I worked for Wendell for seven years as a regional PR director. He was a great boss and I want to echo many of his comments. In California, where I worked, the industry spent millions of dollars in 1994 to defeat two single-payer health initiatives. One of the campaign directors who ran the HMOs campaign was Frank Shubert, who later went on to run the "Yes on Proposition 8" campaign in November 2008. If those same single-payer propositions were on the ballot today, I bet they would pass overwhelmingly.
<blockquote>“Capitalism” drives this country’s engine, it is the lifeblood. It is what has made us the greatest country on the planet.</blockquote>
Quit draping this current terrible system in the Flag, and stop expecting people to kowtow to "greatness." Ancient Egypt was the greatest in its time, but how livable was it for its ordinary people? <i>March of the Gladiators</i> fits our system of sociopathic medicine better than <i>Battle Hymn of the Republic</i> does.
<blockquote>If companies like Humana, United Health or CIGNA were ineffective at managing their business they would run it into the ground.</blocquote>
Instead, they've run the American people into the ground.
<blockquote>The CEO’s mentioned all should be applauded and deserve the income they earn.</blockquote>
They would if they actually delivered affordable and decent health care to the American public. And I mean actual care, not just "coverage." Otherwise, the hell with them.
The elephant in your boardroom is still there: whatever their individual problems, every other industrialized democracy in the world does a much better job of delivering decent affordable health care to its citizens than the U.S. does. The for-profit system needs to go.
I am a health insurance agent in Utah. I sit on the board of the Utah health underwriters as webmaster for http://www.bcbstx.info/ and http://www.utahinsuranceexchange.info/. I was heavily involved in designed a web connector to help Utah residents by pulling private and state sponsored insurance mechanisms together. It had a low budget of around $150k that virtually guaranteed health insurance coverage through either the private or state programs. Better yet all the local carriers agreed to split the costs. Our state insurance task force committee rejected the idea. They elected to go for a Massachusetts type connector program that isn't working well when you actually dig deep and check facts of where they are now. Our state approved H.B. 188 with a zero fiscal note attachment! My point is, I have been a fly on the wall in countless legislative meetings, insurance board meetings, hospital board meetings, the list goes on. The problem is conflict with the market demanding profit in all sectors of the system. Tough order to fill and keep costs down? You are absolutely right when you claim that healthcare is now unsustainable. I have been crying that a long time. Nobody listens.
Wendell my simple thanks, for your grounded stand. If you would be so kind, I would appreciate if you would contact me and give me permission to email you my private newsletter to the community of practice I have launched called WeCare. I hope someday as you get to know me we can have a live conversation.
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We travel in a similar trajectory woven by numerous of my mentors.
I left health care as a leader very young, only to open my eyes to what care has become in this country as a mother, daughter, patient, neighbor, medical advisor, ecologist who was inspired most of my life by a father who was a community leader, spinal injured Veteran of WWII, who understood and taught me the meaning of sustainability as it relates to health and the economy.
I need to have direct contact with more people like you ready and able to lead the change I see possible that is practical and not off the wall.
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