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Health care reform a shared responsibilityPosted by Randy on: 2005-09-30 08:40:24 in category:
Retirement Headlines [ Print | Permalink / 0 Comment(s) ] Health care reform a shared responsibility September 9, 2005 By Gregory Marchildon At AARP Vermont, we have been asking ourselves a fundamental question: Can Vermont afford to grow old? That is, can we as individuals, as employers, as local and state governments and as a larger community, afford to sustain a population that is aging and that will inevitably put greater demands on public and private resources? Our answer is yes. But that simple one-word answer implies a great deal. It involves many things, including strengthening Social Security and building livable communities. It most certainly also involves managing our health, our health care and our costs of delivering health care. If Vermont is serious about dealing with issues such as managing the costs of health care, keeping Medicaid sustainable, improving access to and the affordability of care, we need to take a long-range view and attack the problem at its source: our dysfunctional health care system. It is grossly inefficient, expensive and complicated. Transforming Vermont's health care system is perhaps the greatest challenge facing our state today. It may well be the most important thing we can do to improve the quality of life for everyone in our state. This is everyone's business: the Douglas administration, the state Legislature, large and small employers, and the nonprofit sector. No one group can do it alone, and everyone must work toward a shared vision and common goal. A recent report by Families USA makes a strong, if unintended, argument for system-wide health care reform in Vermont. The Families USA report concluded that Vermont's insurance premiums contain an extremely small markup to compensate for the health care of the uninsured. This report documents wide differences among the states in this area, and demonstrates that many states are in deep financial trouble because of this cost shift. We believe the Families USA report should act as a wake-up call for Vermont's policymakers, business community, nonprofits, and the general public. We all agree that covering the uninsured is a very important policy goal. However, this report shows that while covering the uninsured is critical, it does not achieve the savings to the health care system that has been touted. Clearly, this is not the only answer to our problems. A "Band-aid" approach to health care reform in Vermont will only keep us on a road that will need constant repair. Simply filling in the potholes will do nothing to control skyrocketing costs and create a system that is fair and equitable to everyone. Health care reform in Vermont must be driven by consumer demand and corporate pressure. If Vermont is going to achieve meaningful system-wide change, consumers and businesses must lead the way. As the baby boomers near retirement age, we know that by and large they want to maintain active lifestyles. This means being fit, healthy and having access to affordable quality care. Likewise, we know that Vermont businesses are feeling the strain of rising health care costs as they continue to take a larger bite out of their bottom line. Again, "Can Vermont afford to grow older?" The answer is a resounding yes if we have the collective vision to change our health system in ways that really matter. Greg Marchildon is the AARP Vermont state director. AARP Vermont represents 120,000 people in Vermont age 50 and over. Homepage Other open community sites http://www.business-business.biz Please support are sponsors. To design you custom retirement plan. http://www.retirement-plan.us For planning a IRA rollovers. http://www.ira-rollover.us Professional asset allocation and the wonders it can do. http://www.asset-allocation.us Professional money management: National ranked performance. http://www.roth-ira.us Managers selected to fit your needs. http://www.money-managers.us |
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