Suggested Readings

Health Care Progress Report
This is a CBS news article that was written by Stephanie Condon. Throughout the article, Condon describes the current status of the health care reform, giving the progress of the House and of the Senate.

Health Care Delay Would Frustrate Obama
I found this article by the Associated Press. It talks about how President Obama would be frustrated if the reform would be delayed until next year. His goal is to have signed the bill by the end of the year. Unfortunately, that is what it seems to be the case. The House and Senate must vote on each of their Bills and then vote on one Bill that combines each of theirs.

Health Care Issues: Other Presidents Have Tried
This news article discusses the attempts at health care reform by Presidents in the past. It goes over why their strategies have failed, and what President Obama plans on doing to stop his reform from failing.

Health Care Overhaul
The House is about to vote for their Bill sometime soon (November 4th, 2009). The article talks about how the Senate will take longer to get to that point.

Senate Heath Care Bill
Discusses the Senate's issues with the House's version of the Bill, and what they plan to do with theirs.

What You Need to Know
This article by Elizabeth Cohen is about the current health care debate. It goes into details on why this time around it is possible, and how it is more important to Americans than times before. Key questions are addressed such as what Obama's plans are, how he plans t pay for the reform, what the Republicans think, and what reform would mean for the average America, just to name a few.

Timeline

Here is a view of the last few years (and few Presidents) of what has been going on with health care...
2002: Health care cost rise, even after being stabilized in the mid 1990's by President Clinton.
2003: President Bush signs the Medicare Modernization Act, which makes Medicare include prescription drugs. This created a significant gap in the coverage, which was quickly nicknamed the "doughnut hole".
2006: National health care spending reach all time high of $2.2 trillion dollars! OR $7,421 per person.
2007: President Bush announces a health reform plan but it is not acted on by congress.
2008: Health reform takes center stage for debate during the Presidential elections.
2009: President Obama puts health care reform into motion. The House passes the bill and now Obama is waiting on the Senate for their version. Next the two must come together to create one bill, and then finally for President Obama to sign it.

Resources:
The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/07/19/us/politics/20090717_HEALTH_TIMELINE.html
Kaiser Health: http://healthreform.kff.org/flash/health-reform-new.html

5: Update

Monday was the opening day of the debate that the Senate will have for what could be weeks. President Obama will more than likely have to wait to sign the Bill early of 2010. As of right now, the Senate will be discussing the Bill, as well as coming up with a version of their own. The hope is that they will come to some sort of conclusion before their Christmas recess. The next move before Obama can sign the legendary Bill would be for the House and the Senate to come to an agreement of what the reform should be comprised of. For more updates, check out the resources I have found to be credible!

4: GoodGuide Rating

Hey there!
So I have been doing some research on GoodGuide.com and I have come to a rating system of my own for health care. Because it would be very difficult to rate five different companies' products and or services, I will be rating their websites. If the website meets a criteria, then it gets a point. If it meets all five criteria, then it scores a five. If it meets only one criteria, it scores a one, and so on. Five will be the highest score with the best rating and one being the lowest with the worst rating.

The 5 Criteria (each worth 1 point):
1. A detailed description about their different types of coverage.
2. A glossary so that I can understand what they are saying.
3. Mention something about the Health Care Reform.
4. A well being section on how to improve your health and wellness.
5. Something helps the consumer make informed decisions.

Insurance Company/Points/Criteria Number Not Met

BlueCross BlueShield/5 points
Aetna/4points/3
USInsurance/2points/2,4,5
Group Health/4 points/2
Humana/2.5/2,3, only 1/2 of 5

3: What if...

What if the health care reform bill fails? That is the scary thought that comes to mind when the phrase ‘what if’ comes up when discussing health care. To tell you the truth, at first I had no idea to what would happen if this bill does not pass, but after doing a little reading, I feel like I may have an idea of the outcome. I read an article from cnnpolitics.com called, “Frightening Future if Health Reform Fails” by Uwe Reinhardt. In the article he talks about what he thinks will happen if the bill fails, but I find myself seeing his opinion very feasible.
Reinhardt believes that several things will occur with a domino effect. One is that health cost will inevitably continue to rise. “Health costs have already doubled in a decade,” says Reinhardt. If health care costs continually skyrocket each year, how are Americans going to pay for it? For Americans, if their salaries do not follow the same path as health costs (which most will not), then they will not have the money to pay for health care. This question just reinforces the fact that we must pass this bill for health care reform.

2: Update

This is really exciting! The Health Care Reform Bill just passed in the house by a very close margin of 220 to 215. The House passing the bill means that President Obama has accomplished something that presidents such as Roosevelt, Johnson, Nixon, Cater and Clinton. So what is the probability that Obama’s dream of affordable health care will come true? According to Alia McMullen, a writer from the National Post, “the bill faces an uphill battle in the Senate amid a schism on the economic impact of the proposal.” Some in Washington believe that the 1-trillion dollar reform bill will cause even more debt; that Obama’s dream is out of reach. On the other end of the spectrum, the word is that health care reform is a must. There are just two more steps before the bill can be put into action. Sixty of the one hundred votes are what it will take to pass in the Senate. Then the House and the Senate need to agree on a one version of the bill. We shall see what is to come!

Two Easy Sources

Two Easy Sources: Where You Can Find Health Care Reform Info From Both Sides
1.http://www.democracynow.org/features/healthcare
2.http://www.gop.gov/solutions/healthcare

1: Now I Understand!

Wow! I just read President Obama’s health care reform plan. Before I read this, I was quit confused what exactly the President wanted to accomplished, but now I do. To me, it sounds like a good plan that will not leave any American behind. I agree with the President that we should not completely rid our nation of insurance companies, but add a Pubic Option to the mix. From what I understand, Obama’s Plan will create limits on how much insurance companies can charge for health care, making it affordable for all. There are three main components that are part of the reform:

1. More Stability and Security
2. Quality, Affordable Choices for All Americans
3. Reins In the Cost of Health Care for Our families, Our Businesses, and Our Government

This overview describes the goals of the Obama Administration for health care reform in laymen terms so that it is easy to understand. I encourage each and every one of you to check it out at:

www.healthreform.gov

Healthcare Reform Debate - Intro

The Great Debate is finally here! The American health care system has needed a reform for many years now, and with President Obama in The White House, it is possible that change is on the horizon. Too many of Americans are uninsured. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, almost 47 million Americans were without health insurance in 2008. That is 47 million people who are left behind. With premiums increasing crazy amounts each year, more and more people are unable to pay the cost of insurance. Having a job these days does not mean you will have insurance since employers are unable to pay the cost of health benefits. The worst outcome predicted by the Urban Institute is that 66 million will be uninsured by 2019. Many Americans are ready for a change, and many are scared of what change could bring. In what direction should U.S. health care go in? If Congress is confused about what path to take, then how is the average citizen to figure it out? Our government is trying to find an affordable insurance that leaves no one behind; guaranteeing every American health coverage. Throughout this quarter we will be having debates ourselves over details and the latest events.

Q & R 10/8/09

QUESTION #1.) What makes an opinion different from a "fact"? Are all opinions equally valid? If so, why? If not, why not? What impact do opinions and "facts" have on individual consumer health and on the health of a whole population of consumers?

RESPONSE #1.) For myself, there are several differences between the two. The way that I see it is that an opinion is subject to change, be faulty, and is based on someone’s own personal knowledge. My understanding of the term “fact” is that it is completely truthful, known by many, and is concrete information. Whether or not all opinions are equally valid ones, is questionable to me. I feel that for the most part that the majority of opinions are not equally valid. The Merriam-Webber Dictionary has valid defined as, “well-grounded or justifiable; being at once relevant and meaningful; logically correct.” Not everyone’s opinion is logical and or any of those definitions. Therefore I cannot conclude that everyone’s opinion is equally valid.
The impact that opinions and “facts” has on individual consumer health and health of a whole population is immense. Everyday people are not going to know or understand everyday health issue, let alone major health issues such as the health reform currently being debated. They turn to us, the health professionals, as well as the people who run our country for advice, and information that enables them to form their own opinion. Now the hard part is differentiating the “facts” from opinion. Sometimes consumers are actually being told opinions, but are seeing the opinions as facts. This is an issue because the American consumer has the right to know the real facts about what is happening, right, and or wrong in the world of health; not someone’s opinion of what is happening, right, and or wrong.

Background for #2:A "market" perspective (aka free market perspective) is one that says, basically, supply and demand will work together to solve a problem. Little or no government involvement is needed, and the government should actually be seen as inappropriate according to this point of view.

QUESTION #2.) In our Public Health Code of Ethics, an underlying value is that "Humans have a right to the resources necessary for health" (Public Health Leadership Society, 2002, p. 2). How does this underlying value add to our basic three ethics to help explain why the majority of public health professionals do not encourage using the free market perspective as a base for health care systems?

RESPONSE #2: The majority of public health professionals do not encourage using the free market because a free market does not fall under the guidelines of the government. As public health educators, we believe in our government. We believe that their guidelines are there to protect the public and consumers. So anything that is not approved or inspected by the government is not something that we as public health professions approve of.

QUESTION #3.) When looking at the "new media" out there - the grassroots groups on the web, Twitters that seem to get a lot of attention, talk radio, 24-hour news channels, etc - do you see more of the market perspective or more that appears to be based on a Public Health ethics perspective? What does the general public need to know? What are the barriers to them knowing it?

RESPONSE #3: I feel that when looking at the “new media” that is available now I see a mixture of the market perspective and the perspectives that are based on Public Health ethics. When watching CNN, Good Morning America, and other news shows, I see a lot of arguments made for both sides of the case; one representing the Public Health’s perspective. They are both able to explain their points. This however is not the case for all “new media” that I have seen. Some just show the market perspective because it is what is popular or what is wanted to be put out to the public.
The general public needs to know the truth; no matter what it is. It is a basic right for Americans to know what is going on about health issues that will directly and or indirectly affect them. Understanding the truth will enable the general public to make their own valid opinions. The barriers to the general public knowing the truth is in fact the “new media”, reporting the market perspective. Many people do not understand that there are differences between media sources; meaning that some are valid, reliable, and factual, while others are none of that. This keeps them from learning the truth and thus keeps them from knowing what they need to know.