Over the past month or so, I've posted this diary and this diary about Senator's Obama's preliminary outline of his healthcare plan. This diary is a continuation of this series with Senator Hillary Clinton's healthcare plan, which she announced today, as the focus.
As I stated in my previous diaries, I am an undecided voter. This diary as the previous diaries, is intended to gather information about Senator Clinton's healthcare plan so that I can make an informed decision in my state's primary. I hope that her supporters here at dkos or someone from his staff help me find out the answers to these questions that I have. Please follow me after the jump....
First things first, an explanation of Senator Clinton's healthcare plan. Senator Clinton announced her healthcare plan at the George Washington University today. The Hill periodical outlined HRC's healthcare policy in this article Clinton lays out healthcare plan:
The first step toward achieving universal health coverage — which Clinton has said would take more than one term as president to achieve — is to reduce spending on healthcare services, the senator said. She outlined a detailed plan, including preventive medicine, more coordinated chronic-disease treatment, greater uses of information technology, and lower costs for insurance and prescription drugs....
I haven't read or seen a video of Senator Clinton's speech today. However, I have read about
her plan on her website. The main emphasis of her plan appears to be reducing the cost of healthcare. I'm not sure but it appears that her strategy before implementing universal healthcare is to try to reduce the cost of healthcare first. Her website describes a 7 step plan to implement measures to lower healthcare costs:
- A Groundbreaking National Prevention Initiative to Reduce the Incidence of Such Diseases as Diabetes and Cancer that Impose Huge Human and Financial Costs
- Institute a New "Paperless" Health Information Technology System
- Transform Care of Today’s Chronically Ill Population to Improve Outcomes and Decrease Costs
- Ending Insurance Discrimination to Help Reduce Administrative Costs
- Create an Independent "Best Practices" Institute to Empower Consumers, Providers and Health Plans to Make the Right Care Choices
- Implement Smart Purchasing Initiatives to Constrain Excess Prescription Drug and Managed Care Expenditures
- Put in Place Common-Sense Medical Malpractice Reforms
See page 1 and 2 of her healthcare plan
In terms of the prevention portion of her plan, Senator Clinton spoke very highly of Safeway's ability to curb the healthcare costs of its employees by emphasizing preventive care. Just a quick synopsis of Safeway's plan as stated in Senator Clinton's healthcare plan:
Safeway covers all preventive care services appropriate for a
patient's age group. It offers other benefits, such as a 24-hour hot line staffed by registered nurses, services to help people manage chronic conditions and incentives designed to promote healthier lifestyles. Safeway has integrated a health promotion/prevention model with care management. According to Safeway’s analysis, overall, health coverage costs for Safeway employees enrolled in the new plan fell 11 percent in 2006, its first year of operation. It has projected that their 2007 spending will be flat.
Like the Safeway plan, Senator Clinton's plan would mandate that all health insurers under the federal health plan promote preventive care for federal employees. See page 2 of her health care plan. That brings up my first question about her plan.
1.) Is HRC proposing to provide vouchers to churches, pharmacists and businesses in order to promote preventive care in the general population?
She also discusses implementation of medical technology to reduce administrative paperwork and reduce medication errors. That leads me to my second question.
2.) I've talked to a few people in the healthcare industry, nurses etc and there's some resistance to the implementation of new medical technology in hospitals etc. I've heard from some that there's concern that older doctors/nurses who aren't familiar with computers are resistant to using the new technology even if a hospital has purchased the new equipment. Then there are some concerns that doctors who aren't normally staffed at a particular hospital don't want to learn the new computer system and expect nurses/medical assistants to enter the information in the system b/c they don't use it that often. Has Senator Clinton heard of these concerns and does she know of any way to address them?
On page 4 of the plan, Senator Clinton proposes that certain providers could bid on providing preventive care to federal employees and Medicare recipients. This preventive care would include offering diet advice and promoting healthy lifestyle changes. The plan also states that fed employees and Medicare recipients would not be forced to take these preventive measures but could opt in the program. However, if they chose to opt in, they would receive additional services. This proposal leads to my next question.
3.) What type of additional services? Free screenings? Free flu shots? Would HRC provide a financial break on insurance premiums for fed employees if they chose to opt in to this preventive plan as Burd set up the Safeway plan?
On page 4-5, HRC's plan says that it would end price discrimination for people with pre-existing conditions. All healthcare insurance would be based on a guarantee issue system under her plan. Gurantee issue is defined as:
The right to purchase insurance without physical examination; the present and past physical condition of the applicant are not considered.
http://www.answers.com/...
4.) How would HRC implement a "guarantee issue" system?
How would HRC prevent a few insurance companies from getting all older/sicker people in their pool? Would HRC try to implement the Swiss system and provide companies who have a greater share of older/sicker people in their pool additional subsidies to compensate for the guaranteed issue policy?
On page 6 of her plan, Senator Clinton says that she would like to promote competition among drug/biotechnology companies by emphasizing generic drugs. However, I notice that her plan does not explicitly discuss the drug patent process.
5.) Would Senator Clinton consider shortening the life of drug patents to promote more use of generics? Would she eliminate the patent extension process?
On page 7, in order to reduce tort claims, Senator Clinton recommends the passage of legislation that would reduce the liability of physicians who agree to disclose medical errors to their patients and enter negotiation process to provide fair compensation for the error.
6.) Would HRC create some type of bureaucracy or something to ensure that this is a fair process for patients? How would this legislation be enforced?
I understand that implementation of the plan starts with federal programs first.
7.) When would HRC mandate that insurance companies had to implement the preventative programs in private industry?
8.) How does Senator Clinton intend to address the obesity epidemic?
10.) Would she consider funding building community healthcare centers to reduce the use of emergency rooms?
11.) Would she consider building wellness centers, especially in impoverished areas that could be a one stop venue where nurse practitioners would provide such wellness measures as routine checkups, flu shots and nutritional advice to their patients? Perhaps the wellness center could provide personal trainers to help people start a fitness program?
12.) What is Senator Clinton's views on one minute clinics at places like CVS, Walmart etc?
These are just some of the myriad of questions that I have for Senator Clinton that I hope she addresses as the campaign rolls on.
Anyone have any questions about Senator Clinton's healthcare plan that you wish her campaign would address?
Thanks in advance for any help that Clinton supporters/staffers can provide me....