Insured and Can't Afford Healthcare
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A Good Day To Advocate for Better Healthcare
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Standing & Blood Pressure
A new study found that prolonged standing at work had a negative impact on the research participants’ 24-hour blood pressure. In contrast, spending more time sitting at work was associated with better blood pressure. The study suggests that activity behaviour during working hours may be more relevant to 24-hour blood pressure than recreational physical activity.
In the Finnish Retirement and Aging study (FIREA) conducted at the University of Turku, the physical activity of municipal employees approaching retirement age was measured using thigh-worn accelerometers during working hours, leisure time, and days off. In addition, the research participants used a portable blood pressure monitor that automatically measured their blood pressure every 30 minutes for 24 hours.
Sit down. (University of Turku - Finland)
Insured and Can’t Afford Healthcare
This is a continuation of a situation we ran earlier in the week. That story found that children suffer from lack of access to healthcare and that costs (premiums, copays, deductibles) stand in the way of sufficient preventive and regular care for them. (NAS)
The Commonwealth Fund examines who has medical insurance in the US. They have analyzed older Americans and their ability to obtain healthcare. You would think that with Medicare and Medicaid there would not be a problem.
Here are the highlights:
People age 65 and older with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level were underinsured at the highest rate (37%).* There was no significant difference between people in Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare (44% vs. 30%, respectively).
Significantly more beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage plans than in traditional Medicare reported they couldn’t afford their care because of copayments or deductibles (12% vs. 7%).
More than one in five (23%) adults 65 and older with Medicare reported they struggled to afford their premiums. For those with incomes under twice the poverty level, the proportion was two in five (39%).
Barriers to care:
More than one in five beneficiaries (21%) reported delaying or skipping needed health care because of the cost.
More than one in five beneficiaries said health care costs made it harder for them to afford food (26%) and utility bills (23%).
About one in six beneficiaries age 65 and older (18%) reported problems paying medical bills or debt.
One in seven beneficiaries said they did not fill a prescription because of its costs, with no significant difference among those in Medicare Advantage versus traditional Medicare (13% vs. 14%).
Consider the data below. The gold bars represent both Medicare Advantage and Medicare beneficiaries together. On the left you can see that 38% of all Medicare enrollees have a problem getting care due to cost. Now look on the right and the gold bar shows that 20% of those who make 4 times the federal poverty level OR MORE still can’t get healthcare due to cost.
This system NEEDS WORK. What is needed is a healthcare system that insures all of us cradle to grave. Negotiates ALL drug prices and operates without the $400 billion of industry overhead that is goosing profits out of the system while denying care for so many.
Universal Healthcare doesn’t fix everything wrong with healthcare. But, the problem of having insurance and not being able to use it is fixed with Universal Healthcare.
My member of Congress needs to hear this and so do my senators. I bet yours do to.
ACTION
Let’s let our senators and members of Congress know about this deplorable situation. Here is a link for their contact info or use Resistbot below.
Resistbot: Just send the text message - SIGN PWMLMLto Resistbot at 50409 on your cellphone. Here is the shareable message.
“I am your constituent and I just learned that 38% of Medicare beneficiaries (Medicare Advantage AND Traditional Medicare) cant get healthcare because of the copays and premiums and deductibles.
One in 7 of them can’t get a prescription filled because the copays put them out of reach. Both traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage had the same results.
Here is the Commonwealth Fund Report for your staff to review. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/2024/nov/how-affordable-is-health-care-medicare-beneficiaries
You know what fixes this? Universal Healthcare. The $400 billion spend by industry overhead every year goes away the first year. We can save another $200 billion every year just by negotiating ALL prescription drugs and getting the pharmacy benefit managers out of the way.
Here is what I want you to do. Read the report. Realize that a lot of those seniors are in your district and state and they need your help. Get in gear and start thinking about healthcare for all of us, seniors, adults, teens and children. Thank you.”
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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