Medical Monopolies, Regressive's Healthcare
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A Good Day To Advocate for Better Healthcare
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How Does My State Measure Up?
The Kaiser Family Foundation has published a very cool website. There is an alphabetical list of the US states. When you click on a state you are taken to a page that summarizes health care for that state.
Percent in medical debt, percent uninsured, how many have Medicaid, Medicare, ACA plans etc. Reproductive health issues, chronic health statistics. Just cool.
Hospital Monopolies
National health spending totaled $4.5 trillion in 2022—17% of gross domestic product (GDP)—and is projected to grow faster than GDP through 2032, contributing to higher costs for families, employers, states, and the federal government. Keep in mind that as a percent of GDP it is about 8% to 10% for our industrialized peer nations such as Germany, France, Japan, etc. One way we have seen that health networks keep prices high is by eliminating competition. Periodically, there are news stories about the Federal Trade Commission suing to halt mergers because competition is removed and prices will unfairly rise. Here is an example from a few weeks ago where they used to block Novant Health’s acquisition of two hospitals because it would restrict competition in North Carolina. But is this a big problem. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation the answer is yes.
Nearly one third of all health spending goes towards hospital care. Consolidation of hospitals may allow providers to operate more efficiently and help struggling providers keep their doors open in under-served areas, but often reduces competition. A substantial body of evidence has found that consolidation can contribute to higher prices. Keep in mind that when private equity/commercial companies buy hospitals it seems that quality suffers. (KHF)
The Kaiser Family Foundation reviewed 387 metropolitan areas in the U.S. and found One or two health systems controlled the entire market for inpatient hospital care in nearly half (47%) of metropolitan areas in 2022. And in more than four of five metropolitan areas (82%), one or two health systems controlled more than 75 percent of the market.
The graph above shows that for all 387 markets 19% of those cities (74) have only one system present (1st line). That’s more than 50% of the 387 cities one healthcare system controls the entire hospital marketplace 75% of the time (third line down).
Let’s encourage the FTC to be a little more aggressive.
ACTION
Click here to send an email to the Chair of the FTC, Lina Khan, thanking them for work done so far and encouraging them to increase the competition and patient safety. Please make sure to put your name and city and state at the bottom of the email. I left a space for those in brackets.
Regressives and Healthcare
J.D. Vance, the “Senator” from Ohio and VP candidates foisted on Trump by billionaire Peter Thiel, is proposing substantial changes to ACA health insurance coverage that could lead to the elimination of the ACA’s protection against insurers levying higher premiums on individuals in poor health. Vance has spoken of deregulating the insurance market so that “people can choose a plan that actually makes sense for them,”. On the campaign trail in North Carolina last month, for instance, Vance suggested getting rid of the ACA’s single-risk pool which enables community rating and introducing separate risk pools for people with chronic health conditions. This would disrupt one of the ACA’s guiding principles which states that health insurers may not charge people higher premiums based on their health status. (The Hill)
I am so tired of people being conned into situations that are dangerous medically or financially in the name of freedom. Remember that Trump’s view of improving healthcare was getting rid of the mandate to have health insurance and then allowing people to purchase very high deductible catastrophic health plans instead of normal health insurance.
PS Regressives favor an abortion ban nationally. Consider Vance’s comments during Tuesday’s debate about a “minimum national standard” as well as his call last year for the federal government to cut off access to mifepristone — the drug used in more than two-thirds of abortions nationwide — using the more than 150-year-old Comstock Act. The Comstock Act enforcement could be done without Congress.
VOTE ACCORDINGLY UP AND DOWN THE BALLOT on November 5th (or earlier).
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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