Mayo Clinic strongly supports President Obama’s call for health insurance reform and health care delivery reform, and agrees with the President’s position that the status quo is not acceptable. We believe that a bipartisan, collaborative approach is essential to achieving significant, patient-centered health care reform.
Mayo Clinic and the many organizations and individuals working with us in the Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center are strongly in favor of reform of both health care delivery and health insurance. True health care reform is getting better results for the money spent. Better results for money spent is what we meant by high value health care: better outcomes, safer care, better service and at lower costs over time. And this will translate to better access to medical services for all Americans.
We agree with President Obama’s focus on insuring all Americans and reforming the health care payment reform.
18 Comments
Yup. A 900 billion sloppy wet kiss to the Insurance and health care industry is a really goooood idea. And so new and different!!! No competition, just corporate welfare. Obama’s plan for corporate health is disgusting! It is a very bad joke! But I am sure Mayo will make a huge killing at our expense, as usual.
The United States of America PAID $850 Billion Dollars for the Bailout in 1 week it was done, We piad 1 Billion Dollars a month for the Iraqi (WMD) war? Now we are going to make sure that all Americans have heath coverage and folks want to Now become worried about how we are going to pay for it? Lets just cover all, where there is a WILL ( Republicans and Blue Dogs) there is a WAY ……FIND IT REPUBLICANS AND BLUE DOGS and let all of us live a healthy and better life and move on to the future of a Great America that truelly cares for it’s people. We the People.
Hi Laurie,
One question: Did you even listen to President Obama’s address last night?
As usual, Laurie and her Fox News-regurgitated screed has taken the better of her. To her and her ilk, everything is about money. SUCH IMMORALITY is appalling coming from a fellow citizen, and, dare I presume, a Christian…
If Laurie is a Christian, wouldn’t she believe the teachings of Scripture?
Luke 6:31 “As you would like people to do to you,
do exactly so to them.
Luke 6:32 “If you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you? …
Luke 6:35 “But love your enemies, and do good,
and lend, expecting nothing back; …
Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
and don’t do the things which I say?”
— Jesus of Nazareth, (∼6 BCE – ∼27 CE), Sermon on the Plain
Jam 2:15 “If a brother or sister is naked and
destitute of daily food,
Jam 2:16 “and if one of you says to them,
‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled;’
but you do not give them those things which are
needful to the body, what good is it?
Jam 2:17 “Even so, if it does not have works,
faith is dead, being by itself.
Jam 2:18 “But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’
Show me your faith without your works, and
I will show you my faith from my works. …
Jam 2:20 “But will you know, O vain man, that
faith without works is dead?”
— James 2:15…20
What happens to the country when China decides it wants to be paid back for the loans they are floating us? Our country is quickly becoming bankrupt and the current health care/insurance reform debate will only make it worse. We need to get our economy back in shape before we add trillions to the bottom line.
I would have liked President Obama to be more specific in his statement that the bill would be deficit-neutral. I can’t see how that is at all possible since our current government healthcare program (Medicaid) is tens of billions of dollars over budget of what it was projected to cost back in 1965. Why should I believe that the president won’t run into the same issues that we are already having with Medicaid?
Still too many unanswered questions for me to rally behind it.
I clipped the following article from the Reader’s Digest some time ago. It reads:
“In our friendly neighbor city of St. Augustine great flocks of sea gulls are starving amid plenty. Fishing is still good, but the gulls don’t know how to fish. For generations they have depended on the shrimp fleet to toss them scraps from the nets. Now the fleet has moved. …
“The shrimpers had created a Welfare State for the … sea gulls. The big birds never bothered to learn how to fish for themselves and they never taught their children to fish. Instead they led their little ones to the shrimp nets.
“Now the sea gulls, the fine free birds that almost symbolize liberty itself, are starving to death because they gave in to the ‘something for nothing’ lure! They sacrificed their independence for a handout.
“A lot of people are like that, too. They see nothing wrong in picking delectable scraps from the tax nets of the U.S. Government’s ‘shrimp fleet.’ But what will happen when the Government runs out of goods? What about our children of generations to come?
“Let’s not be gullible gulls. We … must preserve our talents of self-sufficiency, our genius for creating things for ourselves, our sense of thrift and our true love of independence.”2
The practice of coveting and receiving unearned benefits has now become so fixed in our society that even men of wealth, possessing the means to produce more wealth, are expecting the government to guarantee them a profit. Elections often turn on what the candidates promise to do for voters from government funds. This practice, if universally accepted and implemented in any society, will make slaves of its citizens.
We cannot afford to become wards of the government, even if we have a legal right to do so. It requires too great a sacrifice of self-respect and political, temporal, and spiritual independence.
In some countries it is extremely difficult to separate earned from unearned benefits. However, the principle is the same in all countries: We should strive to become self-reliant and not depend on others for our existence.
Governments are not the only guilty parties. We fear many parents are making “gullible gulls” out of their children with their permissiveness and their doling out of family resources. In fact, the actions of parents in this area can be more devastating than any government program.
Bishops and other priesthood leaders can be guilty of making “gullible gulls” out of their ward members. Some members become financially or emotionally dependent on their bishops. A dole is a dole whatever its source. All of our Church and family actions should be directed toward making our children and members self-reliant. We can’t always control government programs, but we can control our own homes and congregations. If we will teach these principles and live them, we can do much to counter the negative effects which may exist in government programs in any country.
We know there are some who, for reasons beyond their control, cannot become self-reliant. President Henry D. Moyle had these people in mind when he said:
“This great principle does not deny to the needy nor to the poor the assistance they should have. The wholly incapacitated, the aged, the sickly are cared for with all tenderness, but every able-bodied person is enjoined to do his utmost for himself to avoid dependence, if his own efforts can make such a course possible; to look upon adversity as temporary; to combine his faith in his own ability with honest toil. …
“We believe [that] seldom [do circumstances arise in which] men of rigorous faith, genuine courage, and unfaltering determination, with the love of independence burning in their hearts, and pride in their own accomplishments, cannot surmount the obstacles that lie in their paths.”3
Can we really compare the high cost of health care for humans, with sea gulls fishing for food? We seem to forget that every American pays into America’s financial pot…we invest in Wall Street (with no guarantees of return), we fund our municipalities, our government officials. We, the people are the epi-center of America’s financial system. Should we consider a “public option” a handout? Is medicare a handout? The world is changing (the US has been the catalyst for most global change), we’d better be a country pro-active to protect it’s citizens, so that we can all continue to fund and support our country. BTW….why is it okay with any American for the Insurance Company CEO’s to make such ridiculous salaries???Then get ridicoulous tax cuts??? WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! Our system is broken, and some people (the R’s) seem to be brainwashed….:(
Saw an interesting take on the Liar comment, looks interesting on the idea of their emotional brain states
http://ebtnews.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/rating-congress-brain-states/
I want to thank the Mayo Clinic for sharing their thoughts on the health care reform issue as I too share those opinions.
I would like to know how many people who think negatively about this plan actually work in the health care realm. I do. I see people of all walks become broken due to outrageous medical bills. Yes, even being dropped for previous ailments completely unrelated to the issue at hand. Insurance companies need to be put back in their place. I understand that is only a small portion of the plan for reform however the other points he made are equally important.
The comments made in this blog post is telling not only for what they said that they agreed with, but in the ambiguity with which they said it and what was left out. I do not see any endorsements for the particulars of the plans proposed, but of the goals (of which, neither party has a corner on the market on). Unfortunately, I didn’t find this particular posting by the Mayo Clinic to be terribly informative in any direction of the debate.
While your comments are well thought out and are very good observations and recommendations, you and others have only been concentrating on health care costs associated with providing medical care to the patient which is only part of the costs associated with health care costs. What about the cost of new construction of medical facilities and the purchase of new medical equipment and the ongoing maintenance costs of existing facilities which are all staggering costs added to the delivery of health care. Should that not be included in the debate as well. Medical facilities to address those costs as well.
No trolling on this site, please. Take rants elsewhere. This is for serious discussion.
Mayo sucks and is now licking and sucking on the black jack boots of the Feds. Mayo is obviously already implementing Obama’s health care. My friend was sent there for intervention by some great Drs. Mayo wouldn’t do a thing for her except for being just another drug-running scumbag med system for Big Pharma. They actually told her they wouldn’t do any intervention unless she agreed to take drugs which have proven to be dangerous to her in the past due to severe allergic reactions. They disparaged the great Drs. that sent her there, invalidating their tests and diagnosis. Mayo was well aware of these allergies, and not only didn’t care, but tried to blackmail her into taking them or they wouldn’t do the procedures she so desparately needed to live. Unbelivable! Not even a Quack from a small town would stoop to this low level.
I agree with Mayo. I do not agree with the Obama’s. Michelle Obama had made political decision making influence her patient agenda at University of Chicago instead of what was good for the patient’s in much of her decision making. This was at the cost of quality health care for these patients !
Many people appear to denegrate socialized medicine, but some simple facts are hard to swallow.
There is a free national health service in England. Also there is health insurance, like here in the US, plus you can just pay cash. So there are options. All this for only 20% income tax for the vast majority of tax payers.
Here in the US there is no free socialized medicine, but we have to pay around 30% income tax. All this for a health insurance system that most consider a national scam that is far greater than a Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme.
Socialized medicine may not be the best system, but having it and a 10% reduction in taxes and then not having to pay $0,000 per month to the insurance vampires looks very appealing.
Graham,
Please review tax percentages before making dishonest responses. Deborah, a handout is a handout. Remember the saying: “Give a man a fish he has food for a day, teach a a man to fish he has food for the rest of his life”. We create dependants by giving handouts who are not contributors. There are those who through no fault of their own fall on hard times and need help, but it should be temporary. There is a VERY small number of people who are unable to perform any kind of work who will need help the rest of their lives and I believe we should help those people. If we don’t teach our people to become independant and self reliant we become a welfare state like England and Canada and will have fewer people becoming physicians and more leaving the country to go elsewhere for better pay and working conditions. This is a fact that has been seen in both countries. Upcoming will be long waits for certain procedures of which legislators will determined to be of a lower priority than others which will invariably cost more in the longterm. We should not take our lessons from countries where the people constantly complain about healthcare!
We become a poor people by stealing from the haves and giving to the “have-nots”. Stealing is stealing even when we don’t like how a person obtained his money! Just because a person has money does not make it right to hate them. Express you feelings with others, sign petitions, set up boycotts be more proactive rather than expecting government to solve all our problems.
Government cannot and should not try to run everything.
The founding fathers of this country fought to get away from such ridiculous socialistic and communistic thought!
“A Government Big Enough to Give You Everything You Want is Powerful Enough to Take Everything You Have” — Thomas Jefferson
A recent poll of 1,200 registered U.S. voters provides a striking contrast between voter attitudes toward health care reform and some oft-repeated myths being pushed in media and on Capitol Hill.
Here’s a look at seven of the most common myths, versus what American voters actually think:
Myth #1: Americans are clamoring for health care reform.
They aren’t. Only 5% of voters cite health care as either the top issue facing the country, as the biggest problem facing their daily lives or even as the greatest fear they have for themselves or their families. In fact when given a specific list of issues to choose from, health care comes in far behind the top concerns of 95% of American voters.
Myth #2: The U.S. Health Care system needs a complete overhaul.
Says who? Not American voters. Slightly more voters (47%) say that our health care system can be fixed with some minor reforms versus those who say it needs a radical overhaul (44%).
Myth #3: Coverage for the uninsured is the major problem facing the U.S. Health Care system.
By nearly a 3 to 1 margin, these voters see rising health care and health insurance costs as the biggest problem over too many being without insurance coverage. While government takeover advocates are fond of talking about millions of uninsured Americans, they generally fail to mention that many of those are uninsured by choice, or only temporarily uninsured. Yet this single misleading statistic remains a favorite of Congressional liberals as they make the case for a government takeover.
Myth #4: Government, not free market competition, is the best way to reduce health care costs.
Again, false. Clear majorities say that MORE competition among health care providers will do more to lower costs than increased government involvement. Further, pluralities believe that increased government involvement will cause health care costs and insurance premiums to go up. Americans undoubtedly feel this way because there are few (if any) examples where government involvement in any endeavor, let alone health care, actually caused prices to go down.
Myth #5: Americans are more open/accepting of government-run health care solution.
A clear and strong majority of voters prefer a private run health care system over a government-run system. Fully 55% of American voters say, if given the choice, they would opt for a private health care solution over a government solution. Only 37% would opt for a government takeover of health care.
Myth #6: Americans understand we must sacrifice to ensure coverage for all.
When pitted head to head, large majorities of voters (69%) choose a private run health care system that doesn’t cover all Americans, but protects everyone’s fundamental right to make their own health care choices, over a government-run system that covers everyone but restricts certain health care options (18%).
Myth #7: Americans want a health care system more like Canada and/or Great Britain.
Voters have mixed opinions about the Canadian and British health care systems with a sizeable number not having a firm opinion on either. But, more than 3 in 4 voters say they would most prefer to get treatment or health care services here in the U.S. over either Canada or Great Britain.
Contrary to the conventional wisdom in Washington, voters are NOT willing to commit to a radical overhaul of our health care system. They are clearly suspicious of more government involvement and think it won’t drive down costs — which is their biggest complaint about the current health care system. A clear and large majority still prefer a private-run over a government-run system. Moreover, when faced with the potential choice of giving up their fundamental health care rights to ensure universal coverage, majorities are unwilling to do so.
In sharp contrast to these myths, American voters enthusiastically rally around the basic reform principles promoted by Conservatives for Patients’ Rights — Choice, Competition, Accountability and Personal Responsibility, by overwhelming margins. For example, 87% of voters believe individuals should receive the same tax breaks as employers when buying health insurance. An astounding 97% want the freedom to choose their own doctor without restriction from government or insurance plans. And 87% of Americans want health care providers and doctors to publicly post their prices so they can shop and compare.
As the health care debate continues, it is clear that Americans overwhelmingly demand free market health care. As others continue to push myths, Conservatives for Patients’ Rights will continue to educate Americans on the real agenda of Congressional health care reform, promote our key principles and serve as an early warning system against more government boards and power grabs.
One Trackback
[...] everyone, Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center, Payment Reform, President Obama’s speech. …original article Share and [...]