. . . . "They" (insert suitable descriptive political party, faction or candidate name) repeal The Affordable Care Act and -
*We are old, sick and unable to take care of ourselves (eating, toileting, grooming, dressing, bathing and transferring) and the State decides to send us (or one of us) to a miserable nursing home bed in another county instead of providing us (or one of us) with inexpensive home and community based attendant services and support to rehabilitate us and get us (or one of us) going again.
* The State says that I have no right to be independent.
* One of us gets very sick and "They" have done away with our protection, as recipients of home and community services, of protection against spousal impoverishment.
*"They decide that, in spite of the Olmstead Supreme Court Caser ruling, neither Mom nor I have a right to choose long term services in the community, rather than in an institutional setting.
*"They" wipe out the "Elder Justice Act" which protects Mom and me against physical or psychological harm,elder abuse, neglect and exploitation, improves Long Term Care facilities and gives you the information to know - as our kids - whether those taking care of us are trained, doing their jobs competently and honestly, or are crooks stealing our property and your meager inheritances.
So don't worry - unless . . . .
Showing posts with label Elder Abuse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elder Abuse. Show all posts
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
If the Republicans Repeal Health Reform -- Then What?
As I have reported, and one of my sons mentioned to me in this morning's phone call, I have plowed my way through 906 single-spaced pages of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("ACA") which President Obama signed last March. I have read numerous blogs (including those of the Director of the Congressional Budget Office which, being written for Congress people and their staffs, are written clearly) some of which demonstrate complete unfamiliarity with the actual text and meaning of the ACA. I am convinced that many public statements about the ACA reflect uninformed for personal-profit political positions more than hard time-consuming actual work to understand and think about the act.
A disclaimer - I have my biases. As a physician specialist, I took care of very sick people, never turned anyone away because of insurance status or lack of it, and have no respect for those that do. I have a large family which has seen more than "its share" of sickness and disease and death and my family has been significantly impacted by our severe recession. I have been the Chief of Staff of a large mid-city hospital, now closed and abandoned, and have seen what economists call "dislocation" and the rest of us call bankruptcy in health care. I have seen excellence and incompetency in health care and the systems which deliver it. I was a member of Stanford University's clinical faculty, providing one morning a week of unpaid time for thirteen years, taking care of veterans with blood diseases at the Palo Alto VA hospital and teaching medical students, residents and hematology fellows. As a member of a powerful well-financed state hospital industry board, I have seen political and economic jousting within and outside the hospital industry. When I practiced health law, among others, I represented a large medical group and was heavily involved in the analysis and negotiating of managed care contracts as well as contracts among physicians and their practice entities.
Bottom line - if health reform is repealed we will be worse off. The good outweighs the rest.
The ACA will provide access to insurance for Americans who have lost employment and their families' health insurance and don't have enough money to buy Cobra extended coverage. The ACA outlaws insurance company abuses and will provide health insurance and care to our kids and grandchildren. The ACA will provide incentives to employers to sign their workers up for insurance, insurance which cannot be rescinded or be subjected to unreasonable annual coverage limits or lifetime limits. The ACA will expand Medicare coverage for Part D beneficiaries although there will be a modest increase in premiums over the next ten years and it will even help seniors to stay out of nursing homes, or if in nursing homes, have better quality of care (Also see the Elder Justice Act within the ACA at pages 664 and following) The ACA will improve access to care in rural and underserved areas and the care of the poor. It will train doctors, nurses and others in the health professions without burying them and their families in debt. It incorporates an "Elder Justice Act" which may safeguard seniors against some of the terrible things that I saw happen to my older patients. It has strengthened protections against fraud and abuse. And, it encourages advances in medical inventions, products and care which moves us into a new generation of health services.
The projections are that it will save about $14 billion dollars each year for the next 10 years and thus control the rise of premiums and out-of-pocket expenses that each of us experiences each year. And interestingly, it will make it possible - through support of America's families and children - to grow our workforce so that in coming there will be young working people able to fill the jobs that America offers and help America's businesses.
My study indicates that health reform is good for families, good for working-people and those who would work if they could find work, good for America's supply of doctors, nurses and health care workers, good long term for large and small business and less costly than the alternative - no health care reform.
A disclaimer - I have my biases. As a physician specialist, I took care of very sick people, never turned anyone away because of insurance status or lack of it, and have no respect for those that do. I have a large family which has seen more than "its share" of sickness and disease and death and my family has been significantly impacted by our severe recession. I have been the Chief of Staff of a large mid-city hospital, now closed and abandoned, and have seen what economists call "dislocation" and the rest of us call bankruptcy in health care. I have seen excellence and incompetency in health care and the systems which deliver it. I was a member of Stanford University's clinical faculty, providing one morning a week of unpaid time for thirteen years, taking care of veterans with blood diseases at the Palo Alto VA hospital and teaching medical students, residents and hematology fellows. As a member of a powerful well-financed state hospital industry board, I have seen political and economic jousting within and outside the hospital industry. When I practiced health law, among others, I represented a large medical group and was heavily involved in the analysis and negotiating of managed care contracts as well as contracts among physicians and their practice entities.
Bottom line - if health reform is repealed we will be worse off. The good outweighs the rest.
The ACA will provide access to insurance for Americans who have lost employment and their families' health insurance and don't have enough money to buy Cobra extended coverage. The ACA outlaws insurance company abuses and will provide health insurance and care to our kids and grandchildren. The ACA will provide incentives to employers to sign their workers up for insurance, insurance which cannot be rescinded or be subjected to unreasonable annual coverage limits or lifetime limits. The ACA will expand Medicare coverage for Part D beneficiaries although there will be a modest increase in premiums over the next ten years and it will even help seniors to stay out of nursing homes, or if in nursing homes, have better quality of care (Also see the Elder Justice Act within the ACA at pages 664 and following) The ACA will improve access to care in rural and underserved areas and the care of the poor. It will train doctors, nurses and others in the health professions without burying them and their families in debt. It incorporates an "Elder Justice Act" which may safeguard seniors against some of the terrible things that I saw happen to my older patients. It has strengthened protections against fraud and abuse. And, it encourages advances in medical inventions, products and care which moves us into a new generation of health services.
The projections are that it will save about $14 billion dollars each year for the next 10 years and thus control the rise of premiums and out-of-pocket expenses that each of us experiences each year. And interestingly, it will make it possible - through support of America's families and children - to grow our workforce so that in coming there will be young working people able to fill the jobs that America offers and help America's businesses.
My study indicates that health reform is good for families, good for working-people and those who would work if they could find work, good for America's supply of doctors, nurses and health care workers, good long term for large and small business and less costly than the alternative - no health care reform.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
