BUSINESS and labor, consumers and insurers, churches and civil rights organizations, social workers and nurses: We are a diverse coalition of organizations that have differing perspectives on the best ways to reform health care. Yet we are united in our belief that doing nothing is no longer an option.
BUSINESS and labor, consumers and insurers, churches and civil rights organizations, social workers and nurses: We are a diverse coalition of organizations that have differing perspectives on the best ways to reform health care. Yet we are united in our belief that doing nothing is no longer an option.
This Saturday, hundreds of us will march to the Capitol to call on our state policymakers to pass laws and fund programs to assure that every West Virginian has access to quality, affordable health care. We'll gather at Health Right on Washington Street at 10 a.m. and conclude with a rally and speakers on the Capitol plaza starting at noon. Our event is one of many across the nation during the annual "Cover the Uninsured Week," a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The rally is about people's immediate needs, as well as long-term policy. Working families that meet the income guidelines will be able to enroll uninsured children in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Adults who have been denied private health insurance due to pre-existing conditions will be able to enroll in AccessWV, the state's high-risk pool. Small businesses can get information about health plans through Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield.
As important as these programs are, they are not enough. Every week, four West Virginians, on average, die from conditions that could have been treated if they had health insurance. The rally is an opportunity for West Virginians to call for solutions to the problems of people who are uninsured, who lack adequate insurance, or who are at risk of becoming uninsured as costs rise to unsustainable levels.
We have all talked about the need to control costs and expand coverage for more than a decade, and now is the time for us to act. There is growing consensus on several important health-care reform initiatives:
Provide health plans to as many people as possible as quickly as we can. We should conduct active outreach to enroll people in existing programs, like CHIP and AccessWV, as well as expand public and private initiatives to bring more people under the insured umbrella.
Improve care and control costs for chronic diseases, which now consume 75 percent of health-care dollars and cost businesses billions in terms of lost productivity. We need a team approach, including doctors, nurse practitioners, dieticians, etc., to help patients better manage their chronic illnesses. A patient-centered medical home moves away from just treating an acute illness to improving the health status of West Virginians.
Invest in health information technology. Technology that we have come to expect in our banking and financial institutions - even in car rentals - is lacking in our health-care system. Electronic medical records will allow physicians and nurses to track our illnesses effectively and prompt doctors to schedule preventive screens when they are overdue. Technology will also allow us to end handwritten prescriptions as physicians send prescriptions to your pharmacy electronically.
Increase the number of primary care physicians and nurses in rural areas. West Virginia needs to provide greater loan forgiveness programs for primary care physicians, physician assistants, nurses and nurse practitioners who are willing to stay and practice in our state, particularly in rural communities.
Be good stewards of our own health. We can eat wisely and exercise more. We should expect the Department of Transportation to fill potholes and to make our cities and rural areas walkable and rideable. We can ask our schools to get rid of soft drinks. We can complete advance directives (living wills and medical power of attorney) and discuss our wishes for end-of-life care with our families and physicians. We should not blindly believe advertisements that promote newer brand name drugs over older generic drugs. (See the Rx Help page at www.
wvahc.org for sound information on which drugs are the most effective and safest for treating diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, etc.)
Finally, we need to listen to each other about what we value in health care, about what we want for our families and our neighbors. We need to educate ourselves about potential solutions, weigh the trade-offs and find common ground for action. Come and join us Saturday for the Within Our Reach: Health Care for All rally as we work together to build the political will to create an affordable health-care system that serves everyone.
Bryant is executive director of West Virginians for Affordable Health Care.
BUSINESS and labor, consumers and insurers, churches and civil rights organizations, social workers and nurses: We are a diverse coalition of organizations that have differing perspectives on the best ways to reform health care. Yet we are united in our belief that doing nothing is no longer an option.
This Saturday, hundreds of us will march to the Capitol to call on our state policymakers to pass laws and fund programs to assure that every West Virginian has access to quality, affordable health care. We'll gather at Health Right on Washington Street at 10 a.m. and conclude with a rally and speakers on the Capitol plaza starting at noon. Our event is one of many across the nation during the annual "Cover the Uninsured Week," a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The rally is about people's immediate needs, as well as long-term policy. Working families that meet the income guidelines will be able to enroll uninsured children in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Adults who have been denied private health insurance due to pre-existing conditions will be able to enroll in AccessWV, the state's high-risk pool. Small businesses can get information about health plans through Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield.
As important as these programs are, they are not enough. Every week, four West Virginians, on average, die from conditions that could have been treated if they had health insurance. The rally is an opportunity for West Virginians to call for solutions to the problems of people who are uninsured, who lack adequate insurance, or who are at risk of becoming uninsured as costs rise to unsustainable levels.
We have all talked about the need to control costs and expand coverage for more than a decade, and now is the time for us to act. There is growing consensus on several important health-care reform initiatives:
Provide health plans to as many people as possible as quickly as we can. We should conduct active outreach to enroll people in existing programs, like CHIP and AccessWV, as well as expand public and private initiatives to bring more people under the insured umbrella.
Improve care and control costs for chronic diseases, which now consume 75 percent of health-care dollars and cost businesses billions in terms of lost productivity. We need a team approach, including doctors, nurse practitioners, dieticians, etc., to help patients better manage their chronic illnesses. A patient-centered medical home moves away from just treating an acute illness to improving the health status of West Virginians.
Invest in health information technology. Technology that we have come to expect in our banking and financial institutions - even in car rentals - is lacking in our health-care system. Electronic medical records will allow physicians and nurses to track our illnesses effectively and prompt doctors to schedule preventive screens when they are overdue. Technology will also allow us to end handwritten prescriptions as physicians send prescriptions to your pharmacy electronically.
Increase the number of primary care physicians and nurses in rural areas. West Virginia needs to provide greater loan forgiveness programs for primary care physicians, physician assistants, nurses and nurse practitioners who are willing to stay and practice in our state, particularly in rural communities.
Be good stewards of our own health. We can eat wisely and exercise more. We should expect the Department of Transportation to fill potholes and to make our cities and rural areas walkable and rideable. We can ask our schools to get rid of soft drinks. We can complete advance directives (living wills and medical power of attorney) and discuss our wishes for end-of-life care with our families and physicians. We should not blindly believe advertisements that promote newer brand name drugs over older generic drugs. (See the Rx Help page at www.
wvahc.org for sound information on which drugs are the most effective and safest for treating diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, etc.)
Finally, we need to listen to each other about what we value in health care, about what we want for our families and our neighbors. We need to educate ourselves about potential solutions, weigh the trade-offs and find common ground for action. Come and join us Saturday for the Within Our Reach: Health Care for All rally as we work together to build the political will to create an affordable health-care system that serves everyone.
Bryant is executive director of West Virginians for Affordable Health Care.
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