Saturday, November 09, 2013

Health care reform is NOT a luxury.

The government website it not politics. Obviously. The health care exchanges are extremely valuable when they are implemented correctly. The one place in the country that direly needs them are Red States. When the federal site is running at it's BEST, the people now in fear of their well being due to the lack of concern by their governors can put that away, have health care through exchanges with their peers and have peace of mind.

How does the Health Care Law protect me? (click here)

It is now LAW. Health Care can no longer abuse the American people as if chattel in the way they are treated in Texas.  

Wednesday, November 06, 2013 5:12 PM
By Jim Beam / American Press

Obamacare has been a godsend for the media. (click here) It has also helped Republicans recover from the party’s image problems caused by forced budget cuts, the government shutdown and the debt ceiling controversy. Each passing day sees reams and reams of stories, editorials and columns on the shortcomings of one of President Obama’s rare legislative accomplishments....

The criticism of the The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is about politics, not the effectiveness of the new law. The Republicans and the Press are enjoying the dialogue that President Obama is a liar. The dialogue is not about what is best for the American people and the successes of the law, but, about destroying the elections of the USA into polarized stands. The Press and the GOP are more responsible for polarized politics in the USA than any other aspect of a collective understanding of the country. This is just ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY to seek and destroy the benefits of a democracy. This is almost more about 2016 than it is about 2014. They can't complain about war, so this is the next best thing. Forbid, the Red States aren't as dysfunctional as they are to have extremist points of view to keep Wall Street profits perking along.

...Political analyst Charlie Cook in his National Journal column said any advantages the Democrats may have enjoyed because of Republican image problems “has been effectively neutralized.”...

Has anyone done an analysis of how the media and the GOP walk a fine line of insuring Wall Street profits? Some call it liberty to not have health care coverage at all. I am quite certain that Senator Paul would defend the idea that lack of health care insurance is an American right. He would be "W"rong and that is more than obvious. Our hospitals have been struggling under the pressure of providing free care. It is NOT liberty to have to bear the burden of poor health and/or the threat of death.

Seven percent of American hospitals have closed since 1991. The number in this study is 369. Hospitals are not minor investments. While 369 may seem like an insignificant number to those expecting thousands, the fact of the matter is there was only 5342 at the beginning of the study. Hospitals are multi-million dollar investments and provide millions of dollars of financial contributions to the USA economy. There is no reason to burden Americans with sparse hospital distribution. 

As a matter of fact, the more the American health care system is burdened with unpaid services, the more the burden turns to government hospitals as private institutions close. So for those stating this is a government take over of health care, that is a lie. If the continued implosion of the American health care system continued at the pace it was proceeding, the government would be exclusively conducting all the practice of doctors. 

Hospital closures is often measured in 'number of hospital beds.' The number of hospital beds reflects the AVAILABILITY of 'treatment beds.' The fewer treatment beds the long it takes to receive health care. Under the Clinton Administration HHS authored a report regarding this phenomena, so this problem manifested two decades ago.

"Hospital Closure 2000" (click here) If one recalls the then First Lady Hillary Clinton lead an effort to bring about a change in health care insurance coverage to the American people, this was one of the reasons. Waiting for treatment of health concerns is not cost effective and worse than that it is deadly. As a result of the defeat of health care reform under the Clinton administration the USA developed an obesity epidemic in children creating a huge problem with sovereignty in the future.

"Getting Low Cost on Coverage" (click here)

When Gingrich's Contract with America delayed the reform of health care insurance in the USA, the concern for the country didn't go away, it continued but not by those seeing political victories at the cost of the lives of the American people. The hypocracy of Gingrich is remarkable. As health care became more and more of a concern over the past two decades, Gingrich decided to profit from the reform the Democrats would ultimately bring and started his own company to provide electronic health records. An amazing man. 

So, all this FUSS over The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is hideous and stupid. But, then so are the politics of the GOP. 

Population of USA in 1991 was 253 million.

Population of USA in 2012 was 313.9 million. 

That is a population growth of 2.9 million per year over the past 21 years. YET, the growth in hospitals is NEGATIVE.

That population growth may or may not include accurate numbers of undocumented workers in the USA. These are figures from the table entitled:

PERIOD OF NATURALIZATION

Universe: Foreign-born population 2008 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates

The chart number is B05011.

So, increasingly there are more naturalized citizens to the USA as well as natural born citizens. What does that mean? All to often the folks that aren't born in the USA are less healthy, especially the undocumented. So while the population of the USA is growing, there are services needed to accommodate those coming to the USA to add to the diversity of the nation and fill in our brain trust.

The point is where people are getting healthier with health care insurance as preventive care is guaranteed cost free, there are still needs of those within the borders of the USA that will continue to add to the needs of the people. Additionally, there are more and more sophisticated treatment of illness and cancers. Those require room within the USA health care system to continue to make our nation healthier for a longer period of time.  

The one definitive reason to bring undocumented workers into the US Health Care System it to bring them into the lawful demands of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. They will be required along with all Americans to have health care. It will diminish the drag on the US health care system and increase the competency of the state exchanges.

In addition for making the undocumented responsible for their own health care insurance is the fact many are not paying taxes into the states and federal treasuries, to the tune of over $1 billion per year. So, where they will need subsidies, they also bring a contribution to the federal treasury to pay for it. 

The rate of growth in health care spending in the U.S. (click here) has out paced the growth rate in the gross  domestic product (GDP), inflation, and 
population for many years. Between 1940 and 1990, the annual rate of 
growth in real health spending per capita ranged from 3.6% in the 1960s 
to 6.5% in the 1990s. Correspondingly, the share of GDP accounted for by health care spending rose from 4.5% in 1940 to 12.2% in 1990. In 2005 health care spending was nearly $2 trillion, or $6,697 per capita, which represents 16% of GDP (Catlin et al., 2007). The sustained increase in U.S. health spending over the previous four and half decades is likely to continue, and total spending on health is projected to reach $4 trillion, 20% of GDP, by 2015. 

The figures within this paper predicting 
20% GDP by 2015 is based in 'sick care' and not 'preventive care.' So, while the population of the USA grows the demand for 'preventive care and treatment' will grow, it will be less than 'sick care.'

So those that favor the growth of Wall Street literally wants 'sick care' rather than 'preventive care.' It is highly immoral and an outrage to the idea the USA protects all it's people and not just the wealthy.

The cost comparison of 'sick care' over 'preventive care and treatment' is noted best in the cost in the USA compared to other nations considered peers of the USA.

Additionally, the USA has a high percentage of 'chronic care' medical issues today, that will diminish into 'genetically predisposed' statistics as the nation becomes healthier through preventive care.

And no genetically predisposed will not result in eugenics in the USA as predicted by Senator Paul. Genetic counseling in the USA is already in practice in the USA long before The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was passed. Genetic counseling provides a high risk couples information about their predisposition of dangerous diseases in their children. It is ultimately 'the couple' that decides to have children in the face of odds of adversity for them and the child. There are no laws in the USA stating BREEDING of Americans is more important than love.

One HAS TO REALIZE the importance of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to the devoutly religious where birthing any child to the world is important. The children regardless of their congenital status will receive care and only adds to the narrative that the Right Wing demands prohibition of abortion and contraception, yet stands in ridicule of the fact they care nothing about the child once born. If the Right Wing sincerely was Pro-Life it would demand The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and not ridicule it in the face of it's importance. It is called, "Quality of Life."