December 1991 Home   Newsletters

January 1992

February 1992

President's Message (Arlene Ellis)
Health Care Study
People's Water Conference
League's Position on Local Government
Membership
Waikiki Plans Incomplete as Moratorium Ends (Astrid Monson)
Vote Count (Arlene Ellis)
Leasehold (Jim Koshi)
Viewpoint
December General Membership Meeting
Firearms (Nadine Onodera)
Action Alert - Recycling
This is Our Last Chance to Keep Abortion Rights

Health Care Study

Health Care Reform is one of the most important issues to face everyone in the next years and will be a hot issue in the presidential campaign this year. Make no mistake - some form of change will occur and its impact will affect every person - those without insurance, those with inadequate insurance and those with what they consider as excellent insurance.

Everyone will be PERSONALLY AFFECTED, and you may not like the decisions that will be made. Powerful lobbies will exert pressure in their own interest. We, the consumer, also need to make our desires known.

In preparing for this meeting please do refer to the following National Voter issues: Dec.-Jan.'91, Apr.-May '91, and Aug.-Sept.'91. The last is the most inclusive. Also bring your November Aloha Voter which has the consensus questions. We urge your attendance so that valid consensus can be made.

There are 10 consensus questions in each of the 5 parts under consideration.

  1. What should be the goals of the U.S. Health Care Policy? a) basic level of care and equitable distribution of health care; b) affordable costs to individuals; c) quality standards of care; d) consumer choice of health care providers and type of practice; and e) financing medical research and technology.

  2. What is a minimum basic level of health care? Should it include prenatal and reproductive health, prevention of disease and complications? (Many insurers do not cover it). What about the use of primary care doctors (family doctor) for everyone? Should minimum care include long term care, mental, dental, vision and hearing care?

  3. What is involved in achieving an equitable distribution of healthcare? Most obvious are questions of underserved areas like Molokai and also the lack of primary care doctors. Less obvious and equally significant are the basis for rates charged for health care insurance and the mandating of uniform services for all public funded health care programs.

  4. It is obvious that when American Health Care is reformed we want an efficient, economical delivery of care and also control methods. Consumer accountability - use of deductibles and co-payments, requirements like second opinions, outcome based guidelines and utilization reviews. These last tend to review and restrict doctors' treatments. Other areas of consideration are regional planning for new hospitals and other expensive equipment, etc., and putting some restrictions on provider fees or delivery system. Certainly mal-practice or tort reform is important.

  5. Rationing health care. As one foreigner said, "Americans are the only people who seriously believe that death is an option". Ration health care on the basis of finances based upon insured or uninsured.

We stress the IMPORTANCE OF YOUR ATTENDANCE. This consensus is critical to the next phase under study - that of a health care package. If you cannot possibly attend, but want to contribute your opinion, fill out the consensus questions in the Voter and mail it to the LWV HAWAII, Attn: Evelyn Bender. It cannot be considered as part of the consensus but additional opinions will be taken seriously by the National League.

HEALTH CARE - PHASE 2

Since the study of "Delivery and Financing of Health Care in the United States" cannot be completed by the time of 1992 Convention, a Phase 2 study which will include the role of government; alternative proposals, including other nations' systems; and methods of financing will be proposed and voted on. This 1992-94 program will contain the scope and focus statement to continue the health care study in Phase 2.

HEALTH CARE TAPE

The Honolulu League has ordered a one-hour VHS tape of Sen. John (Jay) Rockefeller explaining the Pepper Commission findings and recommendations, with discussion and questions. This tape was made at Stanford University in January 1991, at a conference called Health Care and the Underserved.

It will be available for viewing at the LWV office or for borrowing from the tape library.

NATIONAL HEALTH CARE CONSENSUS MEETING
Hawaii Medical Association Bldg.
1360 So. Beretania St., 2nd Floor
Saturday, January 25, 1992

8:30 am Registration

8:30 - 9:00 Coffee and pastries

9:00 -10:30 Health Care Study Consensus

Parking on lower level of 2nd level parking structure.

Please mail or call in (Grace Furukawa - ph. 988-3532 after 5pm) your reservations to attend this consensus meeting.

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