WHOA~! What a time for spinning emotions last week when Mr. Dascle
withdrew his nomination for the top Healthcare position. He was truly a man who could do the job. However, I believe we all respect his decision and President Obama's acceptance of his nomination withdrawal. The week ended with a major blessing, though, and that was the passage of S-CHIP! (see earlier blog post)
Now, let's stay focused on the Healthcare Policy Agenda and pray the second-most eligible person will soon fill that position and implement the Obama Healthcare Policy Agenda.
The overall thrust of President's Healthcare Agenda Policy is to offer a public health insurance program unlike ever before in America. This public healthcare program is NOT a welfare program and it will NOT replace private health insurance. However, it will offer the under-insured and non-insured and private insurance carriers an alternative option to affordable healthcare insurance. It will also make healthcare shopping more competitive and that will lead to increased affordability.
Under this public insurance program, people will be able to move more freely from job to job with growth without fear of losing healthcare insurance. Is this really an issue or concern?
Absolutely! First, healthcare is a major piece of the Economic Stimulus Plan for many reasons. Healthcare drives the economy in America in a huge way. If a person is locked into a job when they have maximum skills and can move up to a better job to aide the economical growth of the country, the individual should be able to do so without the barrier of the possibility of losing healthcare coverage for self or family. When people are stuck in a job, that blocks a younger person from getting a job. That affects unemployment. The person who fears the "pre-condition clause" of health insurance companies will stifle his or her job growth. That skill set from experience (and education) is needed to enhance America's global market in the long run when he or she is able to advance to upper management, etc.!
Another side glance is that the people in the "gap" of no insurance because of a previous condition, do not continue their healthcare until (if, when) they can afford to do so. The cost is passed on to the next person resulting in skyrocketing healthcare from any angle. The Medicare and Medicaid programs have long since been financially overburdened by both the exuberant costs of health services, the number of people covered, and results in too many people without access to it.
So, being able to move up the ladder and still afford healthcare will lead to healthcare prevention. The savings from healthcare prevention can be spent on other economic factors such as education and the environment. Did you ever think about it that way before?
Well, this was news for me when I participated in the Obama Healthcare Advocacy Summit and I am sharing it with you so that we can easily and readily understand the urgency with stimulating the economy and providing affordable healthcare for the first time in America with a public health insurance program. This public program is a sure way to get health costs under control and manage chronic illnesses such as brain disorders, hypertension, cancers, and AIDS/HIV, etc..
Because this concept of a public healthcare program is very new to America, it is expected to meet absolute resistance! Therefore, it is necessary to prepare the strongest defense ahead of time for the tactics expected to be be thrown out as barriers to the Obama Healthcare Policy Agenda. Remember these:
1) The American focus must transform from a national private healthcare insurance to a competitive healthcare system with the implementation of a public healthcare program;
2) Healthcare must stop being a privilege and become a staple of life for all Americans;
3) Employees will not lose jobs when the public health program is implemented;
4) COBRA subsidies (federal regulations, guidelines, and monies for healthcare) will increase healthcare affordability and protect against job loss;
5) Individuals otherwise without insurance will become eligible for the public health program regardless of income;
6) The public health program will be a common sense, primarily focused on preventive health insurance program;
7) Chronic illnesses will managed by the public health program;
8) Organized health will become effective so that several doctors treating the same patient will know what the other doctors are doing;
9) Organized health will include sharing of data, informations, tests results, etc., so that duplicate health services are eliminated;
10) Information technology will make it possible for healthcare providers to be trained to use the same software eliminating the need for costly specialists;
11) The Healthcare Privacy Act will NOT be violated;
12) Investment in research and information so doctors know which procedures work and which ones do not. Reward doctors for what works!
Did you know that 50 percent of patients do not get the “right” healthcare services under the current healthcare system in America? Yet billions of dollars are spent on tests (CAT Scans, MRI’s, blood work, etc.)
To stay actively involved with helping President Obama get his Healthcare Policy Agenda passed and implemented as quickly as possible, please visit Healthcare For America Now. This is a major, major grassroots organization positioning itself to effect change when the President's Healthcare Agenda piece arrives in Congress! Any person or grassroots organization is welcome to join. Can you find your Senator or House Representative listed with Healthcare For America Now? I found mine (wink, wink).
Visit Healthcare For America Now at
www.healthcareforamericanow.org and get on board!
Agnes B. Levine
The Obama Healthcare Advocacy Team
Posted By: agnes levine
Wednesday, February 11th 2009 at 7:11PM
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