My position on healthcare reform - immediate and total overhaul
I’ve been posting quite a lot about healthcare reform and to clarify my position, I’m reposting a reply to a comment received this morning:
In a nutshell: I support universal health coverage and I’ve been vocal about this position. My biggest peeve of the moment is that everyone involved, including the President, get themselves bogged down too early in details.
Universal health coverage is a societal choice that must be made in conscience. I support it as a matter of morals and economics.
I wish President Obama would explain it in simple terms: young people especially MUST participate in the health coverage by contributing $$ now as part of an intergenerational social contract. Bluntly, pay $$ now when you’re not sick for those who are sick and in turn other will pay for your needs later.
This basic “pay it forward” rule is not insurance but a social contract to be entered into.
Do I trust them to do the right thing ? Of course not ! I’ve been a heavier than most user of healthcare: I have atypical cystic fibrosis and my wife and I must go through IVF to conceive. I’ve been through 2 surgeries in the past few months and so has my wife. She’s constantly
on the phone repairing the insurance’s billing mistakes. I spent a good hour last week
One key change that must come as part of the total overhaul of the health ecosystem is patient data.
I had the opportunity to watch a roundtable discussion on Monday at Personal Democracy Forum: From Participatory Politics to Participatory Medicine, moderated by Esther Dyson. I’ll post the video of the roundtable on this blog and on personaldemocracyforum.com.
Go to http://www.healthdatarights.org/ and endorse the declaration of data rights if you agree with it.
