Individualized Care Plans
Consider for a moment the use of individualized education plans mandated for children with disabilities or your own individualized financial plan. These plans take into consideration the unique needs of the student or the couple when plotting a strategy to enhance knowledge or strengthen a retirement account.
Each patient with a chronic disease or disability travels a different health care journey. The National Health Council believes there should be an individualized care plan – or ICP — in any health care package.
An individualized care plan would integrate personal health goals with a coordinated care approach. It would ensure the utilization of evidence-based care that is aligned with patient needs.
An individualized care plan would be value-based and cognizant of the costs both to the system and to the person. And we all know that the cost of health care is at the heart of most health care reform discussions.
We need to eliminate unwanted and unnecessary care, and the desire for defensive medicine.
Health care expenditures account for approximately 15 to 16 percent of this country’s gross national product. Chronic disease accounts for roughly 75 percent of all health care costs each year. Americans face the financial burden of high premiums and out-of-pocket costs — even with health insurance coverage.
Consider Richard. He cared for his father for three years, spending more than $100,000 of his own money, before his father succumbed to the debilitating effects of ALS – Lou Gehrig’s disease. Now, his mother has terminal brain cancer, and he cannot afford the end-of-life care she needs.
Then there is B.J., a 60-year-old cancer survivor. When she switched health plans she was denied coverage for the medication that was saving her life. She spent more than $3,000 out of her own pocket during the month she was without coverage.
If we simply expand coverage and increase access without addressing the out-of-pocket issue, people with chronic conditions will continue to face overwhelming challenges in managing their care.
The Nation Health Council has developed a list of principles for health reform. We believe an efficient and effective health care system must
· Curb Costs Responsibly
· Cover Everyone
· Abolish Exclusions for Pre-existing Conditions
· Eliminate Lifetime Caps and
· Ensure respect at the End of Life.
But whether we talk about the National Health Council principles or the principles put out by the Obama Administration, we must not lose sight of the overarching goal – to make health care first and foremost patient focused. We need to put patients first.
The call for action by the new Administration and Congress for health care reform is more than a message of hope that change will occur. It’s a cry for unity. In order to advance the health care agenda, we need to seek new partnerships that incorporate the broad scope of stakeholders – and the voice of people which chronic diseases and disabilities will be heard.
Myrl Weinberg, CAE
President
National Health Council