Predicting Healthcare Policy
To be completely honest, I don’t think anyone has a clue as to what will happen next in the realm of healthcare. It is, however, safe to say there will be continued financial issues that are always a debate. Whether it be a hospital, skilled nursing facility, rehabilitation facility, they all share the same economic woes (private dialysis companies, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device companies are doing just fine). The fact is, healthcare in this country is expensive to run, and insurance companies (including Medicare and Medicaid) are paying the minimum possible amount of money they can weasel out of. Let me give a bit of background on insurance risk, and how insurance companies can get away with only paying $2,459 for a $150,846 (I made the numbers up, but are sadly realistic in today’s healthcare environment*).
This is not a new game insurance companies play. It was no less than 9 years ago that the concept of denial due to pre-existing conditions was a frequent excuse card used by these companies. I say this, not to be condescending or pessimistic about the greedy insurance companies, but rather as a starting off point for a public health revolution. Fair Care Project is just that.
When I dreamt up this, what is now a beautiful reality, a non-profit organization, I envisioned an organization that focused on not only helping the little guy but helping everyone. I have trouble with the thought that someone would put their wealth before someone else’s health. The just action to take is to do everything in our power to ensure human beings have a right to access affordable and quality healthcare. That is what this company was founded on, and knowing you are not alone in this fight is one we want to make very clear. We are here for you. Regardless if you’re a patient, a doctor, a nurse, a radiology manager, chaplain, or any other health care professional, we will always be here as a resource, and if we are unable to provide what you are looking for, we will make sure you are navigated in the right direction.
So to answer the question about where we are as a nation regarding healthcare, the response that seems most appropriate is that it is broken, and nobody knows the cure-all to fix it. Some have tried. Medicare and Medicaid in the ’60s, Nixon’s stance on uniform healthcare insurance, and the second largest most crucial piece of public health policy (in my humble opinion) that we know as the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. All that have tried had shown some success, but not without some unexpected yet catastrophic “oopsies” when the laws were written. Stay tuned for a post on those “oopsies.”
With Gratitude,
Erik
*I have heard on many occasions that someone got charged $60 for a Bandaid. Readers, I am here to inform you that this is very likely an embellished story to emphasize the continued increase in healthcare costs.
