Health Care NOW is the Law of the Land

While driving to work this morning I listened to the health care reform bill signing ceremony taking place in the East Room of the White House. I couldn't help but reflect back to last August when I decided to write this blog. Initially writing the blog was an outlet for my frustration in fighting with insurance companies on behalf of our practice and on behalf of patients requiring health care. Overtime, writing this blog became a forum of legitimate debate, expression of concern for the less fortunate people of the United States of America not having access to health care, and whether or not health care should be treated as a commodity like orange juice or building supplies.

I have been privileged to hear from many of you passionately expressing your views or participating in this debate. Because of this blog I have had several interactions with Senators Boxer and Feinstein, and Representatives Sherman,Waxman, and Pelosi from California. I have been very critical of President Obama and the above named legislators for their inaction and unwillingness to stop corporate america from profiteering off the sick and or injured. I have expressed criticism to all of them for allowing the insurance industry, the medical device industry, and the pharmaceutical industry to drive health care and for taking their campaign contributions. I have publicly stated my opinion that all of them were more concerned about their re-election than they were about providing real access to health care and fixing our broken health care system.

I have also been very critical of the Senate Bill which did NOT go far enough in ensuring access to quality health care. I felt and still believe that the only solution to our broken health care system is universal health care with options for additional coverage (hybrid system). I felt and still believe that aspiring medical students should be educated and trained by our government in exchange for a minimum six year commitment to public health service with reasonable salary after they complete their residency and or fellowship training. I felt and still believe that corporations should NOT be part of the basic health care equation.

Frankly, I do not like this bill because the true beneficiary of this law is the insurance industry who now has over 30 million new customers without significant limitations on pricing. Anthem Blue Cross generated a $4.7 billion profit in the last quarter of 2009. At the same time letters were sent to individual policy holders in California informing them of up to 39% increase in their insurance premiums. Two weeks ago, the Dept of Insurance in California announced their findings of an investigation that Anthem Blue Cross committed 700 insurance violations. Each violation carries a $10,000 fine. This fine will be paid for by policy holders and the constant denial or delay of claims. Blue Cross doesn't care if they violate the rules because they will never pay fines from their profits. In other words, the Health Care Reform Bill signed today by President Obama will not stop the insurance industry from delaying payment or denying claims, raising insurance premiums, violating claims rules, or passing costs from their own negligence onto policy holders and health care providers.

That being said, the law that President Obama signed today is historic in that access to quality health care will now be available to tens of millions of people, who without this law, would go untreated. The law also provides that insurance companies may not deny coverage for people with pre existing conditions and they may not terminate coverage for sick or injured policy holders. Children up to age 26 will be allowed coverage under their parents policy. These are all good things.

As with all health care plans, the young and healthy support the elderly and the ill. Mandatory insurance for all Americans will help cover the costs of pre existing conditions. It won't solve all the economic impact of the legislation, but it will help. Opposition to the bill continues to deny this fact. The fear mongering promulgated by the opposition is a cover for the attitude of caring only about oneself and the continued profiteering off of sick people. As the new law infiltrates our society, the fear will subside when people come to terms with the reality of how little they will be personally effected (unless they don't have health care coverage or earn over $250,000 each year). This bill is NOT socialism. This bill does not take away our personal freedoms. This bill only makes it possible for people to get health care.

I agree with the President that this is a beginning. Concerns such as tort reform, education and training of health care providers, limiting profiteering off the sick or injured by the insurance industry, pharmaceutical industry, and medical device industry, and eliminating waste in providing health care MUST be continuously evaluated. Access to health care and solutions to these concerns will go a long way in FIXING OUR BROKEN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.

Since Health Care NOW is the law of the land, this will be my last post on HEALTH CARE NOW. It has been a privilege to share my thoughts, concerns, and hopes with you all. I wish you good health.