Obama team seeks public input on health care
Photo 
Heath and Human Services Secretary-designate Tom Daschle takes notes during his meeting with seniors to discuss health care, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2008, at the Congress Heights Wellness Center in Washington.
WASHINGTON — Problems in the health care system have only grown more severe since a series of health care meetings more than two years ago yielded few results. So President-elect Barack Obama's transition team has set up a new round of public sessions it hopes will translate into real changes this time.
Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, Obama's choice for secretary of health and human services, said Tuesday the increased problems since the 2005-06 meetings should ensure action in Congress.
"We wouldn't have had 8,500 of these discussions in a two-week period over the Christmas holidays a few years ago," Daschle said. "This is an indication of the degree of severity and concern that people have all over the country."
The public meetings orchestrated by Obama's transition team resemble an effort that took place in 2005 and 2006. Congress created its Citizens Health Care Working Group, which heard from 6,650 people at 84 meetings around the country and more than 14,000 in an Internet survey.
The group's recommendations were not acted on. The recommendations included guaranteeing health coverage for specific checkups and treatments and protecting consumers from high medical expenses.
A key message to Obama in the renewed sessions: Health reform doesn't have to be all about expanding health insurance. It can be about the little things too, such as shorter waits in the doctor's office and putting in place incentives such as free checkups that catch little problems before they became big ones.
That was the message Tuesday from two dozen seniors who gave their views about what ails America's health care system to Daschle. They listed a broad range of concerns, from four-hour waits to see a doctor, to the high cost of prescription drugs, to lack of Medicare coverage for certain treatments and medical devices.
Daschle said conversations like Tuesday's will put the new administration "on the right track" for overhauling the nation's health care system next year.
Alethea Campbell said she wants more emphasis on medical research, particularly for Alzheimer's disease. "My family is loaded with Alzheimer's. I feel like I'm going to be a victim of it," she said. "What is going to happen to me four or five years down the road? Who is going to take care of me?"
Eugene Kinlow wants greater emphasis on helping people live more healthy lifestyles. "A major part of the cost problem is us. We keep driving up the cost of health care, all of us, in our daily behavior and habits," he said.
And Frederick Gore wants medical providers to be less concerned about how they're going to be paid when a patient walks into their room with urgent medical conditions. "The other patients could see there was something wrong with me," he said. "I'm sitting there and can barely breathe and he's looking at how he's going to get paid."
Some 8,500 meetings similar to the one at the Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center in Washington have been held around the country since Dec. 15. Daschle attended his second such meeting Tuesday, along with his mother, Betty. Obama's transition team will gather the information from those meetings and post the material on its Web site, http://change.gov. Daschle said the information would be used to help craft a health proposal.
Daschle said lawmakers will be more likely to take up health reform if there is enough pressure from voters. In a book published earlier this year, he urged the next president to quickly capitalize on the good will that comes with a new administration. He said the meetings will add to the sense of urgency.
"It will lead to members of Congress taking note. It will lead to governors taking note," Daschle said in an interview. "It's going to lead to a greater degree of commitment on the part of elected people."
About 25 people talked to Daschle about the problems they've confronted with the health care system. Most participate in Medicare, the government's health insurance program for the elderly and disabled.
Although they had coverage for most treatments, they were not short of suggestions for improving the health care system. Some described waiting three or four hours before they could be seen by a doctor. Others talked of how they helped pay health care costs for uninsured children and grandchildren. And some longed for a return of the days when teenagers volunteered to work at local hospitals or senior centers.
"It's conversations like this that put us on the right track," Daschle told the audience. "It's discussions like this that give us a better understanding of how it should be done."
Jan 3, 2009 at 9:34 p.m.
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RetiredAirForce: Thank you for that response. What is remarkable is that we AGREE on this agenda-topper! Imagine that. I feel better about you already (LOL!).
Jan 3, 2009 at 8:53 p.m.
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Zoom..."Your obsession with Obama-as-messiah is disturbing."
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If you read through the posts I responded to you calling him this. But I guess you "assuming" I brought it up makes you feel better.
Jan 3, 2009 at 8:49 p.m.
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SarahB...as I have continually harped the first starting point has to be term limits (I write my congressman and both senators twice a year on this subject). Until we limit the time these people can stay in Washington nothing will ever change. This past election was proof of this. The approval rating of those in congress was the lowest it has ever been but look how many are re-elected. Everyone thinks congress and the senate is the problem but not their own congressman or senator.
Jan 3, 2009 at 7:43 p.m.
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"wwr1961: I don't recall Mercy making any such comments..."
They did, in the Gazette.
"Mercy Health System CEO Javon Bea called the Dean/St. Mary’s move reckless.
“I think it just makes no sense from any basis,” Bea said. “It’s just going to be $140 million of duplicated, fixed costs that the community is going to have to figure out how to support.
"Yes, Mercy would have lower costs because its staff would shrink, but it has fixed costs of maintaining its hospital that don’t change. The result will be higher prices, Bea said."
http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2008/apr...
Jan 3, 2009 at 7:21 p.m.
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"The Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan did on Feb 24, 2008...but I guess he is not a supporter or you decided to ignore his statement."
Or, the more logical answer is that I don't pay attention to Louis Farrahkan. Your obsession with Obama-as-messiah is disturbing.
Jan 3, 2009 at 7:08 p.m.
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"Just a thought / question-- If competition drives down costs, why did Mercy say that Dean St. Mary's coming to town would duplicate services and increase costs?"
Simple. Mercy does not want the competition. Did you know Mercy is in the process of converting their double patient rooms to private rooms? I'm curious to hear what their explanation is for spending lots of money on that. Will it actually improve service somehow, or just allow them to charge more for a room that wouldn't have two patients anyway, due to a dropping census.
Jan 3, 2009 at 6:21 p.m.
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Unidentified: Number One way to improve one's health? STOP SMOKING.
Jan 3, 2009 at 5:29 p.m.
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People are the biggest problem with health care.
1. Last time I read, roughly 85% of deaths, injuries, serious diseases (heart disease, diabetes, reduced risk of cancer) could be prevented if people lost weight.
2. People are pill happy. Granted, some pills save lives and are a necessity of life in certain cases. However, most pills only create more problems and side affects and higher cost. Fifty percent of the time a placebo does as much good on pain relief as a heavy pain medication. In many cases people are addicted to the "buzz" more than they care about pain relief. If people wised up, lost weight, and stopped buying into pharmaceutical company commercials, things would improve vastly. I know people who don't have any major diseases, yet take six pills a day. Nonetheless, they still feel lousy.
3. People want free or nearly free health care, but don't want higher taxes to pay for it. The same goes for any major government program. Considering how corrupt, mismanaged, and inefficient our government runs, why the heck would anyone want our government to have a hand in health care.
The concept of universal health care is novel and we do need to do something. However, until peoples expectations become realistic and they are willing to do their part (diet and exercise) then they can't expect Obama's administration, or any other for that matter, to get something done.
No politician and most doctor's aren't going to tell people this.
Jan 3, 2009 at 3:07 p.m.
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RetiredAirForce: Let me take it back to the simple basics that I tried to convey in my first post here. Complaining, attacking, arguing over who called whomever whatever whenever is not going to help this nation right now. Such actions (or inactions in my opinion) did little before when President Bush was the one being attacked. And I admit that I did not help the situation. Okay, so are you the bigger man (person) here? Will you take a step up and offer solutions on how this nation can get moving forward again? My point all along is that for people to just complain and call those elected names, etc., is to delay or ruin opportunities to get to work on our problems. You used to give out assignments to others commenting in these forums. Let me offer one to you: Please tell me what you think needs to be done to get our nation back on track. Please use all of the freedom of speech you want for this assignment, but please take it seriously. I know you are a well-read man; your postings are evidence of this. I am asking for your serious opinion, not more attacks on me.
Jan 3, 2009 at 2:37 p.m.
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Gary primer... tell me about it. I wish we could go back to country doctors where you paid your own bill and their overhead costs were low enough that you could actually AFFORD their services. Remember when medical insurance was called "Hospitalization" because the only time you used it was in the hospital?
Jan 3, 2009 at 2:32 p.m.
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I was personally asked, as an advocate of non-medically based birth, to speak in my opinion of birth care. We have the most medicalized births in the first worlds nations but the WORST in infant and mother outcomes!!!
I thought it was a wonderful idea... a glimmer of hope that health care might be based on what makes people WELL, as opposed to what follows the insurance and hospital policy.
SO heck yeah.... I am standing in on a panel for midwifery to become a more available choice for healthy normal birth. They are asking me what I think needs changing. I am not missing my opportunity to voice my views.
Jan 3, 2009 at 2:13 p.m.
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SarahB...You declare to complain is akin to doing nothing. To voice an opposing view (complain as you say) is doing something, as is e-mailing, calling, and corresponding with our elected representatives. It is called the first amendment and is a guaranteed right provided to all Americans, you don't have to be a military person to know this. Just because you do not share the opposing view does not mean it is nothing or will it have no impact. It is just something you care not to read or hear. Btw, the opposing view you complain of now is nothing more than you and others had been doing on these same message boards prior to the last election; why now is it not the right thing to do?.
Jan 3, 2009 at 11:30 a.m.
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RetiredAirForce: That's exactly what I am saying. Each of us has a choice: Either shut up and get to work OR continue to complain and do nothing. I would think that one who prides himself on his military background would be able to look past his own anger, disgust, resentment or whatever it is you're feeling in terms of who was elected as our next president. Did I support McCain? No, but I was ready to respect him as my president if he had won the vote. Did I agree with every stance Obama took on the issues? Absolutely not. Will I agree with him on his every act as president? Probably not. Will I respect him as president? Yes. So, do whatever you want, RetiredAirForce. It's your choice.
Jan 3, 2009 at 9:36 a.m.
Jan 2, 2009 at 9:57 a.m.
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"If you love your country, you will get on with finding solutions."
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This coming from a person who has claimed republicans were running scared, Sarah and First Dude Todd eat resentment for breakfast, complained McCain refused to release his medical records (yes that would have made the difference) and the Obama train was headed this way...yes, but NOW we should all just stand back and support.
Jan 1, 2009 at 9:30 p.m.
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The focus on who called Obama a "messiah" or whatever is just a tactic to ruin any chance of doing what needs to be done: Getting our country back on its feet. We can't be doing this, folks. I don't care who you voted for or if you're resentful because so-and-so picked on President Bush all of these years, etc., etc. If you love your country, you will get on with finding solutions.
Jan 1, 2009 at 9:08 p.m.
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"I have yet to read or hear a "supporter" of Obama call him the messiah."
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The Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan did on Feb 24, 2008...but I guess he is not a supporter or you decided to ignore his statement.
Jan 1, 2009 at 7:24 p.m.
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"I'll do whatever he says to do. I'll collect paper cups off the ground to make his pathway clear."
-- Halle Berry
"This is bigger than Kennedy. . . . This is the New Testament." | "I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often. No, seriously. It's a dramatic event."
-- Chris Matthews
"We're here to evolve to a higher plane . . . he is an evolved leader . . . [he] has an ear for eloquence and a Tongue dipped in the Unvarnished Truth."
-- Oprah Winfrey
Jan 1, 2009 at 6:39 p.m.
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Just a thought / question-- If competition drives down costs, why did Mercy say that Dean St. Mary's coming to town would duplicate services and increase costs?
Jan 1, 2009 at 2:42 p.m.
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btw, I commend whybesad for following up his silly statement with a constructive one. Good ideas can come from anywhere, and that is exactly what the Obama administration is looking for. We all have to contribute to solve this problem. President Bush pulled us together after 9/11, and I hope Obama can do the same now.
Jan 1, 2009 at 2:37 p.m.
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I have yet to read or hear a "supporter" of Obama call him the messiah.
Jan 1, 2009 at 9:10 a.m.
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Another falsehood from the audience "It seems only some conservatives have put Obama on a pedestal, so you can make it easier to knock him down."
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If the above is true why is team Obama trying to dampen expectations from his supporters? http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/us/pol...
Jan 1, 2009 at 2:31 a.m.
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Yah, I bet that would work the same way as the mortgage industry.
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Look out Ethel, it's a big one...
Dec 31, 2008 at 10:03 p.m.
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Get government out of the medical insurance business, and let competition drive down the prices.
Dec 31, 2008 at 4:51 p.m.
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The doctors have no idea what anything costs. It is completely out of their hands.
Dec 31, 2008 at 3:48 p.m.
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Transparency in the costs is a start. I like privatizing the health care industry. Being able to go our doctors that we are comfortable with. I like HSA's as a solution. Socializing health care isn't the answer. It's a tough call no matter how you look at it. I have a HSA and am very happy with it. It's funny to see the looks on the faces of the doctor's when I ask how much is this visit going to cost me.
Dec 31, 2008 at 3:19 p.m.
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More competition, which includes price as well as quality, might reduce costs. It is almost impossible for a consumer to make an informed decision about what health care provider they should use. If providers had to publish costs, and be required to provide quality data, consumers could help drive down costs themselves. There are several organizations in Wisconsin that compile quality data from health care providers, but so far, any data is submitted voluntarily. Mercy health is one organization that doesn't submit all the data requested of them. That has to change.
Dec 31, 2008 at 3:11 p.m.
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"Looking to the public for suggestions? I thought he was the messiah. Tom Daschle was a horrible choice on his Cabinet."
It seems only some conservatives have put Obama on a pedestal, so you can make it easier to knock him down. What's your brilliant plan to solve the health care problem?
Dec 31, 2008 at 2:44 p.m.
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I agree with garyprimer...
Dec 31, 2008 at 12:19 p.m.
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Looking to the public for suggestions? I thought he was the messiah. Tom Daschle was a horrible choice on his Cabinet.
Dec 31, 2008 at 10:39 a.m.
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Cut out the middleman in health care. Insurance companies have gotten rich collecting premiums and denying claims.
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