Health Care Matters Autumn 2005

“A National Disgrace”

Here’s a News Flash! At the September 28, 2005 Los Angeles Forum, Dr. J. Edward Hill, the President of the American Medical Association, referring to the tens of millions of Americans who lack access to health care, stated that the health care system is “a national disgrace.” We told Dr. Hill that we would welcome him as a fellow advocate for a National Health Insurance Program, now that the AMA is half-way there – at least recognizing that there’s a problem!

Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed expanding mandatory MediCal managed care for people with disabilities. The California Healthcare Foundation reports that: “…California (has) done a poor job assessing the quality of care provided …and holding providers accountable.”

The authors recommend strengthening state oversight by developing performance standards for …providers that are relevant to people with disabilities.

A federal court has granted a temporary injunction to prevent the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from introducing a new rule. The new EEOC rule would have permitted employers to dump health care coverage for older employees when they become eligible for Medicare, while continuing to provide insurance for younger workers. The court found that this would violate the antidiscrimination law, which EEOC is supposed to enforce!

“The only way to truly safeguard our nation’s health is by ensuring that everyone, regardless of race, gender or socio-economic status, has equal access to equal care through a universal, single-payer health care system based on one high standard of care.”

Rose Ann DeMoro
Executive Director
California Nurses Association
Oakland
Los Angeles Times, Letters,
Friday, September 30, 2005

It’s not the uninsured who overcrowd and misuse the nation’s emergency rooms, according to a study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. Studying data from 50,000 adults, the researchers found that 83 percent of E.R. users had a regular source of primary care and 85 percent had health insurance. 79 percent had incomes above poverty. “The mistaken belief that emergency departments are overcrowded by a small, disenfranchised portion of the population can lead to misguided policy decisions,” according to Dr. Ellen J. Weber, the study’s principal investigator.

Only about half (53.8 percent) of residents were covered by employment-based health insurance in 2003, far below the national average of 60.4 percent, according to the UCLA Center for Health Policy.

Medical discount cards were studied this year, and researchers found the unregulated industry to be rife with fraud. Of 27 cards advertised in the DC area, only five could be studied because the other 18 had non-working telephones.

Problems found included misleading ads, high-pressure sales tactics, false provider lists or names of providers who do not actually exist, high monthly fees, and skimpy or non-existent discounts. Many buyers were fooled into thinking they were buying health insurance.

Kofman, et al.,“Medical Discount Cards: Innovation or Illusion?”
Commonwealth Fund Issue Brief, March ‘‘05

This issue of
Health Care Matters
Sponsored by a Grant
From
HOAG MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER PRESBYTERIAN

We thank Hoag Memorial for continuing support of the Council!

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