Comment

Comment by Robert Donin on October 18, 2011 at 9:52am

I recently learned that former Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo has been appointed CEO, Los Angeles County Medical Association (LACMA)  I He also will be practicing law as well.  I

Comment by Scott Frankum on October 8, 2011 at 7:32pm

Robert, 

What did you learn at the conference?

Comment by Robert Donin on October 8, 2011 at 7:18pm

Dear Mr. Chairman (Jack) and Members:

I recently attended UCLA Health Care Forum led by UCLA School of Public Health and sponsored by Blue Shield Foundation.  At a recent program they had Anthony Rodgers, former President and CEO, LA Care Health Plan.  Mr. Rodgers is now Deputy Director, Strategic Planning CMS, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services  Also, the California Governor signed into law AB 415 (Logue) on Telehealth.  We can't forget the Health insurance Exchange.  One of the key Obama advisors on the Exchange is origionally from Los Angeles.  Regards to everyohe.  Respectfully submitted.

Comment by Scott Frankum on August 31, 2011 at 5:03am

Have a look at Healtcare.gov to see some of the real changes in reform.  Quality is becoming transparent.  Bundled payments are becoming standard.  Read what the public affairs guy says about reform, here:  http://www.healthcare.gov/news/blog/bringingdowncosts082911.html

 

Jack....what you write looks backwards rather than forwards.  I think you owe it to the group to get up to speed.  The state exchanges are going to be fantastic for individuals and small businesses....and also for health travel.

 

The Obama policy is to cover more people at lower costs.  The way to do that is to set a strategy of defining quality / value as [medical outcomes divided by money spent].  And, to align incentives with the [improvements in medical outcomes divided by money spent}.

 

Reform will be great for medical travel....especially to countries that get ahead of the simplification of inputs and the value definition.

 

ACA health reform is the necessary creative destruction that covers more Americans and lowers costs.  Really.  It also opens the door to offshore providers that deliver value...and we should all be able to get behind that.

Comment by Jack Schafer on August 30, 2011 at 5:55pm

Now we've seen that Healthcare reform was a campain facade, and it's stilll pretty much a haves and have nots issue. The haves, have the money, have the insurance, and have a way to effectively participate in the medical community that is in place... the have not's want what the haves have, and want to dilute the entire system to get it. Unfurtunately, in an economic down-turn, those with the most resources lose the most as well, so everytihng about that entitlement program fell short.  That's the good news... the bad news is that the American Healthcare system is the last remaining comodity items that has not been formally outsourced... and in the process of competing internationally, improved.  Why ??? 

I saw this opportunity 6 years ago, many before that... and bet my hand on a positive outcome, yet we're still fighting the same ghosts. Maybe we have to wait for more tort reform before we can see positive medical reform ???

If so the age old question of "my son the doctor and my son the lawyer" has finally been answered.

Comment by Jack Schafer on March 30, 2010 at 11:46am

Robert,

You are a welcome and valuable participant here, especially with your knowledge of International Medical Exchange and Insurance.
Somewhere within these two industries, someone has to have commissioned their actuaries to actually factor in the amount of savings that could be experienced if a policy holder was required to go overseas for planned medical and surgical procedures.

Obviously. that would have to be built into the policy when it was written as existing policies really couldn't be modified that radically... and it would take a small company that was willing to invest itself in developing that market - the big boys have far too much to risk, and as long as they are making money ( and they ARE making money)... why disrupt that.

The Medical Tourism Industry has been dancing with the Insurance Industry - Attending every trade show as if no one there had ever heard about Medical Tourism before.... which is getting rather redundant. (I learned back in my early days, when you ask a girl to dance and she just isn't interested, it's time to ask someone else, or go home and rethink your game).

Obviously, there is a lot more involved in starting a Health Insurance Company then there is a Medical Tourism Company, but it certainly makes sense to me. The only way I see to get the big boys attention is to show them it works… it reduces client premiums, reduces overall medical costs… and they better look at this more seriously, cause someone else now has a better product to offer their clients.

Now THAT would get the attention of the Insurance industry… operating their own trial programs, and playing wait and see certainly does not serve anyone, and continuing to show up to “introduce the advantages of outsourcing medical and surgical procedures” is quite simply a waste of money and time. As long as we’re waiting on the traditional industry to “grab hold of this concept and run”… we’re doing the waiting, and they are comfortably in control… why worry…

When you want to get someone’s attention – stop shouting and whisper…
When you want someone to do something – stop asking, take it away, and ask someone else. Greed and fear are much better motivators than beautiful trade show booths and yo-yo’s that make noise.

Comment by Robert Donin on March 29, 2010 at 3:37pm

Dear Jack:

On behalf of Robert Donin Insurance, I thank you for your leadership and comment.

I am also Chairman, Guangzhou Medical Exchange Program and Director, Los Angeles Guangzhou Sister City Association, See http://lagsca.org through another affiliation where I a also ppreciate and thank you for this post.

Kind regards,
Robert Donin

Comment by Jack Schafer on March 29, 2010 at 12:27am

Rural China Healthcare Reform
Let me take a moment to share... 20 years ago on a trip to China, a quide took me back 2 days into the rural village of his family, and I was briefly introduced to the medical, insurance, advertising and legal community at the same time.

In the center of the village was a small hut, and on the outside of the hut were flags of different colors hanging from a tree. This was the village Physician's hut, and when a patient in the village was healthy, once a month that villager would bring him a gift (usually some food from their garden), and hang a certain color flag on the tree outside. Lots of healthy people, lots of nice flags... lots of good food to eat.
When someone got sick - no gift that month from anyone in that family, and they would take down their families good flag and replace it with a less than good flag. (???)
If a villager were to die, the really bad flag would hang in the tree for a while, and the whole community would cut back on their gifts.

1. Do a good job, everyone knows it, and you get to eat well.
2. Do a bad job and everyone knows it and you don't get to eat well.
Pretty profound in its simplicity, huh...

Comment by Robert Donin on March 27, 2010 at 3:34pm

Dear Mr. Schafer (Jack):
On behalf of Robert Donin Insurance, I thank you for the opportunity to respond.

As an Independent Insurance Agent specializing in health insurance and travel and international health insurance,, I write to express objection and opposition to the signing of healthcare reform and health insurance reform legislation.

Further I object and oppose the Senate fix using reconciliation to pass health reform and health insurance reform legislation.

Medical Tourism will change as well. Results to appear later rather than sooner.

Kind regards,
Robert Donin

Comment by Ashok Panda on March 27, 2010 at 11:45am

I have a tale to share,in this regard,because I would not try to stir the water .

A person at the verge of his mendicant life and becoming a saint entered to a village and relieved on the shadow of a tree . People of the village greeted him gracefully and with respect . With his daily " Pravachan " - Kind of Gyan sharing or preaching, he solved day to day life problems. One day he wanted to start his journey again, but people of village were very disturbed and requested him to stay back. With much reluctance with so much request, he stayed back. being overwhelmed by his decision the villagers decided they are going to build an Ashram " a small cottage for his stay and other things " And then onwards the flow chart goes like this

.......................Cottage built .....................
--------------------000000000000-------------------
l
l
V
People started coming and sharing fruits daily
V
Someone donated a cow
V
The saint didn't have time to milk the cow and then take care of the cow
V
People sent a woman to take care of cow.
V
Cow was well taken care of and surplus milk was there
V
Saint started selling milk
V
The woman and the saint developed affection
V
Decided to settle down with a stable life
V
The never ending journey which started some time back came back to square1
V
After few years everybody forgot who was the Baba= saint and he was one amongst the villagers.

So all these reforms and bills are welcome , just hope they don't come back to square one.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next ›
• Page