 |
|
|
Illinois State Senate Candidate Bill Gentes
Healthcare
The Issues:
- Cost of health care, especially for those on limited incomes.
- Relying on employers to be the funding source of health care insurance.
- The cost of non-group health insurance is formidable.
- Portability of insurance coverage.
- Denial of insurance for pre-conditions.
- Health care providers not being paid in a timely manner by the state.
- Illinois ranks 14th in child obesity.
The Impacts:
- Individuals do not seek health care until ailments are severe increasing costs and lengthening treatment.
- Employers are removing health insurance from their benefits package or significantly increasing employee contributions reducing personal income.
- Too many people are without insurance and with limited resources to pay for services when needed.
- Health care providers being less likely to provide services to those on Medicaid.
- Obesity among children greatly increases the potential for diabetes, heart problems, chronic diseases and other health issues, which impact our health care facilities and ramp up insurance costs.
The Actions:
- At a minimum everyone should have catastrophic health insurance that will essentially eliminate economic ruin for families and the elderly on fixed incomes.
- We need to push insurance companies to provide more coverage for preventive care or well care. This will significantly reduce the serious and more costly illnesses that occur because of lack of early diagnosis. Without this prevention, the cost of health care will rapidly increase because of the need for more hospital beds and long term care facilities as well as other costs associated with serious illness.
- There needs to be a study of specific health care costs in comparison to outcomes of treatment. Are there alternative treatments that are less costly, but equally effective? Are treatments prescribed that are having little or no apparent positive outcome?
- We need to accelerate Medicaid payments to health care providers. The delay is nearly a year. The state needs to pay its bills in a timelier manner.
- Mandate schools to provide healthier food choices and provide education in nutrition and exercise.
|
|
|
