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Obama's Health Care Reformist
Obama's Health Care Reformist
'This Week' Spotlight: Obama Health Care Reform Adviser Ezekiel Emanuel Dishes About His Love of Baking, His Brother Rahm's Political Savvy and What Scares Him the Most About The Health Care Reform Effort
By Jennifer Parker | ABCNews.com
Dr. Ezekiel "Zeke" Emanuel, special health adviser to the president's budget director, has emerged as a key behind-the-scenes player for what could be the biggest overhaul of the nation's health care system in the past two decades.
With lawmakers working in earnest this week to craft health care legislation, Emanuel admits he often thinks about what could go wrong.
"What scares me is we get it wrong and we don't create something that's going to be sustainable, that has some major defects in it," Emanuel said recently in an exclusive interview with ABC News. "Establishing an exchange that is unstable, creating a more Byzantine bureaucracy, not actually ending up getting costs under control and just fueling health care inflation. Those things would be disastrous."
Even worse, Emanuel said, would be to do nothing about a health care system he calls 'unsustainable" and "really, really dangerous."
Eldest Emanuel Brother Steps Into Spotlight
Emanuel is the eldest brother of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, 49, and Hollywood talent agent Ari Emanuel,48, no strangers to the media spotlight.
But when Zeke Emanuel, 51, was tapped by the Obama administration to be special health adviser to budget director Peter Orszag in February, the renowned medical ethicist, oncologist and policy wonk became the go-to guy for stakeholders who want a say in the Obama administration's effort to reform the nation's health care system. Read more.
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the people who actually are the most important element of this equation.
Reading and hearing the rethoric coming from Corporate America's spokesmen, or people who like to tell their side of what they say, not realizing that everything has two sides, two meanings.
I offer you a simple, verifiable, example of what the MAIN difference between private insurance plans, and single payer health plans.
First let's put a few myths to rest. They're simple rethoric by Corporate America's healthcare providers. 1. you do not have to change doctors, pharmacy's, hospitals and other care facilaties. Most participate in our single payer system already. But, most cosmetic, and many other care doctors and care facilates have CHOSEN themselves, not to participate in the single payer program. Those people who can afford and have CHOSEN to pay the for a private care insurance plan, can keep right on doing so.
If our elected officials had to purchase their own insurance coverages, like the public is required to do, I'm sure they would tell Corporate America to go fly a kite, and take all their expenses with them. Especially when mthey realize that those costs don't offer any direct healthcare what-so-ever. It's all profit for Corporate America.
The actual example now: My healthcare insurance costs me about $800.00 a month. For my wife and I thru her employer.
We have prescription drug insurance thru Caremark.
July 1st,2009, I will be participating in medicare, medicaid plans. My monthly preminum will now be $96.40 a month, wich encludes my prescription drugs. My wife's insurance thru her employer will drop drastically, less than $500.00 a month.
I refilled two of my prescribed medications this week. Plavix, heart medicine, Novalog, insulin for diabetes. Their cost: after my insurance paid their normal 80%.
Plavix, 30 day supply, my cost $44.07. Insulin for 30 day supply, $58.13. A total of $102.20, my cost, with insurance.
Under my new insurance plan as of 1 July, 2009, Plavix $7.50, Insulin $7.50. A total of $15.00 for both. A savings of $87.20 month. These are real world savings. I have not had to change a single doctor, a single hospital, or single healthcare provider. The only change has been money savings healthcare. Not a lack of care, not wholsale changes to my doctors and hospitals. Nothing that Corporate America is trying to convence you that will result from a single payer system. My only change has been my cost,and my savings. No more windfall profits for Corporate America, and some of our elected officials.
You will receive the benefits of negociations for drug cost, doctor care, hospital care, and without the middle man costs going to Corporate America!!!