FactorHealth Management

FactorHealth Management

Found out I could send links from websites to my blog page. Kind of helpfull but I found out I need to edit, otherwise it just sends the link with no content.

Anyway this is the website of the company I work for. It is specific to the bleeding disorder community. We don't just ship factor and supplies, we provide comprehensive services: medical, social, and education, to each patient we care for. I call it "LifeCare". Please check out the site if you have any questions. That's what it's there for.

Universal Healthcare at what cost?

Have you heard all the noise from the "Presidential Hopefuls" on healthcare? Who has the best plan? Who will cover more people? Who will make it affordable? Who is asking all these questions? Are you?

These are not my questions. I have only one question. Maybe two.

I understand that not having health insurance is worse than not have choice. But why should we lower that standard of care by removing choice in order to accommodate everyone.

From information I have been gathering about Universal Healthcare I hear a lot about a "one payer" system. If you have never heard of this please look it up. In a nutshell, everyone pays into this system and the system pays the healthcare providers. This also assume there is one healthcare agency and one pot that all the money goes into and one place for the healthcare industry to request money for services performed. Canada, Norway, and Sweden have this style of healthcare.

Healthcare companies exist to make a profit. Why else are they there? I doubt it is for the feelgood they get at the end of the day. For example: If the service of a company is below the standard of service we go elsewhere. If your favorite restaurant has "new management" and the service goes down below your standards we eat elsewhere. If enough people leave the restaurant they have a few choices to make; lower prices, increase service, or go out of business. If they can't lover prices and refuse to increase service they will not make money and will go out of business. Business exist to make money. If they can't pay the bills to keep the business open, who will? Our society is supply and demand.

Most of us work for profit. I love my job but if they didn't pay me I'd have to look elsewhere. I volunteer to give back. I volunteer a lot, for many of different reasons, none of them involve making money.

What are the monetary downsides of Universal Healthcare? How much am I going to have to pay to have this coverage. Do I have to wait in even longer lines to see my doctor, nurse, social worker. Will I be seen in a reasonable time frame? I'd rather not have to wait in an ER for 6 to 8 hours if I don't have to. I have heard some people have to wait months for an appointment. THAT IS NOT SERVICE TO ME. We already have a shortage of Doctors, what will Universal Healthcare do to this problem? Doctors are leaving practice because they can't make enough money to pay their own bills.

Mal-practice insurance is a whole topic I won't go into here, but it's still a question I might dip into later.

I'm not sold on Universal Healthcare. I have other questions!!!!! I know the current system is flawed. I don't want to do something else that doesn't work just because what we currently have doesn't work either.

Are we sheep?

Industry is a double edged sword. Both sides are sharp....

Side One- We NEED THEM! If it weren't for industry we would still be using whole blood or nothing at all when we bleed. Can we imagine only being able to watch as a target joint swells beyond recognition and being able to do nothing about it, or waiting for the donated blood from a relative to be processed before it is ready for an infusion? We would see a lot more of each other in the ER without industry. We would not have Home Health Care. The community had a need and industry filled it. Safer products! Less ER visits! More choices! Less joint damage! More convienance! Less pain!

Side Two- They NEED US to Exist! They are here to serve our community. They will provide the community what we ask for. If we don't tell them what education we need, or support we desire, they will make the decisions for us. I'm all for choice! If we don't give them our opinions how can we hold them accountable for not listening? They can provide us the information that they want us to hear. They provide funding for events that we attend. They want our information..... Our Business..... Our Thoughts..... Our Money.... They have discussion groups, lecture series, educational series, retreats, focus groups, etc to get this information out of us. Most of us are all for a free meal or a few more light-up pens. However we need to be diligent.... Questions that need to be asked by us (consumers) - What is their motivation? Do they want to listen? What do we need from them? How can they help our community?

We would have a hard time existing without each other. Where would all the programs be without industry? Camp Honor? NHF annual meeting? PSI (Patient Services Incorporated)? Where would some of our kids work without Industry? Ladybugs (women with bleeding disorders)? Project Red Flag? Mums(Mothers United Mission for Sons)? Community Advocacy? Dad's in Action?

If consumers all walk in one direction industry will follow or perish. Comsumers are not penned in like sheep. If you don't know the history of bleeding disorder and HIV click here.

This site is meant for discussion and reply.