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HQ-Save-the-Billionaires-Walk-updates+info Alert: printable flyer now available!!!
!!!P.S. The following History and recent Children's stats linked to, need to be emphasized!!! Update: And it gets worse: KIDS!!!!
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In the last blog it was mentioned there were 1600 electric utility companies in the US vs. 2 dialysis companies (basically). The utilities have quite a hodgepodge of different business structures like Cleveland's community-owned Cleveland Public Power to large for-profit utilities. One business structure that stood out were cooperatives. There are more than 900 electric utility co-ops in the US! And what is the stated mission of these co-ops? "To power communities and empower members to improve the quality of their lives. And what is the mission of a for-profit company? "Increase your return on investments" "generate more sales and revenues or raise your prices". That last mission statement just doesn't have the same ring as the first does it?
Wouldn't it be nice if the medical field had their form of co-ops? Actually they do, they are called care cooperatives. And it has been said about them: "Local cooperative health organizations can and do provide top-quality integrated, coordinated care". An example is Seattle's Group Health. Here are blurbs from this article:
"“I surprise my patients by asking, ‘Is there anything else you want to talk about today?’ ” said Dr. Shriver, chief of a clinic near Seattle run by Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound. “They’ve never heard a doctor say that.”
"Above all, Group Health’s physicians are paid a salary and can earn bonuses of up to 20 percent for high-quality performance. Unlike most doctors, who are paid by the visit or procedure, they have little incentive to churn patients through and order unnecessary tests and operations."
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And from a PBS article:
"One of the reasons Campbell (a patient) is a big fan of the Seattle-based HMO is because it's a cooperative. Its policies are determined by consumers like Campbell, who subscribe to a Group Health medical plan, either through their employer or on their own. Each policyholder can vote for the board of trustees at an annual meeting. And it is consumers who actually sit on the board."
"Although there is no specific plan of how such a national co-op would work, the idea is to create an organization where consumers review policies and can hire or fire the CEO. It's a concept that works well at Group Health, according to its CEO, Scott Armstrong."
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So what happened to medical care co-ops? Good question! That might take more digging.
