Healthcare reform

Well - I for one think that I may have over reacted to , or been affected by, all the hype over the summer. This article from the washington post made me think - which is never a bad thing. ;-)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/31/AR2009083102913.html

So - if the reform we get is just a first step - I think I can handle that. Especially if these ingredients are in the recipe:

1. Insurance co's can not deny anyone coverage for a preexisting condition

2. Insurance co's can not deny coverage for folks who already have a policy and get sick and need immediate care - and they must cover preventative procedures and the like, and mental health needs. No more insurance company "death panels".

3. Medical records must be modernized so that crucial information about a person's medical history is available within minutes or hours, not days.

4. Doctors should be paid for care, not by procedure. The biggest piece to reform on this right now is Medicare.

5. People who can not afford care must be able to receive it. No one should be denied access to health care, especially in an emergency, nor turned away because of lack of insurance

6. Families should not be penalized and bankrupted when their insurance companies refuse to pay for treatments. As the new regs are rolled out, something must be put in place immediately to assure that this happens until #'s 1 & 2 are in place. Too many people have lost their homes , etc., trying to pay outrageous balances that ought to have been covered.