What we teach students about how to take care of their own health makes a tremendous different the rest of their lives. Healthy food needs to be served in school and put in vending machines. Physical activity needs to be part of each school day. Life time fitness exercises need be taught to each student--not only to athletes. We can also reduce childhood obesity, teen pregnancy, smoking and drug addition by teaching students the consequences of their actions.
As a member of the KSBOE, I will work hard to improve the health of our students. In addition, I have developed twelve specific recommendations for real health care reform which do not rely on using tax payer money to buy more insurance.
Plans proposed to pay to insure the uninsured only increase costs because they encourage health care providers to increase their prices which in turn increases premiums on health insurance paid by individuals, families, businesses and taxpayers. Paying for more insurance is a never ending upward spiral of escalating costs. It is not "reform".
We must first BRING DOWN the costs of taking care of our bodies and make health care MORE ACCESSIBLE when we first become sick or injured--starting at the State and local level. Please read these proposals and take action to help get them implemented ASAP.
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REAL HEALTH CARE REFORM RECOMMENDATIONS
by Dr. Walt Chappell
The health care system in America is broken. Ever increasing costs and lack of access to services are literally killing people while driving some businesses and families into bankruptcy.Out-of-control costs are also running up huge debts for States and the Federal government. But, using taxes to pay uninsured premiums is NOT reform.We must first bring down the costs and make health care more accessible.
I served on the task force mandated by the Michigan Legislature to develop the curriculum to train primary care physicians at Michigan State University. Later, I served as Coordinator of Medical Instructional Services at the University of Iowa, where I worked with 22 clinical and basic-science departments to train medical doctors, nurses, and pharmacists.I have since helped write and pass legislation in 5 States plus the US Congress.
The following market-driven recommendations are based on over 30 years of firsthand experience. It is my strong belief that we must take meaningful, positive actions at the Federal, State and Local level to lower costs, increase accessibility, and improve quality to allow more people to receive care when they first become sick or injured rather than force them into life-threatening and expensive medical crises. This enormous financial burden must be removed from American families, businesses and government.I invite you and other leaders to help implement the following specific reforms without further delay.
1.Focus on preventive care through better diet and exercise. The State Legislatures and State Boards of Education must mandate physical education in all grades to help stop obesity and diabetes in our youth. School lunches and vending machines must provide balanced, nutritious food. Employers should be given incentives to maintain work places free of tobacco, alcohol and drugs. The benefits of diet and exercise must be stressed at all ages.Our priorities should be on wellness instead of illness.
2.Increase the supply of physicians by enrolling both a fall and spring class of medical students. The number of medical students allowed to enroll has not increased in over 30 years. The facilities and medical faculty are available full time, but are used to teach students no more than half of each year. By limiting the number of doctors trained, the AMA controls the supply so the prices of health care continue to rise. Similar increases in the number of trained physician assistants, registered nurse practitioners, nurses and pharmacists are also needed.
3.Allow ARNPs and PAs to open and operate primary-care clinics in rural and urban settings to treat 80% of the health needs at a much reduced cost. These professionals already provide most services in MD’s offices.So, instead of paying for high overhead, patients can be treated when they first become ill or injured at a fraction of the cost in store-front, primary-care clinics.
4.Allow these health care professionals to write prescriptions for primary care medicine, request routine lab tests and receive the results without first going through an MD. This authority can be limited to prescriptionsfor various classes of medicine and certain lab tests, but it does not take an MD to look at a urinalysis or CBC and tell if the results are normal.
5.Legislate that malpractice insurance be offered to all health care providers in the State at one group rate.By lowering the risk with a State-wide group, the cost of premiums will be reduced for each individual provider which will be passed on as a savings to each patient and insurance company.
6.Establish public and private 24/7 health-care centers in urban areas to triage and treat primary-care illnesses or injuries.If needed, then go to a hospital. These 24/7 facilities will be able to treat minor health needs without the extremely high bills charged by emergency rooms. Plus, people who need care at night will not have to wait until their doctor can schedule time to treat them.
7.Establish a State-Wide Group Health Plan to cover all citizens. Forcing employers to pay the high cost of medical insurance for their employees must stop. Ever increasing costs make it difficult or impossible for American businesses to compete in the global economy. In addition, if employees lose their job, they end up with no coverage for themselves or their family. Health insurance should go with the person and not be tied to where they currently work. By having a state-wide pool, the private insurance carrier who wins the contract will have lower risks because the vast majority of citizens will not need or use medical services. With lower risks, premiums will also be greatly reduced.
8.Negotiate the bulk purchase of medicine and buy generics whenever possible. If the State buys in bulk, choosing generic brands whenever possible, the cost individuals pay to stay healthy or fight disease will decrease. By removing the layers of “service providers” who add charges, the cost of each prescription will quickly decline. The same can be done for over-the-counter medicines.
9.Require medical providers to publish a list of fees for servicethat patients can review prior to treatment.No other sector of our economy forces consumers to hand over a blank check and let the provider of services fill in the amount owed. Allowing patients to make informed financial decisions prior to medical service will help reduce the number of bankruptcies due to high medical bills.Also, the billing practice of “piling on” by everyone who sees a patient must end.It greatly inflates costs.
10.End the practice of charging uninsured patients double or triple the prevailing rates. Forcing the uninsured into bankruptcy is immoral. With a state-wide pool, there will be far fewer uninsured, but we must protect the thousands who still can not afford monthly premiums from being overcharged.
11.Each emergency room must be required to immediately triage and treat incoming patients to determine the extent of their illness or injuries.Forcing people who have no place else to come for treatment to sit for hours and then be charged outlandish fees for minimal service is self-serving for the hospital and a huge cost for both patients, taxpayers and insurance companies.
12.Patients must be able to refill their prescriptions before they become critically ill.Having to wait for a doctor to schedule another visit for a reoccurring illness allows disease to spread and become serious.We purchase spare tires, spare quarts of oil and spare light bulbs.Being prepared with a spare refill prescription is life saving, especially at night or weekends when medical offices are closed.
We can no longer sit and wait for the health care system to “fix” itself. We must take action NOW at the Federal, State and Local level!! Implementing these recommendations will greatly increase accessibility to quality health care while lowering the cost to receive services when needed.
