Film provides courageous insight and humane solutions as Americans and lawmakers join together to discuss the failing and tragic US health care system.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
8 January 2009
PRESS CONTACTS:
David Wierhake, Public Relations Coordinator, hchp@live.com
Karen Green Stone, Education Committee Chair, rstone@hchp.info
Website: www.ourailinghealthcare.com
Secretary of Heath and Human Services Tom Daschle recently pledged to work with lawmakers of both parties in a grass roots, ideology-free campaign to revamp the nation’s struggling health care system, “We will be guided by evidence and effectiveness, not by ideology.”
“When it comes to health care, we really are in it together,” Mr. Daschle said, adding that to do nothing — or too little — about the spiraling costs of health care, the growing legions of the uninsured and substandard medical treatment in some areas is simply unacceptable. —Source: NYTimes.com 08 Jan 09
Struggling? In reality, our health care system is beyond struggling, beyond broken, and beyond sick. It’s dumb! And, it’s unacceptable! We spend more than twice as much per capita than most developed countries, the taxpayer is already paying for 60% of the total bill, and, by any measure of public health, our results are poor. Driven by technology and fear of liability, physicians order tests and treatments without regard for cost. Patients and families embrace unreasonable expectations. Drug companies successfully market expensive drugs that, at best, are marginally more effective than less expensive, older ones. As our primary care providers continue to disappear, increasing fragmentation of care, costs will rise and outcomes will worsen. Most significantly, the insurance industry adds nothing to “health” and greatly to total cost, which is increasingly a burden to our economy and threat to the financial solvency of our government. What’s more, our State government are having to divert money to health care from education, infrastructure and protecting the environment, all of which may have more impact on the health of our society than access to a doctor.
Achieving “Universal Access”, which is a moral imperative, without focusing on controling cost is a prescription for disaster.
There are many lawmakers in powerful positions who understand this, but cower to the “political wisdom” that people don’t want single payer and the lobbyists will defeat them in the next round of elections if they speak their truth. WE need to educate the public and educate our politicians so they will show real leadership to transform our health care system in a postive manner.
Our health care system should be more about health and less about money. Instead of chaos, driven by profits, Somebody needs to be in charge of making sure we are getting the most health and the least suffering for our public health care dollars.
About Dr. Paul Hochfeld, M.D.: Physician and Filmmaker
After receiving a B.S. and M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT, Dr. Hochfeld’s interest turned away from neurophysiology research and to enrollment in University of California San Diego School of Medicine. Upon graduation, he embarked on a Family Practice Residency, but left prematurely for a variety of reasons.
In 1979, he moved to Corvallis, Oregon, working at an Emergency Room position at Good Samaritan Hospital (GSH). Board certified in Emergency Medicine, he has been Physician Director of the Emergency Department, President of Mary’s Peak Emergency Physicians as well as Chairman of GSH’s Peer Review Committee and Physician Advisor to the Corvallis Fire Department Ambulance Service. —Source: Film’s Website www.ourailinghealthcare.com
“HEALTH, MONEY, FEAR: A FILM ABOUT OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM“
HCHP MONTHLY MEETING and FILM SCREENING
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 5:30PM
MONROE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY AUDITORIUM
HCHP Sponsors Free Screening of “Health, Money, Fear: A Film About Our Health Care System” by Dr. Paul Hochfeld, M.D., at MCPL
Film provides courageous insight and humane solutions as Americans and lawmakers join together to discuss the failing and tragic US health care system.
