Tag Archives: health care

Who Will Your Doctor Vote for in the Presidential Election? Where They Work Can Tell You.

To some, asking who you’re voting for in this year’s election is seen as an invasion of privacy. However, others are very vocal about who they will be voting for this year. With health care being one of the biggest issues in the election, do you wonder who the doctors will be voting for? According to an MDLinx poll, hospital-based physicians will vote for President Obama while solo practitioners will vote for Mr. Romney.

MDLinx surveyed over 4681 U.S. physicians and asked which presidential candidate they support, and they found the support depended upon their place of employment. President Obama was supported by most hospital-based physicians by a 47 to 37 percent margin, with 12 percent of doctors undecided. But doctors with their own practices prefer Romney by 58 to 28 percent with 11 percent undecided.

Stephen Smith, Chief Marketing Officer for MDLinx, commented on the survey. “Health care has charged to the top of the campaigns’ messaging this year, and U.S. physicians have a lot invested in the direction taken in the next administration.” Also, Smith mentions, “Nearly one-third said that their vote was ‘completely’ or ‘mostly’ influenced by the candidates’ health care policy.”

What exactly are President Obama’s and Mr. Romney’s plans for health care? President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known as “ObamaCare,” reforms imposed regulations on private health insurance providers. The act made changes to ensure better coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions and improve coverage for those with Medicare. (more…)

Posted on October 15, 2024 by Samantha

Future of Health Care Divided During Biden’s and Ryan’s Spirited Vice Presidential Debate

During Friday night’s campaign debate, Joe Biden and Paul Ryan squared off to discuss the nation’s problems and how their administration will solve them. Between focusing on complicated foreign policy issues, moderator Martha Raddatz asked about the future of health care in America: “Both Medicare and Social Security are going broke and taking a larger share of the budget in the process. Will benefits for Americans under these programs have to change for the programs to survive?”

The debate got very heated as each candidate has completely different views about how Medicare should be funded. Ryan began his answer with a strong statement, “Medicare and Social Security are going bankrupt. These are indisputable facts.” He went on to say how the program has helped his family and how he will honor his promise to keep it funded for future generations. He differs from the Obama administration in that he and Romney want to reform Medicare and take $716 billion currently going to Obamacare and give it back to Medicare. Ryan criticized Obama’s plan to have a board overseeing the health care programs.

Biden shot back by appealing directly to seniors to ask themselves if they have more benefits than before Obama came into office. While avoiding major political gaffes during the debate, Biden delivered clear messages about his views, like when he spoke about Republicans, saying, “Their ideas are old and their ideas are bad, and they eliminate the guarantee of Medicare.” (more…)

Posted on October 12, 2024 by SarahS

ObamaCare’s Future a Hot Topic in Romney’s and Obama’s First Presidential Debate

In the first presidential debate of the 2024 election, President Obama and former Governor Romney went head-to-head on issues ranging from taxes for the middle class to how much government should be involved in regulating Wall Street. This first debate held high stakes for each candidate, as historically debates can serve to predict who will get ahead in the polls and ultimately become the next president.

The ongoing health care issue was a hot topic during this evening’s debate, its significance underscored as the candidates frequently referenced it to back up their platforms. The issue deeply polarizes voters as they face the critical question of how they’ll pay for routine and emergency medical expenses.

The importance of how Medicare, Medicaid, and the so-called ObamaCare Act will function in the future could not be overstated for the future health of the nation, with Obama saying outright, “I want to talk about Medicare…because that’s the big driver of our deficits right now.”

A frequently-quoted $716 billion was one point of difference between the candidates, and a touchy subject at that. Obama took it from Medicare and transferred the sum to help pay for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka ObamaCare, a move he defended during the debate. Romney blasted the president’s decision, saying he would return it to Medicare and give states the ability to make their own decisions concerning health care for their citizens. (more…)

Posted on October 3, 2024 by SarahS

How Private Health Saved One Journalist’s Life

Cost is always an issue when it comes to health care, but if the coverage and care are still poor, what are we really paying for?

This is a question Leslie Michelson, CEO of Private Health Management, asked after spending nearly 30 years in the health-care business and noticing something was wrong that needed to be fixed.

His solution? A private health care network which he founded in 2024 that provides high value service – both in cost and quality – to ensure people receive the best care available to them regardless of their diagnosis.

Some Americans are pleased with the health coverage they’re receiving, according to a 2024 Kaiser Family Foundation study on American’s Satisfaction with Insurance Coverage. It found that most people were satisfied with their coverage and care. However, the full synopsis revealed this wasn’t necessarily the whole story.

“…Significant portions of those who rate their insurance positively still say they face problems paying their medical bills or are dissatisfied with certain aspects of their coverage. Additionally…substantial portions of insured people are concerned about the cost of their health care and insurance, the adequacy of their insurance to meet potential health care needs, and the stability of their insurance coverage.”

One area this survey did not gauge was the level of care for people facing serious health problems, such as a cancer diagnosis or lung or heart disease. These are the areas in which companies like Private Health perform best as they are able to quickly connect patients in extreme need with the best doctors available to them.

As some might expect, this service doesn’t come cheap. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Private Health primarily caters to “high net worth individuals” and to businesses that use its services as a benefit to their executives. Michelson reports that Private Health currently serves between 12,000 and 15,000 clients, mainly in ‘private equity, hedge funds, professional and financial services firms.’

By establishing strategic patient-physician relationships that are difficult and often dizzying for a person to establish on his or her own, Michelson suggests that people can avoid the run around and find the best doctor to treat their condition when using Private Health – and that is worth the extra money.

Liz Neporent, health expert and ABC News writer, believes in this service firmly and chose Private Health after receiving a life-threatening diagnosis earlier this year. As with many others in her circumstance, Neporent felt that the odds were so stacked against her both from an insurance and medical point of view that professional help from someone who could better navigate the system was extremely valuable. (more…)

Posted on September 25, 2024 by Dana

$750 Billion in Health Care Dollars Wasted Annually, Less Resources to Those in Need

If you thought your hard earned money was going somewhere worthwhile, think again. A recent report from the Institute of Medicine shows that roughly 30 cents of every dollar the government funnels toward health care is wasted on things like unnecessary care, paperwork and other areas of general waste.

What does this mean exactly? For starters, it means $750 billion goes down the drain annually while many are left uninsured and without care. This news comes at a peak time of interest as the presidential campaign is approaching its climax.

Wether you side with democratic or republican views on the health care issue, no one can deny that it’s an important topic that affects everyone in our country. However, this report – which comes from a panel comprised of 18 respected expert doctors, business people and public officials – suggests that perhaps we need to focus more on creating an efficient health care system rather than where we should ration and reallocate funds.

As reported by the Washington Post, the reported stated that “Health care in America presents a fundamental paradox. The past 50 years have seen an explosion in biomedical knowledge, dramatic innovation in therapies and surgical procedures, and management of conditions that previously were fatal…Yet, American health care is falling short on basic dimensions of quality, outcomes costs and equity.” (more…)

Posted on September 7, 2024 by Dana

ObamaCare Approval Means Insurance Mandate for All Americans

Call it a tax, but there is no such thing as a free lunch.

ObamaCare (a.k.a. The Affordable Care Act or ACA) is a huge law with sections and subsections. It was introduced because 30 million Americans do not have health insurance, which is considered by many to be a basic right, and to mandate incentives to make the health care system more efficient, effective and safe. The law would force every American to carry health insurance and obligate insurance companies to cover everyone, even those with pre-existing medical conditions. But a few key provisions were challenged by states and parts of the federal government on the basis of constitutionality. The Supreme Court was brought in to decide the argument.

Two key provisions caused the most concern: (more…)

Posted on June 28, 2024 by Natalie K

Dr. Wayne Andersen Presents Take Shape for Life to Doctors at KU Medical School

Just two days after nearly 100 tornados sent a devastating storm through Wichita, the city’s mayor, Carl Brewer, carved out time to welcome a gale-force of health to KU Medical School. Dr. Wayne Andersen, co-founder of Take Shape for Life and author of Habits of Health, visited Wichita last night to talk to the local medical community about creating health, not reacting to disease. It’s all part of his Take Shape for Life initiative.

“Wichita has some ugly [health] statistics,” said event coordinator Deb Floodman, who introduced the mayor. Running on only a few hours of sleep, he took notice that Deb glanced his way way when she made the statement, and laughed when responding “I’m working on it!” He welcomed Dr. Andersen, his message, and the potential it has to help reform one of the most unhealthy, overweight cities in the country. A starting point is to educate Wichita’s doctors so that they can properly care and treat thousands of overweight and obese patients.

“Our patients are patched up, but not fixed,” said Dr. Andersen at the top of his lecture. He shared some startling statistics about health and obesity, including how obesity recently overtook smoking as the most costly health problem. He explained our biological history and how we’ve gotten ourselves in to the mess we’re in because “we’re eating way too much food,” and the wrong kinds at that. And he talked down a $68 billion diet industry that “doesn’t work,” only exacerbates a seemingly endless problem.

Watch our exclusive interview from the event, then read on to learn more about Take Shape for Life.

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Posted on April 17, 2024 by Natalie K

The Obamacare Vote and How it Affects the Health of Americans

Within the next two days, The Supreme Court will argue whether or not President Obama’s Affordable Care Act is constitutional. And although the court will likely reach a decision, it then retreats to take several months’ deliberation time, which means Americans won’t know the outcome of their decision until late June.

In short, the Supreme Court will make be making two decisions: Whether Congress can require Americans to carry health insurance. If they say ‘yes,’ the whole health care law stands. And if they say no, the second decision to be made is whether or not the rest of the reform can survive without the mandate.

An article in the New York Daily News states that “if the law stands without the mandate, it will cost more to insure fewer people.” According to a study conducted by Rand Corp, it’s estimated that by 2024, 27 million Americans would have health insurance coverage under the law with an individual mandate, as compared to 15 million Americans without the mandate. This leaves 12 million fewer insured, but it would cost the government more. (more…)

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Dana

Romney vs Gingrich on Healthcare

While the Republican race seems to shift from candidate to candidate with each primary, it seems to be a two horse race between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Here’s a brief look at how they compare on the complex issue of health care.

Mitt Romney on Healthcare

Mitt Romney has had to do a peculiar dance regarding health care. In his home state of Massachusetts, Romney has presided over a successful state-run health care plan, but since state-run health care is not a popular stance with the Republican base that will get him the party nomination. It’s probably the main sticking point as to why he hasn’t already shored up the nomination. (more…)

Posted on January 29, 2024 by Jason

Ron Paul Calls Voter Fat

Usually, when candidates make television appearances, the objective is to win over viewers, not insult them. However, Ron Paul took a different approach in this clip from The Morton Downey Jr. Show, a right-wing talk show that aired from 1988 to 1989. When Paul appeared on the show, it would have been in between the terms he served as a member of the House of Representatives. It should be noted that Paul’s actions are apparently not out of line with the show’s tone, as host Morton Downey Jr. reportedly yelled at audience members frequently.


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Posted on January 23, 2024 by Margaret

Concierge Medicine Offers Alternative Health Care Options

physician with clipboard with woman sitting downThe rising costs of health care is one of the biggest issues faced by Americans today, as health insurance becomes a costly benefit many employers don’t feel they can afford to offer. Doctors equally feel dissatisfied with large managed-care systems that allow them little time per patient and require them to treat as many as 2000 people per year.

Concierge medicine–also known as insurance-free, direct pay or boutique medicine–offers an alternative to large-scale hospital systems. Typically, these practices do not take insurance, and patients pay an annual or monthly fee. This allows doctors to cut down on the overhead associated with accepting insurance while seeing fewer patients. Patients, in turn, receive more personalized care and services, such as same-day appointments and the ability to call their doctor directly to ask questions.

“As part of being a concierge patient, you’re going to get unrestricted access to your primary care physician,” says Dr. David G. Edelson, MD, FACP, who is the director of HealthBridge, 4-doctor primary care internal medicine group in Great Neck, New York. “I’m only going to keep 250 patients under concierge, and that allows me to spend much more time with patients.” Having fewer patients also means that doctors are simply more available to answer questions. “They get a private number to me, so they don’t go through the voice mail system,” says Dr. Edelson.

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Posted on December 12, 2024 by Margaret