http://ourhealthcaresource.com Raising national awareness about options for health care reform. Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:30:31 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I read an interesting opinion piece today by Rep. Joe Baca (D-California) in the Huffington Post. He brings up an issue that he feels hasn’t been addressed enough in the health care reform debate – “emergency care in many of our nation's hospitals is in bad shape, and doctors ... http://ourhealthcaresource.com/2010/03/08/money-cant-solve-everything-some-issues-require-a-shift-in-behavior/ So there are some Democrats threatening to use reconciliation to get a health care plan passed (CNN article). Well, first things first. Let’s get through the President’s summit and see how it goes. Who knows what surprises may be in store? They may actually be “welcomed” surprises ... http://ourhealthcaresource.com/2010/02/24/reconciliation-as-a-last-resort-yes-it-should-be/ We all hear “Presidents Day” and think “Washington and Lincoln.” Banks and post offices are closed and for some, another well deserved federal holiday. But that’s just habit. This year, we might do well to remember another group of presidents–those who have done their best to establish a better health care ... http://ourhealthcaresource.com/2010/02/11/honoring-the-health-care-presidents/ There’s really only one thing that worries me about the Massachusetts election. I’m not troubled by the fact that the Democrats lost filibuster-proof control of the Senate. Control shifts back and forth as often as who is going to host the Tonight Show on NBC. It doesn’t worry me that ... http://ourhealthcaresource.com/2010/01/26/momentum-must-not-waiver/ Martin Luther King, if he had been given the time, must eventually have tackled the health care issue as an essential civil right.  As a nation, we’ve focused so much on the tactics and details—public options, mandates, “Cadillac plans” and so on—that we may be forgetting why increasing health care ... http://ourhealthcaresource.com/2010/01/18/health-reform-is-a-civil-rights-issue/ At its most basic level, health care reform has to do two things: It would get nearly everyone into the system and it would reduce overall costs. But according to former national Medicaid director Sally Richardson, those goals are really the same thing. Richardson was a member of the Clinton ... http://ourhealthcaresource.com/2009/12/29/former-medicaid-director/ Health care reform is proceeding toward the president's desk, likely to become law in the new year. Supporters promise the bill will cut costs and extend coverage. But here's the real test: What will the trillion-dollar expense of this bill actually buy? Will it improve America's health? My ... http://ourhealthcaresource.com/2009/12/29/unhealthy-habits/ We know. We don’t want to “make the perfect enemy of the bad” and all. But really, this new thing about the insurance company tax exemption?  We need to take another look.  As of now, non-profit insurance companies that operate in the private marketplace (primarily the Blue Cross/Blue Shield companies) and ... http://ourhealthcaresource.com/2009/12/23/does-this-make-sense-to-anyone/ It’s true...the cost of health care for most families in our country has put them in a seriously helpless situation.  It’s sad to think that one playground accident could bankrupt a family of four.  A fall from the monkey bars, a broken leg from a football game, an ill-timed sprint ... http://ourhealthcaresource.com/2009/12/14/one-playground-accident-away-from-bankruptcy/ Whenever a new concept is proposed, those at the deliberation table automatically ask “what would happen if?” before they decide to act. With health care reform for example, the driving questions are more like: "Are the changes going to result in more Americans getting coverage? Are the proposed changes ... http://ourhealthcaresource.com/2009/12/10/insurer-fee-reasonable-idea-unintended-consequences/