There are 15 million babies born too soon worldwide every year. Some arrive after only 24 weeks in the womb. They can weigh less than two pounds at birth and fit snugly in the palm of your hand. Tragically, 1.1 million of these tiny creatures die annually. And those numbers are growing.
Those heart-wrenching figures tell only part of the story documented in a new report, entitled "Born Too Soon," published by a consortium of organizations including the March of Dimes, the World Health Organization, Save the Children and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.
A premature birth is when a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Worldwide, more than 40 percent of deaths of children under the age of five are linked to preterm birth. In the U.S., premature births are the number one reason babies die before their first birthday.
Unfortunately, little public awareness exists of the problem. These preemies do not attract the same public sympathy as do AIDS victims. These helpless members of our society lack a voice in the halls of Congress or at the public policy tables. Unless this changes, there are dire consequences.
Today babies born at 23 weeks have less than a 17 percent chance of survival. Babies born at 24 weeks are given a 39 percent chance of survival. The percentages jump to 50 percent if babies are delivered after 25 weeks. One in ten preemies will develop a permanent disability.
The average cost of medical care for a premature baby during its first year of life is about $49,000, according to the March of Dimes Foundation. That compares to $4,551 in health care expenses for a full-term newborn in the first 12 months. The annual cost of premature births is $26 billion in the U.S.
But averages for medical expenditures can be deceiving.
In its report, the consortium details the story of premature twins born to a Seattle, Washington, couple. One baby weighed one pound, six ounces. The other tipped the scales at one pound, 11-ounces. Medical costs during the first 18 months were $2.2 million. Insurance covered a chunk of the expenses, but stuck the Seattle couple with a bill for $450,000.
As far as can be determined, no rules have yet been written in Obamacare to address insurance coverage of premature births. However, some doctors are already worried that in the headlong rush to gut medical expenses, they will be forced to confront some wrenching choices.
For example, doctors may face agonizing decisions on whether to unhook babies deemed too unhealthy to keep alive or to delay medical intervention for those babies who exhibit symptoms that would suggest a crippling disability. As horrifying as that sounds, those are legitimate concerns.
With its medical science and technology advantages, the United States should lead the world in developing new treatments for preterm birth. The National Institute of Health and the Center for Disease Control should be on the cutting edge of research. However, it's not the case because preemies rank low on the list of priorities.
A few in Congress, like Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, have been champions of efforts to reverse the trend. More voices are needed to demand additional research, education and intervention activities related to premature births.
For too long, Americans have been silent on the issue. Their muted response has left the tiniest ones among us with no spokespersons. If Americans won't stand up for the most vulnerable in our society, then the country will lose its soul.
Showing posts with label Health Care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health Care. Show all posts
Monday, March 17, 2014
Monday, August 19, 2013
Obamacare: Why AARP $old Out Seniors
The American Association for Retired Persons (AARP), an organization that represents seniors, owes its members an explanation of why it lobbied for healthcare reform that will strip billions of dollars from Medicare, threatening the solvency of the entitlement program.
Under Obamacare, the federal government will siphon an estimated $575 billion from Medicare to fund other parts of the healthcare law. The shearing will weaken Medicare, already burdened with an unfunded liability of $38 trillion.
AARP, with a membership of 35 million, used its financial and political muscle to help shove through Obamacare in 2010. At the time, independent polling showed a majority of seniors did not support government takeover of the healthcare industry.
In exchange for its backing, the interest group obtained a sweetheart financial deal in the new healthcare law. Under Obamacare, AARP will have a competitive advantage in peddling what's called Medigap insurance, which covers services and treatments Medicare doesn't.
That's no small matter because one-fourth of all seniors are currently covered by Medicare Advantage plans offered by private insurers. These firms are AARP's largest competitors in the field of Medigap insurance. Changes inserted into Obamacare gifted AARP with a financial windfall.
But the Obama Administration's political favors didn't end there. The Health and Human Services Department has granted AARP a waiver, exempting the group from government oversight of the price it charges seniors for Medigap coverage. Private insurers have no such arrangement.
If there appears to be a disconnect, that's because AARP leads a schizophrenic existence. On one hand, it professes to be a non-profit, supposedly non-partisan, organization. But it also has a marketing arm that sells for-profit services, including insurance, investments and retirement planning.
Although AARP rakes in millions of dollars from its members, the organization feeds at the government trough. Last year, taxpayers forked over $585 million to AARP in federal grants and Medicare payments. Without taxpayer assistance, AARP would scramble to break-even.
With a hand-picked Obama donor in charge at AARP, the group scooped up an $18 million grant as part of the economic stimulus package in 2009. It needed the money because the organization spends lavishly, including frittering away $80 million annually for lobbying activities.
Most AARP members are clueless about the organization's advocacy campaigns. Membership mostly views AARP as a source for discounts at hotels, restaurants, pharmacies and other firms. They are in for a rude awakening once they discover the impact Obamacare will have on their health care.
As a result of Medicare reductions and new requirements imposed on physicians, seniors' access to health care services will be effected. Many physicians are already posting signs in their waiting rooms warning they will no longer accept new Medicare patients.
To make matters worse, Obamacare will trim the reimbursements physicians receive for treatment and services. Medicare currently pays less than private insurers for the same treatment and services. Obamacare will exacerbate the difference, forcing doctors to shun Medicare patients.
There are countless other adverse changes, including rationing of cancer treatment based on a patient's age. Another revision puts new restrictions on emergency room admissions paid for by Medicare. Unless a patient's primary physician orders emergency care, the government will not pay.
As a result, seniors best days for health care are behind them. Beginning in 2014, they will bear the burden of President Obama's costly $2 trillion experiment in government health care. Seniors have suffered a cold calculated betrayal at the hands of profit-hungry AARP and the president.
Under Obamacare, the federal government will siphon an estimated $575 billion from Medicare to fund other parts of the healthcare law. The shearing will weaken Medicare, already burdened with an unfunded liability of $38 trillion.
AARP, with a membership of 35 million, used its financial and political muscle to help shove through Obamacare in 2010. At the time, independent polling showed a majority of seniors did not support government takeover of the healthcare industry.
In exchange for its backing, the interest group obtained a sweetheart financial deal in the new healthcare law. Under Obamacare, AARP will have a competitive advantage in peddling what's called Medigap insurance, which covers services and treatments Medicare doesn't.
That's no small matter because one-fourth of all seniors are currently covered by Medicare Advantage plans offered by private insurers. These firms are AARP's largest competitors in the field of Medigap insurance. Changes inserted into Obamacare gifted AARP with a financial windfall.
But the Obama Administration's political favors didn't end there. The Health and Human Services Department has granted AARP a waiver, exempting the group from government oversight of the price it charges seniors for Medigap coverage. Private insurers have no such arrangement.
If there appears to be a disconnect, that's because AARP leads a schizophrenic existence. On one hand, it professes to be a non-profit, supposedly non-partisan, organization. But it also has a marketing arm that sells for-profit services, including insurance, investments and retirement planning.
Although AARP rakes in millions of dollars from its members, the organization feeds at the government trough. Last year, taxpayers forked over $585 million to AARP in federal grants and Medicare payments. Without taxpayer assistance, AARP would scramble to break-even.
With a hand-picked Obama donor in charge at AARP, the group scooped up an $18 million grant as part of the economic stimulus package in 2009. It needed the money because the organization spends lavishly, including frittering away $80 million annually for lobbying activities.
Most AARP members are clueless about the organization's advocacy campaigns. Membership mostly views AARP as a source for discounts at hotels, restaurants, pharmacies and other firms. They are in for a rude awakening once they discover the impact Obamacare will have on their health care.
As a result of Medicare reductions and new requirements imposed on physicians, seniors' access to health care services will be effected. Many physicians are already posting signs in their waiting rooms warning they will no longer accept new Medicare patients.
To make matters worse, Obamacare will trim the reimbursements physicians receive for treatment and services. Medicare currently pays less than private insurers for the same treatment and services. Obamacare will exacerbate the difference, forcing doctors to shun Medicare patients.
There are countless other adverse changes, including rationing of cancer treatment based on a patient's age. Another revision puts new restrictions on emergency room admissions paid for by Medicare. Unless a patient's primary physician orders emergency care, the government will not pay.
As a result, seniors best days for health care are behind them. Beginning in 2014, they will bear the burden of President Obama's costly $2 trillion experiment in government health care. Seniors have suffered a cold calculated betrayal at the hands of profit-hungry AARP and the president.
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