WHY MIDDLE CLASS AMERICANS NEED HEALTH REFORM

FROM SLIDESHARE

Why Middle Class Americans Need Health Reform

Middle class Americans across the country are demanding health reform. Businesses and families are struggling under the increasing financial burden of rising health care costs, and even middle class Americans with health insurance are struggling as their out of pocket health care costs continue to rise. Some employers are facing a decision between scaling back on coverage and laying off workers, and many—especially small businesses—are dropping coverage altogether.
Middle class families often find themselves without adequate protection against a major illness and have difficulty obtaining the care they need, and an increasing number are now uninsured. Even among those able to get insurance through their job, middle class Americans are less likely to have a choice in their plan or provider compared to higher-income workers. This report highlights the struggles that middle class Americans face in the current health care system. By examining cost, coverage, access, and choice, this report shows how the current system has failed the middle class and why we must enact health reform this year. Rising Financial Burden Middle class Americans and their families are facing escalating financial burdens from health care costs.
On average, middle class families with private health insurance spend $4,400 a year on health insurance premiums, deductibles, and copayments, or 9% of their household income.

1 Compared with higher-income Americans, middle class Americans are more likely to face a high financial burden from these out of pocket health care costs. In fact, 22 percent of middle class Americans with private health insurance are in households that spend more than 10 percent of their income on health care, compared with 8 percent of higher-income Americans.

2 This burden is growing over time. From 2001 to 2006, the percentage of privately insured middle class Americans facing a high financial burden from health care costs increased from 14 percent to 22 percent

3 The burden is also worse for middle class Americans purchasing health insurance directly from the individual insurance market. A middle class family with individual coverage spends on average 22 percent of household income on health care – and some spend up to 50 percent. A similar middle class family with employer based coverage spends an average of 8 percent of their income on health care costs.

4 Diminishing Coverage Middle class Americans and their families are facing a growing challenge in obtaining or maintaining their health insurance coverage. Over a quarter of the uninsured are middle class Americans.

5 The number of non-elderly middle class Americans who are uninsured has grown over time, from 11.1 million in 2001 to 12.5 million in 2007.

6 Looking forward, without health reform, the number of middle class Americans without health insurance could be as high as 18.2 million in 2019.

7 In part, high rates of the uninsured among middle class Americans arise because middle income workers have a higher chance of not being offered health insurance through their job. In fact, of the 10.7 million non-elderly adults in the middle class bracket who are uninsured, nearly 90 percent are employed.

8 Nearly one in four middle class employees are not offered health insurance by their employers – and of those that are not, more than half remain uninsured. In comparison, only one in six high-income employees are not offered health insurance by their employers.

9 Part of the reason that middle income Americans are less likely to be offered coverage is because they are more likely to work in small businesses – 53 percent of middle income Americans work in small businesses, compared with 46 percent of higher income Americans. Of those who work in small business, 40 percent are not offered insurance.

10 Reduced Access to Care Shrinking coverage and rising costs mean middle class Americans are finding it difficult to obtain the care they need. Eleven percent of middle class adults reported delaying needed care and 8 percent reported avoiding care altogether because of high cost in 2007.

11 Middle class adults are also more likely to avoid care because of rising costs compared to higher-income adults, where only 5 percent reported delaying and 3 percent reported avoiding needed care.

12 The problem is particularly worse for those middle class adults who are uninsured, where more than one in five delayed or avoided needed care because of cost in 2007.

13 Regular visits to the pediatrician are important for healthy child development, and yet too many middle class children do not see a physician regularly. Twelve percent of middle class children did not have a health care visit in the past year, compared to 8 percent of high-income children.

14 Lack of Choice Even among those able to get insurance through their job, middle class Americans are less likely to have a choice in their plan or provider compared to higher-income workers. Forty percent of middle class workers are given a choice of health plans through their job, compared with 52 percent of higher-income workers.

15 Middle class Americans are more likely to need a referral to see a specialist, more likely to have to select their doctor from a list given by their health plan, and less likely to be able to get health care coverage if they go outside of that network than higher income Americans.

16 The Need for Health Reform Rising costs, rising rates of uninsured, and reduced access to care all demonstrate that the current health care system does not work for middle class families. Health reform is needed to ensure high-quality care is accessible for all Americans.

Sources Prepared by Kurt Herzer and Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD, Office of Health Reform, Department of Health and Human Services Data analysis provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and the Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Department of Health and Human Services 1 Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2006. 2 Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2006. 3 Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2001-2006. 4 Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2003-2006. 5 Current Population Survey, 2007. 3
6 Current Population Survey, 2001-2007. 7 Holahan J, Garrett B, Headen I, et al. Health Reform: The Cost of Failure. The Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: May 21, 2009. Available at http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/costoffailure20090529.pdf 8 Current Population Survey, 2007. 9 Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2006. 10 Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2006. 11 Unpublished data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 1997-2007. 12 Unpublished data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007. 13 Unpublished data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007. 14 Unpublished data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007. 15 Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2006. 16 Unpublished data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007. 4

House Bill Introduced on Affordable Health Choice

I found this article on the Modern Healthcare website and thought that it should be shared with everyone.
Mark Krebs
Health Care Management Student
Globe UniversitySioux Falls

House bill would cost $1.04 trillion: CBOBy Matthew DoBiasPosted: July 15, 2009 - 9:00 am EDTThe Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday said that the House's version of a health reform bill would cost $1.04 trillion over a 10-year period, but cautioned that its analysis is preliminary and did not take into account a plan to raise taxes or savings from Medicare and Medicaid.

Looking at the health insurance provisions, the CBO said that the House bill would cover between 94% and 97% of the nation's population by 2019.

House Democrats introduced the so-called America's Affordable Health Choices Act yesterday, calling it “landmark” legislation and lauding provisions that include a mandate that all persons have some level of coverage, an expansion of the Medicaid program and the establishment of a public health plan option.The bill has been hashed out by three different committees: Ways and Means, Education and Labor, and Energy and Commerce. Leaders from those committees plan to pay for the bill with a new tax on the nation's highest income earners, which they say will raise $540 billion over the next decade. The balance of the bill is expected to come from savings wrung from Medicare and Medicaid

FUTURE JOBS IN HEALTH CARE???

Many changes are being discussed in the United States regarding health care. We don’t know yet what the changes will be, but certainly there will be opportunities for Health Care Managers. What do you think , in terms of new positions, will be created to address the future service needs in health care?

OUTSOURCING MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION WORK

Annette Hoffman from Rochester shared the links below related to outsourcing medical transcription work, and HIPAA related issues. Scary stuff !!

Here are the two articles that I have regarding outsourcing transcription of medical records. I think it is going to become a bigger issue as more people actually become aware that this practice exists. I tell everyone that I can about it. You may have to cut and paste the links into the browser to read the article.

http://www.fortherecordmag.com/archives/ftr_012604p20.shtml
http://library.ahima.org/xpedio/groups/public/documents/ahima/bok1_022546.hcsp?dDocName=bok1_022546

WORST 10 RESUME PHRASES

thought this was interesting – and may be of value……fyi

The 2009 job market is very different from job markets of the past. If you haven't job-hunted in a while, the changes in the landscape can throw you for a loop.

One of the biggest changes is the shift in what constitutes a strong resume. Years ago, we could dig into the Resume Boilerplate grab-bag and pull out a phrase to fill out a sentence or bullet point on our resume. Everybody used the same boilerplate phrases, so we knew we couldn't go wrong choosing one of them -- or many -- to throw into your resume.

Things have changed. Stodgy boilerplate phrases in your resume today mark you as uncreative and "vocabulary challenged." You can make your resume more compelling and human-sounding by rooting out and replacing the boring corporate-speak phrases that litter it, and replacing them with human language -- things that people like you or I would actually say.

Here are the worst 10 boilerplate phrases -- the ones to seek out and destroy in your resume as soon as possible:
Results-oriented professional
Cross-functional teams
More than [x] years of progressively responsible experience
Superior (or excellent) communication skills
Strong work ethic
Met or exceeded expectations
Proven track record of success
Works well with all levels of staff
Team player
Bottom-line orientation

You can do better. What about adding a human voice to your resume? Here's an example:
"I'm a Marketing Researcher who's driven by curiosity about why people buy what they do. At XYZ Industries, I used consumer surveys and online-forum analysis to uncover the reasons why consumers chose our competitors over us; our sales grew twenty percent over the next six months as a result. I'm equally at home on sales calls or analyzing data in seclusion, and up to speed on traditional and new-millennium research tools and approaches. I'm fanatical about understanding our marketplace better every day, week and month -- and have helped my employers' brands grow dramatically as a result."

You don't have to write resumes that sound like robots wrote them. A human-voiced resume is the new black -- try it!
Liz Ryan is a 25-year HR veteran, former Fortune 500 VP and an internationally recognized expert on careers and the new millennium workplace. Contact Liz at liz@asklizryan.com or join the Ask Liz Ryan online community at www.asklizryan/group.The opinions expressed in this column are solely the author's.

The SOLULTION to national health care issues

I have "listened" to many high level health care managers in the field, as well as politicians. ALL of them related that the simple single solution to reduce health care costs is: SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM.

Unfortunately, they all also stated it would not be accomplished due to the STRONG financial and lobbying efforts of PHARMA and the INSURANCE INDUSTRY.

It is so sad - that our politicians cannont do what is good for the people - rather than themselves or the corporations.

TOR DAHL Wisdom...

Tor Dahl is the Founder, President and CEO of Tor Dahl & Associates. He is an economist, consultant, and associate professor in public health at the University of Minnesota. A Fulbright Scholar in Economics, Professor Dahl has published works on health care, economics, management, productivity, and behavioral change



Changing Lives

I have not been a student in any school or university where I did not know who the good teachers were. We all did. Good teachers are born good teachers, and if we are lucky enough to be among their students, they will change our lives.I have never been in a company or an organization where I did not know who the good leaders were. Every one knew. It isn't as if good leaders hide in thewings, or do not display their talents. Good leaders are born good leaders;those who are not, are different.This is not meant as a criticism. Any organization needs both leaders and followers. Too many of either kind is not good for any company.As for leaders, I cannot recall any group that I have been part of where I had not spotted the true leader of the group, and very quickly. The leader is theone whom the others look to for reactions, input and guidance. The leader is the one who decides to continue or close the discussion. Dress, manner of speaking and placement in the room may reveal the leader; so may the placement of the others in the room in regard to the leader. But it is the personal and behavioral qualities that are key in identifying a true leader.

Try this experiment if you don't believe me: Just listen to the voices of thepeople in the room. How long will it take you to decide who the leader is? Respect, deference, humility, caution - all these qualities are present in the human voice. I think you will know within 15 minutes who the real leader ofthe group is - even in a group of leaders.Leaders come in all varieties, all colors, all ages and all classes. There isusually an aura of self assurance in a leader's posture, an openness tosuggestion, and a humility that comes from decisions that should not have beenmade. If there is one quality that most characterizes a good leader it isintegrity. A good leader says what he means, and means what he says. A goodleader is trusted, and returns the trust.It is a pleasure and a privilege to be taught by a good teacher.The good teacher is also a good leader in the classroom. Like a CEO, he has avision and a mission to accomplish, and the class must decide if they want togo where the teacher's vision will take them.

This is the mystery of leadership: How do you achieve the consonance between a teacher's lines ofsight and the student's decision to go there? The born leader has a thousandways that could be used, but only some of them will be used in any onesituation. A good teacher reads the class like an open book - he divines thedirections and the forces of the students and sees where the resultant must go.And that will be his chosen path.Is there a more important task than to find those who can teach, and those whocan lead?

The born teacher, and the born leader, are a nation's greatest gifts.An educated work force that leads the world in its chosen pursuits is thesingle most important asset of any country.Knut Kloster built a great cruise line many years ago: The Norwegian CaribbeanLine. He was the first to envision the mega-sized cruise ships that laterfollowed, approaching the size of floating cities. He was very interested inleadership. He didn't think that leaders could be made or trained. In fact,he was convinced that they were born. He thought the qualities of futureleadership were visible in children, and that they were honed in thousands ofinitiatives taken over the years.My first university level education took place at the Norwegian UniversitySchool of Economics and Business Administration in Bergen, Norway. There, theschool's understood mission was to educate the future leaders of Norway.

During my second year I was elected president of the Student Club and for the17th of May, Norway's Independence Day, I was asked to pick a number ofstudents to participate in varying ceremonies around town. I decided to pickthose who had had at least some experience with leadership tasks. "How many ofyou have been class presidents?" I asked. A surprising number of people raisedtheir hands. I knew I had to add more criteria. "How many of you classpresidents have also been Scout leaders?" Pretty much the same hands came up.I ran upstairs and burst into the office of the Rector of the school, thelegendary Professor Rolf Waaler. "You are admitting scout leaders and classpresidents!" I shouted at him.He laughed. "You have found me out!" He continued, "This is a young school -we have been in existence for only about twenty years. It takes time to puttogether a superb faculty, so we have to make sure that we get superb students.And since our mission is to educate the future leaders of Norway, why not pickfrom among those who already have proven leadership talents?"

For many years the school supplied the CEOs of Norway's finest companies.Rector Waaler had met the expectations of the founders of the school.There is no law that says good leaders and good teachers must be likable, kind,friendly or personable. I have seen leaders and teachers who were hard tolike, unreasonable, difficult and prickly. But somehow they caused thestudents to perform at their highest levels, they brought companies to globalleadership in many industries, and they made everyone who knew them feelprivileged for having had the experience of being taught by them, or of workingfor them.These are the teachers, and leaders, who changed my life. They are not many innumber, but enormous in influence. Due to them, my world is immensely betterthat it would otherwise have been. Due to them, I have been privileged to livea good life.

This is my message to them:Thank you! It was the best gift I could have received when you became myteachers. And it was the most useful education I could have received in laterlife, when I went to work for leaders like you.I remember my teachers, because when they taught, lightning flared through mymind; for one brilliant moment I was transported by the sudden understandingthey created in me.I remember, too, the leaders who took me to places where I never would havegone by myself.And that is why, when we are asked about those who have transformed our lives,teachers and leaders will always come to mind.And each time I see them again - those who are still here - my day is made.

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_____Tor Dahl & Associates