June Update HealthCareMaryland.org

HealthCareMaryland.org is a non-partisan, not-for-profit membership organization engaged in research, public education, and advocacy to guarantee universal high-quality health care for all Maryland residents. We're working with our friends and allies--other organizations, elected officials, and concerned individuals--to bring high-quality universal health care to Maryland in 2008. We're planning town halls, summits, and conferences, as well as organizing legislative efforts. We welcome your help!

Study group on single payer health insurance system
SEVENTH SESSION: Tuesday, July 8, 2008 7:30 PM
St. John's United Methodist Church
St. Paul St. at 27th St., Baltimore

WHAT: One time study sessions on what a single payer health insurance system could look like in the United States. Each month the topic will be the same and we'll cover pretty much the same ground.

THE TOPIC: "Single payer" is a technical sounding term that simply means that only one agency will pay for medical services- this in contrast to the roughly 1500 insurance companies now operating in the US. Private insurance companies would be effectively eliminated from the medical market. The rough model for most single payer advocates in the US is the Canadian system. Another way of simplifying: An expanded and enhanced "Medicare for All."

County Must Help Improve Latino Health, Report Says
In Growing Group, More Than Half Are Uninsured
By Donna St. George | The Washington Post

Latinos have emerged as the fastest-growing population group in Montgomery County, and more needs to be done to boost their health and well-being, including improving access to medical care and expanding transportation and bilingual services, a new report says.

The report noted that the best estimates, from 2005, suggest that more than 50 percent of Latinos in the county are uninsured, and about half do not have a primary-care doctor. Among Latinos who had not seen a doctor in the past year, the primary reason was the high cost of care.

Healthcare Reform/State Advocacy
The National Mental Health Association reform efforts

For over five years, the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) and its affiliates have worked with coalitions of consumer, family and advocacy groups in 45 states and the District of Columbia to assist them in their policy efforts and train them to become more effective voices for change in the public and private mental health systems.

Consumer’s Checklist: How To Overturn Managed Care Treatment Denials
Thanks to the National Mental Health Association (NMHA)

As insurance companies continue to use managed care techniques such as utilization review--where your insurance company works with your provider to determine if a treatment plan is necessary for your well being--to control health and mental health expenses, consumers must become increasingly knowledgeable of the utilization review and appeals processes in order to effectively fight for the treatment they need and deserve. By following the steps listed below, consumers, family members, and advocates will increase the likelihood that necessary treatment is provided.

THE UNINSURED AND THEIR ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE

Excerpted from the report by The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured THE UNINSURED AND THEIR ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE--link opens as a PDF file using Abode Reader.

While the majority of people in the U.S. under the age of 65 receive health insurance coverage through their employers and almost all the elderly are covered through Medicare, 46.5 million nonelderly Americans lacked health insurance in 2006. Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) play an important role by covering millions of nonelderly low-income people, especially children. However, limits to these public programs and gaps in employer coverage leave millions of people uninsured and create substantial barriers to obtaining timely and appropriate health care.

The Uninsured: Access to Medical Care
Patient Center | Issues in EM

Main Points

* Emergency departments provide an essential community service and are vital to the nation's health care safety net, caring for everyone, regardless of ability to pay or insurance status.
* Inadequate coverage of the uninsured, cutbacks in Medicare, declining payments by health plans and a medical liability crisis are threatening the ability of emergency physicians to continue to provide high-quality care to everyone.
* ACEP advocates for expansion of health care coverage for the uninsured and underinsured and has taken a leadership role in building a national consensus for universal health coverage.
* The Institute of Medicine in 2006 recommended that Congress consider providing greater reimbursements to large, safety-net hospitals that bear the burden of taking care of uninsured patients.

Majority of U.S. Doctors Back National Insurance Plan
Survey finds 59% feel fragmented system is obstructing good patient care

By Robert Preidt | HealthDay

A majority of American doctors now support the concept of national health insurance, which represents a shift in thinking over the past five years, a new survey finds. Typically, national health insurance plans involve a single, federally administered social insurance fund that guarantees health coverage for everyone. In most cases, these plans eliminate or substantially reduce the role of private insurance companies.