HCCD Report Minnesota 56586

Health Care Community Discussion Group Submission

Summery of Responses from Discussion Questions;

#1; What does the group perceive as the biggest problem in health care?
We need a Peoples Plan for Health Care similar to what our elected officials get when they get elected onto office. Cost of Medical Care Outrageous Emotional Expense People are held captive in jobs they don’t like just for the health insurance and we as a nation loose the wealth of creativity and joy in work as a result. It is not fair to Employers that employees are dependent on them for health care. Health Care is bankrupting employers consequently they are finding ways to get out of providing health care. We need to reduce costs!! Lack of focus on prevention Lack of personal responsibility for maintaining personal health Inequality of access both in regard to quality and due to Financial Limitation, in MN the middle class has the largest burden. Overuse of Emergency Room services sue to lack of health care coverage.

#2; How do attendees choose a doctor or hospital?
Local insurance provider, what’s available, & word of mouth.

#2, part 2, Where do attendees get information in making that decision?
Friends & neighbors, internet, #2, part 2; How should public policy promote quality health care providers? Educate the public about personal responsibility and prevention, Include Alternative healing methods; naturopaths, chiropractors, homeopathy & acupuncture.

#3; Have attendees or their family members experienced difficulty paying medical bills?
While we all ‘manage’ to pay our medical bills it has meant that All attendees have had to forgo enriching life experiences ie; family vacations, college education, home improvement etc… to cover health costs. The gaps between insurance co-pays and the cost of medical care are too big and the consumer ends up picking up the bill.

# 3, part 2; How can policy makers address this problem?
Implement protocols for coverage under the Peoples Health Care Plan Provide a ‘floor’ of basic coverage Cover the main bulk of health care Define electives that would be covered by the individual Shared Responsibility by paying TAXES Insurance Co’s have Drastically Increased Costs, GET RID OF THEM!!! Market force incentives on quality of care and reduced costs to the system

#4 ; In addition to employer-based coverage, would the group like the option to purchase a private plan through a an insurance-exchange or a public plan like Medicare?
GET RID OF EMPLOYER BASED COVERAGE!!! We prefer a Public Plan like Medicare or Veterans Administration or the Federal Employee’s health coverage.

#5; Do attendees know how much they or their employers pay for health insurance?
Sure, each policy costs X, we know exactly how much it costs our employers and ourselves. However we acknowledge that there are a lot of people whop do not have a clue what their health care costs their employer.

#5, part 2; What should employers roles be in a reformed health care system?
Promote prevention Provide flex time for caring for family health concerns On site health care fitness options Provide healthy work environment Provide ergonomic work stations Provide GENEROUS FAMILY LEAVE OPTIONS.

#6; Were attendees familiar with the types of preventative services Americans should receive?
Yes, for prevention

#6, part 2; Had attendees gotten the recommended prevention?
Most had but some could not afford the cost of these preventative measures

#6, part 3; if not, how can public policy help?
All preventative measures should be FREE! Provide preventative education in schools, jobs and in the public media.

#7; How can public policy promote healthier lifestyles?
Education starting with early childhood education programs and continuing throughout life. Use the bully pulpit Stop subsidizing Agri-business that is killing us. Subsidize sustainable farming practices Encourage local and healthy diets

A TRAGIC MEDICAL ERROR
A distant relative had a heart attack, “died” and was revived being transported to the hospital. A catheter was put into his leg. Unfortunately it was inserted into his artery rather than a vein. He lay in emergency for about 5 hours with no further checks being done. Moved to critical care, it was discovered the leg was dead. Even with his critical heart condition, it was decided to remove the leg at the thigh. When that didn’t work they removed the stump. That also failing they removed the hip joint. He has now been in the hospital 4 months and still is not healing properly. The result so far: His life is drastically changed with the possibility even a prosthesis might not work. His family (they have a young boy) will lose their home. And, since their insurance won’t cover a specialized rehab recommended by his doctor, he will be placed in a nursing home. And, this is not to mention the drastic difference in medical cost as compared with having done the procedure correctly.

Answers to questions:

Biggest problem is for everyone to afford health care. Problems I had were getting coverage for things, REALLY expensive meds, working with the system.

Attendees choose by who is in their network and then by who is good within that network. The place where I have gotten information is from people I know, so word of mouth. As far as preventative care, I have paid for all of my own and have chosen practitioners by what I've heard word of mouth or from another practitioner or client. I also choose preventive care givers by who offers lots of options for care. Public policy should absolutely support more preventive care options.

My family has definitely had trouble paying bills--A benefit was organized for my son. I have paid out of pocket medical bills for my kids almost non-stop for the last 10 years because of holes in coverage or inability of family members to have health insurance. For the first time in my life both my kids and myself have health insurance; both of them through employers and I pay for my own which is over $600 a month and I hardly ever use it cuz I pay out of pocket for Natural Healing Options.

Yes, I would like choices such as Medicare with options to beef up the care with private plans. I cannot imagine most employers my size being able to provide healthcare to their employees. I would not be in business if I had to the way things are set up now. It would be possible to have a plan that pays a small amount toward employees health insurance but then the plan might prevent employees from getting a better plan such as Minnesota Care.

I know approximately what I pay for healthcare a month. I have it withdrawn from my checking so I don't see the bill each month.

I believe the kind of care a person receives should be up to them so that they could choose natural preventive care and be covered for that as well. That is how public policy could prevent healthier lifestyles. There are endless preventive care options but the majority of American people do not know about them. Education in preventive care and healthy lifestyles should be provided

A.) Lack of affordability to pay for the insurance, or because insurance has gotten so expensive --they do without, or try to get medical help through welfare!
B.) Word of mouth or seeing commercials on television!
C.) A lot of times --even when paying monthly payments --the bills end up going to a collection agency!
D.) Even with employer based insurance -some people are letting it go due to rising costs of premiums, and trying through Medicare!
E.) Most people know what they pay for their work covered insurance by it being on their paycheck stubs, but not what the employer pays! Getting the premiums down some, so that instead of like a $400/$500 deductible, more like a $200 deductible, as premiums are going 2/3 times more then the employee's wages!
F.)No, the people up here aren't aware of any preventive services, and having doctors being aware of preventive service and be willing to discuss it with patients!
G.) Have doctors with smaller case loads be willing to work with patients and be willing to listen to patients!

Open discussion on health, as encouraged by President elect Obama,

I am a Naturopathic Doctor (ND), licensed in the state of Arizona. I work as a telephonic Lifestyle Management Coach for a corporation that provides this service to a variety of corporations across the US.

As an example of what I do, yesterday I talked with a woman who thought she was doing everything right, but was still in poor health. She was getting regular exercise, and eating wholesome foods. The conversation could have ended there, since diet and exercise are the main focus of corporate lifestyle management programs. But, having talked with hundreds of people, I have found that a healthy circadian rhythm is the most significant cornerstone of health. So I always ask people how they are sleeping. That question is often the key that unlocks a more complete picture of their health. I have noticed a strong correlation between poor sleep quality and the inability of people to manage their weight. Weight problems are associated with blood sugar and cholesterol problems, which of course leads to diabetes, heart disease, and a host of other complications.

So I am motivated to explore sleep issues. I'll ask:
When do you go to bed? When do you wake up? Do you feel refreshed and have energy when you wake up most mornings, or do you need to kick start yourself with caffeine? How much caffeine do you consume? Is your mind overactive/overstimulated at night? What do you do in the couple of hours before bed? Do you sleep in a dark cool room? If you wake up in the middle of the night, why? When did the sleep problems start? What else was going on in your life at that time?

Then I tell them that a healthy circadian rhythm looks like this: You regularly go to bed at about 10pm. You have no trouble going to sleep and staying asleep. You sleep in a dark cool room. If you wake up to use the bathroom, you have low level lighting to safely get to the bathroom and back. Then you go right back to sleep. You wake up naturally at about 6 am, feeling great, mentally alert and eager to start your day.

This pattern supports our ability to create an optimal hormonal rhythm: peak production of melatonin between 10pm and 2am, peak production of cortisol and growth hormone between 4am and 6 am. The melatonin surge is a significant and powerful natural antioxidant in the body, so the body should ideally be optimizing it's healing potential while we sleep, enhancing our immune system. Then, the surge of growth hormone helps keep the aging process in check. The surge of cortisol gives us a boost of energy to start our day. Cortisol levels should then gradually diminish throughout the day, with the lowest levels in the early part of the night That way we can get to sleep on time and start producing our nightly dose of melatonin again.

When we compromise this cycle, we suffer from the following conditions: sleeplessness, accelerated aging, compromised immune systems, chronic stress, adrenal fatigue, low energy....the list could go on and on.

Corporations and other employers are spending billions on the health care of their employees. Governments are spending billions on the health of citizens. Families are suffering with the burden of health care costs for their loved ones. There is an inexpensive, simple way to reduce these costs, and it can benefit everyone: STOP everything except essential services from midnight to 5 am. The savings in money and health would be phenomenal and profound.

There will be many people that say that this policy would trample on their rights. What I would say to them is this: is it fair to expect family members or the government to take care of you when you can no longer take care of yourself, if you have refused to take even this basic step to take care of your own health? Is it fair that many people's lives are ruined by sleepy drivers, which is estimated to equal that of drunk drivers? My 18 year old cousin was killed at 8 am by driver who had just finished the night shift at a factory.

Someone once suggested that our culture is in its adolescence. Perhaps it is time we become responsible adults, and say no to a cultural attitude that supports a rebellious adolescent mindset that wants to eat junk food and stay up all night in spite of the tremendous repercussions on health.