The Commonwealth Fund - a comparison of quality of health care delivery across the USA.

Every Federal State Senator that believes they can return home after standing in the way of profound health reform when ALL the facts about the 'status of their state's health care system' is known is only fooling themselves as to any sincere welcome by their constituents.


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3 Democrats Could Block Health Bill in Senate (click here)
By CARL HULSE
Published: November 17, 2009
WASHINGTON — Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, says he is not sure he is ready to help a Democratic health care proposal clear even the most preliminary hurdle: gaining the 60 votes his party’s leaders need to open debate on the measure later this week.
Two of his fellow Democrats, Senators Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, are proving tough sells as well, raising the prospect that one or perhaps all three of them could scuttle the bill before the fight over it even begins on the Senate floor....

I am sure these three Senators are not appraised of the full impact they can appreciate for their states of the Health Care Reform Bill. Otherwise, I can't phatom why they would seem to want to thwart improved circumstances for the people of their states.

Louisana and Arkansas has some of the most abysmal conditions for health care of the fifty states. I mean the lower quarter of all the states. Abysmal. Completely.

Nebraska fell in ranking as to the best outcome to health care in the nation from 10th to 13th in JUST ONE YEAR. It shutters me to realize what it is going to look like in two years.

I realize Democrats in states that normally lean right in most elections feel exceptionally threatened by participating in active passage of this health care bill. However, there is more peril in lacking profound 'conscience' about the moral implications of not participating in improving the outcome to their states with a federal mandate. It is 'sorta' of how one defines 'morality.' Does one define morality with a stack of dollar bills or by the quality of life of their fellow human beings?

Neither Louisiana or Arkansas can afford to avoid passage of a comprehensive overhaul of the health care insurance industry that leads to higher quality of care.

This health care bill actually gives these Senators a real chance to be heroes to their constituencies.

As illustrated in figure 1 (click here), the higher the poverty rate in a state, the fewer federal funds that state receives per capita. The “Katrina states”— Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas—have higher poverty rates but lower federal payments, while a group of mostly northeastern states with lower poverty rates gets approximately twice the amount of federal funds per person in poverty.

In the case of Lousiana, there is a chance to bring equity to the 'per capita' funds spent on the children of that state, based on 'cost of living' in comparison to national standards of health care costs. There is one aspect to health care in the USA that cannot be ignored; there is no such thing as 'Regional Health Care Costs.'

Every state in the USA competes equally for 'talent.' So, while the cost of living might be lower in Louisiana, it does not mean their cost of health care delivery is any different. They have to compete with all the other states to recruit 'talent' to treat their people and when they can't offer equal incentives for Health Care Workers to 'settle' in Louisiana. thus, their people suffer.

I am confident there is a profound opportunity for Louisiana, Arkansas and Nebraska to bring better talent and better quality of health care thus leading to better quality of life to their citizens with the passage of this health care bill.

Good luck in what these Senators are seeking that will provide much needed reforms to their states. I am sure they can be accommodated in the needs of their people.