New Year's Health Care Reform Roundup

Welcome to our first health care news roundup of 2008! Most of the health care news lately has been about the politics of reform. From mandates in Massachusetts to the floor of the California State Capitol there is no lack of news on the subject. With that in mind we would like to share a small sampling of health care in the media as we end the first week of the New Year.

Lets start in Iowa, the land of the caucus. CNN brings us text and video about Kathy Strangli, an Iowa voter who is dying of an incurable lung disease called lymphangioleiomyomatosis. She is devoting her final days to changing U.S. health care and has been grilling candidates on the subject across the state of Iowa to do it. So far she has confronted all but two presidential hopefuls on the subject and has attended more than 70 campaign events to do so.
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Next stop is California, a state that has held a high profile in the news as Governor Schwarzenegger and the state legislature have wrestled with implementing universal healthcare. Aliza Marcus over at Bloomberg takes a good hard look at Schwarzenegger's battle for health care reform and the lessons it holds for U.S. Presidential candidates.
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Then we turn our attention to the East Coast of the U.S. The Business Review brings us the scoop on New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's decree to his Health Commissioner and his Insurance Superintendent that they have until May 31 to concoct a plan for universal coverage in New York state.
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As we move along the coast we find the Boston Globe reporting on Vermont Governor Jim Douglas who is aiming his efforts at preventative medicine. To be specific he is attacking obesity, a major contributor to "more than 15 chronic conditions." The details will be released during his State of the State address next week, but the Globe article gives a basic overview of the plan (adding prevention specialists, allocation of grant money, among other features).
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Our last stop on this virtual tour is in New Hampshire, the next state to fall under the media microscope now that the Iowa caucuses are finished. As the various contenders for the White House prepare to converge on the state the International Association of Dental and Medical Disciplines (IADMD) has issued a press release calling on the candidates to get input from actual doctors when formulating their approaches to health care reform.

"Health care is such an important issue the candidates should be listening to the IADMD doctors that have the medical training to solve the crisis. I commend Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama for talking about health care. But their plans are not viable for many reasons, such as cost and their non-doctor approach," says Dr. Ryan.

Dr. John J. Ryan is the founder of the IADMD and a New Hampshire based family dentist.
[Press Release]

That's all for now, see you next week!

SOURCE: "Schwarzenegger's Health Battle Carries Warning for Candidates " 01/04/08
SOURCE: "Businesses warm to idea of universal health care" 01/04/08
SOURCE: "Governor wants to fight obesity with grants and specialists" 01/03/08
SOURCE: " Dying Iowa voter grills candidates on health care" 01/03/08
SOURCE: "Press Release: New Hampshire Doctors Group Challenges Presidential Candidates on Universal Health Care" 01/04/08

photo courtesy of Benimoto, used under this Creative Commons license

Healthy Voices Across The Nation

From the halls and meeting rooms of Capitol Hill to the offices and press conferences of governors around the country, proposals and ideas for reforming our health care system are being announced and argued. A vast array of approaches and plans are being put forth as people on both sides of the partisan fence attempt to find an equitable and implementable solution to the current state of affairs.

Across the nation, citizens are being consulted on the subject as the politicians evaluate possible support for their various plans.

East Coast: In Vermont, the state Legislature's Health Care Reform Commission is consulting its constituency for input. According to the announcement in the Rutland Herald, some questions the Commission put forth in their open hearing were:

What do you believe the next steps should be in health care reform?

What specific suggestions do you have for expanding the state's new Catamount health insurance program for people without coverage?

In addition to expanding affordable coverage, which of the options being considered by the commission are most important to successful health care reform?

Midwest: In Iowa, the consultation with the voting public continues, as reported by The Journal. Their article focuses on Kay Ciha, a resident who has had constant issues with the Medicare system since her husband suffered an accident:

Ciha was one of about 20 county residents from all walks of life - seniors, businesspeople, physicians - that took part in a forum for the Legislative Commission on Affordable Health Care Plans for Small Businesses and Families, a bipartisan group of legislators working to provide a cost-effective health care to Iowans. Sen. Becky Schmitz and a representative for U.S. Congressman Dave Loebsack attended the meeting to hear the wish lists of people who were present.

West Coast: eMax Health reports, the findings of CaliforniaSpeaks, a 3,500 person statewide conversation that took place simultaneously across Sacramento, San Diego, Humboldt County, Fresno, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Oakland and Riverside on August 11:

The eight sites were linked by satellite, so that participants could see and hear what other attendees said across the state. Skilled facilitators led face-to-face discussions at each location while ideas were recorded, considered and voted upon throughout the day with personal voting keypads. To ensure that attendees spanned all different ages, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds, CaliforniaSpeaks used a random selection process to invite most of the participants to take part in the conversation.

While there is a diversity of opinions on the subject, concern over the issue seems nearly universal.

SOURCE: "Public Input Sought on Health Care Reform" 08/29/07
SOURCE: "Citizens Voice Concerns on Health Care" 08/30/07
SOURCE: "How Californians View Current Health Care Reform Proposals" 08/30/07
IMAGE SOURCE : public domain map