Ever been sick and tired of being sick and tired? That is where I find myself whenever I read yet another lobbyist, politician or puppets of corporations ranting about Obama Care. The boilerplate amounts to the typical libertarian, Republican default position, government bad, free markets good.
I also understand that this debate is not about reducing our considerable debt, capitalism or socialism. It is about justifying greed while demonizing any support for the Christian model of social justice upon which this Republic was founded. Capitalism is not inherently evil. It is the lack of charity ;(love others as you love yourself, without love you are nothing, have nothing) the inability to give without expecting a financial, tax or PR reward.
A better title for this diary, for those who believe that it is disloyal to question White House policy, "Crossing the Rubicon".
PS: There will be extensive quotes, with attribution. My comments are my own. The written record is part of the public domain.
I am sure there are many better qualified to tackle this topic. George Lakoff, Paul Krugman and many others shared their considerable research on this topic during the great debate that was not. A search on DKos includes diaries written by advocates of Medicare for All like Keith Olbermann, slinkerwink and nyceve. We progressives and liberals allowed Single Payer to become a phrase, without definition, demonized by those exercising the empowerment of corporate free speech, now legalized by a biased SCOTUS.
There are numerous hospitals, physicians, nurses and health care providers who have given their voice in opposition to the draconian cuts being proposed, at the state and federal level. Their voices are being drowned by the moneyed, greedy interests who own our political system. That includes the law suits making their way to SCOTUS.
Shared sacrifice is the latest sound byte of those who are on the take side of the equation. They take, and take until we have nothing left to give. Then it is time to move on to Brazil, Russia or China.
My purpose in writing this diary is to share a brief summary of the Mayo Clinic model for health care. It is about shared sacrifice. It is about preventing a US decline into the grim depths of third world nation status. It is about the courage to fight for principle. It is about the true meaning of right to life. It is about the health of the unborn, and the mother. I am not talking to the choir. I am talking for the benefit of my conservative friends. This diary does not address the needs of the uninsured.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/...
has always practiced medicine based on one overriding value: the needs of the patient come first.
A team approach that relies on a variety of medical specialists working together to provide the highest-quality care
An unhurried examination of each and every patient with time to listen to the patient
Physicians taking personal responsibility for directing patient care in partnership with the patient's local physician
The highest-quality care delivered with compassion and trust
Respect for the patient, family and the patient's local physician
Comprehensive evaluation with timely, efficient assessment and treatment
Availability of the most advanced, innovative diagnostic and therapeutic technologies and techniques
.
When the patient meets with the physician, the examination is unhurried. Because physicians at Mayo receive a fixed salary, their pay is not based on quantity or number of patients seen. Rather, physicians spend the time they deem necessary to provide quality patient care.
Mayo Clinic respects the patient's time through a simultaneous, efficient evaluation process. In many cases, within a short period, patients can be examined by multiple medical specialists and complete testing and evaluation, followed by next-day surgery. This capability is appreciated by patients who travel long distances to seek health care at Mayo Clinic.
What, physicians paid a fixed salary? What, no unnecessary testing? What, the patients' time is respected, a timely diagnosis and treatment? What did President Obama say in 2009? I could not find a transcript for the link below.
http://abcnews.go.com/...
Mayo Clinic is not a liberal institution. They do receive funding from GE and Intel.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/...
GE Healthcare, Intel and Mayo Clinic Explore New Models of Health Care Delivery
Yearlong study to focus on evaluating potential benefits of remote monitoring device for home-based patient care
Monday, February 22, 2010
What do the AFL CIO and Washington Post critics say about the Mayo Model?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Mayo and other oft-cited model facilities also are lobbying against one of Obama's favored provisions: a government-run insurance plan, or public option, which would work against these hospitals' financial position.
"What they want to do is leverage their high-quality delivery systems to keep as much of a private delivery system as possible," said Gerry Shea, the AFL-CIO's chief health-care negotiator.
Mayo and the other model centers -- which tend to be in the Upper Midwest, Mountain West and Pacific Northwest -- have gained their current stature because of Dartmouth University research showing that they spend less per Medicare patient than their counterparts elsewhere, including in Miami, Los Angeles, New York and much of Texas and the South. Many experts have seized on the data to conclude that the key to reining in health-care spending is to emulate Mayo -- a large group practice in which physicians are on salary and have less incentive to perform unnecessary procedures than physicians paid on a "fee for service" basis.
The facts, imho, do not support these arguments. I have helped several low income retirees with health benefits arrange for an appointment at Mayo. They did not pay more. In fact, they paid less because they were not shuffled from primary to specialist, or required to repeat tests due to a lack of cooperation in providing patient records in a timely manner. Mayo claims they have a flat testing fee per diagnosis.
The AFL CIO should focus on what benefits they offer Mayo employees, imho. Have Mayo employees been denied the right to unionize? Do Mayo employees have grievances that only a union could resolve? Just because I support unions, does not mean that I believe that all employers fail to respect worker rights.
OK, more from the WaPo analysis:
Mayo has cultivated an apolitical image over the years, but with health-care reform looming, it recently banded with Gundersen and Marshfield to promote the "high-value" model they all follow. To supplement Mayo's lobbyist in Washington, Cortese started making frequent trips to the nation's capital.
In July, Mayo and a dozen other institutions fired off a letter that made Washington take notice. Under Gundersen's letterhead, the institutions opposed the "public option" in the House Democrats' bill. They also called for an overhaul of Medicare rates to reward "high-value" centers -- paying hospitals based not on the number of procedures, but on their cost-efficiency and health outcomes.
Republicans seized on the letter, noting that the public option was opposed even by hospitals Obama had praised as models. "I'm surprised he holds these groups up because you knew they were going to oppose what he was trying to do," said Rep. Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.).
The issue for Mayo, imho, is that a reform addressing Medicare abuse is long overdue. Republican Ryan is pointing out the hypocrisy of both political parties. In addition, I never supported President Obamas' vision of Health Care Reform. I still think it rewarded insurance companies, not the real providers of health care. There, now I have crossed the Rubicon.
Over to you, facts and opinions respected (save the sticks and stones, in support or opposition for your Congress Critter or Senator)