[Oe List ...] OE Digest, Vol 65, Issue 70

[ed feldmanis]

Gosh,  I sat next to Don at the last Strategy Meeting for the ICA Board.  I
liked his contributions and appreciated his time.  I know he has done a lot
for ICA on the national and International level.  I like Don and we visit
when he comes through Chicago.

I don't always agree with Don. I like working with him.  I like him as a
person. To David  and his comments I have to say that none of the Board
actually spoke their truth from their heart and mind, as I heard it.  And
your concern is well taken.  I also agree with an assessment by Wiegel who
said that isolation and a failure at communicating was very detrimental to
the process and the divisions that took place in the issues that concerned
you, David.

However, as critical, as my remark is, I have found that working with Don,
sitting with Don, seeing Don as a person is enjoyable.  He makes positive
contributions. In the searing glare of light, and this is my opinion, Don is
exposed and has feet of clay.  I am exposed as well. I believe That's The
Way Life Is for all of us.

Ed

2009/9/10 Herman Greene <hfgreene at mindspring.com>

>  Agreed. I remember Joe Matthews saying what we needed was civilized
> people, so let’s keep our exchanges at a high level of civility.
>
>
>
> Don’s care and concern over many years is a testament to his character.
>
>
>
> Herman
>
>
>  ------------------------------
>
> *From:* oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] *On
> Behalf Of *Jack Gilles
> *Sent:* Wednesday, September 09, 2009 7:41 PM
> *To:* Order Ecumenical Community
> *Subject:* Re: [Oe List ...] OE Digest, Vol 65, Issue 70
>
>
>
> David,
>
>
>
> I think you need to think twice before writing personal attacks on a person
> you don't obviously know well and I would hope you would consider an apology
> to Don.  Those of us who have had the honor of knowing Don well know him to
> be both a compassionate and generous human being who has donated his money,
> time and most important, his doctoring skills all over the world.  So for
> you to paint him as lacking compassion because of his expressed views is
> terribly wrong.  Don needs no defense but he has some valid concerns.
>
>
>
> Don is not advocating denial of wheelchairs to those who need it.  He does
> object, as we all should, to the scam that gets these things paid for at 2,
> 3 or 4 times what the supplier paid for it and often for people who don't
> need them.   Secondly, I have often heard people cite your 2% statistic on
> tort cost, but there is a documented trend of young doctors avoiding GP and
> other fields due to what they have to pay each year for malpractice
> insurance.  I think the 2% doesn't include all the extra tests done to cover
> possible suits.  We live in an ever increasing litigious society so some
> fair adjustment needs to be made so that doctors can practice and new
> doctors can be attracted to needed fields of practice and people who are
> wronged are fairly compensated.  There is room for different points of view
> and solutions without loosing any degree of compassion.
>
>
>
> Peace,
>
>
>
> Jack Gilles
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sep 9, 2009, at 5:36 PM, David Walters wrote:
>
>
>
>   It is interesting that you would liken the providing of lift chairs and
> electric wheel chairs to the high cost of medical liability insurance. As
> one who suffered thru 4 years of mobility problems with no health coverage
> that would cover either those two items, I can speak with some authority.
> Your over wrought concern for the cost of providing such items demonstrates
> your lack of human compassion for those who have not had to the good fortune
> that you have always enjoyed.
>
>
>
> As for the cost of liability insurance. the best data I can find is that it
> constitutes 2% of all medical expenses. To correct the problems that drive
> this cost, most people in your profession wave the tort reform banner, What
> this means is a "throw the baby out with the bathwater" approach that would
> stop virtually all malpractice suits. That means that even those with
> legitimate cases will go the same way as frivolous cases. Again, a lack of
> compassion for those who truly suffer from the malpracitce of those in your
> profession.
>
>
>
> The current opposition to healthcare reform is rooted and grounded in the
> Republican ideology that was birthed in the midst of right-wing religious
> ,movement of the 70s and 80s that gave us Ronald Reagan as its patron saint.
> This same mindset manifest itself yesterday where the school children of the
> county I live in were not allowed to here President Obama speak to them
> about doing good in school and working hard at growing up to productive
> citizens.
>
>
>
> What this country needs is a comprehensive intentional, futuric model for a
> healthcare system that cares of all of our citizens. None of the so-called
> leaders of the House and Senate on both sides of the aisle have proposed
> anything that comes close. Excerpt for the bill voted out of the the late
> Teddy Kennedy's committee, which strangely, no one is talking about.
>
>
>
> This list is composed mainly of a group of people that once proclaimed that
> the moral issue of our times is the 95-5% split or the out of balance
> Economic triangle. I believe that the current issue of healthcare reform is
> a subset of the same issue.
>
>
>
> David Walters
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>  The article by Feldman that you cite points to one of the most important
> factors producing the high cost of American health care:  liability
> insurance for doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical and medical device
> manufacturers.  I would add to this the unregulated advertising of
> prescription drugs that encourages people to self diagnose and demand that
> their doctor prescribe something they have seen touted on TV, not to mention
> the electric wheel chair industry spawned by a bureaucratic decision to
> provide coverage.  Remember the recliners that would stand you up, if you
> had trouble getting out of your chair?
>
>
>
> Doctors and hospitals have had their reimbursement reduced by Medicare
> stepwise in several reform efforts, and probably cannot be squeezed much
> more.  Several specialties have seen their training programs under filled
> because of the long training required coupled with reduced reimbursement.
> Only 70% of the residencies in cardiac surgery filled this year.
> Residencies in Dermatology and Plastic Surgery are over subscribed because
> much of their services are not covered by Medicare and private insurance,
> but are on a cash basis, reducing collection costs.  Family practitioners
> and Internists are having a very difficult time.  Many rely on nurses and
> physician assistants to monitor routine problems, freeing them for more
> difficult tasks, like the paperwork required by Medicare and insurers.
>
>
>
> I am not optimistic that requiring insurance companies to take all comers,
> regardless of pre-existing conditions would somehow reduce costs.
> It would simply increase everyone else's premiums.  I know a couple of
> self-employed people, who maintain a health savings account, have a high
> deductible catastrophic policy that is affordable and pay their own routine
> medical costs out of pocket.  They are highly motivated to stay well, and
> do.  People are motivated to seek only absolutely essential care when they
> have to pay for it.
>
>
>
> The status quo is overly expensive, but the currently proposed legislation,
> H.R. 3200 will not reduce costs without addressing tort reform which will
> not only reduce costs to physicians and hospitals, but also drugs and
> devices, and reduce the overuse of xrays, and tests in practicing "defensive
> medicine".
> .
>
>
>
> Don Elliott
>
> _______________________________________________
> OE mailing list
> OE at wedgeblade.net
> http://wedgeblade.net/mailman/listinfo/oe_wedgeblade.net
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> OE mailing list
> OE at wedgeblade.net
> http://wedgeblade.net/mailman/listinfo/oe_wedgeblade.net
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://wedgeblade.net/pipermail/oe_wedgeblade.net/attachments/20090910/e406d21a/attachment-0001.html>