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Health Care Reform Train Moves Forward

March 5, 2009 By Jacqueline Laurette Jones Leave a Comment

With several key announcements this week, the words and actions of President Barack Obama show he understands the economy will never recover without health care reform. He also understands the public must be educated about the urgency of needed changes.

The president touted today’s health care summit as a step toward creating a bipartisan consensus on workable solutions that address the concerns of everyone involved. More than 150 leaders in politics, labor, and business, joined representatives of doctors, hospitals, insurance companies, and consumer organizations. Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell delivered a letter to the president that stated even Republicans are willing to consider reforms that don’t include establishing a single-payer system. Democratic Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, the president’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), has the skills to keep the momentum going.

Earlier this week, when the president announced Sebelius as his choice, I thought he had made another mistake in this area. His initial pick, Senator Tom Daschle, withdrew because of problems with his taxes. Sebelius was unsuccessful at attempts to provide coverage for the residents of her state.

But in spite of a Republican-dominated legislature, who feared the cost of expanding state insurance coverage and blocked her efforts, Sebelius successfully initiated major and minor changes that put the needs of consumers first. Those changes included standing up to HMOs that interfered with private medical decisions and helping senior citizens save money on prescription drugs. Prior to her election as governor, she became the first insurance commissioner in the nation to deny a takeover of her state’s Blue Cross/Blue Shield program by a for-profit health care conglomerate. The state has also expanded preventive care for several at risk populations during her tenure.

With the help of Nancy-Ann DeParle, who now heads the White House Office of Health Care Reform, Sebelius may be able to get the job done. DeParle brings experience with a wide variety of health care issues facing citizens, businesses, non-profit organizations, and government at the state and national levels. Among other positions, she served as director of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) and as representative for health care reform in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during the Clinton administration. Especially important is her experience with serving the poor as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Human Services.

Earlier this week, President Obama announced plans to address the needs of the nation’s uninsured. His budget includes $155 million for 126 community health centers around the country to provide care for approximately 750,000 people and create up to 5,500 new jobs. The centers will provide mostly primary care and preventive services, which will reduce the number of taxpayer-financed emergency room visits for non-emergent conditions.

But recent reports show that 87 million Americans went uninsured in the last two years. That’s up from the widely-reported figure of 47 million because so many people have recently lost coverage along with their jobs. Some experts say the number is growing by 14,000 each day. This lack of access to care will cost the nation even more as those people become disabled by conditions that could have been prevented by early intervention.

If the health care reform train doesn’t continue to move forward, it could easily derail all other plans to get the national and world economies back on track.

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Jacqueline Laurette Jones is author of Unmasking a Diagnosis: How to get Help for a Confusing Chronic Illness Without Filing for Bankruptcy.

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Bill Promotes Economic, Physical Health for All

January 29, 2009 By Jacqueline Laurette Jones Leave a Comment

I never knew public policy could be so much fun. The summary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009 that passed the House of Representatives is more exciting than any of my favorite movies.

This bill shows an amazing grasp of the complexities of the current economic crisis. It addresses immediate needs and makes a down payment on long term goals while reducing the stresses that can lead to chronic illness and higher health care costs in the future.

Implementation of this bill could substantially reduce entitlement spending in several areas and reduce the burden for all taxpayers by addressing the following issues:

  • The increases in food stamps and food services for the elderly will promote better nutrition to reduce health care costs
  • Vocational rehabilitation and public service opportunities will allow the disabled and the able seniors to reduce their reliance on public aid
  • Increases in unemployment insurance, Medicaid, and COBRA insurance for those who have lost their jobs will help them meet basic needs, maintain their health, reduce costs associated with advanced stages of disease that result from lack of treatment, and preserve some jobs in the retail and health care sectors
  • Funds for job retraining, work study, Pell grants, and research will prepare the country and its citizens for the jobs of the future
  • Infrastructure projects and loans will create new businesses and help existing ones retain current employees and hire displaced workers from the housing and auto industries and other sectors who have transferable skills
  • Green jobs will create a healthier environment and reduce the pollution that contributes to chronic disease while reducing the need for assistance with energy bills
  • When basic opportunities are available and basic needs are met, expenses for the criminal justice system are reduced.
  • Funds to train primary care workers will avert the consequences of a shortage when they will be needed to provide care that reduces the cost of chronic diseases
  • When basic opportunities are available for the strong and basic needs are provided for the weak, fewer people enter the criminal justice system and related expenses are reduced

The bill reduces waste by utilizing public and non-profit organizations that are experienced in meeting the challenges we face and have accountability procedures in place. It also preserves jobs in those sectors and provides protection for whistleblowers who wish to report fraudulent use of taxpayer dollars.

By providing economic opportunities for a broader cross-section of society, this bill can broaden the tax base, help reduce chronic illness, and reduce dependence on entitlement programs. That can lower the tax burden for all if coupled with a more judicious use of military force. The financial sector will only return to health when the people can afford their services.

The Republican response to the bill is an example of why they don’t need to be in charge of the country’s business anytime soon. Their ideas are based on the myth that everyone can pull themselves up from their bootstraps. They don’t understand the impact of unfair public policy on average citizens. Unless they gain an understanding of the issues that face common people, they will remain the party of a vanishing breed: people who are actually thriving under their policies.

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Jacqueline Laurette Jones is author of Unmasking a Diagnosis: How to get Help for a Confusing Chronic Illness Without Filing for Bankruptcy.

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Economic Health Requires Revolutionary Change (Part 4)

December 11, 2008 By Jacqueline Laurette Jones Leave a Comment

Every day brings an announcement of more layoffs and business closings. Look in the mirror to see who is  responsible for this mess. We’ve allowed our leaders and the lobbyists to run the country off a cliff.

This recession is the result of policies we all supported, fought, or ignored for selfish reasons. Some of us just gave up and let the bad guys win.

The last election showed us that we can make a difference. If we don’t use our new power to help each other and live what we know is right, we’ll never get out of this mess. Now is the time to demand policies that provide opportunity for those who are willing and able to work, support the weak, and protect the taxpayers. In addition to the obvious need for more regulation and oversight in the financial services industry, here are other ways to move forward:

Help cities build mixed income, green communities. Seattle’s High Point neighborhood is a good example. High Point is a 100-acre master planned community. Its energy efficient condos and townhomes are available for sale or for rent at market and subsidized rates. Members of the community mingle with each other in 20 acres of parks and playgrounds, on front porches, or along tree-lined sidewalks and trails. The library and community health center are already open for business. A community rec center and neighborhood shopping are in the works.

Place high quality public charter and magnet schools in each community. Parents often relocate to ensure that their children receive a good education. A return to neighborhood schools will increase parent involvement and student achievement. Students can walk to schools in their neighborhoods, which will reduce or eliminate the need for busing. Busing students across town produces obese children, wastes taxpayer dollars, and fragments communities. Most people want to surround themselves with people who have similar values, goals, and experiences. That may not be right or politically correct, but it’s human nature. Even those of us who think we’re open-minded like to surround ourselves with other open-minded people.

Increase funding for research. Our country is falling behind industrialized and some emerging nations because we don’t value deep thought. We’ll need deep thinkers to develop the technologies and processes that will help us get out of this mess.

Develop trade and foreign policies that benefit others without hurting ourselves. Foreign aid workers, missionaries, diplomats, and military commanders agree that world conflicts cannot be solved with military might alone. People around the world share many of our same concerns. Most of them want to earn a living, educate their children, gain and maintain health, and live in healthful surroundings. By exporting the technologies and teaching them the processes we develop to meet our own challenges in these areas, we can reduce conflicts and reduce the trade deficit without abusing workers in this country or others.

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Jacqueline Laurette Jones is author of Unmasking a Diagnosis: How to get Help for a Confusing Chronic Illness Without Filing for Bankruptcy.

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Universal Care Requires Personal Responsibility

November 6, 2008 By Jacqueline Laurette Jones Leave a Comment

Compassionate people around the world are outraged that the richest country on earth doesn’t use its wealth to provide health services for its own citizens. I join them in celebrating Barack Obama’s victory on Tuesday because he understands that these conditions must change. But as we celebrate, let’s remember that his acceptance speech included a call to personal responsibility.

The United States is the only wealthy industrialized nation that doesn’t provide universal health care for its citizens. Some European countries have replaced government-run plans with programs that combine government and private coverage. Obama’s plan takes the latter approach one step farther. Its focus is preventive care, an essential component of any plan to reduce expenditures for the chronic illnesses that plague our nation.

Preventive care will require us to take responsibility for our own health. This is our duty to the nation and to our families. Neither the government nor private insurers can afford to pay for the results of undisciplined or self-destructive behavior. Our families also need us to help care for them and reduce their need for government assistance.

If we all vow to take charge of our health, we can help rebuild this nation with the strength we gain and the money we save.

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Jacqueline Laurette Jones is author of Unmasking a Diagnosis: How to get Help for a Confusing Chronic Illness Without Filing for Bankruptcy.

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Obama’s Vision Can Heal the Nation

October 30, 2008 By Jacqueline Laurette Jones Leave a Comment

I’ve spent more time doing research and listening to statements from all the candidates during this presidential campaign than any other. Like most voters this year, I’ve realized we can’t hold our leaders accountable for misguided policies if we don’t understand those policies. After carefully assessing the positions of each candidate, last week I voted for Barack Obama because John McCain just doesn’t see the big picture. Here are the reasons why I believe Obama is the superior candidate:

Obama understands the plight of the little guy because he’s been one. Don’t let the degrees from Columbia and Harvard fool you. He just recently finished paying his school loans. He knows from personal experience that not everyone who needs help is lazy or trying to game the system. His campaign is focused on giving everyone a voice in policies that affect their lives.

Obama understands that when a person has a vision and the means to fulfill that vision, he or she is less likely to need public funds. His vision for our citizens addresses disparities in education, employment, and health care. He knows that better educated people who receive fair wages, work in supportive environments, and have access to disease prevention and treatment services are healthier and more productive. Healthier people cost public and private insurers less money. Productive people purchase their own necessities as well as luxuries that generate tax revenues to fund the cost of government initiatives. They invest and save for the future, which strengthens our financial institutions. They also give to those who are in need.

Obama understands that a comprehensive energy policy can strengthen the world economy. He supports policies to help this country lead an energy revolution that can create good jobs for people around the world without sacrificing the futures of people in this country.

Obama is a Christian by choice, not by force. He was exposed to a variety of faiths in childhood but “was not raised in a religious household.” That helps him understand people of other faiths, who are citizens of every nation, including ours. Though we are electing a commander-in-chief, not an evangelist-in-chief, non-believers will be more likely to embrace Christianity if they see Christian principles in action without having those principles shoved down their throats. Jesus said, “he that is greatest among you shall be your servant,” not your master. Obama’s policies encourage servanthood.

Obama is better prepared to communicate with and address the needs of a multi-cultural world. He has lived among, worked with, and/or visited blacks, whites, Christians, Muslims, Americans, Indonesians, Africans, the poor, the working class, and the privileged. The policies of previous administrations often have favored a single demographic at the expense of all or most others.

Obama’s connection with other faiths can keep us safer. According to the New York Times, an Islamist website closely linked to Al Qaeda has endorsed John McCain because his positions and plans will make recruiting for the organization much easier. The site further stated that potential recruits will be reluctant to confront Obama, who has a Muslim grandfather.

Obama’s brand of Christianity embraces the needs of the living as well as the unborn. He believes that it is proper for states to restrict partial-birth abortion, but he voted against an Illinois bill because it didn’t include an exclusion for mothers whose lives would be jeopardized by giving birth. He also has said “we should be doing everything we can to avoid unwanted pregnancies that might even lead somebody to consider having an abortion.”

Obama is probably the most experienced candidate in U.S. history. His experiences include:

  1. Working to empower people as a community organizer and as an attorney for a firm that specializes in civil rights law and economic development
  2. Serving on the board of directors for several organizations dedicated to improving the lives of people
  3. Serving three terms in the Illinois State Senate, where he gained bipartisan support to reform ethics and health care laws and chaired the Health and Human Services Committee
  4. Teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School
  5. Representing Illinois in the U.S. Senate
  6. Helping to create bipartisan legislation that addresses many of the most pressing issues of our time: greater public accountability in the use of federal funds, lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returning U.S. military personnel
  7. Serving on committees that address every area of government: Foreign Relations; Environment and Public Works; Veterans’ Affairs; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Homeland Security; and Governmental Affairs
  8. Traveling abroad to meet with leaders in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Obama is not God or Superman. He didn’t create the world, and he can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound. His strength is listening. He understands that he doesn’t know everything. His campaign staff members praise him for listening to dissenting opinions before he makes decisions. The changes in his campaign seem less like calculated political moves and more like adjustments to newly discovered realities.

McCain obviously isn’t listening. The American people want a leader with real vision to address real problems. McCain has constantly misrepresented Obama’s views and focused on distractions rather than addressing the issues.

We cannot afford to elect a man who lacks vision. Where there is no vision, the people perish (Prov. 29:18).

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Jacqueline Laurette Jones is author of Unmasking a Diagnosis: How to get Help for a Confusing Chronic Illness Without Filing for Bankruptcy.

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Preventive Care Reduces Costs, Saves Jobs

September 25, 2008 By Jacqueline Laurette Jones Leave a Comment

Update 10/10/08

There’s a growing consensus among Americans that a plan to address America’s economic woes must top the agenda of our next president. When the national debt surpassed $10 trillion, the National Debt Clock in New York ran out of digits, according to BBC News. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s plan to escape a possible economic meltdown could add $1 trillion to that figure, reports Politico.

With these facts in mind, government officials, business and health leaders, and the public must increase efforts to change our health care system. The economy will not recover without innovative reforms, including additional protections for American workers, the unemployed, the poor, the elderly, and the disabled, and an increase in spending on preventive care.

The facts speak for themselves. The cost of health care has been a major factor in the decline of America’s automobile industry. Mustafa Mohatarem, General Motors Corp.’s chief economist, once told an interviewer that the company spent more on health care for its employees than it spent on steel to manufacture its cars. Those expenditures added approximately $1500 to the cost of each car and made the company unable to compete against challengers from other countries.

Because of these costs, automobile manufacturers and other businesses have reduced or eliminated health care benefits for the majority of their employees and laid off thousands of other workers. Former employees lose access to health care unless their spouses remain employed at jobs that provide coverage. Programs that administer services for the poor, elderly, and disabled also have increased deductibles and co-pays for recipients.

Additional economic challenges are reducing the ability of Americans to replace lost coverage with individual policies or additional funds. Their health suffers without access to adequate care. Costs skyrocket when these same citizens go without care until problems related to their illnesses multiply. If they can’t afford to pay the full cost of services when they finally seek treatment, providers pass their losses on to insured patients, which helps drive up costs.

The majority of these health care dollars are spent on treating chronic illnesses. Nearly one in two Americans, approximately 133 million, has a chronic illness, according to a study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Johns Hopkins University. Eighty percent of these illnesses are preventable and comprise about 90 percent of health care expenditures, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Reesearch studies have connected many chronic illnesses with improper nutrition, lack of exercise, insufficient water intake, inadequate sunshine and fresh air, overeating, abuse of alcohol and drugs, lack of rest, and too much stress. Layoffs meant to save money and increase productivity among remaining workers have led to longer work hours, erratic schedules, and an increase in these disease-causing factors.

The Motley Fool, a multimedia financial services company, has discovered policies that make allowances for the human limitations of its workers increase profit margins. Employees enjoy frequent breaks, flexible schedules, onsite recreation, yoga classes, and unlimited vacation and sick days. Best Buy has developed some of these policies. These Results Only Work Environments (ROWE) have reduced health care costs and increased employee retention.

An increase in spending on preventive care, which should include the services of alternative medicine providers and health educators, could reduce those costs even futher. Prevention is a recognized specialty in the medical profession. It focuses on educating patients about the effects of poor lifestyle choices and detecting the early stages of disease. Alternative providers, through knowlege of how the body’s different systems work together, can often detect disease factors before they appear on medical tests. They also sometimes halt the progress of existing diseases or reverse them even in advanced stages. Health educators communicate the importance of these principles to the general public.

The gravity of this country’s economic situation calls for bold new measures. A plan for addressing our health care woes can free capital for economic expansion and jumpstart our economy.

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Jacqueline L. Jones is author of Unmasking a Diagnosis: How to get Help for a Confusing Chronic Illness Without Filing for Bankruptcy. The book is available through Lulu.com and will be available early next year through Amazon.com and other online book retailers.

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Economic Insecurity Increases Health Care Costs

August 28, 2008 By Jacqueline Laurette Jones Leave a Comment

Updated 8/28/08

The economic playing field in this country has always been uneven. In spite of this fact, residents of different races, ethnic backgrounds and genders have overcome tremendous obstacles to feed their families and meet the other obligations of their lives.

Now middle-class workers from all groups are competing with forces they are ill-equipped to fight. Many hard-working citizens of the United States are losing their jobs to citizens of other countries. When they lose, their health suffers.

According to the documentary Unnatural Causes, which aired on PBS, the United States government may need to study how the Swedish government protects its citizens from the adverse effects of globalization. Part seven of the documentary, titled “Not Just a Paycheck,” compares the fates of workers in Greenville, Michigan, with those in Västervik, Sweden. Workers in both cities lost their jobs when Electrolux, a manufacturer of home and professional appliances, decided to relocate its plants in those cities to other countries.

Some of the U.S. workers were unable to find new jobs. At least one family moved because the only work the breadwinner(s) could find was in another state.

Others were too overwhelmed or too broke to attend college to retrain for new careers after having worked at Electrolux for decades. One of these was a lady who had been out of school 40 years.

Still others took jobs making much less money. Pension plans and health benefits disappeared.

Some of the workers began to drink. Their families suffered. Suicide attempts, depression and domestic abuse increased. The case load at the local hospital tripled.

In contrast, 80 percent of the Swedish workers were members of a union. The union and the Swedish government made sure that Electrolux paid $3 million to help the community create new businesses. Most Swedish workers also receive 80% of their pay in unemployment benefits as long as they continue to look for work or go to school, even graduate school, with the intent of returning to the work force.

According to Thomas Östros, Minister of Industry in Sweden: “Unemployment is very bad for individuals. You lose your connection in society, you lose your democratic empowerment, but you also suffer when it comes to health. And that creates, of course, another discussion because it is a waste of resources to let people be laid off for long periods of time, or unemployed for long periods of time. But it also costs even more if you don’t do anything.”

Much of the money our country spends in military endeavors could best be spent in developing a stronger safety net for U.S. citizens. Because Sweden has not participated in any armed conflicts other than as peacekeepers since the 19th century, the government has more money to spend on its people. Swedes also are guaranteed health care, five-weeks paid vacation and 16-months paid leave for new parents, among other benefits.

The Swedes pay much higher taxes than we do for all this security. Their health is better as well. They rank ninth in life expectancy among 223 countries, according to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The United States ranks 47th. Even Israel is 13th, and Canada ranks 7th.

Sweden has a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) about equal to ours when adjusted for size. About 57 percent of that is government expenditures compared to about 33 percent here. The United States, however, spends 16 percent of combined government and private funds on health care, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This is more than any other country, but in 2000 the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked our health care system 37th among 190 countries.

Though we may not want to copy everything that Sweden or other countries do, we need to swallow our pride and learn from other countries whose citizens are now enjoying a better quality of life than ours. For more information, visit the website for Unnatural Causes.

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Jacqueline Laurette Jones is author of Unmasking a Diagnosis: How to get Help for a Confusing Chronic Illness Without Filing for Bankruptcy.

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Postponing Needed Care is Never a Good Idea

June 10, 2008 By Jacqueline Laurette Jones 1 Comment

It finally happened. After ignoring my own advice to readers that ignoring a medical problem isn’t a good idea, I waited to seek care until a problem was totally uncomfortable. By the time I sought help, I was very ill. I’ve spent most of the last month recovering.

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Disease Care Wastes Money and Lives

October 23, 2007 By Jacqueline Laurette Jones 1 Comment

We buried my aunt last Saturday as another group of relatives gathered in a different city to bury her best friend, a cousin, at the same hour. They were two victims of chronic illness, and both had access to medical care. My aunt received treatment at one of the best medical centers in the country. I don’t know the specifics of the cousin’s care.

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Head of CDC Agrees: Change Needed in U.S. Medical Education

July 16, 2007 By Jacqueline Laurette Jones 1 Comment

In my July 11 post, I suggested that the majority of physicians in this country are trained to treat acute but not chronic diseases nor to prevent them.

On Saturday, July 14, Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters at a meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association that the United States needs to begin health care reform with a change in medical school education. Medical schools should teach disease prevention and offer cooperative training of doctors, nurses, veterinarians, pharmacists and dentists.

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