Obamacare| Healthcare Insurance Reform Bill-What I Want in Health Care Reform

What is it that I would like to see in Healthcare Reform in America? Of course the obvious is the price of healthcare to lower. It is unbelievable how much it now costs to just see your doctor. When you need medicine the price of the prescriptions is shocking! The thought of needing more tests at a doctor’s office or hospital sends chills down the spine.

There has to be something done. When did a person’s health become such a huge “greed industry?” Why is the “profit” more important than the care of the patient?

What do I want in Healthcare?

1. Affordability

2. Quality Care

3. Quality of Life

1) Affordability

a. Treatment

b. Pharmaceuticals

c. Insurance

2) Quality Care

a. Doctor/Clinic

b. Hospitals

3) Quality of Life

a. Knowing I can get medical care if needed

b. Knowing my life will not be ruined if I get sick

c. Knowing I can live a healthy life

Treatment:

The doctor’s office visit cost is not that unreasonable usually. I do expect to pay for services rendered. There are the office over-head expenses. Routine tests may be needed to make an accurate diagnosis. I expect that from my doctor.

The fear is, if it turns into more than a routine visit...“what will it cost?” Or “Can I afford this?” How can I be comfortable and relax in a doctor visit if I am worried about the expenses of the visit? How many times will I or anyone else hold back on certain symptoms because we know we cannot afford to have more tests done?

If I know I will be able to pay for what is needed, either through insurance or out-of-pocket at the moment or in a payment plan, I will be more willing to provide the doctor with all the information I can. Fear does control us in a doctor’s office visit.

Stress causes illnesses. Stress can be brought on by getting sick and needing medical assistance. People will stress by being rejected by the doctor’s office because they don’t have insurance or because the receptionists says the schedule is full. (God forbid, he/she does not get off work in time!) Doctors are known to work in patients that really need them.

Many believe that “everyone” will get medical attention even if they cannot pay for it. Wake up…that is just not true!!! Saw a Television report a couple of weeks ago where an elderly woman couldn't get in to see her doctor, then she went to Emergency Room and they also turned her away because she did not have health insurance.

She went home and later died. Her death may have been prevented if she would have been checked by a physician. Just because she was not on death's bed at the time of her visit to the Doctor's office or Emergency Room is No excuse!

If I need a certain procedure for medical reasons, I would like to know I can get treatment and then be able to pay for it. Receiving the procedure in a timely manner may make the difference in my health and in the cost of future care. If I have to put off treatment to try to raise money to pay for the service needed, then the illness or ailment could worsen. By the time I can afford the first suggested treatment, now it will cost much more because my illness or ailment has gotten worse.

Check-ups and medical preventive measures can and will help to bring down future medical expenses. A sure way to cut medical cost is to catch an illness before it becomes serious.

If I need an emergency room visit, I expect a quick response. If I wasn’t in need of immediate care, I would not be there. I don’t like seeing Emergency Room costs so high to take advantage of people who are in real need. These costs should be brought under control.

Pharmaceuticals

This is a cost that has sky-rocketed out of control. The industry needs to be reigned in and forced to price the medicines according to the affordability to the public. When a 10 day supply of an antibiotic a couple of years ago costs, without insurance, around $20.00 and now it will cost you $92.00, then there is a major problem.

When insurance companies are requiring patients to use “generic drugs” instead of what is prescribed by the doctor, then it hurts the patient’s health, but bulks up the wallet of the Pharmaceutical Industry.

There are generic prescriptions that will help individuals. A lot of them will have more side effects than the name brand or take more medication and time to work.

I would like to receive the prescribed medication the doctor writes for me. The doctor knows my medical history, my reactions to medications and what I need to recover. I don’t want a Pharmaceutical Corporation using me and my health as a means for their greed!

Insurance:

I see the Insurance Industry as the real “leeches” of the Healthcare issue. They will continually raise the rates at any time without justification. They have the power to refuse to pay for your treatment without reason. They can deny you coverage if they choose. The industry will use any loop-hole they can find to not pay when you need them.

Insurance companies should be forced to cover all conditions when you make your payments. The payments should be set at a rate that is a “fair” price for each individual. Insurance coverage and rates should be based upon what I need personally, not by stereotypical conclusions. And certainly not by “credit scores.”

Medical bills can be one of the major cause of people not being able to pay their bills on time or at all. Hospital billing departments have been known to “bully” people with payments. They will quickly turn a person’s bill over to a collection agency so they don’t have to worry about the time needed working with the patient making payments. This in turn will hurt your credit score, even if you do make payments. Then your Insurance provider will raise your rate.

Doctor/Clinic

My doctor will be MY choice! Period! I need to trust and be comfortable with him or her. I need the peace of mind that the doctor I choose will take care of me, not the cost to an Insurance company or take care of how much money they can make off of me or my insurance provider.

I need a doctor that will put my health first in any decision. I want a doctor that will do whatever can be done to ensure my health and/or recovery from any condition. If I need “tests,” I want a doctor that will make sure I get that test. If I don’t need a test, I want a doctor that will not order a test just for profit. I want a doctor that knows what he or she is doing and cares.

I also want a doctor that will be “straight forward” with me. One who will explain what is happening in my treatments and gives guidance to stay healthy. I want a doctor that includes me in decisions and gives me choices.

My doctor essentially can hold my life in his or her hands. I need to have faith in that person. A lot of doctors today are grouped in Clinics. These doctors may cost a little more than the individual practices, but I know that in a clinic if my doctor is unavailable for any reason that one of the fellow doctors in the clinic has access to my personal medical records and will consult with my personal physician if necessary.

Hospitals

I want the first person I see NOT to be a person from billing with a pen and document demanding PAYMENT! If I am at a hospital, I am there for medical treatment or tests. A hospital is supposed to be about health care and emergencies, not how fast can they get your money.

I expect to receive good care from the entire staff. I want medications on time and in correct amounts. I want to be able to see my doctor when needed and not have a nurse try to “doctor me” or ignore my questions.

I want only the Tests run at hospitals that are essential for my treatment. I don’t want tests run to raise my costs to help the budget or help add a new “Wing” to the facility or pay for a new piece of equipment. I don’t want ridiculous “charges” on my final bill with absurd prices.

In conclusion, I want a healthy “quality of life .” I will try to summarize this in three statements:

1. I want to Know that I can get Medical Care if needed—not have to wait 2-3 weeks just for an office visit. I want the right to receive medical care when needed.

2. I want to Know that I can Afford Medical Care and Not be Ruined by Costs.—I don’t want to have to choose between food, water, home, health or file bankruptcy because of medical costs. I want a cost for medical care that is fair.

3. I want to Know that I can have a Healthy Life.—I want to be healthy. I want our HealthCare System to be about the ‘Person’—not the Money for the Medical Industry’s Profit/Greed!

I have read in newspapers, magazines, online, and seen on TV people point fingers at "classes of people" for the cause of high Health Care. It is easy to blame instead of help with the resolution to the main problem.

Since I know I don't have all of the answers or knowledge to tell Congress how to fix a "mega-mess" as America's Health Care system...I decided just to write about What I Want In Health Care.

I believe I can speak for  a lot of people in the comments above. We have expectations from our Medical Industry and Congressmen. We should make our voices heard to our Legislators. Tell them to do something to help ease our minds and our wallets for the future of our medical care. Don't just complain, make your words heard to people in place who can do something about it!

Town Hall Meetings are being held all across America. Representatives and Senators are meeting with the public for their opinions, questions and trying to clarify the Health Care Reform Act.

Speak with clarity and to the point on the issues and questions you have to get your answers or just to be heard. Shouting matches and attacks will only disrupt and bring about no solutions. Make yourself a list and take it with you and if you do get the opportunity to speak, stay on subject, be clear and allow a response, even if you disagree.

Protesters at these town hall meetings are a legal right, but hopefully the intent of these meetings will outweigh the public displays of anger and the frustrations.

Congressmen should listen to the people and talk with the people, not talk at the people. The public is who you represent.

What do you want from the Healthcare Industry?

On 5-1-99 an off duty cop rear-ends me driving 100 mph while talking on a cell phone. His insurance pays 65K, Medicare seizes it, I'm left penniless on a SSD check of $690 a month. I will be having my 5th cervical fusion. I have spent my complete savings and I can’t get more than 5 minutes in a Drs. Office. I get lousy care and I use the word CARE loosely.

I hate SSD, Medicare/Medicaid, the whole system is broken. People who hear my story shake their heads in disgust, and I have to fight monthly to keep my broken neck from killing me. I'm constantly in pain and can’t even lift 5 lbs.

I was the 3rd person the cop had rear-ender. I'm sick all the time, the government won’t pay the Drs. so the Drs. refuse to treat me adequately. I get the least medical care (again there's that word) and I think the word CARE should be stricken from the titles of these so called services, there is NO CARE. There is NO decent medical service for those of us, who are completely disabled.

WORK? C3-C7 broken!!! I have given up on EVER seeing real help!

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