The Past and Future of Healthcare

Part I:

            Health care has been a human issue since the beginning and an economical issue since medicine was developed and sold. Health care consists of helping people cope with diseases, injuries, and the economical costs of treatment. In the past, few centuries we have developed exceedingly advanced medicines and diverse lifestyles that provide long healthy lives for the people who can afford it. This is where the problem arises, where people cannot afford the expensive medicines, treatments, and doctor visits. People who cannot take the tremendous costs of insurance and medicine have to live with the risk of being sick or bankrupt. There are roughly fifty million Americans who lack insurance and many more who simply skip doctor appointments to save money. One variation of this is medical tourism, where people go as far as to travel to other countries for cheaper medicine or care. American citizen Julia Shay crossed over the Mexican border to receive cheap dental care for years for her dental problems. As the prices of medical care and insurance rise, lower income brackets resort to radical behaviors to eliminate excessive costs. (“The Health Care System Favors the Wealthy and Harms the Poor”) 

             I believe that health in America is an important issue because it affects tens of millions in the nation. An effective health care system adds to the overall healthiness, which also helps the economic wellbeing of a nation. We currently have highly developed and widespread health care as it is, which is ranked among the best of the world. However, millions pay outrageous prices for treatment because we do not have a universal health care system. The high prices stimulate more bankruptcies and significant financial losses for people in the lower economic levels. (“The Health Care System Favors the Wealthy and Harms the Poor”) Not only are the current system’s costs towering, but also revolve around the wrong motives, methods, and preferences of health care consumers. Insurance companies, hospitals, and medical research entities typically run health care as a profitable business rather than a service or a right. (“The U.S. Health care System”) Insurance coverage is almost a requirement when receiving treatment because prices are so oversized, so giving low-income citizens insurance has to be made easier. Health care reformation, as proposed by President Obama, has potential to improve the nations healthy living standards and overall economic burden for every citizen.

            In general, Americans look at health care’s negative sides are being expensive and unequally distributed. The positive side is that our health care system is one of the most advanced and well regulated in the world. Currently, people are focused on the controversial healthcare bill proposed by President Obama. Health care reform opinions are polarized around the two political parties. Republicans are typically against Obama’s plan for universal health care. Aside from individuals that singularly argue that the bill is socialist, there are other well-educated arguments against it. Republicans more concretely argue that a socialized health care system provides lower quality care because there is less competition, longer waiting periods, and other inefficiencies. Democrats, on the other hand, often argue that America is the last industrialized country that does not have universal health care. Other countries with similar health care plans pay for it with a fraction of their yearly cost. (“Does Universal Healthcare Work in Other Countries?”) Fundamentally, Democrats argue that everyone deserves the same quality of medical services. The public’s attitude is still polarized even after the bill’s passage in 2010.

            In the past, when democratic presidents were in power, bills intended to improve health care have been proposed. These attempts have been trampled by republicans and other opposition forces until the recent Obama administration. In his election campaign, Obama started to promote his own bill for universal health care for support, and continued to push the idea for the two years after he won office. Obama based his drafts of healthcare on Massachusetts, which is a state health care system. Democrats claim that the bill will make health care more affordable, hold insurers more accountable, and cover all Americans no matter their financial shortcomings, as reported by the White House’s website. (“Health Reform in Action”) No American President has been able to pass an entire universal health care law. Even though the bill was successfully passed, it still has a long path to go on before it is fully in place. The bill is in the process of being challenged by the courts for its constitutionality. As a result of the “individual mandate” that requires people to buy insurance, the entire law must be declared void.” (“Judge Rules Health Care is Unconstitutional”) The case is most likely going to go to the Supreme Courts in the future, where it’s fate will be decided. This will be a long process and much of the bill may already be passed at that time. (“Repealing Obamacare”)

Part II:

            Multiple democratic presidents have pushed for health care reform in the past. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Truman, Nixon, and Clinton were a few that sponsored health care. Even though there have been many presidents who wanted America to develop a universal system, Obama was the first to be successful. (“U.S. Presidents and Health Care Reform”) The President formulated the bill with Massachusetts’ statewide health care bill in mind. Governor Mitt Romney signed this revolutionary law in 2006. It required people to buy health insurance if they were out of a job. The law also granted health care to around 50,000 people who did not have enough money to buy insurance. In the past year, the law has faced significant rises in costs and is generally seen as unsuccessful. (“Massachusetts health care program, model for Obama’s reform, strains state budget”) Even though the bill is facing problems today, it paved the way for Obama. He based his original campaign on health care for all Americans and succeeded in March of 2010. (U.S. Presidents and Health Care Reform) http://www.suite101.com/content/us-presidents-and-healthcare-reform-a147138 The lengthy bill had trouble getting past the republican house, which vehemently attacked the bill and refused to pass it. The measure passed through the Senate by a vote of 220 to 215 and through the House by a vote of 219 to 212. (“Health Care Reform News”) Ever since its passage last year, health care has come under harsh criticism from republicans. In addition, the supreme court which deemed it unconstitutional because it violates individual mandate. In other words, the government is forcing people to buy a commercial product, insurance. Judge Hudson asserted at a hearing that the government was passing its federal power limits. Forcing someone to buy insurance was congruent with forcing people “to eat asparagus.” (“Health Care Reform News”) Whether or not the bill is deemed unconstitutional, there is bound to be continuing attacks on health care until it is at least revised.

            I have volunteered at Kaiser Permanente in Walnut Creek for the past three years for around four hours a week. Working at Kaiser gives me the opportunity to volunteer consistently every week where I can see the hospital environment first hand. This job includes helping people get around the hospital, discharging patients, managing the hospital gift shop, and assisting in other ways for customer service. My work at Kaiser is not just limited to knowing the hospital’s directions; I also get the chance to develop people skills and business skills, such as in the gift shop. I deal with many different types of people that come through the doors, which reflects the diversity of people who require medical care. Customer service plays a large part when dealing with stressed out patients or visitors. I have had experiences dealing with irritated patients that do not want to comply with the emergency fee. Patients are required to set up an appointment for minor injury, which is simply, an impromptu doctor visit for injuries that do not have immediate danger. Some people usually go to emergency to be safe and quick, but most people tend to rather wait because the emergency bill is not worth it for them. Even if people have insurance, which people are almost guaranteed to have if they live in this area (middle to upper class), people are still reluctant to have to pay exorbitant fees. When people do not have insurance, the idea of traveling to the emergency room is out of the picture. Hospitals receive most of their revenue from insurance companies. Hospitals act like businesses when looked at economically. Even though Kaiser Hospitals are all non-profit, this does not mean their treatments or medications are cheaper than any other hospital. Even as customer service and wealth increase such as around Kaiser Hospital in Walnut Creek, people still are reluctant to pay the high prices for medicine, doctor visits, and emergency care. The high prices of medical supplies affects all types of people, as I have seen in the past few years volunteering at Kaiser.

Part III:

            America’s complicated issue of health care has been changed significantly as Obama’s came into office. He took initiative to change health care for the better. The health care measure will take a decade until all of its components are fully adopted, even though it was successfully made into law. This process of adaptation is bound to stop because of the large population of the opposition. The republicans are determined to repeal the law before it is put into place. With the law being over one thousand pages and filled with confusing jargon, the majority of Americans do not understand the bill, which includes many politicians. There is much confusion and uncertainty about the bill, as shown by Fox News and AP polls. (“Poll: Americans Do Not Understand Health Law”) Even though the bill has good intentions, it needs serious revisions. I want there to be universal health care in this country without causing more problems than it solves. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world so we have to try to pass the next best thing. Having some, socialized aspects, could help balance out the costs and restore the budget with incoming revenue. Social programs such as the police force and public schools are success stories, so health care should be able to follow in the same footsteps. As long as the following administrations follow in Obama’s intentions of universal health, a bill should be passed in the future to grant everyone with insurance without seriously crippling the government’s budget.

            My service at Kaiser the past few years have taught me people skills, communication skills, leadership, professionalism in the workplace, and empathy for others in stressful situations. Having these qualities helped me understand that people treasure quality customer service, treatment, and affordability. I also realize why people are angry at large institutions and medical expenses. Becoming a shift leader almost a year ago also added to my growth. I teach new volunteers how to do the job and lead others throughout the day. The responsibility often puts me in situations I would rather not be in; such as being called to tell people where to go more often than regular volunteers. Even though I do not enjoy answering questions all the time, I can use these instances to understand people and to help them out the best I can. Through process of researching the topic of health care, I have learned how revolutionary universal health care is for America. I also understand the extraordinary amount of work Obama and his administration put in. Even though I do not agree with the bill, I respect the amount of hard work went into it. Health care is a convoluted and costly problem in America. I believe that the recent measures will not solve every problem, but are steps in the right direction. Though the bill has yet to be put into place, health care has increasing potential to improve America’s wellbeing next few decades.

Backroom Deals

I recently watched a documentary on Obama's health care bill in government class. I can not remember the name for the life of me, but I do remember a section about a backroom deal between Obama and insurance lobbyists. When Obama was starting out his campaign he claimed he would strongly promote universal health care, which he did as the president. However, he was forced to take out the public option (option of citizens to buy government insurance) as a result of a deal with the hospital industry. Here is a Huffington Post blog excerpt from a year ago which reported on the deal.

This should be big news. Even while President Obama was saying that he thought a public option was a good idea and encouraging supporters to believe his healthcare plan would include one, he had promised for-profit hospital lobbyists that there would be no public option in the final bill.

Obama went back on his initial word that there would be a public option. I am not attacking Obama, but I am frowning upon the actions of the insurance industry. Because of their backroom deal, the public option was taken out. I may have been a supporter of the bill if there was a public option. On the other hand, insurance agencies would be hurt by the bill because the government would take away their business. If everyone was morally straight, the insurance agencies would allow the government to cover everyone, depending if people want it or not. Sadly, this is not the way our economy acts.

Budget Deal Cuts Affect Health Care Bill

The budget deal made last Friday before the potential Government shutdown will affect two sections of the health care bill. One of which will be completely taken out while the other will suffer funding cuts. Fox News reports from the Wall Street Journal,

The agreement would eliminate a provision of the health-care law enabling low-income workers to opt out of employer-offered health insurance and shop for more affordable coverage on insurance exchanges to be created in 2014, according to congressional aides and business groups. 

The second initiative will be cut a significant amount;

The budget bill will also cut $2.2 billion in funding from a program that would encourage the development of health-care cooperatives-not-for-profit entities that would compete with private, for-profit health-insurance companies.

The second initiative promoting funding for non-profit entities sounds extremely negative, because non-profits relate to a health care system where money is not the most important thing, such as with insurance agencies.  However, the massive budget cuts slashing the Obamacare bill are required and unavoidable. We are way over our deficit and need to take hits in some facets of the government. 

Health Care's Hidden Costs

Consumers of health care may be paying hidden costs of up to $1,355 a year as reported by a new industry report. A quote from CNN;

These "hidden" costs of health care -- like taking time off to care for elderly parents -- add up to $363 billion, according to a report from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, a research group.

That amounts to $1,355 per consumer, on top of the $8,000 the government says people spend on doctor fees and hospital care.

These costs arise from insurance related costs. It is expected that out-of-pocket payments will increase even with the health care reform. The main problem with healthcare is that the costs are too high and are rising too fast, resulting in people not being covered. The bill may bring about more problems than it solves.

Japan Continues to be Harmed by the Earthquake

Even after the 9.0 earthquake hit Japan, the tsunamis, and the nuclear meltdown, there are still an increasing amount of problems with the food supply and farm-able land. The surrounding area of a few hundred miles around the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex was and is still being hit hard by radiation released by the plant. It is reported that spinach plants many miles south contain 7x the legal limit of radiation and milk from cows in the Fukushima province containing 5x the legal limit. The radiation is also said to have entered the food chain when it enters the northern pacific ocean, contaminating the fish. Fox news reports,

Japanese foods make up less than 4 percent of all U.S. imports, and the FDA said it expects no risk to the U.S. food supply from radiation. Officials and health experts say the doses are low and not a threat to human health unless the tainted products are consumed in abnormally excessive quantities.

Still, the World Health Organization said this week that Japan should act quickly to ensure that no contaminated foods are sold. The most common imports from Japan to the United States are seafood, snack foods, and processed fruits and vegetables.

 This situation must be frightening for millions that have Japanese food imported, however, I feel reassured that American and Japanese officials are making sure that the radiation does not affect us. This is definitely bad for Japan's economy, even more so that it is presently, because much of it's food is not being sold because of radiation poisoning or because of fear. They need more foreign currency now more than ever.

Budget Cuts Affect Mental Health

32 states and Washington D.C. have been dramatically cutting budgets for mental health services. This process brings in billions of dollars, but it also crowds prisons, emergency rooms, and dangers the public. The additional savings may be used again for more prison space and additional treatment. The Washington Post quotes;

California slashed funding by more than $587 million, or 16 percent. Kentucky gutted its mental health budget by an astounding 47 percent over the last two years.
In many states, the picture is likely to get uglier for those relying on state mental services. Starting this summer, some $87 billion in federal stimulus money for Medicaid assistance to the states starts drying up. Because virtually all Medicaid-funded mental health services are optional, states projecting another couple years of budget deficits are likely to chop mental health services further.

For one, I want to see mental patients being treated and cared for rather than let on the streets. Secondly, I want to see less money wasted by changing the game plan for health services. I don't think the Obamacare bill will come into affect the way it is in the next few years, but a for of it will be a step forwards in assisting the mental health of millions of patients. The article ends with;

Mental health advocates hope that the federal health care overhaul taking effect after 2014 will help add services for the mentally ill - but their hopes are dim that things will get better before then.

I side with the health advocates on this one, in hope that funding will improve for mental health services.

Premature Births Drugs Outrageously Priced

The price of preventing preterm babies is about to go through the roof because of KV Pharmaceutical has sole ownership of a drug. This form of progesterone cost $10 to $20 per injection, but now may cost $1,500 per injection ($30,000 per pregnancy). This outrageous hike in price occurred when KV won approval to sell the drug as opposed to special pharmacies that were not federally approved. A few doctors responded to the drug's new price;

"That's a huge increase for something that can't be costing them that much to make. For crying out loud, this is about making money," said Dr. Roger Snow, deputy medical director for Massachusetts' Medicaid program.
"I've never seen anything as outrageous as this," said Dr. Arnold Cohen, an obstetrician at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.

The pros of KV owning the rights to the drug is that it is better regulated and is safer, but this includes the outrageous price increase. Even if insurance covers the prices, I still don't agree with the price, nor do many other people. It is obvious most women can not afford this treatment, even so, KV has not dropped the price. This is just another negative view of America's medical providers.

People Skip Meds to Save Money

What's scary about America's present health care system is that many men and women would rather go without care than to pay medical costs. This story is not too surprising to me, but it does provide some statistics. Here is an Excerpt;

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, the number of people who went without needed prescription drugs because of costs nearly doubled to 11 percent in 2009 from 6 percent in 1997. And the percentage of Americans who put off needed dental care because of costs rose to 17 percent in 2009, compared with 11 percent in 1997.

I do not blame the 17%+ Americans who skip drugs to save costs. The prices of medicines can be outrageous without a government that takes care of everything for free. This part of health care hits a chord with me, everyone should have at least some health care, or better health care than we have now where people have to cut back on medicine. I can't wait to see how Obamacare is changed for the better in the coming years.

Calorie Counts Don't Deter Adolescents

America is well known as one of the fattiest countries in the world. Some states have obesity rates exceeding 60% for adults and 30% for kids. This portrays a dim picture of this nation. Obesity is one of the top contributors to heart disease and countless other problems as you've probably seen if you watch major news channels. However, obesity is still a problem and will continue to drain money from incomes to pay for health care.
In a study on how fast food restaurants calorie counts affect peoples' choices in New York City, it was shown that only 9% of people were affected and the others still chose in relation to flavor. MSNBC reports on this study.

'It means we're going to have to rethink what other sorts of interventions might be more effective,' Dr. Brian Elbel of NYU, who led the study, said in a telephone interview.

Mandating calorie counts on restaurant menus is part of President Barack Obama's new health care law is included in the White House's push to reduce rates of obesity, which is one of the biggest health challenges facing the United States.

I am glad Obama is hunting for a a healthier, thinner America. The rates of obesity in some states is outrageous.  Cutting back on fat will also cut back on health care costs significantly even if the obesity rate is lowered a few percent. We can only wait and see if America slims down the next generation.

Health Care in China

Health care in the US is far from perfect, but so is China's health care. China has a system where they pay around 60+ percent on health care expenses for patients. The country tries to give every social class the same type of care. The problems for China could be that there are so many people living in one country, or that rich patients can get better care because doctors like them. This 2009 CBS News article explains major problems China's health care is facing. Here is an excerpt;

China's health-care system is in disarray, a side effect of the market reforms that have spurred private enterprise and rapid growth since 1980. Before then, state-owned companies offered cradle-to-grave care, part of a system based on danwei, or work units, that provided health, education, pensions and other benefits. But as the economy has grown more diverse, an increasing number of Chinese have had to fend for themselves, with only a porous government insurance program to help.

As U.S. lawmakers engage in a tense debate over health-care reform, Chinese authorities, too, are attempting to fix their system. Over the past five years, the government has tried to provide coverage to more of its 1.4 billion people. But even people covered by a minimal health insurance program are often left with big hospital bills and must pay for most outpatient services and medication. More than 300 million people do not have any health insurance.

There are similar problems of coverage for both China and the US. I hope that our proposed health care bill is further changed to evade the problems China is having.
On a separate note, my mom has first hand experience with Chinese hospitals, saying they included long waits and poorer service than US hospitals. This may be another downside to adopting a "socialized" health care program, but I still need to do more research into our health programs to make a more intelligent diagnosis.

Upsides to Obamacare?

A Fox News poll and a recent house vote force me to question the information and opinions I have been fed about the health care bill. If this many people oppose the health care reform, there must be some good reasons. I try to ignore comments about it being socialist, mainly because this does not add much to the anti argument.
The Fox News article and poll stats are here:

On the issue of how Congress should handle health care, over half would like to see the new law either repealed entirely (27 percent) or parts of the law repealed (34 percent). Another 20 percent want the health care law expanded.

About one voter in seven (14 percent) would leave the new law in its current form.

Views on what should happen to the new law have held fairly steady for the last few months, with anywhere from a 54-to -61 percent majority supporting repealing part or all of the law, and about a third wanting it implemented as is or expanded.

The views range from wanting to completely take health care out of the picture, repealing parts of the bill, or keeping the whole thing as is. However, the majority seems to believe that the bill should at least be modified to better fit everyone. In it's current state, it seems there is no way it will pass as countless stated deem it unconstitutional to force people to pay for health care.

Sicko Facts

I recently watched the movie Sicko in my government class and had an eye opening experience. Sicko, produced and starring Michael Moore exposes the extreme sides of health care in the US, but it also brings up many questions.
Here is a fact sheet from Sicko,

• "The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.
• In 2006, the U.S. census reported that 46 million Americans (recently revised downward to 45 million) have no health insurance.
•  “Over a third (36%) of families living below the poverty line are uninsured. Hispanic Americans (34%) are more than twice as likely to be uninsured as white Americans, (13%) while 21% of black Americans have no health insurance.”
• More than 9 million children lack health insurance in America.
• Eighteen thousand people die each year because they are uninsured.

This is just a small bit of the facts pulled from the movie (made in 2007). I find these facts fascinating because of their weirdness, for lack of a better word. These facts are weird, because America is highly industrialized and is viewed as one of the best countries in the world to live in, yet many people die because they do not receive health care.
Granted, Sicko takes many extreme cases and does not look into the bad sides of other health care systems. I am going to derive my own health care views from what I research in the upcoming months.