Can President Obama's healthcare reform plan save Louisiana healthcare from Governor Jindal's budget cuts?
Louisiana healthcare has been in decline for a long time, but Governor Jindals recent budget cuts are going to make things a lot worse a lot quicker.
Louisiana residents have high incedence of chronic diseases — heart disease, diabetes, cancer. But more Louisianans die from these diseases than do folks in the rest of the country. The reason is that these diseases go untreated until the problems get too bad to ignore.
The basic problem is lack of access to affordable healthcare. People dont go to the doctor because they cant afford it.
Our state has one of the highest percentages of adults without health insurance in the country.
Reaching affordable care — frequently and LSU Hospital — can involve long drives and even longer waits to get treatment.
When things get really bad, the uninsured get treatment but it is more expensive by then and the costs they cant pay are spread across those who can, namely those with health insurance.
The Department of Health & Hospitals recently announced how it would implement Medicaid cuts made necessary by Governor Jindals refusal to back a tobacco tax increase to stave off the cuts.
You might believe that Medicaid cuts will affect just the poor. You would be wrong.
The Louisiana Hospital Association says that the cuts will mean the loss of nearly 2,000 jobs at private hospitals over the next year. They also warn that Jindals cuts will mean higher insurance premiums, co-pays and deductibles for those still fortunate enough to have health insurance.
Things will only get worse next year with the state facing an even larger deficit. Realistic solutions to Louisianas healthcare challenges will again fall victim to the Governors national political ambitions.
Viewed in this light, President Barack Obamas healthcare reform program offers the only real hope to save Louisiana healthcare.
Healthcare reform will invest millions in Louisiana hospitals, clinics and doctors offices, to update technology, expand access to care and improve the quality of care. The administration has already provided new funding for community health centers, health information technology and for training of new healthcare professionals in our state.
The Presidents plan will improve existing insurance by making companies end the practice of denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions. And, companies will no longer be able to revoke coverage once a disease has been diagnosed.
The Presidents plan will bring new competition into the health insurance marketplace through a public plan that will sell coverage at affordable rates. Private health insurance companies will have to either compete on price or on coverage. Either way, consumers win.
Expanded coverage will mean more paying customers for doctors and hospitals, improving their economic viability. It will also mean that those Louisiana citizens suffering from chronic diseases will be able to get access to affordable treatment earlier, giving them a better quality of life.
President Obamas healthcare reform program will break the cycle of ever-rising costs that force Louisiana businesses to abandon coverage for their employees and that put Louisiana families at risk of financial ruin if serious illness strikes.
Governor Jindals ideology and national political ambitions have locked him into a plan to continue cutting public spending on healthcare that will have dire consequences for private sector providers and those with health insurance.
President Obamas healthcare reform program is the change we need to fix what ails our states healthcare delivery system.
To learn more about President Obamas healthcare reform program, visit any of these websites:
WWW.healthcarereformmyths.org
www.thinkprogress.org/category/raa
www.standwithdrdean.com
www.seiu.org/seiuhealthcare/index.php
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