lunes, 11 de julio de 2011

Duracell Coppertop AA Batteries, 28-Count

Duracell Coppertop AA Batteries, 28-CountCoppertop batteries have been engineered to deliver just the right level of power for most of your household needs. Plus, theyâ??re guaranteed fresh for 7 years. Many of the devices you use in your home are powered most efficiently by Duracell Coppertop batteries, including: Toys, Clocks and Radios, Remote controls, Smoke alarms, and Flashlights.

Certified Frustration-Free Packaging
Amazon.com has certified this product's packaging is Frustration-Free. A Frustration-Free Package is easy-to-open and comes without excess packaging materials such as hard plastic "clamshell" casings, plastic bindings, and wire ties. It is exactly the same as a traditionally packaged product--we've just streamlined the packaging to be opened without the use of a box cutter or knife and will protect your product just as well as traditional packaging during shipping. Products with Frustration-Free Packaging can frequently be shipped in their own boxes, without the need for an additional shipping box. Learn more.

Price: $30.86


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"Cancer Doesn't Scare Me Anymore!"

As a physician who developed cancer herself, Dr. Lorraine Day was well aware that physicians are more afraid of cancer than patients are, because doctors KNOW that chemotherapy, radiation and surgery are NOT the answer to cancer.

She will help you understand why you don't need to fear cancer. She explains to you in terms you can understand all the confusing medical jargon you will hear from doctors. By following the orderly system of evaluation that she presents, you can then make calm, intelligent decisions about the best treatment methods for you.
In this astonishing and informative video/DVD, Dr. Day reveals:

What YOU need to know to make the important decisions for your treatment

Why doctors don't know, and are never taught, how to get you well from cancer

The dangers of chemotherapy and radiation and why cancer is BIG BUSINESS!

Who controls the Cancer Industry, the FDA and the American Cancer Society

Who controls what the media tells you about cancer treatment

The CAUSES of cancer and how YOU can reverse them -- and GET WELL!

Specific information on Breast Cancer and Prostrate Cancer

Price:


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Toddler Sing and Sign: Improve Your Child's Vocabulary and Verbal Skills the Fun Way - Through Music and Play

Toddler Sing and Sign: Improve Your Child's Vocabulary and Verbal Skills the Fun Way - Through Music and Play
Toddler Sing and Sign is a play-based program, including an award-winning music CD, for teaching toddlers simple American Sign Language. The program, which features more than fifty words and signs easily learned through song, is convenient to incorporate into children's daily routine. It includes signs for animals, colors, actions, and other key words toddlers use to communicate their wants and needs. It also shows how learning sign language helps verbal toddlers improve language, learning, and motor skills while preventing tantrums and more.

Price: $17.95


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Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Sport Insoles, Men's Size 8-13, 1-Pair Packages (Pack of 2)

Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Sport Insoles, Men's Size 8-13, 1-Pair Packages (Pack of 2)

Outrageous comfort for active feet!

  • Ideal for all your Athletic shoes
    • Running Shoes
    • Court Shoes
    • Sneakers
  • Reduces stress on knees & lower body
  • Trim to fit your size!

You have...An active lifestyle! You want...Cushioning and shock absorption in your athletic shoes. You need...Dr. Scholl's® Massaging Gel Sport Insoles.

  • Comfort ~ Massaging Gel waves act like tiny springs to cushion feet
  • Support ~ Arch Cradle supports your arch and provides stability
  • Shock Absorption ~ Absorbs harmful shock and jarring on your lower body

The Dr. Scholl's Guarantee:
If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, mail the original UPC code from the package along with your sales receipt toSchering-Plough HealthCare Product, Inc., PO Box 377, Memphis TN 38151 for refund.

Questions? Visit drscholls.com.

Price: $31.17


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domingo, 10 de julio de 2011

Ladybug Party Supplies 13" Luncheon Napkins (18 ct)

Ladybug Party Supplies 13Ladybug Party Supplies 13" Luncheon Napkins. Package of 18 Ladybug Party napkins.

Price:


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Self-Healing with Sound and Music

Self-Healing with Sound and MusicAndrew Weil, M.D. & Kimba Arem Have you ever been deeply moved by a piece of music? If so, then you may already recognize the incredible impact of sound on your health and well-being. Today, sound therapy is used to effectively treat a surprising range of health challenges including chronic pain, stroke, stress, and much more. On Self-Healing with Sound & Music, bestselling author Dr. Andrew Weil teams up with sound therapist Kimba Arem to offer you a powerful new tool for healing and rejuvenation on two CDs.

Price: $19.95


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Richard Simmons: Mega Mix Blast-Off [VHS]

Richard Simmons: Mega Mix Blast-Off [VHS]As a physician who developed cancer herself, Dr. Lorraine Day was well aware that physicians are more afraid of cancer than patients are, because doctors KNOW that chemotherapy, radiation and surgery are NOT the answer to cancer.

She will help you understand why you don't need to fear cancer. She explains to you in terms you can understand all the confusing medical jargon you will hear from doctors. By following the orderly system of evaluation that she presents, you can then make calm, intelligent decisions about the best treatment methods for you.
In this astonishing and informative video/DVD, Dr. Day reveals:

What YOU need to know to make the important decisions for your treatment

Why doctors don't know, and are never taught, how to get you well from cancer

The dangers of chemotherapy and radiation and why cancer is BIG BUSINESS!

Who controls the Cancer Industry, the FDA and the American Cancer Society

Who controls what the media tells you about cancer treatment

The CAUSES of cancer and how YOU can reverse them -- and GET WELL!

Specific information on Breast Cancer and Prostrate Cancer

Price: $12.95


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BACON shaped themed band-aids Bandages

BACON shaped themed band-aids BandagesOuch! That smarts! Treat your minor cuts, scrapes and scratches with the incredible healing power of a designer bandage. And if a fancy bandage isn't enough to dry up your tears, how about a FREE TOY! Each 3-3/4" (9.5 cm) tall metal pocket tin contains twenty-five 3" x 3/4" (7.6 cm x 1.9 cm) adhesive bandages and a small plastic trinket to help make even the ouchiest owies feel all better in no time.

Price: $6.99


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WBM 8-Inch Himalayan Natural Crystal Salt Lamp with Bulb and Cord

WBM 8-Inch Himalayan Natural Crystal Salt Lamp with Bulb and CordBring divine harmony to any room with this beautiful salt crystal lamp. Its therapeutic glow of orange hues infuses a natural calm bringing the mind and body to a gradual sense of tranquility and well being. Experience it for yourself, but wait this is not the only reason to have a salt crystal lamp. This lamp is scientifically proven to work like an air purifier and is often called-nature's air purifier. When the lamp is lit, it emits negative ions that fight against positively charged particles that cause us to feel stuffy and sluggish. (Allergens; smoke; dander; pollens and other air pollutants). It clears the air and naturally dilutes odors so that we can breathe easier. People with asthma often find it helpful in reducing their symptoms and many medical practitioners recommend using these lamps to help relieve depression and fatigue. Made of salt crystals, from deep within the himalayan mountains, home to the world's purest and most colorful salt. It is hand carved to preserve its natural beauty and attached to a neem base. It is almost maintenance free and is very easy to clean. Just wipe off the outside surface with a damp sponge and dry off with a paper towel. You can change the color of the bulb to give a different hue to the lighting area. You can keep the lamp lit for as long as you like and the longer you keep it on, the better the emission of negative ions. Place this lamp in your child's room and watch him fall asleep with gentle ease or put it next to your computer and feel your stress dissipate as the negative ions counteract the electromagnetic fields bouncing off the computer. You can put it in your TV room, or your office. It really doesn't matter which room you choose, it is totally up to you where you want to place this unique gift of nature.

Price: $39.95


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Yoga for the Rest of Us with Peggy Cappy

Yoga for the Rest of Us with Peggy Cappy"You don't need to be thin, young, and a contortionist to do this program," says instructor Peggy Cappy. Yoga for the Rest of Us is a yoga practice for people who might be inflexible, out of shape, or feeling aches and pains. Cappy presents three 20-minute routines that work separately or together. Part 1 is a series of warm-up seated stretches. Part 2 presents standing poses, holding a chair if needed. Part 3 is a flowing series of Sun Salutations, building stamina, and again using a chair if necessary, followed by relaxation. Public television yoga instructor Cappy teaches gently and quietly, accompanied by demonstrators of various ages and conditions. Recommended for people who thought that yoga was beyond them because of age, medical conditions, or fitness level, especially those with functional challenges, such as not being able to bend down or reach for a top shelf. --Joan Price

Price: $19.95


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sábado, 9 de julio de 2011

EatSmart Precision Digital Bathroom Scale w/ Extra Large Backlit 3.5" Display and "Step-On" Technology

EatSmart Precision Digital Bathroom Scale w/ Extra Large Backlit 3.5NEW FEATURES (as of March 2010) - EatSmart "Step-On" technology allows you to simply step on the scale and get your weights. No more tapping to activate the scale! Increased capacity to 400 pounds with the same precision and repeatability that makes our products great!



The EatSmart Bathroom Scale is the ideal way to track your weight loss quickly and easily. Simply step on, and in seconds you'll have an accurate readout to the nearest .2 lbs on the EatSmart's oversized 3.5" LCD display. With EatSmart's proprietary new "step-on" technology there is no more tapping to turn the scale on!!! The LCD display also contains a cool-blue backlight, allowing for easy viewing even in the most low light areas of the bathroom or home.


The EatSmart Digital Bathroom Scale is also not only easy to use but also extremely accurate, engineered to the highest precision standards. The four high-gauge EatSmart precision sensors ensure that you will get an accurate measurement every time (just read our reviews!). Additionally the slim, tempered glass design fits perfectly into any surroundings and large non-slip platform safely allows weights to 400 lbs.


Along with your EatSmart digital scale you also receive our easy instruction guide and 4 AAA batteries.


Stop guessing your weight and get serious about your weight loss and fitness goals. Get yours today!


100% EatSmart Guaranteed Product Satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is our highest priority. Contact us via phone or email anytime for support with our products.

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Yoga for the Rest of Us - Back Care Basics

Yoga for the Rest of Us - Back Care BasicsYOGA FOR THE REST OF US:BACK CARE BAS - DVD Movie

Price: $19.95


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Living Yoga - Back Care Yoga for Beginners [VHS]

Yoga focuses on keeping the spine open and supported, so it is understandable why millions of people turn to yoga for self-care of their back, explains instructor Rodney Yee in Back Care Yoga for Beginners, a gentle, easy 30-minute introduction to yoga. Its 20-minute yoga workout maximizes the movements of the spine and Yee carefully demonstrates the back-strengthening yoga postures, sometimes using a chair (sitting in it or standing and propping one foot on it). His form is beautiful, his explanations clear. If you're a beginner, realize that you cannot begin to approximate his degree of flexibility. Your goal is not to get as deeply into each posture as the instructor, but to reach your own comfortable limit. Cautions are given for pregnant women. --Joan Price

Price: $9.98


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Profoot Care Smart Arch Women, Purple and White (Pack of 2)

Profoot Care Smart Arch Women, Purple and White (Pack of 2)Doctor recommended. Custom fitting orthotics. Advanced therapy for the treatment of foot pain. Automatically adjusts to support high or low arches. Feel the comfort! Made with AMT (Advanced Molding Technology). Ideal for: High arches, flat feet, arch pain

Price: $19.99


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3M 8210Plus Series Respirator

3M 8210Plus Series RespiratorDesigned to help provide comfortable, reliable worker protection against certain non-oil based particles. Its lightweight construction helps promote greater worker acceptance and comfort and increased wear time. For workplace applications include grindin

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viernes, 8 de julio de 2011

Health care is available in the slide


Available health care is one of the things that he wants everyone in the whole country. The cost of health care for my sky skyrocket in the last few decades. In the past, many of us rely on our employer to ensure that good and affordable health care available. However, enterprises are now cutting the worker's benefits of cost reduction. Fortunately, it may still be adequately covered in the framework of the medical emergency.

It isfortunate UN, that employers are reducing costs, as regards the of health of affordable care. Employers often expect that employees will pay the greater part of the total monthly, quarterly and annual premiums. Many people think that they cannot afford to health care for their budget so simply chooses to log on to the plan health care of the company. The same people, but always finds a way to afford the vices such as cable television, cigarettes, food and alcohol. They may be able to find the money to pay the health care supplement to reduce or in some of these luxury.

You may want to look carefully at the plans health care, provided in both places of work if you are married and both work. The pair may find a bit more of what they had in mind when one health care partner plan seems to be a little sparse coverage or non-existent.

Your health care employer plan may not be the best choice or simply unavailable. You can discuss the options with local representatives of the undertaking, if not enough people in the company for which you are working for plan coverage groups. The same agent that provides coverage for your House and car may also provide health available care insurance.

You should also have a local insurance agent that is trusted, as everyone should have a family doctor, a lawyer, that trust and mechanic. Try to ask friends and relatives on their insurance needs, if you don't have family insurance agent. Recommended, reliable insurance agent is able to provide health of affordable care cover, or at least will be able to direct you to someone who can help you in this goal.

There are some insurance companies that provide Cafeteria for those that rely on their cover. You can select the options you want to be included for the dining plan. If you don't have anything you need or want to pay, and then the health available care possible.

Make sure that you have some kind of cover for medical emergencies is the most important thing is to be done for health care available. Note that the medical emergency are not something that happens only for other people. Health care crisis could impact your family just when you least expect.




Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects of health care [http://www.healthandmedicineinfo.com/health--medicine-information/health--medicine/tips-for-discovering-affordable-health-care.html]. Visit our other useful information on affordable health care [http://www.healthandmedicineinfo.com] and other similar topics.


How to become a nurse home health care

Home Health Care Nursing Information and Overview


Home health care is allowing the patient and their family to maintain dignity and independence. According to the National Association for Home Care, there are more than 7 million individuals in the United States in need of home health care nurse services because of acute illness, long term health problems, permanent disability or terminal illness.


Home Health Care Basics


Nurses practice in a number of venues: Hospital settings, nursing homes, assisted living centers, and home health care. Home health care nursing is a growing phenomenon as more patients and their families desire to receive care in their homes. The history of home health care stems from Public Health Nursing where public health nurses made home visits to promote health education and provide treatment as part of community outreach programs. Today academic programs train nurses in home care and agencies place home health care nurses with ailing individuals and their families depending on the nurse's experience and qualifications. In many cases there is a shared relationship between the agency and the academic institution.


Many changes have taken place in the area of home health care. These include Medicare and Medicaid, and Long Term Care insurance reimbursement and documentation. It is important for the nurse and nursing agency to be aware of the many factors involved for these rules and regulations resulting from these organizations. Population and demographic changes are taking place as well. Baby boomers approaching retirement and will present new challenges for the home health care industry. Technology and medical care in hospitals has lead to shorter inpatient stay and more at-home rehabilitation. Increases in medical outpatient procedures are also taking place with follow-up home care. This has resulted in the decrease of mortality rate from these technologies and medical care has lead to increases in morbidity and chronic illness that makes the need for home health care nursing a greater priority.


Home Health Care Nurse Job Description


Through an array of skills and experience, home health care nurses specialize in a wide range of treatments; emotional support, education of patients who are recovering from illnesses and injury for young children and adults, to women who have experienced recent childbirth, to the elderly who need palliative care for chronic illness.


A practicing nurse must have the skills to provide care in a unique setting such as someone's home. The nurse is working with the patient and the family and must understand the communication skills for such dynamics. Rapport is evident in all nursing positions, but working in a patient's own living space needs a different level of skill and understanding. There is autonomous decision making as the nurse is no longer working as a team with other nurses in a structured environment, but is now as a member of the "family" team. The host family has cultural values that are important and are different for every patient and must be treated with extreme sensitivity. Other skills include critical thinking, coordination, assessment, communication, and documentation.


Home health care nurses also specialize in the care of children with disabilities that requires additional skills such as patience and understanding of the needs of the family. Children are living with disabilities today that would have resulted in mortality just twenty years ago. Genetic disorders, congenital physical impairments, and injury are just a few. Many families are familiar with managing the needs of the child, but still need expert care that only a home health care nurse can provide. It is important that a home health care nurse is aware of the expertise of the family about the child's condition for proper care of the child. There are many complexities involved, but most important, a positive attitude and positive reinforcement is of utmost importance for the development of the child.


Medication coordination between the home health care nurse, doctor, and pharmacist, ensures proper management of the exact science behind giving the patient the correct dose, time of administration, and combinations. Home health care nurses should be familiar with pharmacology and taught in training about different medications used by patients in the clinical setting.


Many advanced practicing nurses are familiar with medication regiments. They have completed graduate level programs. Home health care agencies believe that a nurse should have at least one year of clinical experience before entering home health care. Advanced practicing nurses can expedite that training by helping new nurses understand the home health care market and teaching.


Employment and Salary


According to the United States Department of Labor, there were 2.4 million nurses in America, the largest healthcare occupation, yet many academic and hospital organizations believe there is a gross shortage in nursing staff. The shortage of nurses was 6% in 2000 and is expected to be 10% in 2010. The average salary for hospital nursing is $53,450 with 3 out of 5 nursing jobs are in the hospital. For home health care, the salary is $49,000. For nursing care facilities, they were the lowest at $48,200.


Training and continuing education


Most home health care nurses gain their education through accredited nursing schools throughout the country with an associate degree in nursing (ADN), a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN), or a master's degree in nursing (MSN). According to the United States Department of Labor, in 2004 there were 674 BSN nursing programs, 846 ADN programs. Also, in 2004, there were 417 master's degree programs, 93 doctoral programs, and 46 joint BSN-doctoral programs. The associate degree program takes 2 to 3 years to complete, while bachelors degrees take 4 years to complete. Nurses can also earn specialized professional certificates online in Geriatric Care or Life Care Planning.


In addition, for those nurses who choose to pursue advancement into administrative positions or research, consulting, and teaching, a bachelor's degree is often essential. A bachelor's degree is also important for becoming a clinical nurse specialist, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners (U.S. Department of Labor, 2004).


All home health care nurses have supervised clinical experience during their training, but as stated earlier advanced practicing nurses hold master's degrees and unlike bachelor and associate degrees, they have a minimum of two years of post clinical experience. Course work includes anatomy, physiology, chemistry, microbiology, nutrition, psychology, and behavioral sciences and liberal arts. Many of these programs have training in nursing homes, public health departments, home health agencies, and ambulatory clinics. (U.S. Dep. of Labor, 2004).


Whether a nurse is training in a hospital, nursing facility, or home care, continuing education is necessary. Health care is changing rapidly and staying abreast with the latest developments enhances patient care and health procedures. Universities, continuing education programs, and internet sites, all offer continuing education. One such organization that provides continuing education is the American Nurses Association (ANA) or through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).


Conclusion


There are many rewards to becoming a home health care nurse. Some rewards include the relationship with a patient and their family, autonomy, independence, and engaging in critical thinking. The 21st Century brings with it many opportunities and challenges. We must meet these challenges head on - there is an aging baby boomer population, a growing morbidity factor due to increased medical technology and patient care, and the growing shortage in nursing care.


Becoming a home health care nurse today is exciting and an opportunity to make a difference one life at a time. With clinical experience and proper education, a home health care nurse will lead the future of medical care.


By Michael V. Gruber, MPH is a contributing author to My Nursing Degree Online, providing articles and resources for nurses looking for continuing education online. With a Masters of Public Health and two years of medical school, Michael provides a unique perspective on the current nursing shortage crisis on the Nursing Career Blog as well as comprehensive articles about nurse education and advancement.


Find more information about becoming a Home Health Care Nurse [http://nursing.earnmydegree.com/nursingeducation/home-health-care-nurse-education.html] including certification and job openings at My Nursing Degree Online.


Home health care vs. living


Home health care in Los Angeles

Home health care is health care that is provided to patients within their home and usually through health care professionals or family and friends. The term "home care" implies that the care provided by medical and more withdrawal of nature, while "home health care" may suggest a license to the employee. The differences here are similar to the difference between assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Much like assisted living facilities, home health care to the aged look forward to a good degree of independence. An older individual or couple will appreciate privacy, as well as assistance with daily living needs.

What offers home health care

What kind of services, domiciliary health care? Home health care may help the elderly with daily living needs such as bathing, dressing, cooking, and eating and training. Depending on the needs of the resident may be special measures such as transport services and arrange voluntary programs, exercises and walk and toilet. Larger domestic health care would also provide rehabilitation programmes, including the visit of the rehabilitative and nurses. Other skilled home health care professionals may include respiratory nurses, occupational health nurses, social workers, mental health workers and doctors.

Who pays for the home care? This type of program outside of the supported housing to pay private sources from the place of residence or family, public payer such as Medicare and Medicaid or employer health insurance. Medicare generally does not pay for home health care on the basis of the long-term, while Medicaid is more likely to be with little or no assets help families with low incomes. Funded by the employer to the home health care is likely to be based on the short term if the insurance plan is very generous. Most of the time paid home health care for the family's own resources.

Compare home health care in assisted living

Both the domestic health care compare with internal stays in nursing homes and assisted living facility? Most seniors would prefer home health care, of course, as always, people value their privacy. However, there are also circumstances that would require constant supervision of the resident in assisted living, and not just occasional visits. Home health care is basically to help live, but with even greater independence. Therefore, the resident who cannot be left alone for a longer period would be better suited in the custody or care of the Administrative Board and the type of home.

It would seem that the domestic health care would be cheaper than stay at home. Domestic spending on health care may, however, be just as expensive, depending on the number of hours that aides. Some residents have admitted that a full-time job and home health care usually cost twice as much than in the Council and care or life at home. Most of the home health care agencies charge will be $ 8 per hour or more. If it is relatively independent, can be managed through the fees associated with the service. However, remember that your needs at the beginning are minimal, could hire trusted person performs the same tasks and save money from the payment of a fee by the Agency.

Home care is ideal for elderly people, who feel well and easily circumvented, but who need a doctor's visits and help with the household. It is also a more appropriate choice if care full-time and higher needs, but he doesn't want to become a resident of the country's public nursing home. Full-time, and home health care provides the greatest privacy and personal attention possible. If you are an older practice, you should be aware of the qualifications of the personnel, such as the opening of the home to the alien can always be a security risk. Best home health care agencies have a screening of employees who are well qualified in their field.

How can we help

ElderHomeFinders is a company dedicated to helping seniors find assistance in the area of Southern California. We check for assisted living facilities and retirement communities in the area, so that our clients find the perfect House for the price you can afford. ElderHomeFinders also helps seniors find home care? Yes. Our company put you in contact with the home health care agency, according to the specific needs and budget constraints. We can also advise you on the differences between home health care and assisted living and of the Council and the care of the equipment and the choice should work for you. Senior work hard their whole life, and certainly deserves the best health care in the facility with a higher standard of living or in his own House.




Bobbie T.
Life Expert living in Los Angeles


Health care reform is unhealthy

HEALTH CARE REFORM IS NOT HEALTHY!


LET'S CALL IT WHAT IT Is - HEALTH INSURANCE MONEY ALLOCATION AND RE-DISTRICTING


Health insurance premiums are driven by the success or failure of actual health recovery maintenance and the costs required to deliver of service. Harris L. Coulter, Ph.D., of Washington, DC, and editor of the 8th edition of the HPUS,is an internationally renowned medical historian and author of over 30 books and essays, which include: THE DIVIDED LEGACY, a four volume epochal history of medicine, which covers its origins to present day.


"Society today is paying a heavy price in disease and death for the monopoly granted the medical profession in the 1920's. In fact, the situation peculiarly resembles that of the 1830s when physicians relied on bloodletting, mercurial medicines, and quinine, even though knowing them to be intrinsically harmful. And precisely the same arguments were made in defense of these medicines as are employed today, namely, that the benefits outweigh the risks. In truth, the benefits accrue to the physician, while the patient runs the risks."-Harris Coulter, Ph.D., (Divided Legacy Vol 3)


There is no question we need reform in the areas of disease elimination improvements in Health, better delivery of health care when it is needed and health insurance parity. Personally, am all for reform, but let those reforms ring with the clarity of Truth and illuminate our way through the fog obfuscation.


Overall chemo-therapy and radiation are documented to be an absolute failure in the so-called war against cancer. The long-term survival rate of cancer patients using orthodox therapies remains abysmal and the statistical reportage is obfuscated.


Refer to: New England Journal of Medicine, "Progress Against Cancer," May 8, 1986 by John C. Bailar, III and Elaine M. Smith, and a ten-year follow-up "The War on Cancer" which appeared in Lancet, May 18th, 1996, by Michael B. Spoorn. Therein is published in leading medical journals, but they remain as the only therapies and pharmaceutical companies enjoy federal mandate.
Stated simply you cannot poison a sick person well.


HEALTH CARE REFORM is a meme used to numb the mind and sway political process but has little or nothing to do with health and certainly is neither, reform in the ways the public perceives, nor what they dearly need.


Merely by changing who and how much they profit for health services is only a small fraction of the underlying problem and ultimately it's you who pay. Current Congressional debates will not offer true reform of our systemic disease CARE, but strengthen insurance profits and control.


The fruit of the healthcare tree, while certainly abundant, is altogether rotten, because the roots are corrupted by disease. If the Food and Drug Administration which regulates both FOOD and drugs while having far reaching powers that are beyond the Constitution of the United States of America, is powerless to effectuate the genuine change required to modify the so-called health industry.


Nor can the FDA provide the reforms by its far reaching power and control, then how can we expect it to come from mandates from an under educated over lobbied congress?


Give credit where due, the FDA has been effective in causing millions of tones of ground meat and spinach. A little too late perhaps as the FDA has done nothing to stop chemical companies from pouring oceans of deadly toxic, and known carcinogens on our crops.


"Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans" ~ Jacques Cousteau


HOW CAN YOU HAVE HEALTH IF WE DON'T HAVE CLEAN WATER AND AIR?


We must stop poisoning our earth with unnecessary toxic chemicals, which leaches out the elements and minerals building blocks of the cells of our bodies, and support and teach the farmers on bio-dynamic farming.


Why is there no respect for and replication of how the Hunzas and several other tribes on earth, wholive to be well over 120, and disease free.


These tribes drink the water which comes off of the slow grinding of the glacier across mountain terrain and gives minute quantities of every element and every mineral. Their cells have
access to all the natural building blocks of life and therefore remain impervious to invasion and disease.


Health and Old Age Places with High Longevity: Hunza Pakistan the area of Hunza in Pakistan which has a high level of longevity. A Guide to Shangri-La: The Leading Longevity Sites on Earth


For Americans and the world at large where the crop land is awash in chemicals the minerals and elements are leached out of the soil and the roots of our food crops are have no way to chelate them so that we can digest them into our bodies.


What follows is a well known symptom called pica, and we are constantly looking for something to eat to satisfy the hunger of the cells and this leads to obesity and disease on a national scale.


There are solutions, but the FOOD administration, has done nothing to listen to, study, implement, nor promote the use of Bio-Dynamic Farming, which is proven to produce greater volumes of crops far healthier and do not poison our water aquifers.


One fairly recent proactive move; the FDA and the FTC have enforced the little known Federal Law under USC Title 21 Part 56, INFORMED CONSENT. This activity is evidenced by the too frequent drug commercials and advertisements. To name one example the anti depressant drug, ABILIFY, is known to cause death and suicide.


To our detriment and demise, the FDA has a tunnel vision partisan perspective and always reactive, rarely proactive when a patient actually dies from using an FDA approved drug, they routinely avoid any blame and state "there is no conclusive evidence to prove it was because of the drug." No drug company is ever charged with a crime and no executives, nor doctors, are criminally charged for manufacturing, nor for prescribing the drugs.


WHY? Because the drugs are FDA approved so it would mean they are culpable.


However, when a substance derived and used by another Healing Art, i.e. Homeopathy, is found to be highly effective in combating and eliminating a disease such as cancer, or reversing the side effects of AIDS, a stroke, or Cystic Fibrosis, to name a few, the FDA routinely states there is no scientific evidence to support the claims moves swiftly to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.


We must continue to strengthen the education of the public on sound fundamentals of health maintenance.


We must allow for access and coverage to all branches of the Healing Arts. This is known as the ECLECTIC. The allopathic cartel are not the arbiters of truth, nor have they proven to be honorable stewards, nor have they provided viable solutions where other forms of healing arts have been successful, in some cases thousands of years.


THE PROBLEM


The problem is that over the past 67 years, a Federal Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, created in 1938 as an agency to ensure that Food, Drugs and Cosmetics moving in interstate commerce, were pure, unadulterated, contained what was stated on the label and safe for human consumption.


Over the years the FDA has undergone a metamorphosis and has become a threat to the civil liberties and public health of Americans, as well as added incredibly to the cost of the products it regulates.


The FDA has a long history of using the resources of the agency to conduct Gestapo type raids on medical clinics, terrorizing patients, staff and practitioners, seizing quantities of vitamins, manuals and harmless natural products, issues completely inaccurate, indeed, deliberately mendacious publicity releases slandering practitioners, nutritional products and innovative drugs and has so far departed from the purposes for which it was created as to become a menace to both the public's health and their civil liberties.


Under 80 or more years of Allopathic domination, the standardized American health care system is unable to:


(1)Control the resurgence of Tuberculosis in the country;
(2)Control the rising rate of Cancer deaths;
(3)Control the rising rate of coronary artery deaths;
(4)Lower the infant mortality rate;
(5)Find an effective cure for AIDS.


There are available answers to all these deficiencies, but none of them are embraced in Allopathic Doctrine.


The question presented is, if there is any legal control over this vast agency and any way citizens can take legal action to cause the agency to be brought under control and be forced to comport itself in accordance with the intent of Congress in creating it, and the additional question of whether or not citizens who have been harassed by its Ultra Vires activities may sue for damages or other relief.


If such legal action is possible, is such legal action the best, or the sole means which can or should be employed to bring the agency under control.


A further question may be what or who is responsible for the agency getting out of control and what, if anything, can be done to ensure that the agency does not get out of control in the future and once again become a menace to society.


ANALYSIS


The agency in question, the Food and Drug Administration, is an out of control bureaucracy, undertaking to perform some proper regulatory functions but devoting many of its resources to illicit functions not contained in its enabling legislation and not permissible under the constitution.


The agency [which was] directed by Commissioner David Kessler, M.D, JD, who assumed the position after the enforced resignation of Joe Young, PhD, has done little to change its behavior except put on a fresh face from time to time.


An investigation revealed widespread corruption with many officials, taking large bribes, not to mention every member of Congress who are heavily lobbied by industries it was supposed to regulate, and the entire agency was demoralized and ineffective.


The agency has openly and notoriously formed "partnership" with private trade associations and special interest groups for the purpose of aiding and abetting non-price predation in the health care market.


The agency has lawful jurisdiction over some Foods, Drugs and medical devices which are in interstate commerce and has no jurisdiction over the practice of medicine or other healing professions.


Despite this rather clear distinction, the agency repeatedly attempts to interfere with health care practitioners by means of its enforcement powers and by liaison with state regulatory agencies, and by conducting Gestapo type raids on the offices and clinics of health care practitioners who practice in Schools of Practice other than the Allopathic School and by attempting to suppress the use of techniques of healing and of products for use in health care which are not within its regulatory jurisdiction.


THE BUREAUCRATIC ANTI-COMPETITIVE CAMPAIGN
WHICH POSSIBLY INADVERTENTLY or INTENTIONALLY CREATES GENOCIDE


This claim is born of deliberate suppression of health technologies which are non-toxic, effective and inexpensive; to name only a few in critical areas, these include:


I. CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
EDTA Chelation - Adrenal Cortical Extract


II. STROKE PREVENTION AND REHABILITATION
Oxidative Therapies / Hyperbaric Chamber / Ozone
EDTA Chelation
Human Growth Hormone


III. CANCER AND AIDS
IAT, Laetrile, L-Arginine, Black & Yellow Salves, Gerson Therapy, 714-X, Homeotherapeutics, Krebiozen, Essiac, Immunostim, anti-neoplastin, Hoxey, Glixoxide, Revicci Therapies and many others, too numerous to mention here.


THE STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES INVOLVED IN ANTICOMPETITIVE ACTIVITY


California (most active)


Department of Consumer Affairs
State Board of Medicine
State Board of Dental examiners
State Board of Osteopathic Examiners
State Board of Chiropractic Examiners
Acupuncture Committee
Food and Drug Branch
Attorney General's Office
San Diego City Attorney's Office


Other States (Generic)
State Board of Medical Examiners
State Board of Dental Examiners
Attorney General's Office


Private Organizations Involved
Pharmaceutical Advertising Council
National Council Against Health Fraud (and affiliated organizations)
National Federation of State Boards of Medical Examiners


Administrative Agencies
NCI - National Cancer Institute
CDC - Centers for Disease Control
FDA - Food and Drug Administration
NIH - National Institutes of Health


Private Organizations
American Heart Association
American Cancer Society
Memorial Sloan Kettering Institute
Mayo Clinic
American College of Allergy
Roswell, et al


In HEALTH UNITED STATES, an annual publication by the federal government, our national death rate from cancer is approximately 2,500,000 people per year and the rate is rising. Assuming a cost of $80,000 to $160,000 per person over the last 20 years, that figure represents $200,000,000 to $370,000,000 per year and 50,000,000 lives, or $4 TRILLION to $7.5 TRILLION dollars funneled from our collective economy into the hands of the medical pharmaceutical cartel. Is it any wonder, then, why we cannot find a cure?


In addition One of the first targeted, the FDA, or "Big Medicine," since the early 1900's, in this country was Dr. Royal Raymond Rife. His powerful evolutionary microscope, capable of shattering cancer cells and viruses with radio frequency vibrations, was destroyed and his books burned by federal authorities and he was imprisoned.


Some other embattled pioneers include, but are certainly not limited to: The healing arts of Ethno botany, Naturopathy Chiropractic and Acupuncture and Chelation, which all met intense resistance and violent opposition by federally protected orthodoxy.


Dietmar Schildwaechter, Ph.D., MD, was invaded in his home office in a militant style by state and federal authorities in the late 1980's for introducing a cure for squamous cell cancer, which was proven in a 20-year study in Germany.


Andrew Ivy, MD, a pillar of the A.M.A., who came back from Germany after participating as a panelist in the Nuremberg war crime trials with a cure for cancer called Krebiozen, had his career shattered.


Bruce Halstead, MD;
Warren Levin, MD;
Vincent Speckhart, MD;
Royal Raymond Rife, MD
Wilhelm Reich, MD;
Jossef Issels, MD; and Max Gerson, MD;
Joseph Gold, MD,
Emmanuel Revici, MD;
Stanislaw Burzynski, MD;
James Privitera, MD;
Ed McCabe, author of Oxygen Therapies, jailed for 547 days; a best selling author.
Hulda Clark, ND;


There too many more which are not listed here. These gifted pioneers brought relief to a suffering humanity and were ruthlessly attacked by medical authorities and scientific dogma. Each paid a high price but distinguished themselves by their courage and resolves to stand up for their convictions, even in the face of overwhelming opposition, loss of license and jail. For a closer look at the inner workings, read: THE CANCER INDUSTRY: the Classic Expose 'on the Cancer Establishment, by Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.


The FDA regularly approves dangerous, often lethal pharmaceuticals. The side effects of these potentially deadly, or harm causing pharmaceutical drugs can only be fully discovered by wide-spread use. This is despite the average $250-500,000,000 and 15 years to bring these drugs to market, including phase trial tests, trying to prove the elusive "efficacy" requirement of the F.D. &C. Act.


Typically, after one of their highly publicized "wonder" drugs fails, causes death or serious side effects, no FDA official nor PAC member company president, research assistant, corporate official, company doctor, nor testing lab will be subjected to raid, investigation, indictment or jail term.


To the trauma and suffering to the patients and their families and the productive work force, it comes with a hefty price tag.


Both Gaston Naessens and Dietmar Schildwaechter, Ph.D., MD, spent the last 40 years perfecting independent blood tests, which are able to pre diagnose any type of cancer and immune disorders up to two years prior to their onset, with a 1% margin of error. The industrial average false/negative ratio remains extremely high by comparison, yet these new tests are ignored or met with resistance.


THE RELEVANT SERVICE MARKET AND SUBSTITUTABLE ECONOMIC COMPETITORS


The Eclectic Practice of Medicine*


In 1906, Dr. Rolla Thomas completely revised the 1866 teaching manual by John Milton Scudder, and revised it yet again in 1907. This was the culmination of a thirty-year frenzy of published creativity at the Eclectic Medical Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was the main teaching text at that school until the1930s...the college closed in 1939.


"...it were better for the doctor if he can forget that his patient has typhoid fever, pneumonia, dysentery, or whatever he may have, and study the conditions that are present. This may be wrongs of the circulation, of the nervous system, of the secretions, of digestion, of assimilation, or wrongs of the blood, but whatever the basal lesion, it must be overcome if the patient is to be benefited by medication."


THE MONOPOLIZATION OF MEDICINE


The health care industry during the Progressive Era is well documented in academic studies and can reasonably be accepted as a given here without describing in great detail how or why it occurred. However, it was funded largely by the Rockefeller and Carnegie fortunes and was done to guarantee a dominant place in health care for the products of the petrochemical industry.


The Allopathic School of Medical Practice was picked to become the dominant survivor of the monopolization because it was:


(1) Numerically the largest,


(2) Had no well established system of doctrines which made it antagonistic to the use of a system of therapeutics based on petrochemical therapeutics,


(3) Was represented by a fairly well organized and active Trade Association which was receptive to a take over by the funders,


(4) Urgently needed a large infusion of cash and political influence to stop the growing public acceptance of its economic rivals and competitors,


(5) Had little to offer its members without such an infusion of cash and political influence,


(6) Were headed by a staff which welcomed any help - motivated by absolutely no idealism and almost entirely by avarice, the staff of the AMA was easy to enlist in the monopolization and proved extremely efficient - particularly Morris Fishbein, whose role was pivotal and whose service spanned several decades of the monopolization.


One of the chief monopolization strategies was through take over of medical education and the schools or universities which offered this. There were several hundred which offered a two year course in Allopathic Medicine and granted the M.D. degree, which was the sole credential necessary for practice at that time.


Competitive medical universities operated by Homeopathic and Eclectic interests were fewer, but at least 75 existed - some well established and endowed.


The monopolist could have selected any of these; they were all easy targets, but the Allopathic School of Practice had a void in its therapeutic system which made it ideal for the monopolist and the Homeopathic and Eclectic Schools had therapeutic systems which offered little room for the
incorporation of petrochemical technology.


Many Americans, at least those who could afford to do so, went abroad for their medical education, initially to England or Scotland but eventually to Germany where State supported Universities had better facilities and foreign students who could and would pay tuition to augment the salaries of the faculty were welcomed to the extent that lectures were offered in English as well as German to facilitate and accommodate these foreign scholars.


To a man, the initial faculty of John's Hopkins, the first of the Medical Universities to be established and funded by the monopolists were graduates of German Universities and brought to the University both the medical and the political orientations gained as students at German universities, which they passed on to the students of John's Hopkins, most of whom went out to become the faculties of other American medical colleges and further incorporate both the medical and the political orientations of German universities into the graduates of American Medical Universities funded by the monopolists. Those orientations remain a part of Allopathic medicine in the United States today.


This is primarily important in considering the role of the Allopathic School in genocidal activity, which the German medical profession entered into without protest between 1934 and 1945 under the National Socialist Regime in Germany.


Federal control started in earnest around 1938 with the Pure Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and this became what it is today in 1962 with the Kefauffer Amendments to that Act, which amendments included for the first time, an efficacy requirement which gave the FDA far more power to control both drugs and information about drugs.


The Federal Act was not intended to give the agency any control over the practice of medicine or other health care professions and both its language and many decisions of Federal Courts make that clear. Nevertheless, the agency has made and continues to make increasing excursions into attempts to control the practice of medicine.


Since 1910, a combination of some practitioners and some manufacturers of goods involved in this market has attempted to attain a monopoly in the market to the exclusion of substitutable economic competitors.


Some of the goods in this market, particularly those consisting of synthetic petrochemical pharmaceuticals, are preferentially used by the practitioners involved in the monopolization to the virtual exclusion of other goods.


However, a large amount of the goods involved may be purchased and used by consumers without the recommendation or authorization of health care practitioners and the consumer is free to consult such practitioners or not as he or she sees fit, in most circumstances.


Licensure of health care practitioners is a function of State governments, all of which have a system of examination and licensure of some health care practitioners. There is some variation from state to state in which practitioners are licensed and which are not licensed.


There is universal licensure of physicians and surgeons, osteopathic physicians and surgeons, dentists, chiropractic physicians and there is considerable variation as to the licensure of naturopathic physicians and Oriental medical practitioners (acupuncturists) on a state by state basis.


Despite the state by state variation, all of these practitioners practice in a virtually uniform fashion all have trade associations and specialty societies which are national in scope and all receive fairly standardized training.


Licensure for physicians and surgeons was initially begun around 1890 on a state by state basis at the instigation of the American Medical Association, which is the trade association for the Allopathic School of Medical Practice.


When the process was begun, State Legislatures typically created three separate State Boards of Medical examiners, to examine and license medical practitioners of the Allopathic, Homeopathic and Eclectic Schools of Medical Practice; in many states the Osteopathic School was also given a Board of Examiners.


Initially, the licenses granted to these practitioners was to treat any human disease, disorder or condition by drugs, surgery or any other means and all persons not so licensed were forbidden to undertake such activities for compensation.


Shortly thereafter, other health care practitioners were also given licenses which carried out certain exceptions to the universal licensure of physicians, such as Dentists, Podiatrists, Pharmacists, Nurses, Midwives, Physiotherapists and eventually, Acupuncturists.


The campaign for licensure carried out by the AMA was for the purpose of attaining for its members an exclusive license to practice health care for compensation and to exclude all substitutable economic competitors from the market.


This was not accomplished as State Legislators usually saw fit to license their economic competitors as well in order to maintain competition in the Relevant Service Market.


The campaign to attain exclusive licensure not having succeeded, the AMA next attempted to bring about a merger between the competitive schools of medical practice; that campaign is ongoing and has succeeded in some states to a degree, although all states continue to license health care practitioners who are substitutable economic competitors to allopathic physicians and have clearly articulated policies encouraging competition between different sorts of health care providers, set forth in state legislation.


The AMA and its component state medical societies, nevertheless, continued with unrelenting efforts to monopolize health care and have been convicted of Antitrust violations repeatedly.


The Federal Trade Commission brought an enforcement action against the AMA and its component societies resulting in information concerning anticompetitive misconduct and subsequently a private enforcement action by 4 chiropractors resulted in further permanent injunctions against anticompetitive misconduct.


The later action, Wilk, et al. v. AMA was based upon a campaign conducted by the AMA through its Department of Investigation and Council Against Quackery "to first contain then eliminate Chiropractic".


During the litigation, the Department of Investigation and the Council Against Quackery were hurriedly disbanded by the AMA and files of these organizations were handed over to a private organization which, funded by the Pharmaceutical Advertising Council, continues the anticompetitive campaigns as an ostensible private organization, which is actually an AMA front organization. Its anticompetitive activities have intensified since the injunctions against the AMA were issued and affirmed.


A large part of the plan of monopolization has been and continues to be the suppression of information about health care providers and modalities which are competitive with those of AMA members.


The AMA initially formed a sub rosa organization, the "Health Information Control Council" which had members from several bureaucratic regulatory agencies as members. This was also broken up during the Wilk litigation.


As a part of the Wilk litigation, the Court held that calling a licensed competitor a Quack would constitute an antitrust offense; since that time the AMA front organization has substituted the word "fraud" for "quack" in its anticompetitive campaigns which increasingly are undertaken with State and Federal bureaucrats into whose "hidden agendas" the achievement of monopoly by the AMA and standardization of therapeutics fit extremely well.


During the past 25 years, most of the monopoly activity of this AMA front organization has been with bureaucrats and third party payees, such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield, which are both private insurers and pay agents for governmental programs such as Medicare.


In these situations, these "insurance companies" do not function in their traditional roles as casualty insurers, but rather as cost-plus contract pay agents and, in this role, their activities neatly interface with both the AMA's monopolization efforts and the "hidden bureaucratic agendas" of regulatory agencies.


It is this combination of the AMA, acting through a front organization, the "insurance" companies who are not insuring but acting as cost-plus contract pay agents and the regulatory agencies involved in a "hidden agenda" which in combination, are bringing about and attempting to bring about the monopoly in health care which the AMA has been engaged in creating since 1890.


This combination has already succeeded in dangerously decreasing the quality of goods and services and astronomically increasing their price in the Relevant Service and Goods Market.


This has been accomplished by bureaucratic activity which is directly violative of the clearly articulated policies of the States and has as its purpose both increasing such costs and decreasing the quality of goods and services, and although it is state action, it is not such state action as is protected from Antitrust scrutiny by the State Action Exemption to the Antitrust Laws.


RESOURCE READING


A FEW OF THE MANY AVAILABLE


Thoma Szasz, Ph.D.


Books by Harris Coulter
[1994] Empiricism vs. Rationalism in Medicine by Harris L. Coulter, Ph.D.


Childhood Vaccinations and Juvenile-Onset (Type-1) Diabetes by Harris Coulter, Ph.D


Vaccination and Social Violence by Harris Coulter, Ph.D


Vaccination and Violent Crime by Harris Coulter, Ph.D


Critique of government funded studies--Harris Coulter Ph.D.


SIDS and Seizures by Harris L. Coulter, PhD


Do Vaccines Cause Cot Deaths?---Harris L. Coulter (1996)


An Italian Study Finding Biochemical Markers of Vaccine Damage 1996, Harris L. Coulter, Ph.D.
Books


1972, Homeopathic Medicine


1975, Divided Legacy (Volume I): The Patterns Emerge: Hippocrates to Paracelsus


1977, Divided Legacy (Volume II): The Origins of Modern Western Medicine: J. B. Van Helmont to Claude Bernard


1981, Homeopathic Science and Modern Medicine


1982, Divided Legacy (Volume III): The Conflict Between Homeopathy and the American Medical Association: Science and Ethics in American Medicine 1800-1910


1986, A Shot in the Dark, ISBN 089529463x ---Harris Coulter & Barbara Loe Fisher


1987, AIDS & Syphilis -- The Hidden Link


1990, Vaccination, Social Violence and Criminality ISBN 1556430841---Harris Coulter
Medical historian Harris Coulter presents evidence to show that disabilities caused by vaccines are often "disguised" under different names: autism, dyslexia, learning disability, epilepsy, mental retardation, hyperactivity & minimal brain dysfunction. Up to 25% of American schoolchildren suffer from "development disabilities". A classic.


'...It is the thesis of this remarkable book that early vaccinations can result in mild cases of sub-clinical encephalitis which, in turn, may well be responsible -- at least in part -- for the increase in autism, hyperactivity, dyslexia, sociopathy, and developmental disabilities, a rise that roughly coincides with the initiation of infant vaccinations. Coulter suggests further linkages to the increase in adolescent crime and suicide, and the decline in SAT scores.' Stanley Kripner, AHP, January 1993.


1990, The Controlled Clinical Trial: an Analysis


1994, Divided Legacy (Volume IV): Twentieth-Century Medicine, The Bacteriological Era"


HEALTH CARE REFORM


HEALTH INSURANCE


HEALTH CARE TAX


HEALTH CARE DEBATE


Who pays for health care?

America spent 17.3% of its gross domestic product on health care in 2009 (1). If you break that down on an individual level, we spend $7,129 per person each year on health care...more than any other country in the world (2). With 17 cents of every dollar Americans spent keeping our country healthy, it's no wonder the government is determined to reform the system. Despite the overwhelming attention health care is getting in the media, we know very little about where that money comes from or how it makes its way into the system (and rightfully so...the way we pay for health care is insanely complex, to say the least). This convoluted system is the unfortunate result of a series of programs that attempt to control spending layered on top of one another. What follows is a systematic attempt to peel away those layers, helping you become an informed health care consumer and an incontrovertible debater when discussing "Health Care Reform."


Who's paying the bill?


The "bill payers" fall into three distinct buckets: individuals paying out-of-pocket, private insurance companies, and the government. We can look at these payors in two different ways: 1) How much do they pay and 2) How many people do they pay for?


The majority of individuals in America are insured by private insurance companies via their employers, followed second by the government. These two sources of payment combined account for close to 80% of the funding for health care. The "Out-of-Pocket" payers fall into the uninsured as they have chosen to carry the risk of medical expense independently. When we look at the amount of money each of these groups spends on health care annually, the pie shifts dramatically.


The government currently pays for 46% of national health care expenditures. How is that possible? This will make much more sense when we examine each of the payors individually.


Understanding the Payors


Out-of-Pocket


A select portion of the population chooses to carry the risk of medical expenses themselves rather than buying into an insurance plan. This group tends to be younger and healthier than insured patients and, as such, accesses medical care much less frequently. Because this group has to pay for all incurred costs, they also tend to be much more discriminating in how they access the system. The result is that patients (now more appropriately termed "consumers") comparison shop for tests and elective procedures and wait longer before seeking medical attention. The payment method for this group is simple: the doctors and hospitals charge set fees for their services and the patient pays that amount directly to the doctor/hospital.


Private Insurance


This is where the whole system gets a lot more complicated. Private insurance is purchased either individually or is provided by employers (most people get it through their employer as we mentioned). When it comes to private insurance, there are two main types: Fee-for-Service insurers and Managed Care insurers. These two groups approach paying for care very differently.


Fee-for-Service:


This group makes it relatively simple (believe it or not). The employer or individual buys a health plan from a private insurance company with a defined set of benefits. This benefit package will also have what is called a deductible (an amount the patient/individual must pay for their health care services before their insurance pays anything). Once the deductible amount is met, the health plan pays the fees for services provided throughout the health care system. Often, they will pay a maximum fee for a service (say $100 for an x-ray). The plan will require the individual to pay a copayment (a sharing of the cost between the health plan and the individual). A typical industry standard is an 80/20 split of the payment, so in the case of the $100 x-ray, the health plan would pay $80 and the patient would pay $20...remember those annoying medical bills stating your insurance did not cover all the charges? This is where they come from. Another downside of this model is that health care providers are both financially incentivized and legally bound to perform more tests and procedures as they are paid additional fees for each of these or are held legally accountable for not ordering the tests when things go wrong (called "CYA or "Cover You're A**" medicine). If ordering more tests provided you with more legal protection and more compensation, wouldn't you order anything justifiable? Can we say misalignment of incentives?


Managed Care:


Now it gets crazy. Managed care insurers pay for care while also "managing" the care they pay for (very clever name, right). Managed care is defined as "a set of techniques used by or on behalf of purchasers of health care benefits to manage health care costs by influencing patient care decision making through case-by-case assessments of the appropriateness of care prior to its provision" (2). Yep, insurers make medical decisions on your behalf (sound as scary to you as it does to us?). The original idea was driven by a desire by employers, insurance companies, and the public to control soaring health care costs. Doesn't seem to be working quite yet. Managed care groups either provide medical care directly or contract with a select group of health care providers. These insurers are further subdivided based on their own personal management styles. You may be familiar with many of these sub-types as you've had to choose between then when selecting your insurance.


Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) / Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO):This is the closet managed care gets to the Fee-for-Service model with many of the same characteristics as a Fee-for-Service plan like deductibles and copayments. PPO's & EPO's contract with a set list of providers (we're all familiar with these lists) with whom they have negotiated set (read discounted) fees for care. Yes, individual doctors have to charge less for their services if they want to see patients with these insurance plans. An EPO has a smaller and more strictly regulated list of physicians than a PPO but are otherwise the same. PPO's control costs by requiring preauthorization for many services and second opinions for major procedures. All of this aside, many consumers feel that they have the greatest amount of autonomy and flexibility with PPO's. Health Management Organization (HMO): HMO's combine insurance with health care delivery. This model will not have deductibles but will have copayments. In an HMO, the organization hires doctors to provide care and either builds its own hospital or contracts for the services of a hospital within the community. In this model the doctor works for the insurance provider directly (aka a Staff Model HMO). Kaiser Permanente is an example of a very large HMO that we've heard mentioned frequently during the recent debates. Since the company paying the bill is also providing the care, HMO's heavily emphasize preventive medicine and primary care (enter the Kaiser "Thrive" campaign). The healthier you are, the more money the HMO saves. The HMO's emphasis on keeping patients healthy is commendable as this is the only model to do so, however, with complex, lifelong, or advanced diseases, they are incentivized to provide the minimum amount of care necessary to reduce costs. It is with these conditions that we hear the horror stories of insufficient care. This being said, physicians in HMO settings continue to practice medicine as they feel is needed to best care for their patients despite the incentives to reduce costs inherent in the system (recall that physicians are often salaried in HMO's and have no incentive to order more or less tests).


The Government


The U.S. Government pays for health care in a variety of ways depending on whom they are paying for. The government, through a number of different programs, provides insurance to individuals over 65 years of age, people of any age with permanent kidney failure, certain disabled people under 65, the military, military veterans, federal employees, children of low-income families, and, most interestingly, prisoners. It also has the same characteristics as a Fee-for-Service plan, with deductibles and copayments. As you would imagine, the majority of these populations are very expensive to cover medically. While the government only insures 28% of the American population, they are paying for 46% of all care provided. The populations covered by the government are amongst the sickest and most medically needy in America resulting in this discrepancy between number of individuals insured and cost of care.


The largest and most well-known government programs are Medicare and Medicaid. Let's take a look at these individually:


Medicare:


The Medicare program currently covers 42.5 million Americans. To qualify for Medicare you must meet one of the following criteria:


Over 65 years of age Permanent kidney failure Meet certain disability requirements


So you meet the criteria...what do you get? Medicare comes in 4 parts (Part A-D), some of which are free and some of which you have to pay for. You've probably heard of the various parts over the years thanks to CNN (remember the commotion about the Part D drug benefits during the Bush administration?) but we'll give you a quick refresher just in case.


Part A (Hospital Insurance): This part of Medicare is free and covers any inpatient and outpatient hospital care the patient may need (only for a set number of days, however, with the added bonus of copayments and deductibles...apparently there really is no such thing as a free lunch). Part B (Medical Insurance): This part, which you must purchase, covers physicians' services, and selected other health care services and supplies that are not covered by Part A. What does it cost? The Part B premium for 2009 ranged from $96.40 to $308.30 per month depending on your household income. Part C (Managed Care): This part, called Medicare Advantage, is a private insurance plan that provides all of the coverage provided in Parts A and B and must cover medically necessary services. Part C replaces Parts A & B. All private insurers that want to provide Part C coverage must meet certain criteria set forth by the government. Your care will also be managed much like the HMO plans previously discussed. Part D (Prescription Drug Plans): Part D covers prescription drugs and costs $20 to $40 per month for those who chose to enroll.


Ok, now how does Medicare pay for everything? Hospitals are paid predetermined amounts of money per admission or per outpatient procedure for services provided to Medicare patients. These predetermined amounts are based upon over 470 diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) or Ambulatory Payment Classifications (APC's) rather than the actual cost of the care rendered (interesting way to peg hospital reimbursement...especially when the Harvard economist who developed the DRG system openly disagrees with its use for this purpose). The cherry on top of the irrational reimbursement system is that the amount of money assigned to each DRG is not the same for each hospital. Totally logical (can you sense our sarcasm?). The figure is based on a formula that takes into account the type of service, the type of hospital, and the location of the hospital. This may sound logical but often times this system fails.


Medicaid:


Medicaid is a jointly funded (funded by both federal and state governments) health insurance program for low-income families. Eligibility rules vary from state to state and factors in age, pregnancy, disability, income and resources. Poverty alone does not qualify an individual for Medicaid (there is currently no government-provided insurance for the American poor...despite the fact that almost all first world countries have such a system...enter the current health care debate) but is a significant factor in Medicaid eligibility. Each state operates its own Medicaid program but must adhere to certain federal guidelines to receive matching federal funds (you may be familiar with California's MediCal, Massachusetts' MassHealth and Oregon's Oregon Health Plan due to their recent media coverage). Medicaid payments currently assist nearly 60 percent of all nursing home residents and about 37 percent of all childbirths in the United States.


How are the bills paid?


We now understand who is paying the bill but we have yet to cover how those bills are paid. There are two broad divisions of arrangements for paying for and delivering health care: fee-for-service care and prepaid care.


Fee-for-Service


As we mentioned briefly while discussing PPO's, in a fee-for-service structure, consumers select a provider, receive care (a.k.a. "service") from the provider, and incur expenses (a.k.a. "a fee") for the care. Deductibles and copayments are also required as previously discussed. Pretty simple. The physician is then reimbursed for their services in part by the insurer (i.e. a private insurance company or the government) and in part by the patient, who is responsible for the balance unpaid by the insurer (the return of the unanticipated medical bill despite your overpriced insurance). Again, the major downfall of the fee-for-service approach is that medical professionals are incentivized to provide services (and by this we mean any and all services they can legally request or must request to be protected legally), some of which may be nonessential, to increase their revenue and/or "C.Y.A." (revenue that has steadily decreased as insurance companies continue to lower the amount they pay medical professionals for their services).


Fee Schedule


A fee schedule operates in the same way that Fee-for-Service does with one exception: instead of using the "usual, customary, and reasonable" amount to reimburse medical professionals, states set fees to be paid for specific procedures and services. The reimbursement is very low ($.10-.15 on the dollar) and barely covers the actual direct cost of providing the care. Physicians may chose to opt into the plan or not (starting to see why a doctor might not be so excited about this plan?). Would you sign up to be paid 10 cents for every dollar you charged for your work? Try the insurance reimbursement approach next time you go out to eat. We'll come bail you out of the Big House if things go awry. What happens when the insurance system does this? You get the Wal-Mart approach to medicine (high volume, low quality). Not the kind of heath care we recommend.


Pre-Paid


Pre-paid health care? Like a phone card? Not exactly--but close. The pre-paid system evolved out of the insurance company's desire to share its risk ( a.k.a "pooled risk") with health care providers. Essentially, they wanted the doctors to have some skin in the game. In the pre-paid system, insurers make arrangements with health care providers to provide agreed-upon covered health care services to a given population of consumers for a (usually discounted) set price-the per-person premium fee-over a particular time period. What does that mean? It means that Dr. Bob gets paid, say, $30 per month to take care of Joe the Plumber including his blood work and x-rays. If Dr. Bob spends less than that caring for Joe, he makes money. If Joe is sick every month and needs lots of tests and follow-up visits, Dr. Bob could lose money caring for Joe. The set monthly fee paid to the doctor for taking care of a patient is set up on a per-member, per-month (PMPM) rate called a "capitated fee." The provider receives the capitated fee per enrollee regardless of whether the enrollee uses health care services and regardless of the quality of services provided (not a good thing in our book). Theoretically, providers should become more prudent and subsequently provide services in a more cost effective manner because they are bearing some of the risk. Often times, however, less care is provided than is needed in hopes of saving money and increasing profits. In addition, physicians are incentivized to cherry pick the youngest and healthiest patients because these patients typically require less care (i.e. they are cheaper to keep healthy). We like that doctors are encouraged to keep patients healthy but we have to worry about the ways in which they are being encouraged to reduce costs (as little care as possible?). Again, the incentive system falls short and encourages providers to act unethically.


The Take Home Message:


Health Care in the United States today is complex and messy at best. The layers on top of layers of failed attempts to correct the system continue to encourage the wrong behavior in both patients (out of fear of medical bills) and providers (out of fear of bankruptcy). We have yet to provide every American citizen with medical care (something that goes without saying in most 1st World countries...even Cuba has it!). We spend more money on caring for our citizens than any country in the world yet we continue to lag behind in terms of national health outcomes. We think it's safe to say that we're not getting the best bang for our buck. The ultimate solution? We wish we knew. Only time will tell where the system goes from here. Our goal: to help you better understand the system as it stands today in hopes of developing a more effective, efficient, and comprehensive system for the future. Are you with us?


References


1. Levey N. Soaring cost of healthcare sets a record. Los Angeles Times. Feb 4 2010.


2. McKenzie J, Pinger R, Kotecki J. An Introduction to Community Health, 6th Ed. Jones and Bartlett Publishers. 2008.


3. Bodenheimer TS, Grumbach K. Understanding Health Policy. 5th Ed. Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill. 2002.


4. Kaiser Family Foundation. "EXPLAINING HEALTH CARE REFORM: How Do Health Care Costs Vary By Region?" Brief #8030. December 2009.


by Joshua Goldman, MD, MBA Resident Physician, UCLA Department of Family Medicine Editor-in-Chief, House Call, MD http://www.myhousecallmd.com
Medicine that matters in your daily life brought to you in a simple and entertaining way. Sign up for our free Healthy Dose newsletter packed with all the info you need to stay healthy in today's hectic society: http://www.myhousecallmd.com/subscribe


American universal health care system


Health care system needs reform, not on the takeover of the Government

Believe it or not, the best doctors in the world, the most modern health care system and technically better resources in the world that America is proud of. Those who travel globally, and it's already gotten, they know that their first choice for treatment in US health care in America, but more expensive than other countries, many of the richest worlds come to US for surgical procedures and comprehensive care, therefore, has a worldwide reputation as the gold standard in the field of health.

Review the comprehensive health care, there was a small research study from randomly selected physicians in the database of the best doctors. Ask 50 top practitioners, we found in the various States and who practice different special fields, "the plan is good for Americasal univer health care?" forty-eight of these physicians essentially replied that "good idea", which would have a negative impact on the quality of health care in our nation.

Social engineering in medicine

One of the largest mis-conceptions, some people relied on with regard to the debate about health care, health-care system because of universal , every person in the United States would receive the highest quality health care-the nature of our nation is famous for, and that we currently receive. Unlike some public facilities, but health care is not a collective public services such as police and fire protection services, the Government cannot provide the same quality of health care, because not all doctors are just as good orthopaedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, interns, etc., in the same manner to all persons in the case of the needs of health care are as good of patients.

As a metaphor-stay with me- software in the design, there are many elements that are encoded in the back-end and is used to the software certain aspects of the program that your average "John Smith" who the software uses (end user) does not understand, nor to use them depends on the following elements. Some aspects of the programme are coded, so that when a person uses a part of the programme, other elements of the programme are Automaticto handle and wheels under this or the next command.

Similarly, once the plan of caresal univer is implemented in America and its extensive infrastructure is in the form, private insurance companies will lose, and as a result finally, patients automaticallywheels will be forced to use Governmentsal univer health care plan. As part of such a system, patients will be known as numbers and not patients, since such a massive government program would be an incentive compensation on the basis of the care provided, patients will become "numbers," than "patients." In addition, for reasons of cost savings, every piece of information about health, including their own, will be analysed and stored by the Government. What are the consequences? If you are a senior citizen and need replacement knee at the age of 70 years, the Government may determine that you are old and not worth the investment costs and, therefore, instead of surgery, you may be given medication for the rest of his life at substantial savings to the Government and at the price of a high quality of life for you.

Solution:

The determination of the current US health care, we may require;

1 to support prevention and early diagnosis of chronic and procedure.
2. Fully the existing government reform programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.
3 People willing to practice primary care in areas with insufficient Forgive medical school debt.
4. to improve access to care, small business and self-employed tax credits or penalties for the provision of health care.
5. to encourage innovation in the management of medical records to reduce costs.
6 Require legal reforms in a perfunctory decision to reduce the cost of providing care.
7. , what's not broken research indicates 80% of Americans are satisfied with their existing insurance, therefore, why is humanism?
8. to reimburse doctors for their services.
9 to upgrade the system in which Medicare fraud is dramaticallyMcCreased de.

The devil in the details

Socialized medicine is as follows:

1. the loss of the possibility of private practice, a reduction in pay for doctors, an overwhelming number of patients andMcCreasing in that the burn-out can reduce the number of practitioners of the profession.

2. Patient Confidentiality will have to be at risk, centralized health information will be maintained by the Government and the database.

3. in healthy people who take care of themselves the burden to pay for those with unhealthy lifestyles, for example, those who smoke, overweight, etc.

4. , patients will lose the incentive to stay healthy or not likely efforts to limit their prescribing costs of health care is free of charge, and the system can be easily exploited.

5. The US Government will have to give the important health decisions dictate the procedures which are best for you, rather than this decision in their doctor (s), which will result in individualized patient care for the poor.

6. Tax rates will rise significantlysal univer health care is free of charge, as citizens are obliged to pay in the form of taxes.

7. Your freedom of choice will be limited to that doctor is the best for you and your family.

8 As all public programmes, to be motivated by government bureaucracy, even in the form of health care, healthy competition, which reduces the costs on demand. And what's more the liability shall be limited to such a system to the available budgetary resources.

9 Insurance subsidizes private insurers in the billions of dollars, that is, if you add the equation is a trillion dollars or more than one trillion dollars plus the current cost estimates.

10 at present, the Government loses an estimated $ 30 billion per year of Medicare fraud. Therefore, what makes anyone think that this is the same, the Government will be able to service & healthcare system universal , which is resistant to fraud and save money?.




Hugo Gallegos is the health information technology expert http://www.mdnationwide.org: founder, research and the information society in the identification of the best doctors in America and provides a comprehensive the doctor a message background.