Comments for Our Health Care Source | Health Care Reform | Medicaid Reform

Comment on Reconciliation as a last resort? Yes, it should be. by Lois Marie Scott

Lois Marie Scott — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:01:53 +0000

If congress can not pass Health Care Reform …..Every person in congress should be stripped of their Health care until they do.
It is insane that the very people who must decide if the american people should have have health care, they have health care, that is paid for by tax paying american citizens. They have the nerve to tell us we can not afford to have the same for these same tax paying citizens

Comment on Reconciliation as a last resort? Yes, it should be. by Draizy Newhouse

Draizy Newhouse — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:31:45 +0000

I think we must start somewhere. We can’t say we can’t afford it. It’s our citizens who are are suffering because of the lack of affordable health insurance. I am self employed in NY State. I can’t find a decent insurance co who will insure me even though I’m very healthy. Those who will insure one person want $1800 a MONTH. What can I do?
Join the 40 million uninsured and risk losing my house? GO without food? SOmething must be done!!!! We have to find the money. This is a basic right for the American citizens.

Comment on Reconciliation as a last resort? Yes, it should be. by Joe d

Joe d — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:09:23 +0000

The foundation of healthcare reform is Medicaid expansion, and I believe we’re attempting to build it on sand. When States are facing the brink of insolvency, and looking more like indentured servants to the fed via an enhanced Federal Match, it’s difficult to see when the real reform kicks in. I think we need to see the ROI on the $78b ARRA investment and how innovations in HIT translate in improved outcomes before we flood the system with more people. Close to the 20% of the Uninsured are currently Medicaid and CHIP eligible. Why not start there with expanded outreach while ridding the system of the ongoing fraud and abuse?
At least let’s wait until we’ve climbed out of this current recession…

I think reconciliation is a means of ramming flawed legislation through, and sends the wrong message

Comment on by More Is Not Better – The Story of Fragmentation of Care | Our Health Care Source | Health Care Reform | Medicaid Reform

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:13:37 +0000

[...] for years now. We certainly hope that Congress, in its wisdom, will put that experience to work. Ask your health care reform questions here CareSource is among the largest non-profit, public sector health plans in America with a scalable [...]

Comment on by CQ Roll Call Group Forum: Expanding Health Care Coverage to all Americans | Our Health Care Source | Health Care Reform | Medicaid Reform

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:40:54 +0000

[...] only the first step to promoting healthy outcomes. Date: October 26, 2009 Time: 8:00a – 11:00aAsk your health care reform questions here CareSource is among the largest non-profit, public sector health plans in America with a scalable [...]

Comment on Health Reform is a Civil Rights Issue by Angelica

Angelica — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:24:31 +0000

The biggest civil rights issue at this time is that we are not protecting the rights of the most vulnerable among us. A person is a person no matter how small. Martin Luther Kings stated that If one person has no rights, none of us have rights. Listen to Dr. Alveta King, Dr. Martin Luther Kings neice. Listen to what she says, if he were alive today he would be out there speaking for the rights of the unborn to live. Listen to the stories of the women in “silent no more” and look at the “preists for life” web site and decide, what kind of care women deserve. Women deserve better than abortion. Abortion is not healthcare, and as nurses and doctors we have a right to act according to our consciences. These are the things that I beg you to make sure are a part of this healthcare reform. Yes, I want care for all. I volunteer my time and talents to take care of those who fall through the cracks. Yes, I am for the life and better life for everyone, just don’t leave out the smallest of our people and leave us to our consciences, give us a choice to go by our conscience. Please also, advocate for openess and transparency in the plan, so we all know what we are voting for. Also, please advocate for those we voted for, to listen to the people that have elected them.

Comment on Health Reform is a Civil Rights Issue by Dick Chelten

Dick Chelten — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 22:53:51 +0000

Nicely stated. It seems to me that many folks who have been given health insurance as an employee benefit, are turning their backs on others who have no coverage or have lost both coverage and jobs.
“I’ve got mine; you get yours” shouldn’t be our nation’s answer to the health care crisis.

Instead, folks with coverage should be reminded to “Walk a mile in my shoes” before stepping on those measures designed to assist those not fortunate enough to be employed and covered.

Comment on The Holidays are a Time for Reflection by Stephanie Hunter

Stephanie Hunter — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:32:15 +0000

Great post and the video is extremely eye-opening! Thanks for all the good work that you are doing!

Comment on The “Public Option” is NOT Revolutionary… Actually, It’s Been Working Great For Years by Blueprint for an Effective and Sustainable Healthcare System

Blueprint for an Effective and Sustainable Healthcare System — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:39:58 +0000

As described, CareSource is doing better than many Medicaid plans. To the extent that they can replicate their success elsewhere, they should attempt to do so. However, the issues which need to be addressed in the healthcare reform discussion are much broader. http://www.yubasutterhealthcarecouncil.org/HealthReformBlueprint2009.pdf

Comment on The “Public Option” is NOT Revolutionary… Actually, It’s Been Working Great For Years by Truth Check

Truth Check — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:48:14 +0000

Bobby Jones is not quite fair to the truth about the nature and supposed scalability of CareSource. CareSource deserves praise for meeting an unmet public need we have been derelict in meeting in this country. But how it does that in the maternalistic/paternalistic managed care/HMO model it is a glaring example of the pathological distortions in our system. In fact it is the very nature of it’s business model compared to a genuine public option like Medicare Part A and Part B for all that distinguishes it and Medicaid companies like it around the country as the signal indicators of the moral failure of our system.

The managed care/HMO model (and even PPO model for that matter) is a top down corporate control model in which the company’s decisionmakers and contracted providers are the gatekeepers to care. They are the people actually ultimately in charge of a patients health care decision-making, not the patient as he or she should be. (And it would be shameful and arrogant for anyone at CareSource to claim they as gatekeepers would or even humanly could put each individual patient’s interests and wishes first as that patient would.) In addition, patients are as a practical matter limited to seeking care from regional in-system providers.

Both of these features distinguish CareSource and managed care plans/HMOs like it from a true national public option like Medicare Part A and Part B. And even with that maternalistic/paternalistic control of patient health care decision-making, CareSouth still reports it’s overheads to be about 7%, more than twice the widely quoted CMS reported (and verified) rate for Medicare of about 3% for Medicare.

CareSource deserves the strongest praise for what it has accomplished in providing care for those most forgotten in a broken system. But it is unbecoming hubris for CareSource’s representatives to assert it could or should be the national model because it is in itself a distorted response to a broken system. We do not need to expand the dysfunctional, quasi-privatized and fragmented Medicaid system model. We need to start with the best of the traditional Medicare Part A and Part B system (NOT Part C and Part D which are efforts to destroy Medicare by Democrats and Republicans alike) and the VA system, and at most offer a managed care/HMO choice as an option for each individual. With everybody in, focusing public pressure and interest, the debate will turn to fixing and improving that system as it should be now.