You and I. We're not invited. As consumers or voters.
Oh sure, we, healthcare consumers and voters, are invited to sit back and watch. But we're neither invited nor allowed to participate in the conversations with the decision-makers.
The recent White House Summit on Healthcare Reform held in March invited all the experts who have built the current system or allowed it to persist. Each of these have vested interests, careers and incomes, attached to the current system.
Asking these same people to correct the system which they've allowed to be perpetuated on us is like asking your IT guys to change their processes that generate their bonuses and salaries, perks and favors.
And to his credit, President Obama has held townhall type meetings with voters with some open Q & A. For stagecraft, this was excellent. But those meetings were few in number, limited in duration and allowed questions to be asked, answers to be given and concerns forgotten in the face of the daily influence of those who've created our healthcare system.
Oh, sure. We can call our representatives. Some will even listen genuinely. The highest percentage would be the recent arrivals, the first-termers.
But when the healthcare industry can spend $1.3 million...per DAY...or roughly $20,000 per day per member of Congress, to lobby just our representatives in Washington...it won't be long before we're not invited and their listening becomes nothing more than a nod to us and a wink to their donors.
And in all fairness, would you vote against the hand that feeds you $20,000 a day in dinners, receptions, donations, pre-packaged stances, talking points, and more?
Oh. Those numbers are from 2008. Healthcare industry lobbying budgets are up over 40% this year.
Do you have an extra 40% in your budget to lobby congress? No? Oh, wait, we're paying for that increase in lobbying efforts with our higher premiums and higher pharmacy costs and higher co-pays or no-co-pays.
One of the fundamentals of growing a brand, building customer loyalty, generating word-of-mouth, lowering costs, delivering what's needed, innovating and marketing is...ask your customers.
The healthcare industry has asked their customers. It's Congress, they've asked. And it's each other they've asked. Their products, solutions, service are directed there, not here for us. That's the conversation they all are having. And we're not invited to that one.
But that doesn't make us victims. We have to find other forums to have our conversation and to force change that meets our needs. Fortunately, with social media we can have them.
Oh sure, we, healthcare consumers and voters, are invited to sit back and watch. But we're neither invited nor allowed to participate in the conversations with the decision-makers.
The recent White House Summit on Healthcare Reform held in March invited all the experts who have built the current system or allowed it to persist. Each of these have vested interests, careers and incomes, attached to the current system.
Asking these same people to correct the system which they've allowed to be perpetuated on us is like asking your IT guys to change their processes that generate their bonuses and salaries, perks and favors.
And to his credit, President Obama has held townhall type meetings with voters with some open Q & A. For stagecraft, this was excellent. But those meetings were few in number, limited in duration and allowed questions to be asked, answers to be given and concerns forgotten in the face of the daily influence of those who've created our healthcare system.
Oh, sure. We can call our representatives. Some will even listen genuinely. The highest percentage would be the recent arrivals, the first-termers.
But when the healthcare industry can spend $1.3 million...per DAY...or roughly $20,000 per day per member of Congress, to lobby just our representatives in Washington...it won't be long before we're not invited and their listening becomes nothing more than a nod to us and a wink to their donors.
And in all fairness, would you vote against the hand that feeds you $20,000 a day in dinners, receptions, donations, pre-packaged stances, talking points, and more?
Oh. Those numbers are from 2008. Healthcare industry lobbying budgets are up over 40% this year.
Do you have an extra 40% in your budget to lobby congress? No? Oh, wait, we're paying for that increase in lobbying efforts with our higher premiums and higher pharmacy costs and higher co-pays or no-co-pays.
One of the fundamentals of growing a brand, building customer loyalty, generating word-of-mouth, lowering costs, delivering what's needed, innovating and marketing is...ask your customers.
The healthcare industry has asked their customers. It's Congress, they've asked. And it's each other they've asked. Their products, solutions, service are directed there, not here for us. That's the conversation they all are having. And we're not invited to that one.
But that doesn't make us victims. We have to find other forums to have our conversation and to force change that meets our needs. Fortunately, with social media we can have them.
Yes, it is time that the producers and providers of health care and the patients are speaking up before you end up in a nightmare with headaches that comes with socialized medicine and an over regulated health care system.
The good thing is that you have individuals and organizations that have rational ideas, arguments and solutions for this industry. It is time to understand that health care is valuable and has a price that you have to pay based on the trader principle.
I recommend you to check out the following sites:
The microsite ARC on health care at The Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights. http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=media_topic_healthcare
Americans for Free Choice in Medicine. http://afcm.org/
Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine. http://westandfirm.org/
For your information and full disclosure: I am located in Sweden at the moment and I have plenty of experience and knowledge of how the health care system is (not) working... My father is a retired dermatologist and my mother is a retired doctor's assistant.
Posted by: Martin Lindeskog | July 21, 2009 at 09:11 PM