Barb Wachtman provided this week's Moment of Inspiration:

During this time of COVID 19 when we are kept away from one another as never before, please help us to reach out in virtual and effective ways to be of service to those who are close and those who are in other places of world. Through our yearning for service, may we find new, creative ways to reach and serve. 

 

 

 

 

 

Club member Stephen Smith led a thoughtful discussion on the “myths, misrepresentations and lies” regarding a single payer health insurance system. Steve, who served 24 years as CEO at Allied Physicians, reminded Rotarians that 45% of Americans are covered presently by a government run medical coverage plan (Medicare, Medicaid, CHAMPAS, VA) with the other 55% covered by an employer plan or through the Affordable Care Act. It was noted that despite spending more on healthcare than comparable countries, the U.S. has the lowest life expectancy and performs poorly on a variety of health outcomes. Thus, our complex network of insurance plans is wasteful — in large part due to high administrative costs and lack of price control. Overall expenses and wasteful spending could be better controlled through cost control and lower administrative costs, as evidenced in other countries. Furthermore, a single payer system has more incentive to direct healthcare spending toward public health measures. The major obstacles to adopting a single payer system are political, including stakeholders who stand to lose — such as health insurers, organized medicine, and pharmaceutical companies — represent a powerful opposition lobby. Public opinion needs to be redirected to focus on how the net benefits of a single payer system outweigh the tradeoffs discussed above. (Reference used for this summary: Single payer healthcare: Pluses, minuses, and what it means for you; Harvard Health Blog, Harvard Medical School, June 23, 2020)