Comments on: Community Supported Healthcare

By: John

John — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:38:26 +0000

I’d like to know more about the co-op idea. I think I would rather put into single-payer insurance than for-profit insurance. But ideally, I’d like to hand my money directly to the doctors and nurses and skip the bureaucracy.

By: Cipollina

Cipollina — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:35:17 +0000

Found your blog by serendipity, and had to stop here because my mind boggled at the mere thought that it is possible to doubt that community-based healthcare can work. It is what countries like Norway has had a great success with for ages (but I guess in American ears it has sounded too much like Communism or at least Marxist-derived to really be of interest). Unfortunately, even in the Scandinavian countries the community effort (as in the country/region/county/municipality/smaller fraction/etc) is on the retreat because you can’t get rich from it (these days you earn money, you don’t provide a service…), and it’s up to the individual to look for and privately pay for many services that before was covered by the general taxes. The local health care center where I grew up (a village of then 4000 inhabitants) worked in a very similar way as how you describe it here, apart from the “fee” or “subscription” – the costs were paid through taxes, but then you had everything covered as a birthright. How much the state and region chipped in, I do not know. Now, you can’t even be born in this village, women in labour have to be driven two hours away to give birth, and the midwife see you and your child only once or twice. The village has grown to 6000 inhabitants, but the good community services have diminuished or disappeared. I wish you the best of luck and hope you succeed in your work – growing up in such a place was both haven and heaven.

By: EdgeWise

EdgeWise — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:46:56 +0000

Something like the The Ithaca Health Alliance ($100 a year) can cover basic health maintenance and preventative care. One community cannot create it’s own drugs and equipment, and do much more than the bare basics. Specialists are rare and expensive, as are many drugs.

National single payer is able to balance out the power of monopolies like drug and equipment patents to cut costs, as well as reduce the bureaucracy every doctor’s office must deal with 350 different plans and insurance providers.

By: Jen of a2eatwrite

Jen of a2eatwrite — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:08:45 +0000

There was a similar model, as I recall, called the Summit Medical Clinic which was on Summit St. in A2 in the late 70s/early 80s. It was run by Dr. Marlis Pacifico, who is still around, but I believe is currently working for IHA. You might want to get in touch with her and get her take on all this.

By: Emily

Emily — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:05:35 +0000

Maybe we’re onto something…

By: Robyn M.

Robyn M. — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:10:48 +0000

Just FYI, but while I was at the Consumer Cooperative conference about a week ago, the Sen’s from Iowa were proposing a “cooperative-based” option to the healthcare debacle. And apparently they mean the cooperatively-owned variety of co-op, cause they had the president of the National Cooperative Business Association there to testify for it (which is why he wasn’t at *my* conference–hmph!). I honestly haven’t looked at the actual proposal at all, and don’t have a clear idea of what cooperative-based healthcare might look like, but given how sold I am on the co-op model already, I suspect it’s a good thing, probably similar to what you’re proposing above. Maybe… ?

By: techsamaritan

techsamaritan — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:07:09 +0000

Funny, I have had this same idea floating around in my head lately. I love the idea, but am not sure what to do about law suits and malpractice. Ideally, neither would be an issue. A contractual agreement for members and practitioners that provides recourse for the latter to eliminate the need for the former?

A wellness network that focuses on wellness but still provides basic healthcare for it’s members? Wellness coaches?