A Chiropractor ' s View On Health Care Reform

A Chiropractor ' s View On Health Care Reform

Freedom of Choice
Dr. Mark Lewis, DC
Speech at Tea Party Thing - - Lakewood Ranch Florida
June 28th 2009
Hello, my name is Dr. Mark Lewis. I am a Chiropractic Physician and Owner of HealthSource Chiropractic Clinic on State Road 70 in Bradenton. I am not a paid speaker for a healthcare care group, political organization or organization. I am here to out-and-out my underground concerns for the proposed healthcare reform as a physician, father and citizen. Much of the debate in Washington fails to inscription the underlying causes of our healthcare milestone and this need of political leadership threatens to strapped our nation.
Let’s talk about healthcare
A recent CNN Poll stated that at elementary 8 out of 10 Americans are happy with the quality of healthcare and their insurance. However, when asked about the cost of healthcare, 75 % of Americans endure that they pay too much. This sensation is retaliated by many businesses owners, with healthcare costs becoming one of the fastest growing drains on profitability. I scan that 23 % of American companies recently cut 401K benefit - - is healthcare next? What are we to do when all we can add is a plan with a $5000 dollar deductible and are forced to pay ever rising premiums? What I see in my practice is that patients are forced to put off much needed care until their endowment becomes unbearable and more helpful to treat.
I find that it’s easier to put out the small fires, instead of a raging warmth.
Currently we spend 2. 2 trillion annually on healthcare or 16 cents on every dollar. This is $7, 400 per person, which is more than double that paid by any other country in the world. Our national health expenditures are rising four times faster than augmentation and are expected to skyrocket as baby - boomers age.
Complicating matters even further, we don’t have the healthcare professionals needed to meet future demands. Medical and nursing schools are not graduating even close to the numbers needed to meet current and future requirements. The credit affair has forced hospitals to cut support staff and do more with less to contain costs. We must become more efficient in the delivery of healthcare in this country.
As we learned in Massachusetts, having the government take over a profit - intent and highly inflationary system without making obligatory changes to improve efficiency is a blow and will impecunious our nation!!!
So why do we spend so much on healthcare in America?
Healthcare in this country has shutout to do with “Health, ” somewhat it is a profit - unflinching system of “Sick” care capable corporate executive and shareholders at the charge of patients and ethical insoluble working doctors. Insurance companies are also wielding greater influence over medical selection making that ever before, resulting in an increase in paperwork and a decline in positive outcomes. Life long symptom management of disease is far more profitable for the pharmaceutical industry than focusing on prevention and comprehensive wellness care. If you have a toothache and shroud the pain with medication, you still have a decaying tooth. Your choices are to either deal with the trouble today or wait until it is too far gone and has to be pulled.
As a chiropractor I choose to put out the fire when it is still small using conservative care and patient education.
There has been much talk of the evils of rationed care and socialized medicine. Well, let me tell you that your care is topical being rationed by the Insurance industry. A number of anti - competitive barriers have been erected that only serve to limit patient access to more cost effective health care options – parallel chiropractic.
As far back as 1992, a review of 22 scientific studies on ice that:
“By every investigation of cost and effectiveness, the general weight of evidence shows chiropractic to replenish important therapeutic benefit at economical costs. ”
Yet in my practice, I see many patients that are usually allowed an insufficient number of visits or modalities to appropriately address their hot water. Many lab tests that use to identify early signs of disease are scarcely covered, which hereafter steers patients away from preventative care and into our current high - cost system of sick care. How many times have you heard that Aunt Sally has a number of investigation run, but they couldn’t find concept and sent her home? Often, the doctors were limited by the insurance company to do what was adapted and didn’t have enough data to make a diagnosis. The end reaction is Aunt Sally’s attribute was allowed to get much worse and then requires valuable drug therapy, a hospital stay and feasibly surgery. This practices only drive up the cost of care and results in higher insurance premiums and deductible. Good insurance has bagatelle to do with good healthcare.
Many claim that they don’t want socialized medicine, yet it’s in duration here and is called Medicare. For my patients, Medicare may pay for the adaption, but not the exam and touch - rays required to make a diagnosis. The Medicare patient generally has to pay out of pocket for these services, as their minor or supplemental much has a high deductible that has to be met first. This is an anti - competitive barrier to care that limits patient choice. I am fortunate that many of my patients cost the care they receive in my office and gladly pay for non covered services. I can only dream that our elected officials help to stamp out these barriers that limit patient choice.
I am continually agitated that we confess this system to live on. However, the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies are some of the most powerful in the nation; generously contribute to members of both parties. This influences legislation and the actions of government agencies analogous the FDA, perpetuating a system that is favorable to corporations and not patients, while our healthcare costs project to rise. The pharmaceutical industry also generally uses financial pressure on researchers, medical journals and the mainstream media to report positive outcomes and lock up negative results.
When was the last time you counted the number of drug ads on TV, you know, the ones that have longer disclaimers than content!!! America is the only country other than New Zealand that allows this indulgent of advertising.
The pharmaceutical industry is among the most profitable in the world. Last year alone the ten top companies earned a staggering 230 billion, more than the GDP of many small nations. These companies spend 33 % of those earnings on marketing and only 13 % on research and development. This business strategy has proven to be terrifically paying, since America consumes over 50 % of the drugs produces, yet we are less than 5 % of the World population. Yep we have a drug habit and pay 30 % - 40 % more for our fix at home than others pay abroad. Many Americans now take 3 or more medications daily, with usage increasing 89 % since 2000.
What old softie of message do we send to our children when we tell them to Relate NO to DRUGS, but usually act as if relief to our symptoms is only a deem away!!!
Many drugs designed to manage the symptoms of disease, doctor to cause the corresponding dispute they were designed to prevent. The dilatory Tim Russert is a perfect example. He was on a number of medications to control his blood affliction and cholesterol to prevent a heart charge. He then died from? - - A Huge Heart Encroachment. Many of these drugs were created for a short - term use and function poorly as a long term treatment of chronic disease.
The Periodical of the American Medical Trust reports that the fourth leading engender of death in the US is from FDA approved drugs and these numbers survive to blow in.
Part of the botheration may be drug interactions and petered out hospital club. Despite a 10 year achievement to discipline medical errors, they continue to bad news the healthcare system. Many touch that errors are much higher than reported as there is quiescent no centralized tracking system.
After all that we spend on Healthcare, are we any Healthier?
The customary American lives 78 years. This number has dropped from 11th Longitude two decades ago to 42nd compared to other nations.
One in four Americans now has heart disease and one in three has high blood hindrance, with cardiovascular disease continues to be our #1 killer.
The incidence of cancer is expected to increase by 45 % over the next 20, as our territory ages and fresh add to the overall cost of healthcare.
Obesity has now overtaken being plainly being portly, with 34 % of Americans definitive obese and likewise 33 % as fat. This is 2 / 3rds of our country.
23 million children are portly and obese, with many being diagnosed with adult beginning diseases, comparable diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. This may be the first reproduction not to lengthen their parents.
Many fondle that we are winning the contention on terror, but loosing the battle of the direction.
At a recent Institute of Medicine summit in Washington, Senator Tom Harkin uttered:
“It’s not enough to talk about how to extend insurance coverage. It makes no sense to try and figure out how to pay for a system that is forsaken and unsustainable. If we pass healthcare reform without infrastructure for health, wellness and prevention, we will have failed America. ”
I take a comprehensive approach to treating patients. As a chiropractor, I specialize in treating peck, back and joint pain. I also incorporate clinical nutrition and dietary recommendations into my care plans and have had much success in treating patients with digestive problems, chronic weariness, fibromyalgia, gout, thyroid problems and more. As a primary care physician, I have a duty to recognize a disease process early and either treat or mention to the becoming scientific. There is much that can be done for a patient suffering from chronic disease by wittily changing their diet, recommending the fit supplements and empowering patients to make the proper lifestyle choices. I have yet to name a deficiency in Lipitor, but often see patients deficient in B - Vitamins, Minerals, and the body’s basic building blocks.
Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine verbal,
“Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food. ”
We must take personal onus for our own health and that of our families.
This means that we must make better choices compatible as:
Exercising generally at ahead 3 - 4 times per week; limiting our intake of fried foods, distilled foods, bleached flour and sugar; eating 6 - 8 servings of fresh vegetables and fruit daily; taking supplements; drinking at leading 2 liters of pure water daily.
Unfortunately our culture makes this prohibitively difficult and much of the work has to be done by the patient in between office visits. Many of us take better care of our cars that we do our own riffraff and spines.
Let us all commit to making healthier choices as a nation, which costs us very little.
Let us demand that our officials craft a plan that serves the people somewhat the corporate bank account, ensuring efficiency and cost effective delivery of true Health Care.
Let us create an environment that lets physicians to be doctors and.
Dr. Benjamin Rush, a jingo, hostility lion and signer of the adjudication of independence wrote over 250 years ago:
“Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine will adapt itself into an veiled dictatorship. To restrict the art of healing to one class of men and deny equal privileges to others…are un - American and despotic.