General Principles of Health Care Reform

I am working on several writing projects about health care reform.

For example, The Golden Rule of Health Care Reform: Health Care Reform should put patients first.

I am also working on The General Principles of Health Care Reform:

1. Health care reform should put patients first.
2. Patients should be the most powerful people in the health care system.
3. Health care must be simple.

And I am working on The Ten Commandments of Health Care Reform, which so far goes like this:

1. Health care reform shall put patients first.
2. Health care shall be simple.
3. Patients shall be the most powerful people in health care.
4. Patients shall be in charge of spending the money.
5. Patients shall be told the price of everything in advance or they don't have to pay.
6. Patients shall be able to get their medical records instantly and easily.
7. Health care shall be based on science.
8. Health care shall encourage prevention.
9. We shall have the best health care in the world.
10. The Ten Commandments of Health Care Reform shall be adopted.

This is still a work in progress. I hope to have input from everyone. I want to rank and rearrange The Ten Commandments of Health Care Reform to make the best essay possible. But health care reform is moving along so fast, I feel that I need to get something up right away.

Bradley R. Hennenfent, M.D.
patient, physician, and economist

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

(retired due to injury and illness)

Put Patients and Science First

The Golden Rule of health care reform is to put patients first.

To expand that slightly, the Golden Rule is to put patients and science first.

Putting patients first will ensure that they get the treatments they want and need.

Putting science first will ensure that the information on which to base health care decisions is readily available to everyone.

$7,421 per person for Health Care

"The United States spent approximately $2.2 trillion on health care in 2007, or $7,421 per person – nearly twice the average of other developed nations." - according to the White House's website

http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health_care/#TB_inline?height=220&width=370&inlineId=tb_external&linkId=4

Why is this happening? Because the patients are never told what anything costs ahead of time. They get surprised later.

I constantly ask neighbors and people I meet what a CBC - a common blood test - costs. I have never met anyone who knew.

Image via Wikipedia

According to Google the population of the Unites State is
"304,059,724 - Jul 2008" - Google.

President Obama held a town hall meeting on Health Care Reform

The White House held a town hall meeting on Health Care Reform on Wednesday, July 1. The URL for the meeting can be found on Facebook.

The White House's URL on Health Care is:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health_care/

The full video is here:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Full-Video-A-National-Discussion-on-Health-Care-Reform/

The White House web site says:

The Administration believes that comprehensive health reform should:

• Reduce long-term growth of health care costs for businesses and government
• Protect families from bankruptcy or debt because of health care costs
• Guarantee choice of doctors and health plans
• Invest in prevention and wellness
• Improve patient safety and quality of care
• Assure affordable, quality health coverage for all Americans
• Maintain coverage when you change or lose your job
• End barriers to coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions

Please visit www.HealthReform.gov to learn more about the President’s commitment to enacting comprehensive health reform this year.

The problem I have with this series of statments is that I don't see where it says that the power in health should be shifted to patients. It's the patient's life at stake and the patient's health at risk. We can do all these good things and also give the power to the patients.

Taking Over Health Care Reform temporary logo

Here is the temporary logo for the Taking Over Health Care Reform movement. We can do better, but will need some time.


Perhaps a volunteer will donate a logo to the cause someday.

Health care reform is one of our most important issues.

All of us, patients, doctors, nurses, allied health care professionals, moms, dads, and all people, need and deserve the best health care possible.

I am one of the few people that actually read the Hillary Clinton Health Care Plan. I considered it part of my continuing medical education to do so.

Image via Wikipedia