Stuck in Bed, at Hospital’s Expense, Sept 30th 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/nyregion/stuck-in-bed-for-19-months-at-hospitals-expense.html?ref=health
Dear Editor,
I appreciate the article written about Raymond Fok in the article “Stuck in Bed, at Hospital’s Expense” because it reflects the reality of the uninsured population. It is true that most of the uninsured populations are the underserved and in the lowest income bracket, thus they are the most vulnerable population with a higher risk of becoming sick. Not only are individuals suffering from the lack of health care, but also hospitals like Downtown, are feeling the strains of budget cuts. The more uninsured people, the more there will be missed opportunities for preventative care. People will be sicker and the state and hospital will have to pick up the expenses, which is ultimately more costly. This inevitably becomes a vicious cycle. The health system is flawed and hopefully getting more individuals covered with health insurance by the health exchange, MediCare, and MediCaid can alleviate the strains seen.
Sincerely,
Caren Chen
2230 Durant Ave
Berkeley, CA 94704
510-508-6569
Caren poses an interesting point. Treatment is the focus of healthcare funding, leaving preventative care out of the equation and forcing our nation into this vicious cycle where the benefits preventative care cannot be seen until coverage is expanded. We must transform our country from a "sick"care system to a healthcare system. Chronic diseases such as stroke, diabetes and heart disease are currently the major causes of death and disability in America. The WHO estimates that 75% of health care costs are attributable to these chronic conditions. Yet, these chronic conditions are all linked by common preventable risk factors. According to a recent New England Journal of Medicine article, there are about 465,000 preventable deaths per year in the US from smoking, 395,000 from high blood pressure, 216,000 from obesity, 191,000 from inactivity, 190,000 from high blood sugar, and 113,000 from high cholesterol. These preventable risk factors certainly seem like a well-oriented jumping-off point for health care reform.
ReplyDeleteThe solution to our healthcare inequity is not bettering cures, but implementing prevention. And to do this, Caren is right. We must expand our healthcare coverage first to break that vicious cycle.