Health care vs. sick care--- By Dr. M. Joycelyn Elders

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The public option is being blown away by Congress right now.





Posted on June 29, 2009
Health care vs. sick care



A significant difference

By Dr. M. Joycelyn Elders
United Methodist News Service
6/25/09


..........A public health-care policy would likely be similar to purchasing Medicare.

People who do not receive Medicare may not know that each person pays almost $100 per month for the insurance, which is deducted from Social Security checks automatically. After a yearly deductible, Medicare pays 80% of most medical care but not dental care. There is a prescription Medicare (Part D) that is separate from other Medicare and has a variety of plans.

A public health-care policy would likely be similar to purchasing Medicare. With Medicare, about 98 cents of every dollar paid in payroll taxes are spent on actually providing health care. When you look at the private insurance companies, it is more like 80 cents. The rest goes to administrative expenses and profits.

There are many additional costs imposed on the doctors and health-care providers themselves. They must deal with a fragmented, complex system in which they have to negotiate, amend, or cajole payment from many different insurers.

Both business and individuals are breaking under the strain of our very expensive health-care system. We must overhaul our system now; its condition is beyond tweaking to make it function for our people.

We have tried to tweak the way we perform health care for many decades with disastrous results. We have tried HMOs, PPOs, indemnity with an assortment of public health systems to catch some of our people who fall between the cracks. It has failed while costing us precious lives, health and money of our people along the way.

We need an overhaul of the health-care system to save lives, money and U.S. business.

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1. We provide health care here at the Foundation

our goal is to educate people on the components of good health, which include proper diet, proper supplementation, and proper exercise--all custom tailored to the individual.