Other Voices
By Lynn Ely, RN

Why does the US spend more than twice the amount in healthcare as any other nation and yet ranks 37th in the world in healthcare outcomes? Why have we seen our health insurance premiums skyrocket, our deductibles and copays rise and an explosion of high deductible plans emerge? Why are we paying 60% more for prescription medications than anywhere else in the world? Why are 50% of all bankruptcies directly related to medical costs and 90% of those from the middle class?

Having served the health care system for 25 years, I have watched it transform into an increasingly commercial enterprise. Insurance companies have taken control and it has become a more fragmented, inefficient and administratively wasteful system. Providers are forced to spend hours of their day on phone calls, computer and paper documentation, patient time getting more and more squeezed. Physician reimbursements are at an all-time low and we now are losing our ability to attract people into the field. Patients are often left navigating an increasingly complex system they don’t understand.

We will be facing a complete meltdown in our healthcare system if we don’t start taking bold measures to correct the problem. This can’t be piecemealed back together. It will require fundamental change. After a recent article in Time magazine “ What Scares Doctors?”, one physician wrote in “ The interests of consumers and caregivers are losing out, and the winners are the publicly traded insurance companies which make hundreds of millions in profit as they cut patient services.“ I wholeheartedly agree.

Did you know that 1/3 of every dollar spent on healthcare goes to pay the administrative costs of insurance companies? (and nearly 1/2 of every dollar if you factor in excessive drug prices and fraud) Did you know that insurance company profits increased 80% faster than spending on actual health care in 2003? These companies compete not by increasing quality or lowering our costs, but by avoiding unprofitable patients and shifting cost back to us while lining their own pockets. It is estimated that the United States collectively wastes more on healthcare bureaucracy than it would cost to provide health care to all of its citizens.

The reality we face in California is that over 20% of our citizens are currently without health insurance, and many more are underinsured. This is not just an issue of an inability to pay. I have tried for 4 years myself to get private insurance and have not been able to get a policy. We are experiencing a breakdown on all levels, and we will all be dealing with this with increasing urgency as the present system falls further into decline.

The goal I feel we should be working toward now is health for all, not wealth for the few. I encourage you to have a look at SB840, a bill currently working its way through the system. Called the California Health Insurance Reliability Act, it is a single payer insurance plan that would consolidate the many into the one. It would provide secure, comprehensive healthcare coverage for all Californians. It is estimated that it will save 343 billion dollars over the first 10 years through increased efficiency and massive purchasing power.

Let us not wait for more ER and hospital closures. Let us not wait for more of our quality healthcare professionals to leave in utter frustration. Let us not wait for more bankruptcies and suffering by those who are inadequately served by this system. I would like to see California lead the way in creating a system that provides high quality, affordable, compassionate and equitable care that is easily accessible and understandable to all.

Please log on to www.healthcareforall.org or call 888-442-4255 for more information. Or check www.onecarenow.org.There are many ways you can help. Sign the petition in support of SB840. Join our local chapter of HCA by calling Terry Fieldhouse at 478-5778. This bill has the support of over 420 groups and associations including the California Nurses Association and California Physicians Alliance

Lynn Ely has been an RN for 25 yrs. working in various fields. She currently operates Gentle Waters Healing Studio in Nevada City.

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