A quarter of Hispanics surveyed in 2007 for the Rockefeller Foundation said they were very worried about losing their health insurance coverage, according to an analysis of the findings by the Economic Policy Institute. In addition, 26 percent of those Hispanics surveyed reported not going to a doctor because of the cost, and 25 percent said they had taken money out of savings to cover health expenses.
The Fulton County (GA) Board of Commissioners have approved a lease agreement that would shift operational control of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta from the hospital's board to a new nonprofit corporation. Under the lease agreement, daily operations of the hospital system would be controlled by a nonprofit board of business and community leaders, but the Grady board would continue to have broad oversight and would own the real estate. The restructuring plan still requires the approval of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners.
States now are looking at adults between the ages of 19 and 29 as they seek to reduce the number of uninsured. In the past two years alone, 17 states have passed laws that let young adults stay covered under their family policy until their mid-20s. Age limits range from 24 in Delaware, Indiana and South Dakota, to 30 in New Jersey. Eleven states settled on age 25, according to the Commonwealth Fund.
Gov. Charlie Crist will ask the Legislature to help millions of Floridians who have no health insurance by inviting private companies to offer a range of coverage options at reduced cost. But the initiative, laid out for the first time in an e-mailed news release, lacked key details, making it far from clear if Crist's effort would significantly address a problem that has vexed health experts nationwide. Nearly 1 of 4 Floridians under age 65 has no insurance.
After a second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, John Edwards approached the microphone to present one of his classic "Two Americas" speeches.
Knowing he was not only speaking to a couple hundred supporters in Iowa, but millions across the nation, Edwards dipped into his campaign quiver and pulled out his first arrow. He pulled back his bow and the arrow pierced the air and struck directly into the heart of managed care.
The former senator retold the story of Nataline Sarkisyan, a 17-year-old leukemia patient at the Pediatric Liver Transplant Program at UCLA. Everyone in managed care surely knows the story. Her insurer, CIGNA, declined a liver transplant for the teenager, who suffered from multiple organ failure after a bone marrow transplant. The insurer said it "does not cover experimental, investigational and unproven services." The company's decision sparked protest from her doctors and nurses and brought picketers to the managed care company's Glendale, CA, offices.
CIGNA ultimately gave the OK, but it was too late. Sarkisyan's family had already taken the girl off life support, and she died shortly after the insurer's decision. The tragic story is yet another example of health insurers being on the wrong end of the news. How has managed care become such an easy applause line for politicians?
There was once a time when managed care was not known for funding CEO bonuses, asking physicians to rat out patients and paying fines following improper denials. In fact, there was once a time--believe it or not--when managed care was considered the guys wearing the white hats.
The early days of managed care were tough times for doctors and hospitals. Most lower-income Americans (and even one-quarter of those in the upper-income brackets) delayed seeing a doctor during the Depression. Those patients who did visit their physicians often did not pay their bills promptly. In fact, Americans were paying department and grocery stores, landlords, and dentists before their physicians. Less than 5 percent of families accumulated one-third of the country's medical costs. Fewer patients and delinquent payments crippled the healthcare system because there wasn't enough money to pay physicians and hospitals.
The nation turned to an option that had been promoted occasionally for the first few decades of the 20th century--health insurance. Supporters preached that health insurance would not only help patients pay for their care, but provide a steady stream of money for physicians and hospitals, which faced empty beds and unpaid bills.
Not everyone was sold on insurance though. The American Medical Association was concerned that managed care would place barriers between patients and their doctors. But a growing number of physicians, particularly those in rural areas, saw that their patients simply didn't have the resources to pay their bills.
Without a regular stream of income, doctors and hospitals were sinking. Health insurance jumped into the lifeboat and saved a drowning healthcare system. Now, here we are 70 years later. Many Americans no longer view managed care as a necessary piece of the healthcare system, but as an expensive third wheel that--as the AMA had warned--places barriers between physicians and patients.
The arguments against health insurers are easy to understand. No one wants to be denied life-saving services, and many worry about what will happen to them and their loved ones in their greatest time of need.
But what would happen if managed care was wiped from the system--especially in these days of foreclosures and credit card debt? Imagine returning to the days of individuals paying for services. Few want a healthcare system without managed care, but Americans are not satisfied with their current healthcare.
Even the most ardent health insurance defender would acknowledge managed care isn't perfect, but the system continues to serve its purpose--as the difference between this nation protecting its people and slipping back into the days of empty hospitals and delinquent payments.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has announced plans to help the uninsured with new, low-cost health insurance, vastly expanded coverage for children and a pilot program offering low-cost primary care in 14 counties. The plans would be required to guarantee coverage to all uninsured Floridians age 19 to 64, and Crist said the cost would be $150 a month.