Comments on: Five Health Care Reforms You Won’t Hear the President Propose http://www.bloggernews.net/122162 High-quality English language analysis and editorial writing on the news. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:40:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Dave http://www.bloggernews.net/122162#comment-1403765 Dave Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:35:29 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/122162#comment-1403765 I would add that patent laws give a corporation a 20 yr monopoly to inefficiently produce health care products. Elimination of patent laws would increase production efficiency, and reduce cost, thus letting the free market work. I would add that patent laws give a corporation a 20 yr monopoly to inefficiently produce health care products. Elimination of patent laws would increase production efficiency, and reduce cost, thus letting the free market work.

]]> By: ww-902 http://www.bloggernews.net/122162#comment-1403565 ww-902 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:34:03 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/122162#comment-1403565 I said (2nd paragraph from end) "our co-pay is dropping from 80% to 65%." I meant to say "our coverage is dropping from 80% to 65%. And office visit copays are increasing from $20 to $30." I said (2nd paragraph from end) “our co-pay is dropping from 80% to 65%.”

I meant to say “our coverage is dropping from 80% to 65%. And office visit copays are increasing from $20 to $30.”

]]> By: ww-902 http://www.bloggernews.net/122162#comment-1403554 ww-902 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:27:30 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/122162#comment-1403554 I for one favor the public option. I was born with cerebral palsy. I have lived my life being productive - as much as my challenges allow. As a child & teenager, I had physical therapy for 45-minutes three days a a week; I had occupational therapy for 55-minutes once a week; and I had speech therapy for 90-minutes once a week. These ceased when I turned 20 years of age. The United Way program just stopped; the doctors & therapists I was seeing encouraged me to continue therapy but it was too costly for my parents who helped support me. I looked for charity programs but because I lived withy my parents, I was not qualified. Three times, I ventured out trying to be independent but medical issues arose & back to the nest I headed. Finally when I was 30, I ventured out and have not moved back. After a life-threatening event in 1997, I tried physical therapy. Doctor signed me up & after a 20 year absence, I returned but after five visits private medical insurance said STOP. My doctor & the insurance company argued but the insurance company refused to budge. The cost then was $65 for a 30-minute session. I continued the sessions at twice a week for sixteen weeks until my savings ran out. I was then added to a wait-list. In 2004 (about 6-years later), I received a call and began therapy again - at a facility 70-miles away. I went to it, taking a 10% reduction in compensation (from $65K to $58K) to allow 2 hours unpaid time-off work twice a week. After two sessions, however, the program by the United Way was discontinued; I had no where else to go. Today (2009), my doctor says the dropping of therapies was a bad decision; I am mobile but my ability to be mobile is decreasing; he has said he understands the affordability aspect. He and his staff strongly support the public option. Being physically challenged, I am always the first to be axed / laid-off - which has happened 15 times in my 32 year career in database development. Each year for the last twelve years, a new health care policy greets me where ever I am employed. And each year I find less & less is covered, but I find myself paying more & more; either premiums go up or benefits are dropped. In August, my employer received a notice saying our monthly premiums were going up 22% - from $1660 (family plan) to over $2000 and employees would need to pay 100% of that increase - and our co-pay is dropping from 80% to 65%. Our country clearly needs a public option that covers every medical risk - at any price. It our federal government can afford $2.7-trillion in bailouts to businesses, our federal government can give the private medical insurance sector real competition. I for one favor the public option.

I was born with cerebral palsy. I have lived my life being productive - as much as my challenges allow.

As a child & teenager, I had physical therapy for 45-minutes three days a a week; I had occupational therapy for 55-minutes once a week; and I had speech therapy for 90-minutes once a week. These ceased when I turned 20 years of age. The United Way program just stopped; the doctors & therapists I was seeing encouraged me to continue therapy but it was too costly for my parents who helped support me. I looked for charity programs but because I lived withy my parents, I was not qualified. Three times, I ventured out trying to be independent but medical issues arose & back to the nest I headed. Finally when I was 30, I ventured out and have not moved back.

After a life-threatening event in 1997, I tried physical therapy. Doctor signed me up & after a 20 year absence, I returned but after five visits private medical insurance said STOP. My doctor & the insurance company argued but the insurance company refused to budge. The cost then was $65 for a 30-minute session. I continued the sessions at twice a week for sixteen weeks until my savings ran out. I was then added to a wait-list. In 2004 (about 6-years later), I received a call and began therapy again - at a facility 70-miles away. I went to it, taking a 10% reduction in compensation (from $65K to $58K) to allow 2 hours unpaid time-off work twice a week. After two sessions, however, the program by the United Way was discontinued; I had no where else to go.

Today (2009), my doctor says the dropping of therapies was a bad decision; I am mobile but my ability to be mobile is decreasing; he has said he understands the affordability aspect. He and his staff strongly support the public option.

Being physically challenged, I am always the first to be axed / laid-off - which has happened 15 times in my 32 year career in database development. Each year for the last twelve years, a new health care policy greets me where ever I am employed. And each year I find less & less is covered, but I find myself paying more & more; either premiums go up or benefits are dropped.

In August, my employer received a notice saying our monthly premiums were going up 22% - from $1660 (family plan) to over $2000 and employees would need to pay 100% of that increase - and our co-pay is dropping from 80% to 65%.

Our country clearly needs a public option that covers every medical risk - at any price. It our federal government can afford $2.7-trillion in bailouts to businesses, our federal government can give the private medical insurance sector real competition.

]]>