poorly served remote country areas.

This might give another reason for the opponents to distract the legislative course as further increase on the costs; again, the reallocation of the existing redundant costs would effectively address the genuine requirement.

Most legislative matters from the stimulus bills to various legislations are subject to unnecessary gridlock by the opponents on the pretext of the ‘volume’ of the information in the bill. It would save time and resources for the democratic majority and the White House administration to concise the enormity of these bills with clear and specific data relevant to all.

For instance, since utilizing technology to the maximum potential is one of the highlights of this reform, demonstrating the historic legislation with facts and figures to the public and the concerned parties would be authentic. The contemporary health care costs featured on –

The National Coalition on Health Care – NCHC Cost Fact Sheet 2009,

Source: http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml is a yardstick for trimming and improvising the macro health care budget.

The presentation must involve categories and important details such as:

What are the deductibles and co-payments under public option?

Is there any variation in costs with respect to the visit to a doctor’s office and the hospital?

Having multiple tiers in the coverage would be beneficial to both the public option plan and the consumers. The healthy population with no health insurance as a result of the current exorbitant insurance cost might be better off with at least a basic coverage for emergencies. Similarly, enabling the population with pre-existing illnesses subscribe to the appropriate insurance coverage and others depending on the personal medical history and conditions purchase the desirable and affordable coverage under public option.

Human Genomics science will enormously aid in this regard.

Certain procedures and treatments are available in private clinics and medical centers. Will the public option cover patients using those facilities for convenience and easy access, if the medical expenses are comparable – being less or equal?

Does the public option parallel with the private sector in the mandatory referrals from the primary care providers and the hierarchy for hospital treatments and procedures?

Or

Public option simplified with the hospital administration electronically verifying and billing the government by eliminating the intermediaries.

Under the exclusively private enterprise health care system, mothers and their new born babies after child birth are regularly forced out of the hospitals within twenty four to forty eight hours only to be readmitted for any complications arising from haste delivery. Thus costing everyone involved more and generating profit for the hospital industry, while the liability transferred on to the ‘supposedly’ safe and satisfied healthy insured clients by the insurance industry.

Relating to a personal experience, despite possessing the best/expensive insurance coverage during childbirth in the United States with one child born in the U.S. under the private health care system, when compared with the similar experience in the public-private medicine in Australia for another childbirth made a world of difference.

In both situations, the problems were identical with the babies developing neonatal jaundice, a common occurrence yet in the U.S.; it involved readmission in the hospital and boarding for the mother to facilitate nursing the baby undergoing treatment for the illness. By contrast, in Australia, the mother and child monitored until complete recovery and were able to deal with the same problem during that course costing less and simultaneously avoiding other health issues.

Does public option cover all aspects of health problems in the realm of modern medicine?

How much will it cost the average citizen and the insurer i.e. the government for the basic coverage?

Laying out the costs for the different tiers and categories from the pediatric to geriatric care would clarify the doubts and skepticism in the public mind. In addition, the Medicare and Medicaid situation needs elaboration under the new plan.

What the healthy insured do not realize with the status quo is, the unreasonable premiums to the insurance industry through employer-employee contributions, and above all the excess costs incurred on others with serious medical issues distributed across the board by default. The insurance industry constantly penalizes the healthy and under-utilized insurance holders by relieving itself from the financial burden created by their own profit-oriented policy.

Other matter related to the pre-existing illnesses and unaffordability is costing the county hospitals tremendously and ultimately paid by the taxpayers rather than the system with a universal coverage.

No matter how hard the opponents try to masquerade the national health care crisis under the free enterprise management, the overwhelming truth is the health care in the United States is in shambles and need urgent overhauling with respect to quality, choice and costs as urged by the President Barack Obama.

The U.S. economy cannot sustain the burgeoning health care costs and allow the health care industry continue with the ‘business as usual’ philosophy that is increasingly becoming a personal health and financial nightmare for every American.

If all fails in light of the numerous accounts and sufferings shared by the millions of citizens, it’s time for every unemployed and underemployed American to consider running for the public office in 2010 elections and remove the stalemate contributors in the state capitols and Washington from the path towards national progress and prosperity.

The uninsured and unemployed citizens as the future office bearers must note that seeking a position in the public office not only assures a job security but also comes with the best health coverage that they are being deprived of now.

Only a political challenge can bring about the real change to the system contaminated by the deadly carcinogens called the special interests.

Please mobilize America by calling the public office holders representing every constituent to honor the oath and safeguard the interests of the people entrusting power to them in a democracy and not the lobbyists financing their campaigns.

The health care reform is a life and death matter. It’s like a wildfire that would burn down the common habitat regardless of its origin.

So, please act immediately for your own survival and rescue your loved ones from the tyranny of
profit seeking multinational free market.

Change is real when it happens from the bottom up rather than the top bottom.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

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Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Health | Leave a Comment