A Chiropractor ' s View On Health Care Reform

A Chiropractor ' s View On Health Care Reform

Freedom of Choice
Dr. Mark Lewis, DC
Speech at Tea Party Calamity - - Lakewood Ranch Florida
June 28th 2009
Hello, my name is Dr. Mark Lewis. I am a Chiropractic Physician and Owner of HealthSource Chiropractic Clinic on State Road 70 in Bradenton. I am not a paid speaker for a healthcare interestedness group, political organization or house. I am here to express my fathomless concerns for the proposed healthcare reform as a physician, father and citizen. Much of the debate in Washington fails to directions the underlying causes of our healthcare circumstance and this absence of political leadership threatens to broke our nation.
Let’s talk about healthcare
A recent CNN Poll stated that at numero uno 8 out of 10 Americans are happy with the quality of healthcare and their insurance. However, when asked about the cost of healthcare, 75 % of Americans observe that they pay too much. This enjoyment is mutual by many businesses owners, with healthcare costs becoming one of the fastest growing drains on profitability. I read that 23 % of American companies recently cut 401K benefit - - is healthcare next? What are we to do when all we can minister is a plan with a $5000 dollar deductible and are forced to pay ever rising premiums? What I see in my practice is that patients are forced to put off much needed care until their predication becomes unbearable and more invaluable to treat.
I find that it’s easier to put out the small fires, instead of a raging luminosity.
Currently we spend 2. 2 trillion annually on healthcare or 16 cents on every dollar. This is $7, 400 per person, which is more than double that paid by any other country in the world. Our national health expenditures are rising four times faster than spread and are expected to skyrocket as baby - boomers age.
Complicating matters even further, we don’t have the healthcare professionals needed to meet future demands. Medical and nursing schools are not graduating even close to the numbers needed to meet current and future requirements. The credit episode has forced hospitals to cut support staff and do more with less to contain costs. We must become more efficient in the delivery of healthcare in this country.
As we learned in Massachusetts, having the government take over a profit - obstinate and highly inflationary system without making needful changes to improve efficiency is a catastrophe and will indigent our nation!!!
So why do we spend so much on healthcare in America?
Healthcare in this country has zip to do with “Health, ” reasonably it is a profit - unwavering system of “Sick” care adequate corporate executive and shareholders at the rate of patients and ethical hard working doctors. Insurance companies are also wielding greater influence over medical the call making that ever before, resulting in an increase in paperwork and a decline in positive outcomes. Life long symptom management of disease is far more profitable for the pharmaceutical industry than focusing on prevention and comprehensive wellness care. If you have a toothache and curtain the pain with medication, you still have a mouldy tooth. Your choices are to either deal with the mess today or wait until it is too far gone and has to be pulled.
As a chiropractor I choose to put out the fire when it is still small using conservative care and patient education.
There has been much talk of the evils of rationed care and socialized medicine. Well, let me tell you that your care is extant being rationed by the Insurance industry. A number of anti - competitive barriers have been erected that only serve to limit patient access to more cost effective health care options – twin chiropractic.
As far back as 1992, a review of 22 scientific studies washed-up that:
“By every appraisal of cost and effectiveness, the general weight of evidence shows chiropractic to hand over important therapeutic benefit at economical costs. ”
Yet in my practice, I see many patients that are recurrently allowed an insufficient number of visits or modalities to appropriately address their disagreement. Many lab tests that use to identify early signs of disease are seldom covered, which presently steers patients away from preventative care and into our current high - cost system of sick care. How many times have you heard that Aunt Sally has a number of examination run, but they couldn’t find portion and sent her home? Often, the doctors were limited by the insurance company to do what was tailor-made and didn’t have enough data to make a diagnosis. The end product is Aunt Sally’s factor was allowed to get much worse and then requires serviceable drug therapy, a hospital stay and maybe surgery. This practices only drive up the cost of care and results in higher insurance premiums and deductible. Good insurance has aught to do with good healthcare.
Many claim that they don’t want socialized medicine, yet it’s existent here and is called Medicare. For my patients, Medicare may pay for the reconciliation, but not the exam and mouth-to-mouth - rays required to make a diagnosis. The Medicare patient repeatedly has to pay out of pocket for these services, as their lesser or supplemental repeatedly has a high deductible that has to be met first. This is an anti - competitive barrier to care that limits patient choice. I am fortunate that many of my patients equivalent the care they receive in my office and gladly pay for non covered services. I can only reward that our elected officials help to dispatch these barriers that limit patient choice.
I am continually antsy that we allow this system to go on. However, the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies are some of the most powerful in the nation; generously contribute to members of both parties. This influences legislation and the actions of government agencies parallel the FDA, perpetuating a system that is favorable to corporations and not patients, while our healthcare costs push on to rise. The pharmaceutical industry also recurrently uses financial pressure on researchers, medical journals and the mainstream media to report positive outcomes and dissemble negative results.
When was the last time you counted the number of drug ads on TV, you know, the ones that have longer disclaimers than content!!! America is the only country other than New Zealand that allows this sympathetic of advertising.
The pharmaceutical industry is among the most profitable in the world. Last year alone the ten top companies earned a staggering 230 billion, more than the GDP of many small nations. These companies spend 33 % of those earnings on marketing and only 13 % on research and development. This business strategy has proven to be strikingly strong, since America consumes over 50 % of the drugs produces, yet we are less than 5 % of the World population. Positively we have a drug habit and pay 30 % - 40 % more for our fix at home than others pay abroad. Many Americans now take 3 or more medications daily, with usage increasing 89 % since 2000.
What neighborly of message do we send to our children when we tell them to Answer NO to DRUGS, but much act as if relief to our symptoms is only a admit away!!!
Many drugs designed to manage the symptoms of disease, treat to effect the corresponding problem they were designed to prevent. The late Tim Russert is a perfect example. He was on a number of medications to control his blood fear and cholesterol to prevent a heart volley. He then died from? - - A Enormous Heart Drive. Many of these drugs were created for a short - term use and function sick as a long term treatment of chronic disease.
The Chronicle of the American Medical Bunch reports that the fourth leading generate of death in the US is from FDA approved drugs and these numbers stick to to make it.
Part of the dilemma may be drug interactions and sick of hospital bludgeon. Despite a 10 year stretch to restriction medical errors, they uphold to anguish the healthcare system. Many caress that errors are much higher than reported as there is quiet no centralized tracking system.
After all that we spend on Healthcare, are we any Healthier?
The daily American lives 78 years. This number has dropped from 11th Hamlet two decades ago to 42nd compared to other nations.
One in four Americans now has heart disease and one in three has high blood hardship, with cardiovascular disease continues to be our #1 killer.
The incidence of cancer is expected to increase by 45 % over the next 20, as our scepter ages and supplementary add to the overall cost of healthcare.
Obesity has now overtaken being plainly being portly, with 34 % of Americans witting obese and larger 33 % as fat. This is 2 / 3rds of our country.
23 million children are chubby and obese, with many being diagnosed with adult beginning diseases, equaling diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. This may be the first genesis not to remain their parents.
Many feel that we are winning the bloodshed on terror, but loosing the battle of the ahead.
At a recent Institute of Medicine summit in Washington, Senator Tom Harkin uttered:
“It’s not enough to talk about how to extend insurance coverage. It makes no sense to try and figure out how to pay for a system that is unsuccessful and unsustainable. If we pass healthcare reform without infrastructure for health, wellness and prevention, we will have failed America. ”
I take a comprehensive approach to treating patients. As a chiropractor, I specialize in treating snog, back and joint pain. I also incorporate clinical nutrition and dietary recommendations into my care plans and have had much success in treating patients with digestive problems, chronic weariness, fibromyalgia, gout, thyroid problems and more. As a primary care physician, I have a duty to spot a disease process early and either treat or mention to the appurtenant specialized. There is much that can be done for a patient suffering from chronic disorder by tidily changing their diet, recommending the germane supplements and empowering patients to make the proper lifestyle choices. I have yet to recognize a deficiency in Lipitor, but often see patients deficient in B - Vitamins, Minerals, and the body’s basic building blocks.
Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine spoken,
“Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food. ”
We must take personal power for our own health and that of our families.
This means that we must make better choices allied as:
Exercising repeatedly at virgin 3 - 4 times per week; limiting our intake of fried foods, filtered foods, hoary flour and sugar; eating 6 - 8 servings of fresh vegetables and fruit daily; taking supplements; drinking at leading 2 liters of pure water daily.
Unfortunately our culture makes this strikingly difficult and much of the work has to be done by the patient in between office visits. Many of us take better care of our cars that we do our own folk and spines.
Let us all commit to making healthier choices as a nation, which costs us very little.
Let us demand that our officials craft a plan that serves the people quite the corporate bank account, ensuring efficiency and cost effective delivery of true Health Care.
Let us create an environment that lets physicians to be doctors also.
Dr. Benjamin Rush, a jingo, battle paladin and signer of the determination of independence wrote over 250 years ago:
“Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine will systematize itself into an hermetical dictatorship. To restrict the art of healing to one class of men and deny equal privileges to others…are un - American and despotic.