Buffalo Boy's Blog

Republicans just don't want every American to have health insurance. That must be their plan, not to allow every American access. They talk of our system like there is nothing broken. Are they blind to the fact that the US spends 50% more per person than the next highest spender when it comes to healthcare? Do they realize that to the north of our border, Canadians live longer on average than we do by 2 years?</p>

This article features some absolute lies from Senator John Kyl and Mitch McConnell. They presented legislation today that would ban the government from using comparative effectiveness research.

This sums up what is essentially comparative effective research: “Comparative Effectiveness Research Act of 2008” Finding Out What Works in Health Care - The Comparative Effectiveness Research Act of 2008 establishes a private, nonprofit corporation, called the Health Care Comparative Effectiveness Research Institute to generate evidence on which health care interventions and services work and which ones don’t. Comparative effectiveness research compares clinical outcomes, or the “clinical effectiveness,” of alternative therapies for the same condition. More evidence on what works and doesn’t work can lead to better health care decisions and thus to improved quality of care, improved efficiency, and ultimately to the potential for cost savings throughout the health system. The Institute will establish a national agenda of research priorities, based on the need for better evidence, disease burden, practice variations, the potential for improved care, and expenditures associated with a given health condition or care strategy. The Institute can contract with federal agencies, such as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and appropriate private entities to conduct the research, which will include systematic reviews, observational studies, clinical trials, and randomized controlled trials. Research findings will be peer-reviewed and publicly disseminated in ways patients and healthcare providers can easily understand. The Institute will be governed by a multi-stakeholder Board of Governors, including the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Directors of AHRQ and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and 18 additional members representing diverse public and private sector expertise and interests. These members will be appointed by the Comptroller General of the United States. "

Now, having read that, it is a mouthful, it essentially means that they want to simplify the research that is out there, double check existing research and find what works best in order to best manage patient care......sounds great...the republicans want to stop this? Yep, because they are the party of "NO".

“I don’t want America to begin rationing care to their citizens in the way these other countries do,” Kyl said

I think Mr. Kyl needs to visit Canada, they do not ration healthcare in "these other" countries. No government official is between you and your healthcare. Even if there was, how much worse can it be now when the health insurance company is between you and your care? Where companies won't pay because of a "pre-existing condition" or will limit your choice of doctors because they will charge more for "out of network" doctors. That my friends is limiting your choices, forcing you to pay more for choosing an out of network provider is limiting who you can see. Who would want to pay more if they didn't have to?

The GOP needs to get their heads out of their asses folks, because like it or not the majority of Americans want single payer, universal healthcare, it works. We need to check our pride at the door and learn from our neighbors to the north, learn from other countries and get this done. The GOP needs to listen to the 60% of us that voted for Obama. Everyone I talk to, patiens, therapists, doctors, and friends, they all understand what it is, the only thing holding it up is the greed of the politicians in Washington and the private insurance companies who help to create that atmosphere of greed.