I give in!

I give in!

Let's pass it, but let's also continue to work on making health care something that we can pay for as well as benefit from. Let's continue to work on developing technology with an eye toward cost savings as well as health care. http://www.ted.com/talks/eric_topol_the_wireless_future_of_medicine.html

I think regulation on alternative medicine should be loosened to emphasize comfort over cure.

I think that insuring 30 million Americans is worth the risk of a few bad apples if there are incentives put in place to stop abuse. http://originalamerica.blogspot.com/2010/02/why-pay-for-care-of-careless.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

The respect the economists in the NY Times article. There is no reason why medicare can be fixed and defensive medicine corrected after this bill is passed. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/health-economists-urge-passage-of-reform/#preview

Our President has done a masterful job of bring the stake holders together. Although I think the summit could have taken place with a caucus process.  (See my previous post) I believe that he make the changes necessary to the health care bill after it is passed.

The Blind Spot of Obama Health Care #HC

Let’s simplify things about the health care debate. Republicans are for states rights. They generally would agree with a health care proposal that has the most limitations on the federal government. Democrats are for federal initiatives. They disagree with the republicans that states should solve national problems and wish to maximize national solutions. The libertarian camp has recently entered the debate in the form of Ron Paul. They go a step beyond Republicans to maximize individual rights over the rights of individual states. I would recommend that there is a forth point on the political compass that is being ignored. That point could be called the “Statist” solution. A statist solution would delegate our democratic freedoms to a panel of experts for a time to solve a problem. This solution would be the way that countries like Germany have traditionally solved problems. Countries like Germany hire a commission of experts to solve these problems, and then take the governing of this solution out of political hands so that the commission can stay the course and solve the problem. Recently, our president set up a bipartisan commission of two former deficit hawks in both parties to remove this blind spot from our eyes. I believe that our president is on the right track here. Why shouldn’t this same strategy work on health care?

I appreciate technological tools like twitter that open up this debate to small voices like mine to enter the fray. Many of the news commentators and journalist have a vested interest in selling advertising. They choose to interview people who are controversial so they can increase their ratings. I do not believe that the German solution has much controversy or democratic input to drive public policy debate. That is why it is currently a blind spot in the health care debate. America is a country made up of salespeople. We love to give our best pitch and hear about ideas we believe in. I think it is time to give the Americans with more or an engineering perspective a turn to govern. The health care system is broke and it needs to be fixed. Should we consider all possible solutions? Problems that do not appear in the blind spot of our rear view mirror may be better solved by us looking directly to the experts for a time until the problems are more easily seen.

The Third Rail of Politics meets Twitter Health Care Reform #HCR

There are three problems facing our president as he prepares for his upcoming televised health care summit. I am a progressive Republican who is rooting for his success. I am going to suggest something that a politician should never do. I would suggest Mr. President that you boldly touch the third rail of American Politics.

1.    He should fix the funding of Medicare and social security.
2.    He should tie the future costs of health care to our standard of living.
3.    He should form an alliance with the Republican Party as well as secure populist support with all stakeholders.

My proposal would be to pre-pay Medicare and Social Security with a 13.5% payroll tax for the employee and employer. A 13.5% payroll tax would enable to begin pre-paying social security and then slowly reduce the tax over 10 years. This could also be accomplished by keeping payroll taxes as they are now and taxing employee benefits. Then contain costs by tying future expense to GDP growth. If our country is not growing, then we must make decisions about comfort instead of cures for those of us in need of health care. Another funding proposal to pre-pay Medicare and Social Security is to empower the IRS and the Social Security Administration to debit $3500 from every retirement account in US. These funds would be used to pre-pay medicare for those designated social security numbers in those households. If a household does not have a retirement account then they would have the option of a 13.5% payroll tax to meet the prepayment option. The magic of compounding interest multiplies the usefulness of these pre-paid funds. Within five years payroll taxes can be lowered to more reasonable levels. The investment options for these funds will be determined by an independent commission  of economists elected by the National Association for Business Economics. (NABE) It could be set up similar to the federal reserve board.

Health care must make sense…

•    Pre-existing conditions must be included in the insurance pool
•    Health Insurance should be able to be purchased across state lines.
•    Those with out health insurance should pre-pay medical expenses at a discount for preventative health care.
•    The uninsured should continue to receive acute critical care through the established practice of cost shifting.
•    Universal health coverage can still be explored at the state level.

Health care cost must be contained

•    Pharmaceutical companies should pay a portion of health care based on their profits.
•    Disincentives must be built into the health care delivery system for patients to sue. 
•    Alternative medicine practices should be encouraged to provide comfort when cures are beyond our ability to pay for them.
•    Electronic reporting procedures must become standard in the delivery of health care by medical professionals.

We are currently being slammed by a snow storm in the Mid-Atlantic States. I am history teacher stuck in my house spinning solutions to problems that I have no business attempting to solve. Perhaps this snow storm can generate more ideas right now. A snow storm can slow things down enough to include the average Joe’s opinion on issues that matter to us all. I want you to solve these difficult problems that are facing our nation. I believe that your judgment is probably better than the intellectual community as you enter into negotiations with the stake holders of this dilemma. I am at the bottom of the list of these stakeholders. The beauty of democracy is that when a snow storm happens I have the time to think through these issues as both the least significant and most numerous of your constituents as I twitter my thoughts to you.

I see the stakeholders as …

•    The Democratic Party
•    The Republican Party
•    Organized Labor
•    Small business
•    Pharmaceutical companies
•    Defensive medical practices
•    Medical community
•    And me Pat Citizen

The State of the Union.

I am progressive Republican that likes President Obama. I think he is one of the best speakers the American Presidency has ever seen. I am a teacher currently on service learning trip with my students in Panama. My concern is about global competition Mr. President. If we continue to leverage our debt to other countries like China will we continue to have the same standard of living that we now experience? This question is meant to be constructive criticism. I am concerned about the future of my students and my five children. When I speak with people in Panama I get the impression that the United States is in an economic slide.
 
I am very impressed with the way that you have tackled your own party and political interests that will benefit the country, but not your political career. When I say that I was referring to examples like the Cadillac tax on health care which unions oppose and the pharmaceutical tax which corporate interest would fight. Of course, as a republican I think the trial attorneys should have some kind of incentive to curb defensive medicine practices, but you are steering through a mine field better than I could have. My advice to you is read about the life of Abraham Lincoln in the book, “Team of Rivals”. Lincoln was able to balance competing interests in a different time when information was not instantaneous. Your task is much harder. I pray that you will be able to do the same.

Twitter to Massachusettes on #HCR

 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts currently has universal health care. The replacement of the former senate seat of Ted Kennedy is ironic. From an outside perspective we may think that Massachusetts citizen's  are rejecting the Obama health care reform bill. Actually they are rejecting the unfair cost shifting of Massachusetts money to other states like Nebraska when they are already holding ground on paying for their own citizens. 

Brown is currently leading in the polls 


http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2010/01/14/massachusetts-shocker-brown-up-15-in-pajamas-mediacrosstarget-poll/



I am a teacher in Pennsylvania, and I can see this. Perhaps, what needs to be done is to assure the people of Massachusetts that they will have no cost increase to their existing health care plan. Here is a report from the Commonwealth Foundation about the reasons for increases in health care.


From Nathan Benfield
Commonwealth Foundation



On average, consumers’ out-of pocket healthcare costs increased 6.7% each year, while national healthcare expenditures increased by an average 9.8% each year. Increases in expenditures by private insurers, Medicaid and Medicare accounted for the majority of this excess cost growth; since 1965 private insurers’ spending has increased by an average 10.8% annually, Medicaid spending has increased by an average 15.4% and Medicare spending has increased by and average 15.6% each year.

The difference between what people are feeling in increased costs and what is actually happening is masking the crisis. The people in Massachusetts are experiencing cost increases and do not want to be a part of a bail out when they are doing the bailing and other states are watching.

Twitter Health Care Reform #HCR House - Senate Compromise

 From http://briansullivan.blogs

What will it take to pass the House-Senate health care compromise? There are three strategies that will target six states and three groups.

1. You can win moral legislators by tightening up regulations on abortion in specific states.

• In Nebraska Ben Nelson
• In Arkansas Blanche Lincoln
• In Louisiana Mary L. Landrieu

2. You can attack your own party’s supporters which will be perceived as compromise. Senators who attack their own political capitol may find it more desirable to retire, than to run again. Senators like Christopher Dodd and Byron Dorgan are good examples.

• Create incentives for Trial attorneys to reverse defensive medical practices.
• Tax organized Labor’s Cadillac benefit plans.
• Donut Hole Medicare Advantage enrollees

3. You can offer health care subsidies to states that are struggling financially from the recession.

• California
• Florida
• Nevada

Nancy Pelosi is the Speaker of the House from California. Harry Reid is the majority leader from Nevada. Florida has some of the highest percentage of senior citizens in the country. A combination of all of these strategies will win comprehensive health care reform.

If you have your health, you have everything!

Leadership Center 
Health Care Reform
Cyber School teaching
 Service Learning travel



“If you have your health, you have everything!” This is a common saying that I have heard in our senior community in the US. The Senate health care reform bill will take 1/7 of our economy, and seniors will be the largest beneficiaries. I believe that the expansion of Medicaid will solve the Medicare bankruptcy problem. Ben Nelson is seen as a pro-life senator that was the remaining hold-out on health care reform. I believe that the golden thread and common ground of health care reform was not anyone’s stance on abortion or even the deficit. I believe that the underlying pressure that is forging this bill is a political problem of how to honor the senior community. The public option failed because it did not serve seniors. The Senate bill succeeded because it met the needs of seniors. I couldn’t help noticing Harry Reid, Max Baucus, Chris Dodd, Richard Durbin, and Charles Schumer’s hair color and outward appearance as they announced their victory after the Senate vote. They were all noticeably elder statesman. The ultimate winner of the 2009 Health Care reform bill could be the US Senior community.

Last year I had the privilege of traveling to China. When I was there, I was able to capture an outsider’s perspective of attitudes toward the senior community in China. We passed by some seniors that were dancing in the park. I pointed at them and asked my driving companion who those people were. She said that they were retired. “They have nothing to do with their time.” Her off-chance comment resonated in my mind, and I have not been able to forget it. I wonder if what is happening in China today could be a premonition of something that we must avoid. From an outsider’s perspective, the tradition of honoring elders is commonly assigned to the Chinese people. In my opinion, the Chinese government honors this tradition, but does not tap the resource of this elder population.

Our senior community is also desirous of a life style of indolence. I would ask that they be careful what they ask for on this Christmas Eve of 2009. They may get it. What we desire is not always what will best serve us. I have just celebrated my 54th birthday. I am knocking at the door at becoming a senior myself. I believe that the senior community and the gang of five with the legacy of Ted Kennedy mentioned above should be empowered and not retired. They are an important asset that we must find a way to utilize. Ultimately, seniors will not be happy if they are not useful. If health care reform paves the way for an indolent life style, our desire for care will be confounded by irrelevance. My Christmas wish for 2009 is that 1/7 of our economic output be used to keep seniors in the mix of solving our problems and contributing to solutions to move our country forward as we compete on the world stage.

Many of the problems we face as a society are common to our shared desires for safety, comfort, and efficiency. A merging of cultures and values will create a greater need for collaborative skills to find solutions to new problems. Unfortunately, many of these problems will be irregular problems in the years ahead. The smartest, sharpest, and fastest individuals can solve some of these difficult problems by trying new alternatives. Many of these problems have been endured by our senior community over their lifetime. The senior community can provide a safety valve of life skill moderation for the younger population who will be forced to try new alternatives to solve problems.

I found it ironic to this post that the Senate provided a moderating influence over the House of Representatives health care reform bill. Senators are typically older than members of the House of Representatives. They hold a place of honor and usefulness in our government process. They should not be retired to “dance in the park.” They should be forced to interact and collaborate with the younger generation to forge compromises filled with the moderation of brilliant ideas. Jefferson would have said the values to preserve would be life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I would say that these values are currently in a state of reconfiguration to reflect the values of the world stage. The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights would say these values are life, liberty, and security of person. I believe that the shift from the pursuit of happiness to a security of person will be facilitated by embracing the assets of our senior community. In this way, our senior assets are moving our country forward as much as the younger generation as we compete and cooperate with the world community.