Health Reform? It's a Joke, Unless...

HEALTH REFORM
By Edward G. Udell, Sr.
August 9, 2009

I have been concerned about health ever since as I little boy I discovered my mom had health issues.

Sometimes, my mom, Cassie Mae (Roland) Udell McCain, would work in the fields with only one arm because when it would be really cold, her left side would shut down and she would be partially paralyzed. However, she still picked almost as much cotton as anyone else in the field during cotton-picking time. During any other labor work, she could usually outwork others who did not have a health issue.

My mom came into the world with health issues, but her family did not have the funds to get her the medical care she needed, due to their lack of income. Mom fought. She was scheduled to die from her health challenges at age 8. Then it was moved to age 11. A strange aunt said some words over her, hit her in her back (which straightened up!), and she was able to walk straight. However, she still had other health issues.

Mom was scheduled to die at age 18. Then it was moved to age 30 and again to age 40. By this time, mom had learned more about prayer, alternative medicine, and just read up on medical information. She is now 85 and people don’t understand how she made it. Those doctors who are still alive are amazed!

I had health issues most of my life. The Navy even gave me a 4F rating after I was hurt in drill in 1964 and they discovered I had had some health issues. Without properly serving me, they just kicked me out with a medical discharge, but without any veteran’s benefits. I have fought for over 44 years to get them to revise my records and/or let me have my veteran’s benefits but they have refused.

I was selected by the National Urban League to attend a national health conference in San Antonio, Texas in 1972 upon a recommendation by someone who knew of my interest in community health improvements. I gave my input and hoped there would be a great health policy put forward in America; not much happened.

In 1973 – 1974, I was selected to serve as a Community Health Worker for the Regional Medical Program, a federally-funded program associated with the University of Washington Medical School. I served 14 eastern Washington state counties, helping medical professions and health consumers work on improving the health operations in their counties. After an election, this program was cut by Congress. In 1975, I was asked to serve on the “new” Congressional health plan, Comprehensive Health Planning. This program frightened medical professionals who thought the federal government was going to take over health care and put them on smaller salaries. Although we did some good serving the various eastern Washington state counties, the negative support of the medical community hurt the good this program was trying to do. I gave up hoping that the government and the medical community would ever agree on how to best improve the health of its citizens.

In 1979, I completed my Master’s Thesis “Health: In Good Hands With Educators---A Discussion Paper Proposing A Way To Improve The Health Of The Nation.” My premise was that the government should require parents to become better health monitors and turn schools into health centers. Although some schools began to offer pre-natal care and child care centers to girls in school and later added giving out condoms and offering girls abortion information, it was still a far cry from really solving the health problems of this country.

As I have watched the health of many low-income and moderate-income people worsen because they did not have access, I have also watched another trend having a negative impact on the health of this country: allow millions of immigrants with lower health standards to come, stay, work, and interact with Americans trying to get healthy.

The impact of the millions of legal and illegal immigrants since the 1960s have had a catastrophic affect on the health delivery service in America. While they crowd the clinics and budgets are expanded to make sure they have reading material in their language and health care professionals who speak their language, more native-born Americans with a long list of American ancestors are pushed back further in the lines to get health care. Surprisingly, the immigrants of the past 30-50 years pay far less for health care than they should be paying since they have put in very little into the health care pot through taxes, fighting wars for this country, and working hard to make life better for others.

If health reform is going to work, there must be a system put in place whereby native-born Americans can freely have a better opportunity to get access to health care. They should not have to wait in lines because politicians and business people want a lot of cheap labor to ensure the financial success of their own enterprises. It’s time for Americans to bite the bullet about immigrants---limit the number of legal immigrants coming in, deport those who are illegal with their children, put those who habitually break laws and commit serious crimes on land where they can learn to support themselves, learn to be a honest citizen, earn skills needed by world employers, and have stronger determination to become legal, or deport them when their criminal time is up.

If health reform is going to work, we must be honest and see what groups are causing the cost of health care to sky-rocket: the poor, the immigrants, and the elderly. The poor need to have better training (their schools, their faith-based centers, etc.) on health prevention. This group should then be rewarded with a health card where they have a small deductible, a lifetime cap, and receive more training on health care, cleanliness, and health/wellness/nutrition development. This group could then be rewarded with their lifetime cap being raised, and annual total health care check-ups for a small amount.

The poor, including immigrants, who do not maintain and improve their health care, will be penalized with longer waits at health clinics, higher shared-cost fees, and a lower lifetime health care cap. If they work, their employer should deduct more of their check for health care and Social Security so when they have such needs, they have already paid something into the health care coverage.

The elderly who probably consume over 2/3 of the health care costs in this country will have three options:
1) those unable to work and currently who do not have funds to maintain and/or improve their health will be placed in larger health care centers with limited staff and allowed to die gracefully, instead of being maintained in a vegetable-like state;
2) those able to work will pay into a health care fund restricted for those with the same disease or disability and given an opportunity to learn how to improve their health and allowed to die gracefully without prolonging their agony; and
3) those able to work and willing to be trained as part-time health caretakers for the elderly, will also pay into a health care fund for their age group and health care challenge, but will have access to better health care by those training to become doctors, nurses, and other health professionals.

The government could also insist (or make it a law) that those who are over 40 make better preparations for their future health needs by having them pay a higher premium for their age group and health care challenge so as their health care needs arise, funds are there to cover the costs. Employers will also be required to donate and withhold a higher amount to cover future longevity and longer health care needs. The government will also need to cut prison care about 2/3 so that prisoners do not get better health care and nutrition than the honest citizens who do not have funds to have such help as prisoners. When short-sighted judges sue cities, counties, states, and other judicial groups for NOT providing ample space, ample beds, and “reasonable” benefits for prisoners, they should be impeached for acting against the rights of non-criminals.

All citizens should be trained in health care, wellness, nutrition, and given health credit cards to cover their health care needs as they arise from accidents or a sudden onset of a disease. As citizens are trained in taking better care of themselves, they will have fewer health aliments, and will have the means to improve and maintain their health as long as they are productive. Those citizens who are no longer productive (sharing history, giving wisdom insights, teaching about gardening, etc.) should be allowed to die gracefully without extra drugs or special care when it is determined that they will not regain enough health to become as productive as they would like.

I realize that the above may sound harsh, but we are now living in harsh times. Strong people are needed to make strong decisions if America is going to get a handle on the health care costs in this nation. Employers will have to pay more of the costs of health care since people are living longer and short-sighted planning did not send enough funds ahead to take care of the future needs. Medical professionals will have to adjust their lifestyles and expect to make less to help during the transition. If the millions of immigrants were not given jobs from native-born citizens, native-born citizens could have good jobs to pay for increased health care. However, native-born citizens would also have to be trained in health prevention and in ways to maintain their health. If they refuse, their card should be a red card and they will be given the opportunity to pay more for their health care since they did little to prevent their health from doing downhill!