Health Care Reform: A Congressional Viewpoint

Rep. Jason Altmire, D-PA (and Blue Dog Democrat), gives his view of health care reform and his reasons for voting against the previous iteration of the bill in this article. It should be noted that Rep. Altmire has a Master's in Health Administration and worked for 7 years in the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center system. I'm having a hard time researching how many members of Congress have an MHA or health care administration experience, but only 17 Representatives and 3 Senators have medical degrees. I think it's safe to assume that Altmire knows what he is talking about, and only a handful of additional Congressmen. Sadly, his position is not on center stage in this debate.

I'll admit that I know next-to-nothing about health care administration nor the proper way to reform health care, but I can recognize that the bills that have been proposed will accomplish very little beyond raising our taxes and increasing the federal deficit. Many Americans are understandably scared to death about the "public option", so Congress is now debating dropping the idea and expanding the coverage of Medicare and Medicaid. What a brilliant idea. Let's expand two of our nation's largest entitlement programs that are already threatening to bankrupt our government before I hit the age of 40. Furthermore, the claim that health care reform is "deficit-neutral" hinges on cost-reducing reforms to Medicare and Medicaid. Exactly what those measures are, no one has been able to deduce. You can be sure that adding millions of Americans to those programs will not be "deficit-neutral".

Common Since: Where are the experts on this one? They are being drowned-out by partisan sound bytes. And how can we trust people with no health care administration experience at the forefront of this grand scheme? The goal stated at the beginning of this health care reform process was to reduce the cost of health care for every American, while providing a means to insure the majority of the uninsured (which would simultaneously bring down costs). I am of the opinion that this principle has been lost among the partisan bickering and backhanding. When this dog and pony show comes to a close, be prepared to bend over. 'Cause this is really gonna hurt.

Gen Y: Footing a Bill This Big Requires Massive Dr. Scholl's Insoles. Are You Gellin'?

Deficit-related health care article of the day, a few days late:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/22/AR2009112201237.html

Entitlements are the main cause of inevitable future budgetary collapse. Politicians are afraid to touch these "third rails of politics" because of the voting and lobbying power of seniors. I wish I could say that the current health care reform bills under debate truly address reigning-in Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security costs, but I have no idea whether they do. Congress isn't capable of presenting their intentions to the American public in a clear, concise way and I don't have time to read thousands of pages of legal babble. I suppose I am forced to trust in the White House, OMB, and CBO, but something tells me they aren't too reliable.

Innovation: Altruistic and Profitable

Popular Science recently named the Xhale HyGreen one of the top scientific products of 2009. The device was developed by doctors at my alma mater, the University of Florida. UF has had an absurd amount of spin-off technology companies that result from the work of professors and researchers. This practical device ranks near the top of that list, in my opinion.

The HyGreen will have a profound impact on the health care industry, and perhaps the restaurant industry, too. Basically, it senses the cleanliness of doctors' and nurses' hands. According to Popular Science, this is how it works:

"The HyGreen system reminds them to scrub—and keeps a record of who doesn’t. After cleaning their hands with alcohol-based sanitizers, doctors and nurses place them under the HyGreen sensor that sniffs for alcohol, which kills 99.99 percent of germs, and sends a wireless “all clean” message to a badge worn on the person’s shirt pocket. A wireless monitor on patient beds searches for the message—if it’s absent, the badge vibrates, reminding the wearer to sanitize his hands. During a five-month field test of HyGreen at the University of Florida’s medical center, infection rates dropped to zero."

This system is certain to catch on at hospitals around the country. Statistics from Xhale state that health care-acquired infections account for the deaths of nearly 270 people in the U.S. daily and about $40 billion in health care costs annually. If you want to find a health care reform issue that save money and lives, and spurs private sector profit, this may be it.

I wish I had thought of this. Unfortunately, I have no scientific background and not a lick of relevant experience. One day this device could be ubiquitous in hospitals and clinics. It could even make its way into the restaurant industry. Wouldn't you be happy to know that the person making your dinner actually complied with the "Employees must wash hands before returning to work" sign in the restroom?

Common Since: HyGreen is a practical solution to some of the problems associated with the quality and cost of health care. Better yet, it will save lives through preventing negligent infections. I hope that hospitals around the country place these devices into use. My only regret is that I hadn't invested in this technology a couple of years ago. Those venture capitalists will be taking this one to the bank.