As the presidential campaign enters its next phase, the economy, health care, and the war in Iraq continue as the three big issues facing the country and driving campaign themes.
When the topic turns to access to health care, we should prepare ourselves to hear Massachusetts’ efforts for health care reform referenced as either visionary or as a cautionary tale of misguided public policy. While I continue to be unwavering in my support of health care reform, the true answer on its success is really yet to come.
In order to succeed, what we must do next is grapple with health care costs in a manner that hasn’t been done before. Massachusetts is the perfect laboratory in which to create real change.
The good news is that people are seizing the moment. Last week in this blog, Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby wrote “that we must promote policies that ensure people have the right care in the right place.” I and others have said the same thing. It is my hope that the Commonwealth’s Quality and Cost Council, the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans and the provider community will leverage their common goals for the greater good.
Senate President Therese Murray is taking a leadership position that is laudable. By focusing on funding improved technology and pledging $25 million per year to implement electronic medical systems, she is taking decisive action that will dramatically alter health care delivery and improve quality. Furthermore, we support her call for both transparency for both hospitals and insurance companies to help shine a light on true cost drivers. We all have a stake in keeping costs as affordable as possible.
Lastly, in today’s complex health care system individuals cannot afford to take a passive role in their own health care—healthy activities and healthy choices may not stave off all disease, but they undoubtedly contribute to lower health care costs and better quality of life. Employers understand the connection, and many are investing in wellness programs for their workforce.
For example, at Tufts Health Plan, we are waging a competition modeled on the T.V. program “The Biggest Loser.” It’s our own “Team Lean Challenge.” As an employer, we pay millions of dollars in health care costs, so like every employer we cover, we too, are seeking ways to save money. We’ve identified that helping employees lead healthier lives is one way to do that. The added benefit is that investments like this one also create an environment where employees feel valued and supported.
Timing in life is everything and we must act upon the urgency and opportunity for change that lies before us. The country is watching.
James Roosevelt, Jr.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Tufts Health Plan and
Chairman of Massachusetts Association of Health Plans
“…we should prepare ourselves to hear Massachusetts’ efforts for health care reform referenced as either visionary or as a cautionary tale of misguided public policy.”
There is nothing “visionary” in forcing people to purchase a product that they can not afford. There is nothing “visionary” about squeezing already tight working and middle class family budgets with the threat of criminalization. Have you been to the grocery store lately? Have you filled your oil tank or paid your local property taxes? Perhaps it might be considered “visionary” to impel citizens to enroll in this crash home economics class, but otherwise this vision is just a cruel, “misguided” illusion.
“…what we must do next is grapple with health care costs”
Ditto from above, but who’s doing the real, day to day grappling? Certainly not the legislators or the governor or the opulently compensated Connector staff and insurance company officials.
“We all have a stake in keeping costs as affordable as possible.”
Yes we all have an interest in this because it’s our lives that the law is playing with.
After a while, it’s not going to be too difficult to qualify for a “hardship exemption” such as:
-”You are homeless, or more than 30 days behind in rent or mortgage payments, or have received a current eviction or foreclosure notice.”
-”You have a shut-off notice from your utility company (gas, electric, oil, water, or telephone), or one of your utilities has been shut off, or one or more of your utility companies is refusing to deliver services because you cannot pay.”
-”You can establish that the expense of purchasing health insurance that meets minimum credible coverage would have caused you to experience serious deprivation of food, shelter, clothing or other necessities.”
“Massachusetts is the perfect laboratory in which to create real change.”
Did the people of Massachusetts volunteer to become lab rats? Did you ever hear of Dr. Josef Mengele?
“The country is watching.”
The country might be watching, but they’re only seeing what state sponsored spin and propaganda the dutiful press and politicians are feeding them. Please be honest.
“Employers understand the connection, and many are investing in wellness programs for their workforce.”
The topic of wellness is wonderful, but is just another distraction from the bottom line here. Please note that nearly every “authority” post on this blog boils down to money. That’s what it’s all about. Please don’t forget whose money it really is. If they wanted to “leverage their common goals for the greater good” they would take a clear view, unfettered by political, corporate or financial gain. If they did this, they would make a fast retreat from this wasteful, expensive, atrocious experiment.
HM writes: “Did the people of Massachusetts volunteer to become lab rats? Did you ever hear of Dr. Josef Mengele?”
Pursuant to Godwin’s law and its corollary, by making a Nazi analogy you have automatically lost the argument.
Mike – Sorry, but medical care is a life and death issue. I’m sorry if the gravity of the situation escapes you. OK, perhaps the evil doctor M hasn’t exactly taken a scalpel to my body, but the effects can end up just as dire.
But the point really is, references aside, that the Medical Industrial Complex has been barely touched by this law. It is truly a ‘deck chairs being rearranged on the titanic’ kind of thing we’re doing here in this state. There is no way that the current arrangement can be successful or even continue for much longer. We are failing to deal with the fundamental issues of the delivery of care, what health truly means (not just medical care, that’s for sure), and our cultural assumptions that keep the current system going, with costs rising over the rate of inflation every year and outcomes below those of other countries. It’s time for radical change. We will have radical change, one way or the other. Either we suffer a catastrophic collapse of what we have, or we work for a better vision and implement it.
To Mike G – re: “you have automatically lost the argument.”
You couldn’t be more wrong. There are numerous well-reasoned points made in HM’s comment that stand on their own merit.
The cries for help we have been hearing for months and months from many state residents who are being hurt by the mandated insurance law are real. What is not humane is to ignore them.
Kudos to Huddled Masses, Glenn Koenig and Ann Malone for speaking the truth about this far-reaching scam which I now dub “The Biggest Loser” a/k/a “The Boston Strangler” a/k/a “Big Dig II” a/k/a “Fraud Disguised as Health Care Reform.”
The efforts of Dr. JudyAnn Bigby and Therese Murray do not address the nightmares people are living under this law. These proposals are just fancy talk for propping up a failed policy in an effort to save face while the rest of the country watches.
in response to James Roosevelt Jr.”the country is watching”but their not being told the truth about this so-called health reform mess.The media is payed for by insurance advertisers,The state house is paid by insurance lobbyist,The lobbyist are in Washington.We the people are hostage to them and people like Roosevelt.Huddle Masses and the rest of us are trying to get the truth out as much as we can.Then the likes of Mike Godwin comes along and insults the post because he has nothing better to offer.So maybe Mike Godwin should learn about this awful law that is hurting the citizens like myself,I am uninsured and cannot afford insurance,I wonder if Mike Godwin and James Roosevelt Jr. have medical insurance? I don’t.
The Foxes (insurance co’s and HMOs) are the ones our politicians are letting “Fix” the broken Henhouse (the health system in meltdown from sky-high costs, poor access and hit or miss quality)!!
This situation has gone beyond absurd to criminal. Lawsuits are being brought against the state and its illegal mandate to purchase a private insurance product. A class action lawsuit is being planned and will proceed as soon as the first state tax penalties are levied. More on the Foxes follows:
According to a story in the business section of the March 1 Worcester Telegram and Gazette, the Bay State’s HMOs had a very profitable year in 2007. The Fallon Community Health Plan had net income of $15.1 million on revenues of $916.2 million. Harvard Pilgrim saw income of $45.6 million on revenue of $2.5 billion. Tufts had a net income of $110 million on revenues of $2.2 billion. Lastly, BCBS HMO Blue earned $63.1 million on revenues of $4.5 billion. Executive compensations for the year were similarly impressive, here is the breakdown:
Fallon CEO Eric Shultz–$636,698
Harvard Pilgrim’s Charles Baker–$1.3 million
Tufts CEO James Roosevelt, Jr.–$1.1 million
BCBS CEO Cleve Killingsworth–$3.6 million
Now do we really need to ask who is benefiting from health reform and where they will — and will not — look as they “grapple” with health care costs?
T&G article link http://www.telegram.com/article/20080301/NEWS/803010322
Tim,
Please tell us how to contact you. We have some important actions going on and would be good if we could join forces.