SeeingBlack.com Community

[Charlene Marie Muhammad]

Last month, I was given the honor of hosting one of the community discussion group for President-elect Obama's Transition Team on Healthcare Reform.
Did we have fun!
I learned many valuable lessons that day. Mainly, that folks are really thinking about the issues we are facing AND folks have really good ideas about how to make change happen.
I am impressed!
I later found out that the elected officials in my 'hood held another forum three days after the one I hosted. Theirs was hosted at a senior center and of course, attracted lots of senior citizens who are very concerned about the cost of their current medical expenses, pharmaceuticals and quality of life.
I spoke to one of the participants who also heard about our discussion group. Although she agreed with our consensus about the main problem with the healthcare system in America, she wants our new President to provide seniors with a quick fix- more money for more healthcare services and affordable drugs.
Not being quite senior citizen age, I had to practice patience before responding.
Yeah, I want our elders to have the best quality of life that we can provide, however REFORM means CHANGE, not status quo.
So, since the Transition Team asked two main questions: (1) What's the problem? (2) How do we fix it? Our discussion group submitted the following response:

(1) What did group members feel was the biggest problem in the health system?

"Of the many problems and challenges discussed by our group, we agreed that the root cause underlying all of these issues is that the current system responds to the healthcare needs of Americans as a privilege for a few and not as a right for all. The current privileged system of healthcare is based on the economic status of people: those who can afford quality healthcare receive it, while the majority who cannot afford it do not receive it or at best, receive poor quality care. Members of the current healthcare system such as insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and hospitals are able to operate their services for profit at the expense of quality care for the people, while the people are paying to maintain it. Insurance companies contribute no added value to the healthcare system and instead take a huge amount of money out of the system that could be used to provide healthcare services. The system has little to no oversight from an impartial party, and this has resulted in a domino effect: lack of continuity of care; large healthcare disparities amongst people of color, exorbitant costs of pharmaceutical drugs and closures of public community healthcare clinics and hospitals to name a few."

(2) How Do We Fix It?

"Our group’s overwhelming response to any type of insurance system is that a Single- Payer system be established. The Single-Payer system is similar to Medicare and the Veteran’s Administration. It eliminates the need for insurance companies; therefore, it is a much more efficient system financially and administratively. Such a model also includes a central information database that maintains all health records in one area to ensure continuity in the care a person receives.

"There needs to be balance in public policy between developing incentives and venues for health education that will encourage changes in societal attitudes around health/wellness and addressing the larger environmental barriers that restrict access to healthy lives. Often, these environmental factors are rooted in racism and class privilege such as limited access to grocery stores, inadequate funding for parks and safe places to play because there are some communities that have been historically perceived by policymakers and the market as undeserving. Both sides of this equation must be addressed if we are to have truly healthy communities.

"President-elect Obama was successful in his campaign due to his ability to change the usual reactionary view of America toward a person of color’s ability to lead and govern. President Obama has also encouraged us to once again believe in the social contract that government is collaboration among a nation’s people to pool our resources to solve its problems together. He has asked that we give him and the government a chance to prove it worthy, to stop blaming others for our plight and be responsible citizens by taking ownership for our government. We will need to apply this same attitude and tenacity to taking charge of our well-being and healthcare system."

_________________
Each of us has a duty to self and the collective consciousness.