TALK: Our Health Care Crisis and What Can Be Done About It
Is the American Health Care system broken?
Why is it hard to find a primary care physician? Why do you have to wait weeks to get an appointment? Why do you get sent to an urgent care clinic or the ER when you are sick instead of seeing your primary care physician?
Why are infant mortality rates and maternal mortality rates significantly higher in the US than in Canada or other wealthy countries? (Canada 3.74, New York State 4.1, Cortland County 8.5, Cayuga County 8.6, Tompkins County 6.0 –2024 or 2025)
The United States spends nearly twice what Canada and Europe and other wealthy countries spend per capita on health care–$14,800 in the US vs $7000-$9000 in Canada and Europe. And in those countries all citizens have comprehensive health care, including long term care. And in spite of the high cost of health care in the United States, we have shorter life expectancy.
Why do all citizens in every other wealthy country have access to health care but in the US, 27 million Americans do not have health insurance? The high cost of health insurance with high deductibles, high copays and out-of-network costs leave millions of Americans in debt and hesitant to use health care. Medical debt is a leading cause of bankruptcy in the US– 62% of consumer bankruptcy.
Dozens of hospitals in rural Upstate New York are at risk of closing. Medicaid and Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals are at rates that are not sufficient to keep rural hospitals open and draw doctors to practice. Rural hospitals with more uninsured patients provide care for which they are not reimbursed. Many rural New York hospitals have closed or are closing some services. Cayuga Medical Center no longer admits children. Children who require hospitalization are sent to Syracuse or Rochester.
And why is doctor burn-out increasing. Young doctors are not going into primary care and experienced doctors are leaving practice.
And, why do we pay 2 to 4 times as much for medications in the US than in Canada?
Our current health care system is making it difficult for people to access health care, making it hard for rural hospitals and clinics to stay financially solvent, causing health care providers to feel burned out and leaving rural areas especially without sufficient doctors and nurses. Other countries provide health care to everyone and have solved many of the problems we have. The New York Health Act (NYHA) is a bill in the NY State Assembly and Senate that if passed would provide high quality, comprehensive health care for all NY citizens for less cost and would remove many of the barriers to care. If you would like to learn more about the NYHA, come join us for a discussion.
Join us for a Public Information/Talk on Weds April 8th at 5:30pm with Susan Beckley & Marguerite Uphoff MD.
Marguerite Uphoff, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.P. brief bio
I am a retired pediatrician. I graduated from the University of Minnesota and Minnesota Medical school in 1966. I did pediatric residency training at Stanford University Medical Center, at Korle Bu hospital in Ghana, and at Children’s Hospital in Oakland California and Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. And, I did a masters in Public Health at the University of California in Berkley.
In 1971, I joined Dr. C. Philip Meyer in pediatric practice in Ithaca. Together we built up Northeast Pediatrics Practice. In addition to pediatric practice, I was school physician for the Ithaca and Lansing school districts from the mid 1990’s until I retired in 2021.
I am concerned about how difficult it has become for ordinary Americans to access good health care. American health care has become increasingly corporatized over the past twenty years. The goal of making money for investors by managing health care does not align with our community’s need for health care. Our health care system is in crisis. Universal health care, comprehensive health care for all as written in the New York Health Act is the best possibility of saving and improving health care for patients and for the practitioners who provide health care.
Susan Beckley is a small business manager. Currently she is doing the administrative work for two local manufacturing companies, a landlord and a General Construction contractor. These and the additional businesses she has managed over the past 30 years have each had none or less than 10 employees and had not provided health insurance. Having also managed a physician’s practice, becoming a medical billing specialist and a medical billing coder. She is comfortable addressing health care needs not only from the economic standpoint of employers, employees and providers but also for the economic and healthcare coverage needs of patients and the general population. Ms. Beckley has been giving informational Power Point presentations since 2017 on the NY Health Act. This current legislation would provide universal health care coverage for all NY state residents, based upon ability to pay. If enacted, this comprehensive coverage would affect all NY state residents regardless of age, ability to pay or job status. Her presentation includes explanations of what the NY Health is and is not, the extent of coverage, and how the cost would impact all residents in the state. It is important for all of us to become familiar with this legislation, which has passed the NYS Assembly 4 years in a row and by over a 2 to 1 margin in 2017 and 2018. The bill currently is endorsed by over 50% of the State’s Senators and Assembly members. With a passing vote in the Senate Health Committee the bill would come out for a floor vote. With Senate and Assembly passage, the bill would then go to the Governor’s desk for signing. Information about this bill is too significant a factor in every NY state resident’s daily lives to lack information about it.
