If Michigan is any indication, a dirty little secret about US healthcare coverage is starting to raise its ugly head. The Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation (CHRT) found some telling signs that healthcare insurance coverage doesn’t necessarily mean access to care for many people. The reason? Money.
Last weekend I ran the Old Pueblo 50 Mile race, a trail ultrarunning event. As you might imagine, 50 miles gives you a big window of opportunity for reflection. As you also might imagine, 50 miles on technical trails gives you a big window of opportunity for injury and illness. I witnessed, experienced, discussed and heard about all of these things through the weekend. You know what? Ultras can teach us a lot about how to be empowered patients.
First an Arizona lawmaker proposed to yank Medicaid and other social services from poverty-stricken folks caught enjoying an adult beverage, buying any junk food, or driving a car or watching a TV costing more than a bargain-basement amount. Now there’s a new proposal to yank free Medicaid benefits from the poorest Arizonans, period. Arizona has more than earned its latest THR Healthcare Hall of Shame Award.
Well, the Healthcare Summit is over. Not much happened that wasn’t expected: the whole country got to witness Republican obstructionism first-hand, and Democrats stuck to their agenda. But there was one very important participant missing from the invite list, someone who could have made the meeting less of a rehash and more of a critical visioning session.
Obama discussing Consumer-Directed Health Plans with Republican John Barrasso, a physician:
Obama: “Would you be satisfied if every member of Congress just had catastrophic care–you think we’d be better health care purchasers? I mean, is that a change you think we should make?”
Barrasso: “I think actually we would. We’d really focus on it. We’d have more, as you say, skin in the game. And especially if they had a savings account–a health savings account–they could put their money into that, and they’d be spending the money out of that.”
Obama: “Would you feel the same way if you were making $40,000? Or if that was your income. Because that’s the reality for a lot of folks.”
Barrasso: Speechless.
Watch it:
