Friday, August 28, 2009

Travel Subsidy on the Health Train Express

The real 'deal'

The American Medical Association came out in favor of the House Democratic health care bill when the House Democratic leadership promised the doctors $230 billion in new spending to cancel out any future Medicare physician cuts (which are scheduled under an existing law called the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate Formula). As a result, the doctors don’t have to give up anything under the health bills, and would actually pick up $230 billion under the House bill over 10 years.

Hundreds of 'sound bytes' and snippetes of highly charged statements are read daily by patients, providers and decision makers. Unfortunately for the uninformed (and even the informed) ferreting out the 'truth' is very difficult.

Both Republicans and Democrats seek the position to regain p ower, or retain power.  One has to take with a grain of salt, analysis from either side of the aisle.

It's up to we the people to analyze and make your own decision regarding health issues, and be certain your opinion reaches your representatives.  Avoid being a leftist or a right winger.

Perhaps we should not make any decision this year in the midst of economic upheaval from which we have not yet recovered.

Bailing out banks, financial institutions, automobile industry have left us all a bit depleted and in no position to make such a critical decision.

Professionals cast a jaundiced eye upon statistics and projections of healthcare financing.  In reality it is difficult to imagine health care costs in 2016, while dealing at the present moment with a diffiicult system that is challenging to navigate for providers and patients alike.

I like to compare health reform to  the end goal of  orbiting  a satellite. The most effective means of accomplishing this task is by 'staging' a rocket with three booster segments.

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It would be almost impossible to accomplish this task with a 'one stage rocket'. This is also true of health reform. 

One Small Step

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Gravity acts to keep objects on earth and our present health system also retards change with inertia.

Here is some of the last weeks analysis.

WSJ's blog on health and the business of health.

Claims that health reform will be disastrous for businesses and government are wrong, writes Gary Locke, the U.S. secretary of commerce in an op-ed in the WSJ. Making his case for reform, Locke says that climbing health care costs already cost American businesses jobs and revenue, as well as entrepreneurship, and that isn’t sustainable. “In the short term, health-care costs pose a major problem for companies and their employees,” writes Locke. “In the medium and long-term, these costs pose serious challenges to our economy.”

Fixing Health Care will be good for the Economy

How Hospitals Could Profit from Health Reform

Rick Peters writes in The Health Care Blog

 
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