Comments on: Thoughts on Controlling Health Care Costs by John McDonough

By: Lpg

Lpg — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:39:44 +0000

this”affordable insurance”.don’t they know this?I will be forced out and so

By: Mark Johnson

Mark Johnson — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 08:26:03 +0000

We need real change in our nation’s health care policy. At least the democrats are proposing solutions, while the republicans just offer excuses as to why we shouldn’t nationalize healthcare.

By: estetik

estetik — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:01:21 +0000

I think health care costs should rise.

By: Ann E Malone, RN, MSN

Ann E Malone, RN, MSN — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 15:41:37 +0000

In reply to this post and to Vijay:

If we are truly sincere about achieving cost controls then we must get on course to enact the widely embraced reform for an expanded and improved Medicare For All program on the national level (as in HR 676) and provide leadership toward that goal on the state level (as in SB 730 here in MA).

Anything less is mere tinkering that keeps the elements of our broken, wasteful, and harmful system firmly in place and may indeed make things worse, as Vijay points out that the MA Chap 58 law will likely do. I and many others firmly agree.

Canada’s reform that led to the civilized model of guaranteed comprehensive care for all began one province at a time and evolved into a national program.

At present the Canadian Universal Medicare program is underfunded; spending about 1/2 less per person than we spend in the U.S. on HC. But it is a good model that uses streamlined single payer financing to guarantee cost effective access to needed care for everyone.

We Americans are a smart and caring people who, if given the choice, would gladly take the option to modify such clearly preferable models such as Canada’s and France’s to meet our needs and our budgets and enact an improved Medicare For All U.S. health care program.

After all, healthcare should be for people, not for corporate profit and individual fortune, right?

To learn more visit
http://www.DefendHealth.org
and
http://www.MassCare.org/legislation

By: Vijay Goel, M.D.

Vijay Goel, M.D. — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:25:16 +0000

Controlling health care costs will be critical going forward. While it is ok to expand access in one phase and then address cost in another, it is critical that one doesn't expand care at the expense of cost, which I think is a good possibility with the current approach. I talk more about this in my blog article on Mandatory Health Insurance and its disincentives for innovation in medical practice.

By: Ron Norton

Ron Norton — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:12:35 +0000

Norma,

I agree. This law effectively enslaves us all to the health insurance industry that skims 31 cents off of every dollar spent on health care. This is not a serious effort at reform, since even if we could afford to buy these policies, we could not afford to use them. It is time that we contact our legislators and demand that they do better! We are the last industrialized nation on Earth that does not have some real form of universal access.

By: Norma

Norma — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:58:03 +0000

my question is why does the state want to force business and citizens to move out of the state because of this outrageous law? people can’t afford this”affordable insurance”.don’t they know this?I will be forced out and so will others.

By: HealthBlawg

HealthBlawg — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 21:13:37 +0000

We have met the enemy and it is us

The Massachusetts universal coverage plan and the next-stage efforts at health care cost containment get somewhat cynical, yet sobering, coverage at CommonWealth magazine. The article in the current issue is titled Cost Unconscious. MassINC, which publ…

By: A Healthy Blog » We Talk about Health Care Cost Control

A Healthy Blog » We Talk about Health Care Cost Control — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:27:34 +0000

[...] Commonhealth blog. We talk about health care cost control — or the lack thereof…click here to see the post and [...]

By: Charley on the MTA

Charley on the MTA — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 12:51:34 +0000

John — Speaking at least for myself, the Q&C Council’s recommendations don’t get any play because I don’t see how they have the teeth, or budget, or time, or energy, or power to do anything other than make a website and “set goals”. Quality and cost are the central battle in the reform, as far as I’m concerned, but I don’t see how the Council is set to contribute.