Healthcare Reform

In a recent informal poll of health insurance, human resource and other business executives, the question was asked: “Does Washington understand the difference between health insurance and health care?”  Every one of the more than 50 respondents said no…every single one.

A close look at the debate reveals that it isn’t about health care. It is about the accessibility of medical care for the millions of Americans without insurance and the increasing numbers of those for whom medical care is unaffordable even with health insurance.  A recent report published in the American Medical Journal shows that almost 2/3 of personal bankruptcies filed in the US have medical debt as a major component.  More than 70% of those people have health insurance.   

For the medical system and the fiscal infrastructure that supports to find real reform bringing care within the financial reach of patients, the first step is to stop searching for “the” answer to “the” problem as if one of each will bring resolution. The problems are myriad. 

The healthcare debate is, at its core, about three key elements: quality, accessibility and affordability.

Quality

Earlier this year, the Deloitte Center for Health Studies reported that an astounding 80% of Americans give our health care system a grade of C or lower.  The World Health Organization a few years ago ranked US medical care 39th in the world.  The current system, which is procedure rather than outcome oriented, has few incentives for outcome or result.  A 2009 survey conducted by the Miller Chevalier and the American Benefits Council included this comment on the impact of poor quality:  ”Mistakes drive up cost, too much care drives up cost and too little care drives up cost.” A hospital gets more income by delivering 8 marginally necessary procedures than getting a recovering stroke patient out of a wheelchair. One need only ask what the patient would prefer to see how badly mangled the system is. 

Accessibility

 Wait times for specialist appointments have increased to over three weeks, more than a week longer than just two years ago.  A family member recently was told the wait to get an appointment with a thyroid specialist was six weeks.  In many places, the wait for appointments with primary care physicians now approaches five days.  It’s no wonder more people are seeking care at urgent care clinics or showing up at local emergency rooms with relatively simple conditions.

Affordability 

PWC shows cost shifting continues

A health insurance plan that cost $500 in 2000 now costs an average of $1178, a 136% increase.  Employers have been unable to afford those increases without shifting more of the expense to their employees.  PriceWaterhouseCoopers recently reported that almost 80% of employers are responding in 2009 by increasing deductibles and employee share of the premium.  During this same time, direct compensation is growing at an average rate of 3.2% annually since 2000.

 

Destination HealthCare™ offers individuals, employer groups, and insurance carriers an alternative to the quality, accessibility and affordability dilemma.  Our exclusive network of world class hospitals delivers patient-directed, outcome oriented care in more than 30 medical specialities and subspecialties.  Included in the network are hospitals designated as centers of excellence by the World Health Organization, the global leader in non-surgical weight loss, a leader in stem cell research and treatment, and the premier hospital for integrated Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Our exclusive network delivers unparalleled accessibility.  There are no wait times to see a provider.  Appointments are preset, so that you can be seen by the selected provider on your arrival.

At rates that can be as much as 90% less than those in the US, Destination HealthCare™ delivers  the ultimate in affordability.  Because China Connection works with your health insurance company, we can further reduce your out of pocket medical expenses and their claim costs, helping stabilize future premium pricing.  A self-funded employer health plan can experience savings in excess of $1 million per 100 cases with Destination HealthCare™.  We also integrate with your medical reimbursement accounts by making sure that together we maximize the eligibility of benefits and medical expenses.

To learn more about how you can benefit from Destination HealthCare™ visit us at www.chinaconnection.cc or watch our employer group video at http://www.chinaconnection.cc/TV/Clienttv.html.