Is the hysteria about health insurance covering #pre-existing medical conditions #FakeNews?

Yes. The media hysteria that Republicans want to deny healthcare to Americans with pre-existing health conditions is #FakeNews. And here’s why:

ACA changed the health insurance industry from individual rating to community rating. This is a chief reason premiums have doubled since 2010. With individual rating, a healthy non-smoker pays less than someone that is an unhealthy smoker with cancer; rightfully so. With community rating under ACA, everyone’s insurance costs go up because the unhealthy smokers are often not paying a rate proportionate to the costs they are likely to impose on the system; unfair from a self maintenance perspective. Although ACA purportedly allows the imposition of a “smoker’s penalty” it is not required and a number of states (including California and New York) prohibit higher rates for smokers.

Then came the liberal social justice argument of what shall we do with those that are unhealthy smokers with cancer? The answer that had worked previously to Obamacare were risk pools. People with risk, just like bad drivers with extensive crashes, were assigned to companies to except the risk. ACA Obamacare did away with the risk pools and now everyone is considered a high risk and expensive. From the quality and price perspective, it seems fair to charge everybody the same. From the perspective of self-respect and taking care of oneself, it is completely unfair to rate people in this way.

The latest hysteria on pre-existing insurance coverage is indeed a political strawman argument, not a real issue..

How can we motivate Congress to act on ACA? End their illegal exemption!

From our friends at Independent Women’s Voice:

For the Senate to pass ObamaCare repeal and replace with only 51 votes, they’ll need to take action by September 30th.

How can we motivate Congress to act? By President Donald J. Trump ending Congress’ illegal exemption from ObamaCare.

Here’s what you need to do STAT:

1. Sign the petition at www.NoWashingtonExemption.com
2. Write President Trump and tell him to end the illegal exemption: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
3. Read this explainer from Michael Cannon of CATO to become an expert on this crucial issue: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/congress-illegal-and-egregious-obamacare-exemption-explained/article/2633383

The Ten Commandments of Healthcare

“Socialism is great until you run out of someone elses money.” ~Margaret Thatcher

Remember: Doctors for America was Doctors for Obama(partisan organization)

Read more: “Both Parties are Responsible for Healthcare Disaster” by Dr. Wax, published in Medical Economics, June 27, 2017 http://medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com/medical-economics/news/both-political-parties-are-responsible-healthcare-disaster

A Conversation: Can Free Markets Save American Medicine?

A recent article from the Mises Institute. “Under Socialized Medicine, The State Owns You,” sparked a conversation between Mr. Bob Wells and IP4PI founder Dr. Craig M. Wax.

Bob

I appreciate your assessment of the solutions presented like VA, Medicare and Medicaid being awkward, too expensive, and failing in large demonstrable ways. We haven’t had true market based medicine since World War II. Prior to that, it was relatively inexpensive cash and Barter based services. I argue this is the most efficient as it cuts out insurance, pharmacy benefits managers, all levels of administration, and last but not least, all aspects of government regulation compliance and taxation.

In the last six years there have been at least 12 plans on the table to repeal Obamacare. And, there have been six in the last 12 months. There was no sparsity of plans, just no palpable consensus.

I assert that inexpensive primary care, labs, low-end studies, cheap generic medications, will allow for most needs to be met by most people. And expanded health savings account HSA would be used for each citizen to use pretax dollars to buy anything health related from gym memberships to over the counter medications to actual care necessities. Further, inexpensive catastrophic insurance for the big ticket items would be also affordable by most. There could be community, charity, and state programs to provide for the neediest, while keeping the federal government taxation hands to itself.

Unless the Congress and President act soon to repeal Obamacare, just rearranging the deck chairs, will not prevent its fate. Already 19 out of 23 taxpayer-funded co-ops have gone bankrupt taking billions of taxpayer dollars with it. And for the phony federal mandates state exchanges, many have only one high price insurer participating, while still others have none. Leave it to the government to mandate you buy something very expensive and then there’s no opportunity to even comply!

Best wishes for good health,
Craig M. Wax, DO

—————

Dr. Wax,

The deficiencies of state-sponsored health care are widely known. What is difficult to figure out is an alternative — market-based — that is universally accessible and affordable (with affordability being as elastic as elastic can be), while still offering high quality. If there is a model in this world, I am unaware of it.

All efforts America has made to provide public support for health care since World War II, from the VA system to Medicare and Medicaid to Obamacare, have been awkward and grossly inefficient (if somewhat effective, overall). Unfortunately, blowing these systems up and starting a new system based solely on market forces would be catastrophic in the short term. And since politicians think in the short term, such a radical transformation is impossible.

Today’s Republicans realize there is reward in trashing Obamacare, but they also know that they do not have a better plan to replace it. If they really had a better plan they would have introduced it by now, and it would be on President Donald Trump’s desk for signature. The fact that they cannot agree among themselves on a replacement is testimony to how difficult a problem this is. (This does not excuse the Democrats, either.  They’d rather let the Republicans look foolish than offer their own “solutions.”)

Regards,

Bob Wells

If anyone asks about preserving “good” portions of Obamacare, you can respond:

“You can’t fix a turd.”

“And like a turd,” explained one physician a few years ago, “we had to pass ObamaCare before we could find out what was in it.” Remember Congresswoman Pelosi’s infamous quote?

Sorry to be so blunt but ACA Obamacare is so filled with theft by taxes, giveaways to hospitals and insurance industries, and theft of patient rights and physician autonomy, that it would be unwise to leave any of it on the books.  If it were re-activated and funded at sometime in the future, because we failed to repeal it on total, we would be at fault. Will our children face the true consequences of paying for it and being bound by it?

Best wishes for good health,

Craig M. Wax, DO

Family Physician

National Physicians Council on Healthcare Policy member

Real Patient Lives vs. Corporatized/Government Healthcare, Part II

A friend of IP4PI shares the story of another victim of government and insurance run medicine:

A 40 year old female, patient of mine in a previous practice, returned to me in my DPC practice.  Her husband once had a good job and insurance, now with cardiomyopathy, and she is on medicaid.  She returned to me with a 1.5 year history of intractable nausea and vomiting.  I reviewed 800 pages of records.  She had been to the ER 40 times, admitted 20.  At 90% of these visits, she was misdiagnosed as having cyclic vomiting syndrome, given IV fluids, Reglan and antiemetics, and sent home.  Buried in the 800 pages I found a markedly positive gastric emptying study.  She has now been to the Cleveland Clinic, has received the correct treatment for her gastroparesis, and is finally improving.  I guessitmate over $300,000 was spent on her (mis)care, when the proper care could have been given for well under 1/3 of that.

Real Patient Lives vs. Corporatized/Government Healthcare, Part I

A friend of IP4PI shares this real life tragedy:

My good friend’s (deceased) son died in 2015 of MI at age 37, having visited the ER, one hospitalization, and his primary care NP 25 times with symptoms.  Although his symptom complaints were by no means classic for coronary disease (that’s why we make the big bucks, right?), they included chest and arm pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea and dizziness.  I reviewed 1200 pages of records for the family.  After one negative stress test (and a number of other noncardiac negative testing) he was told repeatedly that he was “anxious”, and sent home again and again with a benzodiazepine prescription.  At every ER encounter, he was asked such government inspired questions as “Is your spouse abusing you?” (this was a strapping young construction worker), and told at the end of each visit to “return if you have concerning symptoms” (he did, 18 times) but only ONCE did anyone document the fact that his father had an MI in his 30’s !!  He had an 8 year old son, whose mother is out of the picture, and a girlfriend of 7 years.  They were married on Valentine’s Day, 2015.  On March 28, he called the life squad again, telling them “I feel like I’m going to die!!”  He was taken to the ED, told again he was anxious, sent home with Rx.  On March 30, while making love with his new bride, he had chest pain.  Squad called.  His widow played the 911 recording for me.  As she pleads with them to hurry, he can be heard yelling to them in the background:  “I told you there was something wrong!!!  I told you!!!!”  His last words.  Then he vomits and dies.  For me, this case could not be more clear.  His dad was cared for by unfettered professionals (1980s), who correctly diagnosed and treated him, and he never had another heart problem.  30 years of ‘progress’ later, his son was misdiagnosed and mistreated by “providers” directed by Washington and insurance companies.  He is dead, his son orphaned (his widow has now gained custody.  Despite whatever risk it might entail to her lawsuit, she is willing to speak publicly about this, in hopes of preventing similar tragedy for others.)  Note that U.S. life expectancy fell in 2015, for the first time since the AIDS epidemic.

Dear Senators Dr, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee,

March 1, 2017

Dear Senators Dr, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee,

Thank you for having the courage and taking action to hold your GOP congressional colleagues accountable to the citizens of the United States in demanding the full repeal of ACA/Obamacare.  It is highly complex, burdensome, unaffordably expensive and failing miserably to the detriment of our nation and its citizens. Bad law is bad law and must be fully repealed. Personal responsibility, free markets and true charity are the solutions to the nation’s healthcare ills.  Please see the IP4PI 14 point solution for healthcare freedom.

Please contact me anytime at the address and phone number above during office hours and at my mobile phone 000-000-0000 anytime. Thank you again for continuing to support the great citizens of our country as responsible individuals with freedom and liberty.

Best wishes for good health,

Craig M. Wax, DO

Family Physician, Media Host and Healthcare Policy Expert
National Physicians Council on Healthcare Policy member
Founder of IP4PI, Independent Physicians for Patient Independence
Practicing Physicians of America, VP for Healthcare Policy
Host of Your Health Matters
Rowan Radio 89.7 WGLS FM
http://wgls.rowan.edu/?feed=YOUR_HEALTH_MATTERS
Twitter @drcraigwax

CC:    Donald Trump, President, US
Mike Pence, Vice President, US
Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader
Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House

Real Stories of the ACA nightmare # 7 – Bill Clinton was Right

“Bill Clinton has a point. Specifically, he was right when he said the Affordable Care Act is “a crazy system where you’re paying double and getting half the care.”

I realized this when I welcomed back a patient into my office after a gap of 18 months. This gentleman had stopped coming to my office when he purchased a health insurance plan on Pennsylvania’s Affordable Care Act exchange. His plan didn’t include me in its network. Nor did it include much of anything for that matter.

After struggling to find care for his condition for a year and a half, he and his wife decided to come to my office and just pay cash. When I asked why they had chosen their plan — it had a $10,000 deductible — I was told it was all they could afford and, if they didn’t buy it, they’d have to pay a fine.

Bill Clinton calls this crazy, which it is. My patient was essentially forced to purchase government-mandated insurance that covers little, disconnects him from his doctor and costs him an arm and a leg. “Obamacare” has undeniably made his life worse — and it was supposed to help him.”

I do not want a government “comprehensive replacement plan” for 1/6th of the private sector economy.

Friend of IP4PI and medical freedom warrior Jane L Hughes, MD writes in:

Greetings,

We need something that does not increase the cost to everyone! Approximately 50% of Americans don’t spend more than $1,000/yr on actual healthcare, and 89% don’t spend more than $5,000/year. Also, in my opinion, “Make America Healthy Again” is more a slogan for the public health department, not physicians per se. 100% of Americans who make it past 8th grade have had health class. They know obesity, smoking, drugs, sex, teen pregnancy all lead to problems. They persist in bad habits/lifestyles anyway. That is a societal problem that we all care about, and each of us in our own way influences as a physician. However, our primary job is screening, treating when necessary, managing chronic illnesses with our patients, and stressing behavioral changes that can impact future health issues with our patients. OK, on to what I think we need.

1. Repeal 100% of ObamaCare and start over with transparency regarding cost and sources of revenue for safety net on federal level.