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A new solution
Article Submitted by:
Marie O'Brien
November 05, 2009
I recently wrote a letter to the president of the United States- Barack Obama. This letter was a plea to reexamine the proposed health care reform. There is a better way to rectify our fractured "unhealthy" system. He responded with a form letter that, in essence, gave himself a "pat on the back" for his proposed plan. I would like to get some input on any other nurses suggesions for fixing our system. Below is my letter to the president. Please send in your comments and suggestions you might have on how to cure our ailing system.
Mr President,
As a Registered Nurse of almost 19 years, I have experienced first hand the impact of our fractured health care system on everyday American people. I spend hours trying to come up with a solution that would make sense to the wide range of individuals who make up our great and varied land. This is what I have come up with.
The insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid are all responsible for the chaos we call health care. The very rich and upper end government employees (such yourself and members of congress) all have wonderful insurance coverage. Those who are eligible for Medicaid have wonderful health care (if you didn’t know – Medicaid covers treatment that medicare and other insurance companies do not – such as Avenox for a patient with MS, such as my mother who worked all of her life as a nurse. She does not qualify for this life saving drug, while an immigrant on Medicaid would receive it for free!)
As a nurse, I see the multitude of dollars thrown into administrative costs which would be better spent on the care of patients. The hospital does this to comply with the whims of insurance companies and the Medicare system.
Health care is a complicated subject and should be handled by those who know it best: doctors and nurses. The federal government has enough to worry about in terms of the economy, climate change, foreign policy, ect. Health care is not a place for our government to lead! We need the government as a partner, not a leader!
My proposition is a big one, but one that could solve many problems.
- Healthcare should be headed by the AMA and ANA (American medical and nurses associations). These organizations have the good of the patients in their view finder, not their stock holders. They comprehend the severity of illness and importance of “well care” over “sick care”.
- Insurance companies should not be in the health care industry. Insurance is sold by insurance companies with the hope that the client will never need to use it, and they can make money. In order for people to stay well and live a long functional life, they need “well care”. Insurance companies can’t make money if they are always paying out. Millions of dollars are spent “chasing after” insurance companies to pay hospitals and doctors. This has not been cost effective and should be ceased.
- The amount of money everyday people pay into our system is astronomical. If every person payed 3% of their income into a healthcare savings program that would be used to fund the healthcare of every American Citizen, we would have more than enough to give good care. 3% to a poor individual is very little, 3% to a wealthy individual is a lot. We would be spreading around the burden equally. The healthcare providers would be paid directly from this general fund
- The decision on whether a procedure or medicine was appropriate would left up to the AMA and ANA.
- The setting of charges by health care providers would be set by the AMA and ANA.
- Medical homes where doctors and nurse practitioners collaborate for the health of the patients should be an encouraged situation.
I would be more than happy to discuss this plan and explain it in further detail. I will be forwarding this to many Americans to get their input.
Thank you,
Marie O’Brien RN, BSN, CCRN
Health care is not a democrat/republican issue. It is not a rich/poor issue. It is also something the American people can fix without the government bailing us out! We need the government to "get out" If the US people banded together with their big business employers and stopped paying into the corrupt systems we utilize now, and then took that money and used it to pay for the actual healthcare the people of this country need, we would be on our way to a healthier health care system!
