Patients Are Powerful

Posts Tagged ‘health care reform’

As a chiropractor in Tampa, health care issues always get me to sit up and take notice. So, “fairness” in media coverage, in my opinion, is essential.  I have to say that if we were to believe the news media these days, it would appear that senior citizens are being “scared away” from supporting health care reform. The inference, of course, is that it doesn’t take much to convince older people to believe what you’re saying to them, whether you’re a con artist trying to steal their savings,  a telemarketer trying to sell them a useless gadget,  or an insurance company trying to extract from them ever-rising costs for health insurance. But, I don’t think that older Americans simply believe what is being “fed” to them, and as a chiropractor who treats patients of all ages in my clinic, I can personally vouch for the mental clarity and social/political savvy of the seniors I see on a daily basis.

So, I was particularly happy to read that an AARP survey of 500 members in Iowa aged 50 and older indicating a strong backing for Congress to take action to curb health-care costs and strengthen Medicare.

“This survey is a firm rebuttal of the notion that older Americans don’t want health-care reform this year, and in fact, it shows our members believe just the opposite,” said Bruce Koeppl, Iowa state director for AARP. “After the past few weeks of well-documented concerns, myths, town hall protests, and far too often uncivil debate, this survey shows majorities of Iowa AARP members still believe change is necessary and the status quo is not sustainable.”

I’m sure that, despite media proclamations to the contrary, the seniors of Iowa are not the only older Americans who feel this way.  Such “civil” surveys should be taken by AARP in other states. And, wouldn’t it be a lovely change if the gentel, worldly-wise voices of those who’ve lived in America long enough to witness its many social chances could finally be heard in this debate?

Technorati Tags: AARP, chiropractor, health care reform, older Americans, seniors

Below is a summery of the recent report put out by the Dept. of Health and Human Services. As a San Jose chiropractor, I realize that the state of health care directly affects both myself and my patients. For more information on patient advocacy groups and what took place go to www.healthreform.gov

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In December 2008, the Presidential Transition Team invited Americans to host and participate in Health Care Community Discussions to talk about how to reform health care in America. Friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers, representing the views of both health care patients and providers, came together in homes, offices, coffee shops, fire houses, universities, and community centers with a common purpose: to discuss reforming the health care system. The Health Care Community Discussions focused on concerns about a “broken” health system, access to health insurance and services, rising premiums and drug costs, being “uninsurable,” medical mistakes, and the system not being “for them.” In 30,603 Participant Surveys, the top concerns were cost (55%), lack of emphasis on prevention (20%), pre-existing conditions limiting insurance access (13%), and concerns about the quality of care (12%). The Health Care Community Discussions offered a wide range of specific suggestions for fixing the system, including making health insurance more accessible through a public plan, creating scorecards on quality and cost, improving the nutritional content of school lunches, implementing electronic medical records, and creating an AmeriCorps for health workers.

Technorati Tags: health care reform