What next for the health care movement?

Charley Blandy of Firedoglake:

...Real transformation, real health care justice, real humanity, will capture the public’s imagination. We’ve got to advocate for something we understand, something we can relate to, something we’d actually want. As citizens, it’s not our job to make excuses for our dysfunctional politics, or our dysfunctional health care. It’s not our job to parrot policy buzzwords: “Quality, affordable, accessible blah blah blah”. At this point, we should unapologetically advocate for a principle, not a policy: People should not be denied the medical care they need. Ever. Pretty simple, huh? How can anyone of good conscience deny that?

We must decide our true north, and make our policymakers follow it. Yeah, we’ve got to know enough about policy to know when someone’s trying to put one over on us, and we need to be wary of gauzy rhetoric backed up by slender substance. But if we lead with a statement of our core principles now, we’ll have a standard by which to evaluate the process as it continues — and indeed, participate and shape it according to our values.

What are the next steps for the health care movement?

Charley asks for comments.

And here is more from the article on Dr. Prem Reddy and his methods:

Critics say Reddy-owned hospitals routinely turn away uninsured patients, an allegation the company denies.

On four occasions since 2002, inspectors have found that Prime Healthcare facilities failed to meet minimum federal safety standards, placing their Medicare funding at risk.

Records show that in one two-hour period during 2003, three uninsured patients left the emergency room at Desert Valley Hospital in Victorville after waiting up to four hours without being treated. Two of them were under 2 years old, including a 16-month-old girl who arrived with burns on her left hand.

The same year, Reddy discharged an uninsured patient he was personally treating who was in kidney failure, suggesting that the patient go to a nearby county facility where he could sign up for free care. The patient waited until the following day to visit another emergency room, records show.

State regulators found that the medical staff failed to make sure that discharging the patient "would not create a medical hazard."

In an interview, Reddy said the problems found by regulators in recent years were "insignificant" for a hospital chain of its size and that state data show Prime Healthcare hospitals have increased charity care to the uninsured. He said the company had taken corrective measures.

Reddy confirmed that he discharged the kidney patient, but said he did so after another doctor verified that the patient was stable. He added that the patient could apply for state Medi-Cal insurance at the county hospital more quickly.

More than a dozen current and former medical staffers and administrators interviewed by The Times said they were concerned that the company's business practices were putting patients in jeopardy. Many declined to talk on the record for fear of losing their job or being sued.

Experts say Prime Healthcare's unusual business model reduces patient access to services, significantly raises costs and, as the company grows, could destabilize California's healthcare system.

"Once you really take a look at what he's doing, it's hard to say the community benefits under his system," said Stan Otake, an Orange County healthcare consultant and former chief executive of Bellflower Medical Center.

Compare and contrast to the comments by two doctors in reaction to the Los Angeles article about Prime Healthcare.

Go read the article here.

Update: Dr. Prem Reddy quoted in the article: (my bold)

Reddy said his company's approach allowed it to be more efficient than its rivals, and he remained unapologetic to those who said the company was too focused on the bottom line. Patients, he said, may simply deserve only the amount of care they can afford.