Presidential party platforms ‘08: does either candidate really have a firm grasp on what ails our health care system? From a health practitioner’s perspective: surprisingly not. Gleaning any information about health care from the presidential debates or printed political commentary leaves most Americans unclear of a plan for a feasible solution. Each candidate skims the surface, citing strategies directed towards business-oriented goals and markers, using ambiguous methodology for the redistribution of funds or phantom federal monies for additional tax credits…. I’m afraid to admit that less than two weeks before the November elections: We the People, health practitioners and patients alike, cannot envision any semblance of structure for your health care manifestos.
The discussion of health care should go beyond access to health care and how individuals, families or businesses will pay for it. Access and cost are only part of the whole solution. It’s important for our politicians to address other key pieces in our health care system like quality and patient satisfaction.
Or better yet, could someone please address: how do we make Americans healthier?
Doesn’t it make sense that our elected officials listen to health practitioners and patients about our health care system and not the companies that stand to profit from a poorly run “health” care system? Perhaps it’s time for our presidential hopefuls to take a little heart-felt advice from health experts who have thoroughly studied and worked in our ailing health care system. Here are two doctors that cut the fat out of the facts, so that you can focus on the real issues at hand.
Former Governor, Dr. John Kitzhaber, MD is blazing a trail for all politicians to follow. Take a look at this unbiased approach in Dr. Kitzhaber’s Presidential Debates, ‘08 Video where he breaks down both presidential plans for health care, and solidifies a foundation for truly addressing the current state of affairs for all Americans, sick and healthy.
Professor of Medicine and Microbiology/Immunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Nortin M. Hadler, MD, wrote a rather insightful book: The Last Well Person: How to Stay Well Despite the Health-Care System. Hadler effectively constructs a vivid reality for the health care industry of today, examining the effects of modern medicine, and what those effects do to the human body.
As with any system, it’s important to pinpoint the root cause of dis-ease, and the present state of our health care system is no exception. Focusing on the superficial symptoms of an underlying, dis-harmonious infrastructure for our health care system needs to be addressed.
Luckily, our democratic political system relies upon the input of its people to effectively govern its populace. This is where We the People can make a difference. Politicians depend on experts to help them understand circumstances with our health care, and then implement legislation to address, correct, and effectively serve the public. Are you, the patient, involved in the reshaping of our health care? Here are three quick resources to get you started if want a bigger bite out of health:
We Can Do Better “creates a new space for civic engagement outside of our traditional legislative and governance structures [so that] we can work on solutions [to items like] the crisis in the U.S. health care system.”
Oregon Health Fund Board serves as an excellent blueprint that has potential to reshape the health care debate… a dialogue from the grassroots to Capitol Hill.
And there’s the Allies for Health Reform on the Helfgott Blog Community Resource Page to meet the diversity of demands on our systems at large