Taking Health Care Reform In Hand
We must all do what we can to take heath care reform in hand. Where costs can be cut without compromising patient safety, we must do so. If a bad outcome is the cause of our loss and grieving, we must stop trying to place blame on those who tried to prevent that loss. If someone is aware of an insurance scam and certain that it is a scam, then turn that scammer in!
WellPoint Blames 39% Rate Hike On Healthy People
Nearly five billion dollars in profits during the year that they say they lost as much as 1/3 of their customers, and WellPoint still wants a rate increase?
John Murtha (D,PA) Tort Reform Supporter Dead at 77
A combat veteran of the Vietnam “Conflict”, this old warrior passed on of complications from a gallbladder surgery on Feb. 8, 2010, at the age of 77. His voice was sincere, passionate and compassionate. A true Conservative, he believed the government should not restrict people’s activities, so long as those actions don’t restrict the rights of others.
Podcast on Tort Reform
The blog MDWhistleblower posted two very nice podcasts regarding tort reform. The second is a commentary regarding the IL Supreme Court’s recent decision to rescind med-mal caps.
The Ramifications & Implications of the IL Supreme Court Decision
…their decision seems to support prejudice. Jackpot trial lawyers aren’t filing frivolous suits against indigent people. They’re going after doctors, based on the prejudicial (and erroneous) notion that they can afford to be taken to the cleaners.
Humana and the Exclusions — Why Healthcare Reform is of Vital Importance
If you’re healthy as a horse and fit as a fiddle, they’ll take your money. If there are any risks of them actually having to give some of it back, then you’re persona non grata… health insurance carriers are only interested in taking money, not in providing a service for a fair profit… Exclusive policies like this pose a very real risk to public health. People with ailments may avoid being treated or diagnosed until the very last minute, to avoid being Blackballed by potential insurance carriers. It’s well established that early diagnosis and treatment make a huge difference in the quality of life, even in terminal diseases. Infectious diseases will spread while people avoid getting diagnostic tests as well.
Breaking News
The Illinois Supreme Court just overturned damage caps and other medical malpractice reforms adopted in a 2005 reform law.
From The Trenches (Health Care Reform for the Real World) #2: Access Solutions
Because it was a weekend and the patient had no access to his regular physician, the RN line recommended the E.R. That was defensive medicine. Then the E.R. visit itself… and $2600 later, the patient walks out with a script for Ondansetron and instructions to return if symptoms don’t improve within a couple days. The generic version costs $5 per dose. Even if a phone consult fee was charged it would have amounted to a tiny fraction of $2600… The cost of heath care is regularly inflated, costs increased exponentially, because the patient lacks access to regular health care.
State of the Nation – President Asks Us How To Improve
Meanwhile, staged events on the lawn of the White House last year perpetrated a forgery, an illusion that those wolves (or were they sheep) in doctors’ clothing represented the medical profession in some significant way and supported the general concept presented by the White House.
From The Trenches (Health Care Reform for the Real World) #1: Nature of the Problem
My family physician didn’t have a front OR back office staff. A surgeon and surgical nurse instructor, yet he had no need of staff to take care of his patients… $2600 to prescribe a $18 medication because the patient had no other access to a physician over the weekend. And they wonder where the fat is at in health care?
Blog Categories
Healthcare Reform HIPAA & Patient Privacy Legal Medical Malpractice News/Announcements Patient Safety Reputation Management Risk Management
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