Grassroots Education, Hidden Costs, and Health Care
As economic
conditions conspire to engender an entrepreneurial spirit among those who would
otherwise seek to be productive through traditional means of employment, I here
present a dilemma endemic to our society, and a proposal that has been created
with the intention of addressing this challenge.
The Problem I’m
trying to solve:
There is
insufficient political support for a health care delivery system that is more simple,
streamlined, efficient, and adequate in addressing the health needs of those
living within America's borders. The lay public has been insufficiently
informed of the counter-intuitive reality that all persons living within the
borders of the United States currently access health care (in Emergency
Departments) regardless of their ability to pay or their citizenship status;
much of this cost is already borne by taxpayers, and reorganization of the
system can improve quality, access, and value.
Description of
Project:
I will study the
true costs of Emergency Department utilization (the effects of EMTALA, 1986),
of forgone government revenues through the provision of uncompensated care by
non-profit health institutions, and the extent of excess costs in the health
care system that might have been avoided had the patient had access to adequate
and appropriate care prior to and throughout an entire health episode. I will
take this information and develop it into a lesson plan/presentation that is
communicable to a lay audience. I will launch a multi-pronged communication and
advocacy campaign through Maryland General Assembly testimony, submission of
op-ed pieces, presentations to neighborhood associations, and through coalition
building to raise awareness and political support for simpler, more equitable,
solutions to health care delivery system organization and financing.
Ultimately, I would like to generate sufficient political will to permit
politicians to pass legislation that brings order, access, cost-control, and
quality to health care in Maryland.
What, dear Reader,
are you doing to improve society and lay claim to the title of your
citizenship?