Today in Investor's Business Daily stock analysis and business news

Today in Investor's Business Daily stock analysis and business news:

"Americans should know that one of the founding fathers of Canada's government-run health care system has turned against his own creation. If Claude Castonguay is abandoning ship, why should Americans bother climbing on board?"

The author points out the failings of the Canadian and UK systems, but not their successes, nor our failures here in the US.

I think both Canada and the UK have the opportunity to right their ships (Britain is already doing so), but suggesting that the solution is something like our mess has been rejected outright by Canadians and Brits. They know they have problems, but they also know the solution does not lie in the US system.

Finally, the piece would have benefitted from pointing out, again, for those who still don't understand it, that there are many universal healthcare systems in the world that do a far better job than our "free market" at providing care at lower cost with better outcomes.

Cheers,

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Falling Behind: Americans' Access to Medical Care Deteriorates, 2003-2007 - RWJF

Falling Behind: Americans' Access to Medical Care Deteriorates, 2003-2007 - RWJF:
(From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Follow the link for the full report.)

"The number and proportion of Americans reporting going without or delaying needed medical care increased sharply between 2003 and 2007, according to findings from the Center for Studying Health System Change's (HSC) nationally representative 2007 Health Tracking Household Survey. One in five Americans—59 million people—reported not getting or delaying needed medical care in 2007, up from one in seven—36 million people—in 2003. While access deteriorated for both insured and uninsured people, insured people experienced a larger relative increase in access problems compared with uninsured people. Moreover, access declined more for people in fair or poor health than for healthier people. In addition, unmet medical needs increased for low-income children, reversing earlier trends and widening the access gap with higher-income children. People reporting access problems increasingly cited cost as an obstacle to needed care, along with rising rates of health plan and health system barriers."

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Health Blog : Some Nurses Land Higher Salaries Than Primary Care Doctors

Health Blog : Some Nurses Land Higher Salaries Than Primary Care Doctors:

"The Merritt Hawkins figures for the nurses are higher than some other sources. The Medical Group Management Association, which tracks health-care salaries, puts nurse anesthetists’ median compensation at $140,000 per year — still pretty good, from where we sit. Miller said the discrepancy may be due to the fact that fewer employers go through recruiters to hire the nurses, and those who do are willing to pay top dollar."

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Editorial - The Massachusetts Model for Health Care - Editorial - NYTimes.com

Editorial - The Massachusetts Model for Health Care - Editorial - NYTimes.com:

"The chief criticism, however, is that costs have risen faster than the original projections, forcing the state to raise its spending estimates for the current fiscal year from $472 million to $625 million and from $725 million to $869 million for next year. The shortfall occurred mostly because the state underestimated the number of uninsured residents and how fast low-income people would sign up for subsidized coverage. It is a warning to other states to keep projections realistic.

The key challenge will be to keep costs under control and find new sources of revenue while maintaining widespread support for the program. How well Massachusetts handles that challenge will determine whether its pioneering health plan falls into a financial pit or points the way toward universal coverage."

Here are the Letters in response.

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Essay - Fed Up With the Frustrations, More Doctors Change Course - NYTimes.com

Essay - Fed Up With the Frustrations, More Doctors Change Course - NYTimes.com:
"Not long ago, fed up with what he perceived as a loss of professional autonomy, Dr. Bhupinder Singh, 42, a general internist in New York, sold his practice and went to work part time at a hospital in Queens.

“I’d write a prescription,” he told me, “and then insurance companies would put restrictions on almost every medication. I’d get a call: ‘Drug not covered. Write a different prescription or get preauthorization.’ If I ordered an M.R.I., I’d have to explain to a clerk why I wanted to do the test. I felt handcuffed. It was a big, big headache.”

When he decided to work in a hospital, he figured that there would be more freedom to practice his specialty.

“But managed care is like a magnet attached to you,” he said.

He continues to be frustrated by payment denials. “Thirty percent of my hospital admissions are being denied. There’s a 45-day limit on the appeal. You don’t bill in time, you lose everything. You’re discussing this with a managed-care rep on the phone and you think: ‘You’re sitting there, I’m sitting here. How do you know anything about this patient?’ ”"

But if they were Government Bureaucrats, now that would be intolerable...

BTW, I included this post with the category of Rationing Healthcare because it does become rationing by attrition. Physicians often are so frustrated by the battles they fight hourly with Private Insurers, they cave in and provide less than optimal care.

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NJ: Universal health care momentum

Universal health care momentum

Article from Physican News Digest regarding the New Jersey plan for increasing access to health insurance. Uses a combination of programs as seems to be the current trend. Tries to make a patch work quilt to cover most citizens.

Interestingly, there is a quote from the Medical Society of New Jersey, who "developed a policy statement on principles of coverage of the uninsured. The policy states that New Jersey must take an active role in providing coverage for the uninsured."

I will try to find out more specifics on the program and link to it here.

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COMMENTARY | David W. Greenwald, M.D.: Citizens deserve universal health care | Opinion | timesleader.com - The Times Leader

COMMENTARY David W. Greenwald, M.D.: Citizens deserve universal health care Opinion timesleader.com - The Times Leader

A very nicely done speech making the case for single payer. Early on, I thought he was going to advocate for a more "sickness fund" or Bismarckian style system, but then he comes around nicely to advocating "Medicare for All" single payer healthcare.

I especially like the early reference to Jewish Law and its obligation for us to care for the sick. I don't think this is at variance with any major religious or philisophical school of thought. Most religious people seem to accept the obligation, but will insist it rests within the church to meet it, refusing to consider it a societal obligation on ideological grounds.

So, a shout out to to Dr. Greenwald, another Pennsylvanian speaking out for the cause.

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