Marketing Health Care Reform--Puppies and Children

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/04/washington/04health.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=login
is an article about President Bush putting the kabosh on an attempt by states to raise the income level for determining eligibility for Medicaid. States rely on the Federal government for funds in administering their programs and therefore, the Federal government has a say. But with all the money blown by our administration (you have kept track of the debt accrued in fiscal irresponsibility gone wild, office of management of the budget has some figures for you math types http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/), {still not convinced, look at today's job's report, the economy is in trouble, jobs growth was way under what it should have been with one exception--Government}, health insurance coverage for Americans has not found a way to market itself effectively.

This leaves us with the unpleasant and unsophisticated marketing of those who seek election by describing the "uninsured". The faces of children...always children, unable to get decent medical care can bring a tear to the eye of any voter, and though we know that our healthcare crisis is really not about these children, the same way we know that the candidates picking up babies as a symbol of hope, rebirth is also phony, we love it, it works, our heartstrings are pulled and we're sold. If we don't resist the marketing, we ourselves, the real faces of the health care crisis, the individuals who pay for insurance but have had the rude awakening that our co-pays, co-insurance, experimental, and uncovered services have left us drowning in medical costs, paperwork, limited access to physicians and limited quality of medical care, will silently leave this situation for our children...and they too will become the faces of a nation that has put perverted notions of the "free market economy" ahead of the obligation of a nation's government to its citizens. I'm with you, the haggard face of a middle class person complaining about our health care system is far less persuasive than the American version of an impoverished child with flies on his eyelids--but that's the point. We are not supposed to be an emerging country, we are supposed to be a leader.

The cite to the article that appeared in the Times is important because in knocking down the attempted expansion of Medicaid, the real issue was addressed, that private insurers would be "squeezed out." Good, squeeze. Then squeeze the doctors whose ridiculous complaints about cost and insurance for malpractice have cut into their bottom lines. Then squeeze the pharmaceutical programs jumping onto the Medicare bandwagon. We have lots of national programs, we have lots of national budgets. It is ridiculous to wave the flag of fiscal responsibility in taking care of access, affordable and quality health care for all citizens while we blow dollars on wars, and Congressional investigations of whatever the scandal du jour is.

So let's focus on marketing reforming health care from the middle class outward instead of selling the same old, get them some coverage and you're a hero, approach to health care reform.
Let's squeeze before we all end up throwing up our hands and using hospital emergency rooms as our primary doctors.

How? Easy. Nothing technical or arithmetic. Call your insurance company with your greatest fear---whatever it is--cancer? broken bone? alzheimers? Walk yourself through your ailment from start to finish, ask about how you get admitted to the hospital, what would be covered, what if the other physicians in your treatment are not part of your plan, how will it impact your insurance costs if you survive and want to buy insurance next year, what percentage of your tests including catscans, mris and everything else will be covered. Then make the new ad for national health insurance: I have health insurance and I needed medical treatment. My medical costs to date have exceeded $_________. Health reform from the middle.