Healthcare and Politics
A free public service for a better community
A Good Day To Advocate for Better Healthcare
If there are subjects you’d like to see or improvements made, please let me know using the comment button below. I’m still grieving the election as if you didn’t know. I left the image to remind us of political hacks who think they know more than doctors.
Videos of these newsletters appear on Youtube on this channel. Let me know what you think.
VP Elect Is A Liar
During a recent presidential campaign rally in Wisconsin, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) was asked how a Trump administration would protect rural health care access in the face of hospital closures, such as two this year in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls.
“Now, you might not think that rural health care access is an immigration issue,” said Vance, former President Donald Trump’s running mate. “I guarantee it is an immigration issue, because we’re bankrupting a lot of hospitals by forcing these hospitals to provide care for people who don’t have the legal right to be in our country.”
More than 150 rural hospitals have closed or eliminated inpatient services since 2010, researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill reported. Losing a hospital can resonate throughout a community — reducing access to timely care and disrupting the local economy.
The federal government has made efforts to keep the far-flung facilities afloat, but it’s not been an easy problem to solve.
There are a lot of reasons for the closures. A mostly Medicaid population can hurt income, Medicare Advantage plans pay notoriously low reimbursements in a take it or leave business strategy and hospital bypass where complicated - expensive treatments are often handled by larger facilities. Not illegal immigrants.
You can read the whole story here. My job is just to say he;s a liar. I;m pretty sure that lying was not one of the Yale law school core courses. (KFF)
Nominate an Outstanding Medical / Health Policy Researcher
This press release is from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the statistical government health care branch
Nominations are now being accepted for the HCUP Award for Outstanding (Clinical) Research and the HCUP Award for Outstanding (Policy) Research, co-sponsored by AHRQ and AcademyHealth. The awards recognize research published in peer-reviewed journals that used the HCUP databases to explore and address healthcare topics. The publications must have occurred between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2024. Work honored demonstrates how HCUP has contributed to the healthcare services field.
Authors may self-nominate or be nominated by another individual. One nomination per author/individual/research group per category will be accepted. For those nominating an individual, please notify the author. Awards will be presented during an HCUP session at the 2025 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM), which will be held June 7-10, 2025 in Minneapolis, MN. Complimentary meeting registration for the event will be provided.
The nomination period is open until December 20, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET. For complete information, please visit the HCUP-US website at www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/news/awards.jsp. For questions, please contact HCUP_Publications@ahrq.hhs.gov.
Medicaid Update
There are 25 million people in the US with NO health insurance. About 80 million rely on Medicaid. The ACA allowed states to expand Medicaid to people whose income is 1.38 x the federal poverty limit. It turns out that states don’t pay more to insure more people since the federal government picks up 90% of the cost and reclassifying the chronically i’ll shifts almost all their costs to the feds from the state.
Below is a map of the states that told their poor residents pound sand.
If you go to the KFF link they have a table that indicates how each state implemented it.
The real answer is universal healthcare. I know we are in a regressive time but legislators need to know it is on constituent’s minds.
ACTION
You can send this message to Congress telling them that there are still 10 states that refuse to expand Medicaid and are willing to let millions go without healthcare. That’s a risk to our healthcare system and to public health - not to mention the personal tragedies that will create.
On your cell phone text SIGN PIJBGZ to 50409 (RESISTBOT).
Or you can reach your reps here, https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials.
“I am your constituent and I want you to know that there are still 10 states that refuse to expand Medicaid and are willing to let millions go without healthcare. That’s a risk to our healthcare system and to public health - not to mention the personal tragedies that will create.
Even worse there are at least 25 million with NO health insurance and tens of millions who only have a catastrophic plan.
How about a little compassion for your constituents and try to move universal healthcare forward. It will save between $400 and $600 billion every year and cover all of us cradle to grave. We elected you to help constituents - your attention to this matter would be appreciated.”
Extra Credit Political Action
If you live in a state with a Democratic senators - We need to take action to get senators to fill federal vacancies before Trump takes office. Here is a ready made indivisible action.
Go to this URL to URGE your senators to do this ASAP. We only have about 60 days to do it. https://act.indivisible.org/sign/tell-your-senators-fill-every-judicial-vacancy-now?source=linktree&medium=directpost
RESOURCES
Find My Elected Officials
Contact State and Federal Representatives - phone and email
Healthcare Advocacy (Us) Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare - Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
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