The Problem
Americans spend more on healthcare than any other country in the world, and what is the result?
We have shorter life expectancies. We have the highest rates of chronic disease and obesity and hospitalizations from preventable causes and avoidable deaths. The list goes on.
The problem is a multitude of problems that continue to compound and replicate.
We Must Change the Future
The American healthcare system follows an unsustainable disease-care model which profits off illness, bankrupts millions of citizens, and financially burdens American businesses.
FACTS
•Healthcare costs are soon expected to consume 3.5 TRILLION dollars
•This expensive care yields mediocre outcomes and harms thousands through error
•27 million Americans uninsured, 50 million underinsured
•50% of all bankruptcies are due to health care debts
•American businesses pay exorbitant fees and bear an unreasonable burden in choosing and managing employee health plans
WHY?
•Current system is misaligned with practitioner values and not designed to promote wellness
•Originally designed to consolidate the growing fervor of scientific/medical discoveries
•Enables investors to profit on disease and illness and view health care as a commodity
WHO BENEFITS FROM THE CURRENT SYSTEM?
Pharmaceutical companies
Third party insurance companies
CEOs of the major health insurers
Corporate owners and
Investors
WHO SUFFERS FROM THE CURRENT SYSTEM?
The American People
•46% suffer from one of the top 5 chronic diseases
•Seven of the top 10 causes of death in 2019 were chronic diseases
•Obesity and Type II Diabetes are largely preventable and rising to epic proportions
•Only 5% of all research funding is spent on preventing disease
•30 % of 3 Trillion is spent in administrative overhead costs
•Lifespan is decreasing; downward trajectory for health
Nurse Practitioners, Physicians and Nurses
•Unhappy, stressed, increased depression and suicide rate, burned out
•Difficult for patients to get appointments
•Typical office visit allows 10 minutes with each patient – EMR is time consuming
•Shortage of 75,000 primary care MDs by 2025 and >500,000 nurses
•Nurses disempowered to make changes
•Only half of states recognize NP independent practice
FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS:
• Is healthcare a right or a privilege?
• Is healthcare a service or a commodity?
• Can we design and sustain a system based on wellness instead of primarily profiting from disease?
• Do we want a system that respects the value of quality of life for patients and providers?
•What is our role as consumers of healthcare – active participants or passive receivers?