the oregon plan 60 minutes: date: ?? 1992
john kitzhaber: M.D. & politician: president of oregon state senate -- 1994 - elected govenor of oregon
- unlimited health care - is not realistic ?
- 2500 years after the Hippocratic oath -- he never envisioned Aids;
neonatal intensive care; crack babies
- the money saved from the "doomed treatment" could provide early health
care to prevent a person's condition from deteriorating
- health care is currently rationed by bureaucracy and subtities
- 450,000 people don't have any health care in Oregon
- by 1995 everyone will have coverage -- but some people will lose their ( unlimited )
coverage to help out others
- health service commission - mixed alliance of people with public meetings
- they treat 587 -- of the 709 health conditions "on the list"
- question: is the "condition" urgent AND treatable
- we can't treat everything for everybody -- we have a list that is logical
and defendable
- #709 -- the baby without a brain ( 1 / 3000 babies have this condition )
- dr. ??? (name) is opposed to this says 10% would survive --
- needs federal approval to change the Medicaid rules to allow 65,000 who
are not eligible now -- to receive care; a family of three making $5,600
a year is currently "too wealthy" for assistance
- Rep. Henry Waxman (R-Ca) -- against the proposal
- Catholic church isn't in favor
- can we continue to deny reality of death / some things cannot be "cured"
update: march '93 -
Oregon receives permission from Medicaid / Medicare to use this plan.
Thus everyone gets some coverage -- no one gets "it all."
update: nov '93 -
this plan would be untouched by the Clinton Health Care proposals
12/8w/93
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