Adventures In Healthcare Reform Archives - WebTalkRadio.net

Fred gives examples of what’s wrong in our current healthcare
crazy quilt, patchwork of healthcare purveyors, providers, and the
patients who are on the receiving end. Bariatric surgical banding is
recommended at lower body mass weights by (guess who) the
bariatric surgeons. The FDA must decide, but higher costs won’t
factor into it. Also bad news from urology, cancer care, and much more.

Fred talks about Atul Gawande. best selling author of books on healthcare, the latest of which is The Checklist Manifesto. Gawande states that 40 % of the US population doesn’t receive healthcare and the US is closing in on spending 20% of its entire economy on health care. Other topics:health insurance premiums have surged 41 % from
2003 to 2009, drug lobbylists spent over $100 million in 2009 and more.

Week 1049

Focused more than ever on the need to improve healthcare and healthcare reform, Fred talks about the need to keep the current law and strengthen it to get lower costs, create a true high performance health care system, and a consistently high quality system of care. For example, a recent article published in Health Affairs estimates that 100 million emergency room visits could be handled at less cost elsewhere.

Fred talks about the good, the bad, and the ugly in current health care debate. Teed off by all the misinformation, threats, and ignorance up on display nationally in the recent elections, he tells how the good of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) or the health care reform law requires insurers to provide many preventive services at no cost to the insured. But, change will come and Massachusetts health care reform experience shows us the flaws that need to be fixed.