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Health Care

Today's Poll: Who do you blame more for the lack of action on health care reform?

Posted by Nick Sloan on February 23, 2010 - 11:59am
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Health Care: One Changed Vote

Posted by Todd Cunningham on November 24, 2009 - 5:33pm
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I’m a lifelong, dedicated Republican.  I work hard and believe that people should honor their commitments.  My wife and I have always lived responsibly, and until recently we have enjoyed a perfect credit rating.
 
Until two weeks ago, I was very forcibly opposed to any health care reform.  However, two weeks ago, I was placed in collections by my health care provider, because for the past seven months they have been unable to collect payment from my employer-based health insurance for immunizations which are required for my child to go to school.   
 
Unfortunately this is not the first time we've had problems of this nature.  Because our hospital couldn’t collect payment from our insurer for certain immunizations last year, my wife contacted our insurance company this year prior to scheduling the school-required immunizations in order to verify that they would be fully covered.  She was informed that this time they would be fully covered.
 
But since last April when the vaccinations were administered, our health insurance company has claimed they must deny coverage - and have, time and again - due to certain billing errors made by the hospital.  The hospital claims it has made no billing errors, but has been unable to collect from the insurer.  We have made many phone calls to coordinate between the parties, and even sat down to meet personally with the hospital in efforts to resolve.  The hospital and the insurer have each advised us that they’ve “done all they can do”.  Meanwhile, we've been placed in collections, and our credit rating has been adversely affected. Superb timing, as we were just about to refinance our house, and expand lines of credit to help finance a certain church remodeling project.
 
My first corrective action will of course involve my choice of health care provider.  My second corrective action involves my vote with regards to health care.  I believe it is worthy of great ridicule and scorn that our current health care system would rather waste time playing games instead of providing necessary vaccinations for children which are required for them to attend school.  We all recognize that it is unfair to ask anyone to pay several times over for the same services - once for an insurance premium, twice for an out-of-pocket, and thrice for the damage done to a good credit rating during these tough economic times.  
 
While the cost of health care is already enough to make my blood boil, it appalls me to consider that much of the health care costs we are being asked to pay have been marked up to absorb inefficiencies within the system.  Aren’t they possibly marked up, just a little bit, due to the games played between hospitals and insurers?  After all, I care precious little about whether a medical billing has been coded satisfactorily, but I care a great deal whether my chosen hospital and insurer can effectively take care of me. Something is definitely broken when they can’t cover school immunizations anymore.
 
I wonder if my experience may help persuade other life-long Republicans to reconsider their voting habits as well.  At the minimum, I'd like to advise other hardworking, insured parents who wish to both protect their good credit ratings and immunize their children to consider carefully their choice of health care provider, and weigh the very real risk of being placed into collections when having your children immunized to attend school. 
 
There is nothing standing between you and the one-two punch of inefficient, improper billing procedures by our health care providers and non-coverage by our insurers.  If you think they won't sock it to you, you might think again.
 
And as far as getting the swine flu shot (or any other form of health care) this year, kindly count me out!  I figure I've already suffered enough already.

New local home health services provider available

Posted by Nick Sloan on November 2, 2009 - 5:29pm
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Bob Blevins, Eileen Orel and Austin Lindblad lead the effort with Sacred Heart Heath Care.

One of the trends in health care today is the growing amount of people who require or prefer health services inside their own home.

Enter those at Sacred Heart Health Care, a new health services provider in Wyandotte County.

Located in Suite D at 7735 Washington Avenue, owner Bob Blevins and nine other employees at the growing business provide a number of services to those in Wyandotte County.

"We consider ourselves a home-grown company in Wyandotte County," Blevins said. "Our roots run deep within Wyandotte County."

Services involving skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and home health aide are provided by Sacred Heart Health Care. Along with those services, employees at the organization offer a coordination of services where patients can receive equipment in related to their syndromes.

"We have delivered health care to 90 folks. For a new agency that's great."

Having received the Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval, Sacred Heart is one of the few home health providers in the Greater Kansas City area that can boost that claim.

Blevins, a former firefighter in Kansas City, Kan., is joined by other employees with roots in Wyandotte County.

“We provide services that are the best in the Kansas City metro area,” said Eileen Orel, nursing administrator and fellow KCK native. “It's very difficult to obtain that accreditation. Our standards of service are very high.”

Along with Wyandotte County, Sacred Heart Health serves those in Jefferson, Johnson and Leavenworth counties. And while those roots are deep in Wyandotte County, Blevins hopes to expand services further across the Kansas City Metro area.

Sacred Heart aims to serve those with Medicare and Medicaid. While the foundation of the business was laid in April, it kicked into high gear in August.

“I have a passion for helping senior citizens,” Blevins said. “I have a heart that wants to serve them.”

Blevins said the number of those on Medicare or Medicaid will increase to 72 million in just a decade.

For more information about Sacred Heart, contact them at (913) 334-1058. They can be contacted toll free at 1-866-465-6965.

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The full staff: Orel, Stacy Zimbelman, Janice McCord, Jeneice Waters, Kelly Kouns, Jessica Kessler, Lindblad. In back are Blevins and Pat Corrado.

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Blevins with family members.

Roberts votes against health care reform bill; UPDATE: Brownback voices opposition to it

Posted by Nick Sloan on October 13, 2009 - 3:34pm
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Today the Senate Finance Committee, by a vote of 14-9, said yes to a $820 billion health care reform package.

robertsmug1.jpgVoted mostly on partisan lines between Democratic supporters and Republican opponents – only one Republican or Democrat crossed lines on the vote - U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) voted against the bill.

While supporters of the bill say it will save money overtime, Roberts criticized the bill, saying it will cut current coverage and raise taxes.

"This bill will be rewritten by the majority in conference, behind closed doors," Roberts said. "In this proposal, many Americans will lose the coverage they have now, Medicare will be cut by $500 billion, and new taxes will be levied to pay for a bill that will actually restrict access to care, leave 25 million uninsured and do nothing to address the rising costs of care. This is not reform.”

The next step for the bill, which was drafted by U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, is debate on the Senate floor.

UPDATE: While U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback (and likely future governor) did not have an official vote on the Senate Finance Committee, he did release a statement expressing his opposition to the plan.

Here it is in full:

“I have very serious concerns about the bill that passed out of committee today. Health care reform is a critical issue today, and I support targeted incremental reforms.  The president’s initial goal was to lower health care costs.  This hugely expensive bill will not lower costs and will not cover all uninsured.  There is an outcry from my constituents in Kansas against this trillion dollar bill that amounts to a government takeover of health care and will take money from Medicare to do it while leaving 25 million people uninsured.  I will be aggressively involved in this debate when it comes to the floor.”
 

Steineger on health care reform

Posted by Nick Sloan on October 6, 2009 - 11:22am
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Kansas Sen. Chris Steineger, one of Wyandotte County's three state senators, taped a two-part video on health care and what he feels should be done about it.

The first video outlines what the senator feels the problem on health care is and in the second, he discusses what he feels the solution should be.

Today's Poll: Do you think the health care system needs reformed?

Posted by Nick Sloan on October 5, 2009 - 8:08am
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