IMAT - ultrafast tomography for coronary artery disease Message Board

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Biotech / Medical : IMAT - ultrafast tomography for coronary artery disease

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To: Lee Kennedy who wrote (2622)	7/19/1998 11:16:00 AM
From: Bruce Rozenblit	Read Replies (1) of 3725

Glad to see you are still here too. I would like to take a moment to bring up an issue I raised months ago because of the current political situation. The HMO's are being pounded on in Washington now. It's a hot topic as there is widespread dissatisfaction. Now is the time the congress people will listen. One of the biggest problems Imat has is getting universal insurance coverage which is crucial for major success. The problem is structural in how health care is delivered. The primary focus of how HMO's make money is by deferring costs. Push as many expenditures as far into the future as possible. Cost containment is implemented by cost deferment. Most people have their health plan paid for by their employer. People change jobs every 2 or 3 years and employers changes HMO's as often as every year. Who ever saves them a buck gets the contract this year. The scanner can predict the likelihood of a heart attack with a high degree of accuracy but it can't tell you WHEN. The event may occur 3, 5 or even 10 years later. The system only wants to fix full blown problems like a broken arm or tumor, not spend money for prevention. BECAUSE: If the HMO pays for a triple bypass and then you change jobs next year, their competition is greatly benefited by the subsidy. If you aren't treated and then change jobs and have a massive heart attack or drop dead, then the competition is hurt. There is no incentive to use the scanner because its major cost saving is realized over the life of the patient, not over the duration of the job. The problem is caused by insurance following the job instead of the patient. I am writing my representatives about this problem, and I suggest that everyone else does too. They are focused on the issue. We need legislation to restructure health insurance so it is more like house or car insurance, it stays with the person so long term cost saving measures can be realized. Otherwise, the scanner doesn't save any money as far as the accountants are concerned.

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