HCCD Report MASSACHUSETTS 02446

Our Health Care Group spent two hours discussing important health care topics. We agreed unanimously that we absolutely need universal single payer health care paid through federal taxes. The current system is much more costly than a single payer system, leaves too many people without insurance, and even those with insurance often have inadequate coverage. Studies have shown that in our current system 18-36% of the costs are eaten up by administrative bureaucracy and paperwork. This is a huge waste of money.

Every person living in this country should have access to many types of medical services including visual, dental, hearing, and mental health. Without these services, we cannot emphasize preventive health care and prevent serious medical problems. Also, we need to provide coordinated services to help alleviate drug addiction, depression, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. Hospitals need teams to collaborate in designing best practices for comprehensive individual patient care.

There are many additional problems with our current system. Health insurance should NOT be tied to employment. Employers do not have a logical or operational reason from having their businesses tied to health care of their employees. Health care tied to employers does not help businesses trying to make profits and it does not help the employees who may want to look for better jobs or who have lost their jobs.

Also, due to the current health care system, many of the members of our group have had serious difficulty when we have traveled. One of us was injured in a bicycle accident and could no longer access her second floor apartment because she was in a wheelchair. She flew to Florida to stay in her mother’s first floor apartment. She needed to be followed-up by an orthopedic surgeon after her surgery as well as intensive physical and occupational therapy. Her HMO from Massachusetts would not pay these medical expenses because she was no longer in her HMO limited geographic area. Having coverage only in a limited geographic area forces people into serious financial hardship. Inability to pay medical bill is one of the most common causes of bankruptcy in this country.

In addition, many health insurance companies won’t pay for patients to have second opinions in determining the best procedure for their medical condition. This practice short-circuits careful and thoughtful discussion of options and may lead to inappropriate, ineffective, or in some cases harmful procedures. It is important to give the patient the opportunity to have a second opinion because doctors are fallible and don’t know all the answers.

People don’t have health insurance for a variety of reasons. Some are refused insurance due to preexisting conditions, others just cannot afford the cost. Those without insurance often delay getting medical attention and then rely on emergency room care after their conditions have become quite serious or severe. I know a man who was paying $22,000 for medical insurance for his family. He couldn’t continue the payments and so he had serious medical bills when he had to drop his family’s medical insurance. This is unacceptable. All people in the United States need to be provided with access to comprehensive health care, including preventive health care. It is far better and less expensive in the long run to work on prevention and encourage yearly check-ups.

In designing a new health care system, it is important to include integrative medical care as well as access to alternative therapies. The pharmaceutical industry should not be allowed to use gifts and other financial incentives to influence doctors to use their products. There also must be full disclosure of sponsors of research.

To quote President-elect Obama, “The health care system gets in the way of doctors ability to use sound medical judgment. Emphasis on prevention will bring a reduction of medical errors and mal practice claims and make practice of medicine rewarding again.”

We need universal single payer health care that will provide quality, consistent, comprehensive, and coordinated care to all of our people no matter where they live or work in our country.