Patients Being Left Behind in Health Reform

Over at Web 2.0h...Really? , Craig Stoltz weighs in on the Washington Post "salon" fiasco from an angle that has been missed by many who have written extensively about the myriad reasons why it was wrong.

Instead I want to point out something that’s gotten lost in the media frenzy: That the topic of the first “salon” [sorry, I find I have to use quotes when referring to that] was to have been health care reform.

Stoltz goes on to point out, correctly, that if this is such an important debate, as it obviously is, look at who was assembled to have influence with the movers and shakers. More importantly, look who was left off of the invite list.

Patients.

Significantly, Weymouth did not invite to her “salon” anybody living with a chronic disease, or someone who lost her health insurance when she lost her job, or anyone who has declared bankruptcy under the burden of paying for a loved one’s brain surgery.

It's easy to see that once again, those with the money and power are rallying together toward a common goal - ensuring that health care reform does little to impact their bottom lines.

Forty-six million Americans lack health coverage, and a significant portion of those who do have employer-provided health insurance are caught in the struggle to get promised benefits paid, claims approved, and to keep large insurers from bouncing them out of the coverage pool by means of purging.

Most doctors claim that the time and effort needed to meet insurance company paperwork and documentation requirements is the main factor that limits the amount of time they are able to spend with each patient, and that it does little to keep patients healthy.

Doctors, patients, advocates, and others are on one side. On the other side are the rich and powerful insurance companies with their lobbyists, pumping cash into political campaigns hand over fist, in cahoots with legislators that wink about health reform with one eye as they rake in the dough, while turning the other eye blindly to the suffering of their constituency.

It's time to get involved, people. Standing on the sidelines won't get it accomplished.

Washington Post's "Salon" Disaster and Health Care Reform , via Web 2.0h...Really?