Essential Key Terms and Concepts
1) The NHS (National HealthCare System)
Since its launch in 1948, the NHS has grown to become the world’s largest publicly funded health service. It is also one of the most efficient, most egalitarian and most comprehensive.
The NHS was born out of a long-held ideal that good healthcare should be available to all, regardless of wealth, a principle that remains at its core. With the exception of some charges, such as prescriptions and optical anddental services, the NHS remains free at the point of use for anyone who is resident in the UK. That is currently more than 63.2m people. It covers everything from antenatal screening and routine treatments for long-term conditions, to transplants, emergency treatment, and end-of-life care.
Link: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/thenhs/about/Pages/overview.aspx
The NHS was born out of a long-held ideal that good healthcare should be available to all, regardless of wealth, a principle that remains at its core. With the exception of some charges, such as prescriptions and optical anddental services, the NHS remains free at the point of use for anyone who is resident in the UK. That is currently more than 63.2m people. It covers everything from antenatal screening and routine treatments for long-term conditions, to transplants, emergency treatment, and end-of-life care.
Link: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/thenhs/about/Pages/overview.aspx
2) Health Care Lessons from France
In 2000, health care experts for the World Health Organization tried to do a statistical ranking of the world's health care systems. They studied 191 countries and ranked them on things like the number of years people lived in good health and whether everyone had access to good health care. France came in first. The United States ranked 37th.
Link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92419273
Link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92419273
3) Canadian Health Care
Canada's health care system is a group of socialized health insurance plans that provides coverage to all Canadian citizens. It is publicly funded and administered on a provincial or territorial basis, within guidelines set by the federal government.
Under the health care system, individual citizens are provided preventative care and medical treatments from primary care physicians as well as access to hospitals, dental surgery and additional medical services. With a few exceptions, all citizens qualify for health coverage regardless of medical history, personal income, or standard of living.
Link: http://www.canadian-healthcare.org/
Under the health care system, individual citizens are provided preventative care and medical treatments from primary care physicians as well as access to hospitals, dental surgery and additional medical services. With a few exceptions, all citizens qualify for health coverage regardless of medical history, personal income, or standard of living.
Link: http://www.canadian-healthcare.org/
4) Health Care Now!
Healthcare-NOW! is a grassroots organization that addresses the health insurance crisis in the U.S. by educating and advocating for the passage of single-payer healthcare legislation, such as HR 676. We support building the movement necessary to implement a publicly-funded, single-payer healthcare system that is universal, equitable, transparent, accountable, comprehensive, and that removes financial and other barriers to the right to health.
Link: http://www.healthcare-now.org/about
Link: http://www.healthcare-now.org/about
5) Health Insurance Fraud
In 2011, $2.27 trillion was spent on health care and more than four billion health insurance claims were processed in the United States. It is an undisputed reality that some of these health insurance claims are fraudulent. Although they constitute only a small fraction, those fraudulent claims carry a very high price tag.
The National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA) estimates that the financial losses due to health care fraud are in the tens of billions of dollars each year.
Link: http://www.nhcaa.org/resources/health-care-anti-fraud-resources/the-challenge-of-health-care-fraud.aspx
The National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA) estimates that the financial losses due to health care fraud are in the tens of billions of dollars each year.
Link: http://www.nhcaa.org/resources/health-care-anti-fraud-resources/the-challenge-of-health-care-fraud.aspx
6) Uninsured
On March 23, the Census Bureau announced that it has revised estimates of the number of uninsured people for 2004 and 2005, after it detected an error in how data from its Current Population Survey have been tabulated. The number and percentage of people who were uninsured in 2005 changed from 46.6 million (15.9 percent of the population) to 44.8 million (15.3 percent).
Link: http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=245
Link: http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=245
7) Save the Day, Without Pay
WASHINGTON — Republican senators blocked Democratic legislation on Thursday that sought to provide medical care to rescue workers and others who became ill as a result of breathing in toxic fumes, dust and smoke at the site of the World Trade Center attack in 2001.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/10/nyregion/10health.html?_r=0
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/10/nyregion/10health.html?_r=0
8) No Pension
The percentage of the largest U.S. employers that offer a defined benefit pension plan to new salaried employees continues to fall, according to new research.
As of June 30, 30 percent of Fortune 100 companies offered a defined benefit plan to new salaried employees, according to New York-based Towers Watson & Co. That's down from 33 percent at the end of 2011, 37 percent in 2010 and 43 percent in 2009.
As recently as 1998, defined benefit plans were the norm among the nation's largest employers, when 90 percent of Fortune 100 companies offered the plans to new salaried employees.
Link: http://www.workforce.com/articles/fewer-employers-offering-defined-benefit-pension-plans-to-new-salaried-employees
As of June 30, 30 percent of Fortune 100 companies offered a defined benefit plan to new salaried employees, according to New York-based Towers Watson & Co. That's down from 33 percent at the end of 2011, 37 percent in 2010 and 43 percent in 2009.
As recently as 1998, defined benefit plans were the norm among the nation's largest employers, when 90 percent of Fortune 100 companies offered the plans to new salaried employees.
Link: http://www.workforce.com/articles/fewer-employers-offering-defined-benefit-pension-plans-to-new-salaried-employees
9) Health Maintinance Organization (HMO)
To the Congress of the United States:
In the last twelve months alone, America's medical bill went up eleven percent, from $63 to $70 billion. In the last ten years, it has climbed 170 percent, from the $26 billion level in 1960. Then we were spending 5.3 percent of our Gross National Product on health; today we devote almost 7% of our GNP to health expenditures
Link: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=3311
In the last twelve months alone, America's medical bill went up eleven percent, from $63 to $70 billion. In the last ten years, it has climbed 170 percent, from the $26 billion level in 1960. Then we were spending 5.3 percent of our Gross National Product on health; today we devote almost 7% of our GNP to health expenditures
Link: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=3311
10) Health Insurance Companies are for Profit
In Alameda County, a private hospital turned away a woman in labor because the hospital's computer showed that she didn't have insurance. Hours later, her baby was born dead in a county hospital.
In San Bernardino, a hospital surgeon sent a patient who had been stabbed in the heart to a county medical center after examining him and declaring his condition stable. The patient arrived at the county medical center moribund, suffered a cardiac arrest, and died.
These two hospitals shifted these patients to county facilities not for medical reasons, but for economic ones -- the receiving hospitals feared they wouldn't be paid for treating the patient. These patients simply weren't "good business."
Link: http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v1n4/healthy.html
In San Bernardino, a hospital surgeon sent a patient who had been stabbed in the heart to a county medical center after examining him and declaring his condition stable. The patient arrived at the county medical center moribund, suffered a cardiac arrest, and died.
These two hospitals shifted these patients to county facilities not for medical reasons, but for economic ones -- the receiving hospitals feared they wouldn't be paid for treating the patient. These patients simply weren't "good business."
Link: http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v1n4/healthy.html
11) Executive Compensations
Michael B McAllister earned $3.33 million in compensation as CEO of Humana. "Forbes 2006 Executive Pay list," April 20, 2006.
John W Rowe earned $22.2 million in compensation as CEO of Aetna. Rowe has since left Aetna. "Forbes 2004 Executive Pay list," April 21, 2005.
Link: http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/12/AG0Q.html
http://www.forbes.com/static/execpay2005/LIRS5NI.html?passListId=12&passYear=2005&passListType=Person&uniqueId=S5NI&datatype=Person
John W Rowe earned $22.2 million in compensation as CEO of Aetna. Rowe has since left Aetna. "Forbes 2004 Executive Pay list," April 21, 2005.
Link: http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/12/AG0Q.html
http://www.forbes.com/static/execpay2005/LIRS5NI.html?passListId=12&passYear=2005&passListType=Person&uniqueId=S5NI&datatype=Person
12) Cuba: Most Generous
Some 14,000 Cuban doctors now give free treatment to Venezuela’s poor and 3,000 Cuban medical staff worked in the aftermath of last year’s Kashmir earthquake. Cuba has plans to heal those poorer than itself.
Link: http://mondediplo.com/2006/08/11cuba
Link: http://mondediplo.com/2006/08/11cuba
13) Infant Fertility Rate in the U.S. vs Other Countries
Babies in other countries have a higher mortality rate than some cities in the U.S. This data table compares the infant deaths, births, and live births.
Link: http://www.mdch.state.mi.us/pha/osr/InDxMain/Tab4.asp
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/serATab3.pdf
Link: http://www.mdch.state.mi.us/pha/osr/InDxMain/Tab4.asp
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/serATab3.pdf
14) Elderly Pay More for Prescription Drugs
Medicare Part D is providing prescription drug coverage to millions of older Americans. But ever since the program went into effect in January, there's been an epidemic of confusion and headaches. As CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews reports, here comes another one: the "doughnut hole."
Link: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/medicares-doughnut-hole/
Link: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/medicares-doughnut-hole/
15) Free Prescription Drugs in Great Britain
Some people automatically get free prescriptions. Certain people can get an exemption certificate to obtain free prescriptions. Also, anyone needing regular prescriptions may save money by buying a Prescription Prepayment Certificate.
Link: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcosts/Pages/Prescriptioncosts.aspx
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/free-or-reduced-cost-prescriptions
Link: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcosts/Pages/Prescriptioncosts.aspx
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/free-or-reduced-cost-prescriptions
16) Guantanamo Detainees Receiving 'First-Rate' Medical Care
NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, Feb. 18, 2005 – In every case, enemy combatants held here receive medical care that is "as good as or better than anything we would offer our own soldiers, sailors, airmen or Marines," the general in charge of the U.S. detention facility here said.
Link: http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=25852
Link: http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=25852
17) Humana Medical Reviewer Admits to Denying Heart Transplant
Louisville – Former Humana Medical Reviewer Dr. Linda Peeno was so disturbed by what she experienced working for the giant HMO – including denying a young patient’s heart transplant – that she went into medical ethics and is now a vocal advocate for a national health insurance program.
LInk: http://www.pnhp.org/news/2002/february/humana_medical_revie.php
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/september/testimony_of_wendell.php
LInk: http://www.pnhp.org/news/2002/february/humana_medical_revie.php
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/september/testimony_of_wendell.php
18) Dumped On Skid Row
The first rule in medicine is: do no harm. But doing harm is precisely what some Los Angeles hospitals are being accused of when it comes to patients who happen to be homeless.
As CNN's Anderson Cooper reports, the claim is that hospitals don't like dealing with homeless patients, who are often uninsured and sometimes unpleasant to treat. So they literally dump them on the streets of Skid Row, even if the patients come from other places in Los Angeles, and are in no condition to fend for themselves.
Link: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dumped-on-skid-row/
As CNN's Anderson Cooper reports, the claim is that hospitals don't like dealing with homeless patients, who are often uninsured and sometimes unpleasant to treat. So they literally dump them on the streets of Skid Row, even if the patients come from other places in Los Angeles, and are in no condition to fend for themselves.
Link: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dumped-on-skid-row/
19) Denied Coverage
The nation’s four largest for-profit health insurers denied coverage to more than 651,000 people over a three-year period, citing pre-existing conditions, according to an analysis of insurer data detailed in a Congressional investigation.
Between Aetna, Humana, UnitedHealth Group, and WellPoint, that averages out to a denial of coverage for one out of every seven applicants, according to an Energy and Commerce Committee memo about the investigation.
Link: http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/insurers-denied-health-coverage-to-1-in-7-people-citing-pre-existing-condit
Between Aetna, Humana, UnitedHealth Group, and WellPoint, that averages out to a denial of coverage for one out of every seven applicants, according to an Energy and Commerce Committee memo about the investigation.
Link: http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/insurers-denied-health-coverage-to-1-in-7-people-citing-pre-existing-condit
20) French Doctors Make House Calls
PARIS — The custom of doctors who make house calls is no relic from the past in France, but a more modern innovation.
In the summer of 1966, the doctor Marcel Lascar reported to work on a Monday and learned that one of his heart patients had died over the weekend because he couldn’t reach a physician. Lascar recalled that his bathroom had flooded one weekend and he had no trouble calling an emergency number for a repairman. Why couldn’t it work the same to reach for a doctor?
Link: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/france/090309/why-french-doctors-still-make-house-calls
In the summer of 1966, the doctor Marcel Lascar reported to work on a Monday and learned that one of his heart patients had died over the weekend because he couldn’t reach a physician. Lascar recalled that his bathroom had flooded one weekend and he had no trouble calling an emergency number for a repairman. Why couldn’t it work the same to reach for a doctor?
Link: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/france/090309/why-french-doctors-still-make-house-calls