A lot of things. The immediate result of a 60 vote majority for the Senate means it has a health care bill that will be signed by the President and soon. It may be that the Presidential address on Christmas Eve will include his signature to legislation that will change the way Americans are treated in regard to their health care needs.
That is good thing.
I want to 'entertain' what is going to happen afterwards and the potential this legislation brings to faciliate the power of the people of the USA in regard to their health insurance, coverage and best outcomes.
To begin, everyone needs to congratulate Harry Reid. He has a hostile Senate in many respects that react to constitutent demands over and above the mandate to the 2008 election handed to the President.
So, Congratulations Senator Reid. Excellent work.
The Health Care Crisis in ten words or less.
Out of Control, Opportunistic, Predatory, Demoralizing, Deadly, Victimizing and Costly.
The Senate Bill took the health care mandate of 2008 seriously and adapted legislation that would bring quality health care to all Americans. They are requiring standard Preventive Measures for every American no different than the health care they receive.
What does that mean? That means people will no longer be 'in crisis' and going to emergency rooms in droves to receive care or save their lives. We have witnessed in this country how that 'putting out the fire' approach is disasterous and deadly. That will stop in large measure once all Americans have adequate preventive care.
To reach beyond that understanding is to understand how the nation's health care paradigm will change and bring down costs to consumers.
There will be reduction in costs over time. Absolutely will be. Consumers will not longer run up the cost of health care by postponing care and dumping their fiscal responsibility at the door steps of CEOs with Emergency Rooms. That is a unique paradigm shift (and there are many) all by itself. As soon as the run on ER visits are down to those that have health insurance the 'solvency' of these institutions take on a very different character.
An aspect of the current solvency issues with health care institutions is providing charity care and/or unsubsidized care as a means to serving the public. When every visit to either a doctor, or clinic or emergency, outpatient facility or hospital receives reimbursement for their services there will be cost reduction across the board for everyone. The management will no longer have to 'overcharge' some consumers in order to make up for those that cannot pay.
The people's role in all this, along with its government gets very intricate. The American consumer of health care can now demand transparency to the actual cost to institutions and doctors to the 'real cost' of providing care. Where paying customers were overcharged to keep instutiions solvent, there will be a balance sheet that should reflect the actual costs of these services.
There is going to be a 'lag' between the initial start up of the Bill the President will sign and the actual achievement of these goals. Institutions have to organize around new paradigms and it isn't as easy as one might believe, especially when one is being prudent to make sure the delivery of care is not interrupted.
But, in what is a fairly short period of time, compared to the extended neglect of our nation's health care there will be changes instituted and consumers will be able to recognize them. One of the dangers of 'living with capitalism' is the potential to exploit. During the time it takes to establish a national 'base' of health care insurance clients, there will all kinds of attempts to 'advantage' companies over consumers. The American people have to be on their toes and I have no doubt the new Commissions set up through the Health and Human Services Administration will be active and have their agendas full of many issues.
Such as, "What is fair payment?, How is that reflected in premiums?, How does everyone make sure the coverage is equitable to their needs? and When is a consumer penalized for having needs that must now be accommodated by insurance carriers? When is a denial correct and when is it not correct but exploitive to the payer of any health insurance?"
Most of all the 'base of support' to the nation's health care will widen and it will demand transparency and control. That is a good thing.
I hope everyone is starting to get the picture because my picture is completely different from that of Wall Street. I see traditional medicine, expansive building plans and escalating costs completely disappearing, along with traditional health insurance plans.
Ready? Here we go. I am first going to discuss, ever so brielfy, the immediate cost savings to our country's entitlements that can be realized. Everyone should be breathing a sigh of relief at this point.
Our national debt will decrease with the loss of inappropriate government spending. It is estimated the first ten years under this Bill will bring a savings to our nation's Tresury of more than $160 bllion US. Not small potatoes.
The second decade will see $1 trillion USA returned to the Treasury of the USA. Not bad. A good thing.
Medicare is saved to all Americans, because, this plan expands its' solvency to 2025. From there with the added savings to our nation's debt it is all a matter of appropriates to the general budget to cover all aging Americans. The actual savings to our nation, after 2025, will be so significant the concerns about bankrupting Medicare will vaporize.
The future is magnificent. Health care costs, traditional health care costs, will come down drastically within ten years. Most probably less, however, there will be an initial uptick as people receiving Preventive Care, some after decades of neglect will be diagnosed with deadly disease. So, the initial cost to the health care paradigm in our nation will increase. If one could imagine a curve, it would be up for a short time and then drastically down to a level paradigm as early detection and Preventive Care will bring about an increase in health and longevity to Americans. The painful reality of what is occurring in 'free traveling clinics' will visit this country when all are covered with health care. Not everyone goes to those free clinics, in other words.
The future and it is not so very far off, looks like this.
A 'birth genome' will detect any potential for disease. It will highlight exactly where an American's health care needs will go and where Preventive Care and better quality life styles will help with needs and outline costs.
Safe building materials for the houses we live and work in, safe work environments with good ventilation systems, good quality of life and activity, preventive care, no smoking. limited alcohol intake and having a health care road map will become the rule of the day. That isn't all.
The health care team is going to change. It will interventionist and from an early age. It will consist of a person's MD, their genetist consultant, potentially bone marrow extraction and genetic medicine to stop and kill cancers, improve lung conditions that cause such horrible disease as fibrosis and basically treat genetically maladies that cause people painful realities.
Why will that 'convert' cost to 'no cost?' Because all people will be well enough to support themselves in economies that are vibrant and beneficial.
The future of American Medicine is not expansive. There will be in a short period of time less demand for surgeries, medications and interventions. The building demands will diminish over time and people will have control and predictability to their wellness and outcomes.
That reality will send a chill down the spines of Wall Street because health care insurance depends of people being ill and not well and meeting with unpredictable illness rather than wellness.
If a country has a healthy nation, it has little need for medicine. Is it achievable. You betcha. Why is Wall Street wanting to exploit 'the system' now? Because it won't in the future. It is "W"rong to make an industry of the needs of the human body. It is necessary for a while, but, in the long run, the diminishment of the need for what is now called 'state of the art' will take place.
The Kennedy Care Bill.
Every American needs to be on their toes, realize their responsibility and reach for the future. The time to start is now.
