SIMEDICMX

Archive for October, 2010

Throughout the historic 2008 presidential campaign, much attention has been given to the personalities of the candidates. Many know that John McCain survived a horrific ordeal as a POW in Vietnam. Many know that Obama was raised by a single mother in Hawaii, who sometimes had to go on welfare to support her children. And many are now aware of Sarah Palin’s pregnant teenage daughter and the death of Joe Biden’s wife in an automobile crash over 30 years ago.

However, if you ask many supporters of Obama or McCain, very few can tell you where their candidates stand on such issues as health care. Consequently, 45 million Americans live without adequate health care.

Both presidential candidates plan to guarantee health care for all Americans.

”We now face an opportunity-and an obligation-to turn the page on the failed politics of yesterday’s health care debates…My plan begins by covering every American,” said Obama in 2007. “If you already have health insurance, the only thing that will change for you under this plan is the amount of money you will spend on premiums. That will be less. If you are one of the 45 million Americans who don’t have health insurance, you will have it after this plan becomes law. No one will be turned away because of a preexisting condition or illness.”

Obama believes not enough money is spent on prevention and public health, citing the obesity epidemic in this country. According to his website, less than four cents of every medical dollar is spent on prevention. His health plan will provide subsidies for working families that do not qualify for Medicaid and Medicare and allow participants to move to different jobs without changing plans.

McCain wants to put the patients in control of their health care plan by encouraging competition among insurance companies with a greater variety, lower costs and like Obama portability of insurance plans. The Arizona senator will allow citizens to remain with their company’s insurance but will give every family a direct refundable tax credit totaling $5,000 and $2,500 for individuals to offset the high cost of health care. He is also encouraging health savings accounts, which would allow families to control what options they pay for.

Senator Obama’s plan would create a National Health Insurance Exchange, which would act as a watchdog group by implementing rules and standards for insurance companies to guarantee fairness and accessibility.

The GOP hopeful will attempt to encourage greater competition within our drug market through a quicker development of generic prescription drugs. The Democratic nominee plans to allow Americans to buy their meds from other developed countries if the prices are lower outside the country. He will increase the use of generic medicine in Medicare and Medicaid and stop big drug companies from prohibiting generic drugs in the marketplace.

Both candidates favor utilizing technological advancements to assist doctors in their daily operations. In addition, both favor reforming insurance to prevent frivolous lawsuits against doctors. And Obama favors mandatory health care coverage for children, allowing young Americans coverage under their parents’ insurance until age 25.

Whether you are Democrat or Republican, young or old, rich or poor, issues such as health care are life or death situation for many Americans. And unlike other publications Regal Magazine will dedicate the next two months to covering the issues that are most important to all Americans, not the issues that will have no affect on providing a better future for Americans.

There are about 45 millions of Americans who does not have health insurance and it is due to the rising costs of health care.  According to the national coalition for health care, “In 2007 the total national health expenditures were expected to rise 6.9 percent — two times the rate of inflation. Total spending was $2.3 TRILLION in 2007, or $7600 per person. Total health care spending represented 16 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP)”.

I suggest you to search for the movie Sicko from Michel Moore on your local video store and you will see how health care insurance companies think about their customers, and you will see why you don’t have the finest health care system in the world  as president Nixon said.

But some years ago something came up, something that started to care about those millions of Americans who needed surgical procedures that were not available because of the high costs or the long wait times.  Something that even can make a reality the dream to have plastic surgery.

Medical tourism is traveling to another country to get medical treatment, and the main reason for people to go overseas for health care is the cost, but there are other reasons like the shorter wait times to get attention on the procedures you may need and the top notch medical facilities and expertise of doctors in countries like India, Thailand and Colombia.

Many doctors and so called specialist says that traveling outside the United States in search for health care involves a lot of risks, but I think that is more risky to try to get health care in a country where almost 15% of his population can’t get access to health insurance just because it prohibitive costs.  Don’t misunderstand me, I think America is a great country one of the bests in the world, but hey about health care America got the 37th place just above Slovenia.