The White House wants to know: What is the biggest health care problem in your state?
Recently doctors and medical professionals from across the country visited The White House to share their experiences with health care. Please watch the video and hear what they had to say:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgvC2fxo-WE
Has your experience as a doctor or medical professional matched what these doctors say? What is the biggest health care problem in your state?
We'll feature selected responses in an upcoming webcast from The White House.
Clarification added 1 month ago:
Please post your responses here to be considered for inclusion in the upcoming webcast. To discuss further, feel free to join the conversation in the official White House group on LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2199632
Answers (928)
The fact that many people here in the states (legal or not) use the emergency room for just about any ailment. It is a major problem and solutions should be granted to the hospitals. A national program just won't work.
Illegal immigration is one of the crippling elements of many of our social and health care systems. We have spent billions of dollars on undocumented people who are not contributing to the financial security of these services but are the chronic exploitation of our health care systems and our social services.
Doug L
Make Today Matter
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Illegal aliens using up all the resources of the citizen with impunity. Finish the fence and the rest will be fine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If the Federalist Government can't or won't protect the borders of the Nation what good is it?
Why should we the citizens pay taxes if you the government is not doing our bidding?
Wake up we are fed up and you are going to get a wake up on election day.
Clarification added 1 month ago:
If our president knows how to cut out 600 billion dollars from graft and corruption in Med-I-Care as he says why doesn't he do it now? We might believe more of his statements if he ever did anything positive to prove his intentions are honorable. So far he gets a failed grade in that department!
Clarification added 1 month ago:
The other issue is taxes we are being taxed for nothing. I am starting to think this question was placed to get supporters of so called health care bills a place to flood the site.
Consider this you programed responders:
* The U.S. Post Service was established in 1775˜you have had 234 years to get it right˜and it is broke.
* Social Security was established in 1935˜you have had 74 years to get it right˜and it is broke.
* Fannie Mae was established in 1938˜you have had 71 years to get it right˜and it is broke.
* War on Poverty started in 1964˜you have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor"˜and they only want more.
* Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965˜you have had 44 years to get it right˜and they are broke.
* Freddie Mac was established in 1970˜you have had 39 years to get it right˜and it is broke.
* The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil, it has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before˜you had 32 years to get it right˜and it is an abysmal failure.
Clarification added 1 month ago:
This question is loaded with Obama care supporters. I know the point of view of the majority of those of us who earn the money that pays the taxes means nothing but this is put up job and it stinks on ice!
Laura (
Information Technology and Services Consultant
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The high cost of health care for the following reasons:
1) Competition between health care cos is limited as there are only so many within the state to choose from. We need deregulation like what was done with the phone cos. where Carolina Bell and Pacific Bell had to compete with Michigan Bell. The result was better quality service at lower rates (even after mergers occurred). Even though the industries are different, the similar solutions could apply.
2) Also, legal reform could limit law suits and the amount of damages awarded. This would reduce the price of malpractice insurance for medical professional and, reduce the price of medical care as a result.
Al M
Computer Professional in IBM Midrange
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From my perspective, the biggest health care issues in my Evansville Indiana area have been:
* employers no longer able to afford employee paid health care plans ... I think what's needed is some kind of group situation where one insurance plan could be for the employees of several different employers
* those employees finding affordable replacement private insurance, or any period, where I suspect there's discrimination against older workers, with other reasons given for why insurers don't want those people
* scam artists galore preying on that population
* as we get older, there are pre-existing conditions for which we cannot get insurance protection
* whatever insurance we have, the rules change, and we lose out ... just like our banks changing the rules on rates, when to pay rigged so that when we get our bank statement it may be already too late to avoid late charges
* city infrastructure such that we HAVE to use our autos to drive what would be healthy walking distance if there were sidewalks, cross-walks, occasional benches, etc.
* non-smoking ordinances in public facilities have been slow to get passed and implemented. Until the ban was on all of restaurants where children can be served, their management was brain dead on why needed, rotating which corner of the facility was smoke-free today.
Clarification added 1 month ago:
I am fortunate. I paid social security and medicare payroll taxes over a lifetime, and have now hit the age where I am eligible for that protection.
I pay a little over $ 100 a month for part A and part B because I don't need medical services often enough for the medicine etc. to be a major budget drain. This gives me peace of mind in case of a major future medical problem. However, I was surprised that
(a) I not only pay 20% of medical bills, with the other 80% to be paid by Medicare, which I think is a fair system
(b) that other 80% does not kick in until my annual expenses reach the deductable of $ 135.00 ... so if I only have a handful of doctor visits in a year, Medicare does not help much
The really excellent good news for me with Medicare, compared to all private insurance I have had in the past, is that they send a statement listing claims received in my name. This means that I am protected against Medical Identity Theft. With private insurance, if someone was to get medical care, in my name, the HMO would pay, and I would not know it, until the crook's behavior contaminated my ability to get health care.
I believe it should be a standard, that health insurance places provide their customers with a statement of payments of claims, so that fraudulent entries can be spotted, just like we have with bank statements.
In Georgia and all over America health care insurance should not be tied to employment status. My health is the same if I am employee or self-employed, why should my premium go up by 50%? Health insurance should be portable and follow the employee.
Employees should get a tax credit for premiums not covered by their employers. Employers get a tax deduction for their contribution. The unemployed can keep the insurance indefinable and get a full tax credit for the premium. Renewals would be indefinite and tied to the premiums of the initial employer.
The fact that a health insurance company can deny you complete or partial coverage due to pre-existing condition. Yet, there are so many aspects of health care coverage that are lacking, so choosing just one is a misnomer, as that one factor may be something completely different for the next person. The circumstances surrounding my pre-existing condition made it impossible to get full coverage, and while this has been a terrible experience, it has sincerely opened my eyes to the plight of the under-insured in this country. The idea that any elected official would not support strong, and quick reform on this issue calls into question his or her objectivity. Who elected them, the people, or the insurance companies--and I WAS a life-long republican voter--no longer. Preston Ehrler
Patrick C
VP Marketing, LinkedIn
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I'm not a medical professional, but I've met a number of them this year!
The biggest surprise for me in California has been just how much medical expense is NOT covered by my insurance provider. I am fortunate to have a great job with a great employer, and a 'good' health plan. So I can't help wondering, if this is what a two income couple with one child have to spend, what the heck do people on lower incomes have to spend? It must be completely unaffordable.
Recently, we were in emergency for a fairly serious problem, and we waited six hours. The visible stress on the faces of the carers at this particular hospital made me wonder how they survive.
I come from the UK, where there isn't the same hang-up's about free enterprise that exist here, and the National Health Service I experienced as a child was absolutely superb. I think America has to bite the bullet and realize that an almost completely privatized system is never going to work, where the ultimate patient is the financial investor, not the person who's sick.
Kevin D
Connecting People & Business, Branding, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Design Strategist
Not enough choices in health care companies.
High cost/premium's.
being denied coverage by their insurance company for treatments that are needed. Also, they are not able to afford the out-of-pocket cost. They often get caught in the middle, where they have health insurance by their employer, but it does not cover all of their needs.
One of the biggest problems with insurance is having some doctors in network and some out of network. There should only be one network, with every doctor in, nobody out. We should be able to go to the doctor of our choice, and the costs should be the same regardless of who we choose to go to.
In California, as in the rest of the country: cost and access. Cost is killing business profitability and driving individuals to bankruptcy. Access is killing our fellow Americans.
At a minimum, we need a robust public option. Immediately. Single payer is where we should be.
Frank W
Futures & Options Clearing Operations Professional / Clearing Operations Consulting and Education
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Fraud perpetrated by doctors and other so-called caregivers. I'm in favor of tort reform when it comes to malpractice, but I equally support substantial, career-ending prison terms for those who bilk the system by filing phony or inflated charges for healthcare.
Susan S
Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., financial marketing writer.
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New York City: higher-than-average job loss; people in jobs that do not carry medical benefits; the working poor;illegal aliens; immigrants who haven't figured out how to get the help they need; many people in depressed areas both in the City and upstate who can't afford care: in short, money and education in how to acquire services.
Rising costs due to illegals is the single biggest problem but if we had more insurance choices, competition would drop costs (which is one thing Constitutionally the Federal Government is actually suppose to do - regulate interstate commerce). Also, tort reform would help immensely along with reducing corruption (something the President said he'd do).
Over-regulation and taxes caused by Government is why we're in our current situation - they're NOT the answer. Get out of the way.
Sophie L
Environmental Engineer at SHN Consulting Engineers & Geologists in Eureka, CA
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In California, most people are under-insured and face tremendous financial burden from medical bills even though they are nominally insured. And the number of uninsured people. Many people "go without" or endure painful or worsening conditions because they can't afford the care needed.
The USA could adapt Walk-In clinics to deal with non-emergency issues as we have done in Canada-it works great and access to medical care is for everyone. Health Cards with photos prevent illegal use of health care by non-residents.
Here's a thought for US citizens-the cost of an unhealthy population far outways the cost of univeral health care
The German experience is very sobering
http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/service/0,1518,653612,00.html
http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/0,1518,653048,00.html
All good intentions, ll bad results
There are two big issues in Nevada. The first is unemployment, of which I am a member. The second is the gross distribution of wealth with 20% of the population bringing home 50+% of the income and 5% of the population bringing home 22% of the income with 60% of the population bringing home 26% of the income or about the same as the top 5% of the population.
I am reminded that only about a quarter of all income is represented by real dollars. The greater the percentage of income is spent by those earning the least, the more they tend to spend and the faster the money circulates through the system and the more times the same dollar is counted. The upper income people buy stocks. Even if some of those stocks are sold by the companies they represent, those companies will not invest if there is no damand because all the money is circulating at the top. What is needed is real effort to force corporations to distribute pay more fairly. This will create more real jobs and diminish the need for healthcare reform.
Sheilah E
Owner, ★SME Management:.......... Business Management and Accounting Consultant
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Hi Nancy,
Like others answering here I am not a doctor or medical professional, but have an opinion all the same. I live in Anchorage, Alaska and far too many people are uninsured. Children and elderly fall through the cracks most often. The children who can get medical help often times don’t receive it because it is arbitrarily denied or denied due to budget cuts. Far more children cannot get it at all. We have elderly here that have coverage but the doctors are refusing to see them because they cannot make as much seeing someone on Medicare as they can seeing those that are privately insured. They are then told to see a nurse practitioner and again hit a brick wall – there are not enough to go around.
Then we have the completely uninsured who suffer because they cannot afford to see a doctor and if they do the doctor or hospital insists on running twenty to thirty thousand dollars worth of tests to get a diagnosis. I can see at time how that might be necessary, but here it is standard protocol. If you explain you are not insured they suddenly determine there is nothing wrong with you and send you home. That is NOT an exaggeration.
As the first few answerers mentioned many people do choose to use the emergency room, but that is because they are uninsured and cannot get into see a regular doctor. In my state at least the doctors require insurance or the ability to prepay the entire bill upfront. When someone is ill and they cannot see a regular doctor because of that they have no choice but to use the ER.
It’s time we get this bill passed and begin acting like all lives have value, not just those who are lucky enough to be insured (and many of them are insured yet still get turned down for care).
Sheilah
Nathan K
Corporate Social Media Solutions | Social Media ROI Strategist | Author | Speaker | CEO at DemingHill
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I am self employed, a wife that works part time with no benefits and we have three kids. I am 32 and have never had health insurance. We live in Ohio and I typically don't use doctors or go to hospitals because I rely on prayer for healing.
The biggest issue we are facing in Ohio right now in my opinion is our ability to choose what is right for our child. I see that the proposed health reform here is proposing policy that suggests several things:
1. Pray is ineffective and not reliable
2. Parents are not as competent as the state to make health decisions for our children.
3. Our freedom to choose is ever so slightly taken from us
4. Our parental rights are subtly dissolved when it comes to health for our kids.
On a national level, I believe that we must continue to have freedom to choose. Having any sort of mandate, or suggestion that one way to health is better than another is un- constitutional. Should healthcare be available for all whom want it... sure, but not at the expense of freedom or choice.
There are millions of Americans like me who don't rely on the medical field for their health. We rely on alternative forms of health, whether that is prayer as I do, or homeopathy, Chinese medicine, energy healing and the various other vehicles for healing that others rely on… I think the biggest problem in with health care is that alternate forms of healing are not supported by the institutions and insurance companies in most cases.
Andy A
Experienced Inventory and Demand Manager
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OK, since apparently being a health care professional is optional, as a non-heatlh care professional I'll add my two cents.
Government interference creating shortages in healtlh care professionals is the biggest problem in my state. We have an elderly population and caps on medicare reimbursement are convincing Drs. not to accept new medicare patients thereby creating shortages in care. Get the federal government out of medicine. I've read the constitutiton and I can't find the part where the federal government is empowered to be our insurance agent or our Dr?
Has this administration and the 111th congress even READ the constitution? Do they care that it places limits on the powers of the federal government, and that if you don't like those limits, it provides for an ammendment process?
Dean E
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State limitations on licencing medical specialists.
Paul B
VP/Owner at Brooks Financial Group, Inc. and Owner, Brooks Financial Group, Inc.
The biggest issue in our state (Maryland) with healthcare as it currently presides is the State itself and the constant mandating of benefits, policies and procedures that benefit the 15% of the insured population who drive 85% of the claims.
The healthly and health concious pay for this. Additonally, the State has a high uninsured rate which also lends itself to placing additional premium pressures on those employers who in fact to offer benefits and contribute to those benefits on behlf of their employee's.
Maryland is the second highest State in the nation regarding the number of mandated benefits - it is ridiculaous that employers cannot select a beneit plan that suites their specific benefit needs and budget. It is even more ridiculous that the insurers cannot assess risk and premium pricing properly due to the 1993 legislation regarding 'guarantee issue' underwriting in the small group markets.
Access to affordable medical insurance if a person has a pre-existing condition. My husband is an insulin-dependent diabetic - other than that, he is as healthy as can be. He was unable to get medical coverage independently, unless we were willing to pay nearly $1,000 per month for basically emergency care insurance through the state. In order for a person with a health issue to stay proactive with their care, they must be able to afford their medication, physicians and associated wellness.
tort reform is needed to significantly decrease health care costs.
I would venture to say the biggest problem is the practice of "defensive medicine" as a result of the fear of malpractice. Unless this practice is addressed or there is meaningful medical malpractice reform, costs will continue to rise.
Government intervention! Keep government out of our healthcare, our car companies and our bank!
I agree 100% with the physicans' comments. I was the President/CEO of a poverty hospital in Los Angeles (Santa Marta Hospital, now closed) and the 98% of latinos who sought care with us were compromised with the effects of diabetes (67%) but could NOT received the care they needed, due to insurance rules. The PUBLIC OPTION is an absolute requirement, in order to make insurances compete.
It is similar here in TX, where I live now, with a very large latino population, ravaged by diabetes, with no healthcare focus on that epidemic. In addition, there is very little attention, especially in TX, to any community benefit from non profit providers. (In CA, we had to PROVE that benefit.)
Clarification added 1 month ago:
In addition, I have very little problem with people paying for services. The high cost ED services were used inappropriately--throughout the East LA neighborhood, because very few physicians accept MediCal (CA Medicaid).
Un-insured health cost
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