Hospital prices rise rapidly:
California facilities charging far more than actual costs
Behind every public uproar are some hidden facts. Here’s one about rising health insurance rates in California: Sharp jumps in hospital costs are a big part of the story.
Hospitals are charging insurance companies, and by extension their customers, billions of dollars for expenses not directly related to care. These include new hospital wings, new technology and services for the uninsured.
Sacramento-based Sutter Health has negotiated rates with “markups” more than double what it costs them to provide services. Memorial Medical Center and Sutter Gould Medical Foundation in Modesto are part of the Sutter Health system.
Hospitals say their charges to insurers are justified and necessary. Under law, hospitals must report the total amount of money they spend to provide services to insured patients each year, how much they bill insurance companies and how much they wind up collecting.
Based on those numbers, California hospitals charged insurers 53 percent more than what they told the state it cost them to provide services. In 2005, the gap was 40 percent.
Sutter Health has faced scrutiny for its pricing practices. Five years ago, Cal-PERS, the state’s largest buyer of health services, forced one of its key insurers to drop 13 Sutter Health hospitals from its stable of providers because CalPERS deemed the Sutter facilities too expensive.Insurers and hospitals negotiate discounted rates, and hospitals have different price structures for each insurance network they decide to join. In some cases, hospitals have blocked efforts to shed more light on their pricing policies. Revealing the information, they say, could reduce competition in the industry.
And for those who do not currently have health insurance, the new health care system overhaul will have a profound impact – with a few glitches. Are we willing to let virtual doctors take care of our needs? Are we comfortable with computers playing a central role in our health care?
Many in Stanislaus County lack insurance, on government plans
In approving an overhaul of the health care system, Congress seemed to write a prescription for a place like Stanislaus County, with its large numbers of residents who are uninsured or in government health programs.
The federal government, starting in 2014, will offer subsidies to help families and individuals buy affordable health insurance and will expand the federal and state Medi-Cal program now serving almost 124,000 county residents.
Some county health-care providers praised the bill, saying it will provide security for consumers and expand the base of patients able to pay for medical care.
Some predicted, however, a shortage of doctors to serve the newly insured.
Dr. Amarjit Dhaliwal, a cancer specialist in Modesto, praised the section of the bill that will prevent insurers from dropping or rejecting patients who have ongoing medical conditions. He said he has seen women with breast cancer dropped from insurance coverage in the middle of treatment. “That is not going to happen any more,” the oncologist said.
The California Primary Care Association, representing more than 800 community health centers in the state, believes the Medi-Cal expansion will add 1.7 million people to the health program, and an additional 2 million to 3 million will buy health insurance.Carmela Castellano-Garcia, the group’s chief executive officer, said the impact on the Central Valley will be profound, although the region’s undocumented population won’t be able to buy subsidized insurance.
Besides giving Medi-Cal benefits to childless adults for the first time, the bill includes $9.5 billion to help community health centers expand services and hire health care providers. An additional $1.5 billion is set aside for paying the education loans for new doctors agreeing to work in medically under-served areas such as the San Joaquin Valley.
There are many people who can’t wait for the new health care overhaul to go into effect, and many more who will need to stay as healthy as possible until it does.
HEALTH CHALLENGE
- LEARN – Educate yourself about how to live a healthier lifestyle. Expand your vision, and learn about how you can make Modesto into a healthy active community, perhaps through something as simple as walking.
- ACT – What can you do about it? What one change can you make to help improve the healthy options available to your community? Using any one of your own self-described super powers, find another Super Hero and create a Healthy Alliance, and make that one healthy change TOGETHER! You can create your alliance with any currently active Super Hero, or you can invite someone to join the //Building Imagination Hero Alliance.
- IMAGINE – Unleash your creativity and see how well you can overpower fast food!
- Ask A Mentor for Help
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Learn:
I myself am overweight, sucks but yeah it is true! So what I try to do, successful or not, is walk. Walking helps the blood flow, it gets your metabolism going and helps you lose weight by killing calories.
Act:
So I saw fierce dreamer using her imaginative powers to scare the bejeezus out of the citizens and thought that maybe I should help her get things settled back down! After she woke them up to a hard dose of reality and what could happen if they were seriously obese and unhealthy I thought spending some money to help subsidize health programs and workout centers might be a good way to get people to go work out. Considering the cost is almost three to four hundred dollars a year for people I figured if I helped pay to keep the costs down even more than that it would be a great way to start getting people more active. The other hard part is time, a lot of people ‘don’t have time’ to do the things they want to do like exercise regularly and be healthy. I can’t change the day light hours but between helping schools become more organized and helpful, businesses working more and giving people more jobs, and even safer neighborhoods I think that we can find ways to give people more time. Maybe have twenty four hour gyms where someone can go anytime they want. Helping to pay and support those things would greatly help people become healthier. Another idea would be to help the government and local health care people crack down on the hospitals charging outrageous fees for things that aren’t needed to help get more money for their doctors and or advancements in medical technology. How about we pay that so they don’t have to… the more money they have the less they can charge and it makes it easier for everyone to pay for the healthcare they need.
Imagine:
Work, school, neighborhoods, and now medical care… the more we work the more the people will become better. Healthier people work harder, and are better all around. With medical care and healthier living now in place the obesity percent drops dramatically… with places open so people can go anytime the strain to get it done is less and more people eating healthier and able to see someone when they are sick helps to keep things better in balance. The future looks brighter every day!
Cave bear learns:
Today, cave man bear has decided that being fat and out of shape is costing our health care system money. A long time ago I thought that fat humans were getting ready for winter as us bears do…you know, hibernation.
Cave bear has learned that there are already programs out there to educate and prompt people to get in shape. One big reason people eat too much is stress, anxiety, and depression. A lot of people cant handle things in life and so as a way of coping, they eat. A full stomach relaxes people, certain hormones are released that relax the body.
Cave bear acts:
Today cave bear was invited to act together with another superhero, but unfortunately the hero was afraid of a large and dangerous bear. His power was fire, and well you can imagine how that would have went over seeing as I fight forest fires.
I created bear-ninjitsu style training for the people of modesto. This training is designed to keep the people healthy and disease free by a steady regimen of martial arts and meditation. They are invited to eat all they want because of the energy burning exercises. Whole schools and associations have dedicated their lives to ninja bear-jitsu, like the modesto police and the traffic ninjas who practice balance in traffic avoiding cars and big-rigs.
Cave bear imagines:
Cave bear has initiated a greater outreach to all ninja-clans to join with the modesto bear-jitsu clubs in order to clean up immune systems everywhere. This network will provide support and buddy-hood for all that join. The modesto gangs have been especially excited about the ninja network and have been great recruiters. It seems that by creating a ninja-network that crime has also been reduced, and the police department has been able to lay-off some officers because they are just not needed. Crime problem solved!!! ……errrr…..another problem exacerbated.
But hey, when you get great pictures with the motorcycle police you just cant pass it up. I mean the fire department decided not to support the ninja-network because we save more people and put out more fires than they do, by the very act of performing our martial art kicks and punches en-masse. The air is stirred up to such a ferocity, that the fire dies and we flip and somersault in to save the day. The fire department is jealous, and hey I guess why not? Its not everyday that a real life cave bear saves humanity.
Learn: Many people are not active, as well as having a poor diet due to the mass amounts of fast food available for our busy lifestyles. What we have to do to make a change is make a plan that people can fit into their busy schedules by working together.
Act: Changing your lifestyle is much less daunting when you have the help and encouragement of others. By starting a simple walking group three nights a week, you can make a big difference. Even by simply choosing to walk to the nearby store or the mail down the street each time the opportunity arises. It helps in your healthy pursuit. WIth how good you’ll feel from being more active, it’ll lead to wanting to make more healthy choices like drinking water to stay hydrated and maybe even picking a meal with less calories and fats. My hero spoke to a family about choosing to be active instead of lounging in front of a television on a beautiful day.
Imagine: Now that we’ve changed hundreds of lives with our walking groups, people are eating healthy and lowering the obesity rate across the city and beyond. Since the exercise also leads to sleeping better and feeling more energized, work efficiency has also gone up. The increase in demand for healthy foods has lowered the costs and made it more readily available to the general public. The higher productivity rates at work have allowed companies to grow, leading to a growth in the economy. By making each other healthier, we’ve spread health farther than we could’ve hoped.
Super late due to multiple Flash crashes, more working hours and other classes, but it is now here. I’ve also realized in my hurry that I have forgotten to change it to the 600×400 and I forgot the music. I’m just happy it’s done.
Learn: Exercise is allways good for everybody, but sometime kids are afraid to play because thier not as good. I would try to oranize more recleages for kids and organize them by skill level. also eating right is important.
Act: I would try encourag people to change insurances into health savings accounts where part of your payment goes in insurance, and part goes to a saving account, and combine that with a high deductable. Why?. most people have no idea what thhey are paying to go to the doctor because of insurance, which means that they certantly arn’t shopping around fo the best deal. If you get the consumer to pay attention, and try to find better deals that should drive costs down. This will only work if thier are more doctors. the next thing to do is find a way to drive down the cost of becoming a doctor. right now the student loans encoured are rediculouse. I tink their has to be better options. Apprenticeship should be one, combined with self study.
Imagine: me and my super friends have got most of modesto active, and eating healthier. things like diabeties and heart disease are way down, and people are liveing happier lives.
Learn: I, Monkey Woman, used to be very unhealthy during my teen years. I was about 60-75 lbs. overweight. When I was 19 I decided to lose weight. I educated myself on how to eat better and exercise.
) Two of my siblings are also currently slightly overweight as well. My father is also overweight but he has other medical conditions. He has insurance and I find it frustrating that he doesn’t go to a specialist for each of his health problems since he already went to a physician and he told my dad that there was nothing wrong when he has and umbilical hernia and his right knee is swollen. (AGH!) We all (except my dad) try to exercise a few times a week and eat fruits and vegetables. I think all of us need to improve how we treat our bodies. I will also try to learn ways to convince my dad to help himself.
I learned that I shouldn’t pressure my dad. I remember my mom used to pressure me to lose weight. I never listened to her. I was not ready to lose weight. I don’t know how to convince my dad that he should lose weight without pressuring him or making him feel bad.
I found this article: http://www.livestrong.com/article/34430-mentally-prepare-lose-weight-diet/
I will tell my dad about the tips I found here…but I’ll do this when he’s in a good mood.
As for the rest of Modesto, I think we should educate the person that cooks and buys the food in the home about leading their family to a healthier lifestyle.
Act: I am going to create programs that educate parents about how to cook healthier meals, buy healthier foods, and help incorporate physical activity in the daily lives of their kids and themselves. If only there was a way to make unhealthy fast food repulsive…hmm. THAT’S IT! I will join forces with Sad Sack and we will put StinkyButt powder over all unhealthy stuffs. ( I don’t know if it comes in a powder). And I will use my powers of making crops grow super fast to grow produce and give it to poor people for free! YAY!
LEARN: Wow, health is a huge problem! Not just in Modesto, not just in California, but in the whole country! And really, is there anything that can be done? After someone gets sick… not that much.
ACT: The answer to that, very obvious, actually: Preemptive medicine. The best way to take care of an illness is to make sure you don’t get it in the first place. This attention to health should not just be a personal thing, either. When people do things as a group, they have more motivation to stick with them. For instance, in Japan, they have this thing called Radio Taiso, or just Radio Calisthenics. People get together as groups (mostly companies nad schools) and do several minutes of calisthenics as a group in the mornings. This jump starts your energy for the rest of the day and lets you know that there are other people invested in your health as well. Plus, its fun too! Wanna see just how much fun Radio Taiso is? Why not take a look yourself?
IMAGINE: In a perfect world, everyone would be exercising several times a day and would be eating all homemade foods. Not only that, but healthy living wouldn’t just be something people did a few times a week. It would be a way of life. People would walk to work and school and shopping. They would spend more time around time with friends. The less people isolate themselves, the more they’ll feel connected to others. When people feel connected, they feel like they have a reason to stay healthy.
Learn:
*Cough, cough…sniffle sniffle… Ahh-choo* Oh no it looks like it’s that time over year again. Unfortunately, for some families a little cold here and there can add up to be pretty expensive. Especially if they do not have the greatest health care provider or if they don’t even have health care at all.
Living a healthy lifestyle might appear to be challenging, but with the help of the community it will make it a whole lot easier. Getting healthy by yourself can be considered BORING! With the involvement of the community it will help to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly. I say forget those expensive groups and clubs like weight watchers and that one lady named Jenny Craig. Get the neighbors and family involved and start a bicycling group. Everyone has a bike, and just 30 minutes a day is great cardio. It also wouldn’t hurt Modesto to have a weekly farmers market where all sorts of great fruit and produce are available. Yummy!
Act:
Okay so here is my grand plan to ensure that everyone only visits the doctor if it’s a life or death matter. Unfortunately, this doesn’t include free healthcare because we’re not Canada and I doubt we want to be Canada because then seeing a doctor will be nearly impossible. My plan is better and simpler to accomplish. For starters parents please instill the importance of washing hands to children it kills germs. Thus, killing whatever bacteria is being spread and causing colds and flu’s. Excitingly enough my plan is to excellent to fulfill myself so with the help of my dear friend, Super Nutricia from Southern California we will get this health crisis all figured out.
Obesity is not a pretty thing. I should know firsthand considering the fact that if it wasn’t for this super suit sucking me in I would look like an apple… Sadly, eating healthy cost a fortune no wonder so many people opt for fast food and junk food. Sure fast food and junk food are nice and tasty, but the side effects are not that great. It leads to high cholesterol and diabetes. Plus most people are not aware of how many extra calories will need to be burned just by eating that junk. Not only that but it cost 200 buck-a-roos for a dingy gym membership. Now that’s just OUTRAGEOUS!
Here is what I Fierce Dreamer I am going to do. First I will make everyone enter a trance and make them eat all sorts of junk food when suddenly they will all turn into 600 pounders requiring oxygen tanks just to walk around. When they wake up they will live in fear of every eating non nutritional food ever again. Okay.. okay so maybe that won’t really work, but with the help of Super Nutricia we will start by giving everyone seeds to plant their own produce right in their back yard making it easier to choose healthy food. In order to stay fit we will set up different exercise classes for runners, bikers, walkers. Think cardio people.
Imagine:
Wow! It’s hard to believe the plan to get healthy worked and our alliance has grown by 500 members. It’s great to see all the morning joggers up bright and early and the walkers out in mid-day. Throughout the neighborhoods gardens are beaming with fresh home grown produce. It’s crazy to think that a couple of weeks ago the community members were ticking time bombs thanks to their unhealthy lifestyles.
LEARN – Life is about being on time and being efficient with time. We are too caught up with things in life like paying the mortgage, running errands, completing homework assignments on time, etc, that we sometimes forget to take care of our bodies.
ACT – I’m going to use my network of heroes I’ve established in the last mission and have them teach their own communities about exercising and having a healthy diet. We’re going to tell people that even though fast food is convenient, it can and is slowly killing you. You don’t have to sacrifice healthy and quality food just because of time. Instead of just cooking enough for dinner, cook enough for lunch the next day. That will also give you time to prepare something that is healthy and not so heavy. Also, we will create an exercise plan that will use only 3 hours a week to keep everyone active. These exercises will include simple ones that they can do while watching tv even, like burpees, sit-ups, and jumping jacks.
IMAGINE – I’ve started teaching kids and their parents at local fast food joints by letting them know of my 3x a week exercise plans and healthy diet power plan. I’d tell kids that the grease happy burgers they’re eating are slowly killing them, scaring them and then I would use my powers to make the burger morph into a healthier food. I’d do this with as many people as I could until I get kicked out of the restaurants. It was totally worth it.
LEARN: Ooooo, health issues. Not a fun topic to talk about. However, Modesto needs a wake-up call. We should all learn how to live healthier lifestyles.
We must be sure all school meals are healthy. There are many children who receive free lunches in schools. It is important to provide them with healthy options. As a parent, I know my kids are receiving candy as rewards. Whether it’s for perfect attendance, turning their homework on time, etc., they’re getting junk in return! Shouldn’t the schools be providing them with stickers, a cool pencil – something other than sugary treats?!? Here we are encouraging physical fitness and making healthy choices, but the schools are handing out candy right and left. This seems a bit backwards if you ask me.
ACT: What can I do about this problem we’re facing? Leave it to Supermom to save the day. I mentioned that healthy choices start at home. I watched a great food documentary recently. They pointed out that families are living off the dollar menu. You can get a cheeseburger for a buck these days! More and more families are choosing this option because it’s what they can afford. They can’t even afford fresh fruit and vegetables at that price. It’s either feed your entire family for cheap or get a vegetable. Doesn’t seem like much of a meal. We need to make fresh produce affordable!
I’m going to encourage more parent/child fitness classes. Let’s face it. Kids don’t want to exercise. They’re taught to plant themselves in front of the TV all day. It’s time to show our kids that we care and we’re willing to do it right along with them. Make it fun. Use it as parent/child bonding time. I will encourage more gyms and city recreation programs to form classes like this and make memberships/classes affordable so families can actually go.
I’ll set up fun themed jog-a-thons and really get the kids involved. I’ll let them tell me their ideas. It’s important to make them feel like they are a part of it as well. This will motivate them to get excited and truly care about what it is they’re working on.
Alright, so I see that other superheroes are joining together to get this town in shape! Corrupt Angel will be working hard to turn Mo-town into one fit community. I want to help! I love her idea of community gardens. So many people are never exposed to gardening and I would like to introduce it in the schools. If the kids are excited about growing fresh produce, they’re parents may get in on the action. Why not hold a farmers market at the school. With more and more families growing their own veggies, it would be great to trade with one another.
My husband is an avid cyclist. He lives for it. It’s been important to him to get my son interested as his ideal meal consists of salt, salt and more salt. This has been an excellent activity for the two of them to do together and stay healthy at the same time. They head on over to Dry Creek weekly. I want more businesses to donate bicycles and bike racks for vehicles so families can hit the trails together.
IMAGINE: Whew, were getting healthier by the minute. More and more parents are working out with their children. Not only are they seeing smaller waistlines, but their kids are enjoying spending time with mom and dad. Blood pressure levels and obesity rates are lower. We’re making our way to a healthier Modesto. Gosh darn it, I knew we could do it.
With more effort from the parents, kids are really showing an interest in their health. Schools are choosing to hand out fun school supplies rather than unhealthy treats. School menus are incorporating fresh fruit and vegetable options instead of french fries and chips. Our gardening project worked in the school system and families are starting gardens right in their own neighborhood. We’re all working to make our lives healthier. All of this hard work is really paying off.
Here’s a video to help inspire you all. I did a jazz dance to this with my team when I was kid. For all you youngsters out there, there was a time when this was cool.
Well here we are at the dawn of the age of health care reform. Not a minute too soon I’m afraid. Right now many of us are without proper health care and those who have it are being manipulated by corrupt insurance providers and hospitals.
Corrupt Angel Investigates: You know where the healthiest city in America is? San Jose. That’s right our neighbor in the South Bay. According to a study conducted by Centrum, San Jose is ranked the healthiest city in the country. Why? you may ask. This super hero has done her homework. The city is part of the Healthy Neighborhoods Venture Fund. This organization was founded in an effort to reduce physical illness, promote wellness, and prevent smoking and drug use within their communities by providing programs promoting health, wellness, and nutrition. Very noble efforts for the non-superhero types. Hmmmm I wonder if this is the work of some San Jose super hero alliance??
Act: Hey if all the non-super-powers-havin’ types in San Jose can make their city healthier, then surely with the help of a super-hero Modesto has this thing in the bag. Modesto needs exactly what San Jose has; a program that instills a sense of pride in one’s own health and fitness (lord knows my alter-ego could use it……that’s right Chani get off your keester!!!!) Seems I have found another mysterious super-hero type wandering the neighborhood [(Calls himself Masked Justice (if you ask me he's totally bogarting my gig)]….anyhow, he wants in on the saving Modesto action. Together we’ve decided that prevention is the best medicine for our people.
Remember how I mentioned that we live in a seedy neighborhood? Well, many of the families here can’t afford food that would be considered healthy. It’s easier and cheaper to feed your family dinner out of a box than fresh healthy foods. So we have decided that we need more local fresh grown fruits and veggies at a cheap price. Heck why not free!! The solution: community gardens. Why not have a communal garden for everyone on your block to share or have a garden in each person’s yard for specific fruits and vegetables? It’s cheap and would bring the community together……healthy food problem solved.
Now on to the physical fitness part. Let’s face it a lot of us here in Modesto aren’t physically healthy and many of us can’t afford to go to a gym either. This inactivity is killing us and putting a strain on the health care system. What should we do? Well there are lots of parks and bike and walking trails here that aren’t even used. Let’s promote fitness by letting people know you can ride your bike or even walk to stay healthy!
Imagine: Modesto’s alliance to get healthy has grown by leaps and bounds! What started as two super heroes trying to make a difference in the health of our town is now 500 people strong. We’ve set up successful gardens in our neighborhood that are providing plentiful harvests of fresh, delicious vegetables and fruit. More importantly we’re showing our neighbors that healthy food is easy and good for you. More people are now using the bike trails to walk, jog, and bike their way to health. Hopefully, these small changes will make everyone healthier, happier, and less dependent on failing health care. It may not be a solution to providing medical care for everyone, but remember prevention is the best medicine!
lol
Digital Photography
For our last project I am doing the ARG Mission 4: Your Body, Electric
I took a panorama picture of an IN-SHAPE CITY. As the ARG says a lot of P.E. programs are being cut so students don’t receive enough exercise. For this project I transformed the IN-SHAPE CITY gym’s surrounding into more clearing, industrial free area. My photomontage consists of playgrounds being made available to gym member’s children. If you are a gym member your children gets the opportunity to come play and exercise with you for FREE! Why not implement this? Have a gym as well as a children’s play area, this not only help saves the parents from baby sitting fees whenever they want to work out at the gym but also get their kids some activity to do as well as getting in shape. On the other side of the photomontage I added in a soccer field. Gyms could get crowded why not have a field for members who don’t particularly like treadmills? This also provides area for children to play in as well.
These things can be done, and it is a way to help make sure you’re in shape and your kids are as well. This will lower health risks and visits to the doctor. By working out as a family, everyone will be better off motivated!
For my last Panorama project I chose the 4th mission called Your Body, Electric. I decided to transform an abandoned building and transform it into a Sports Gym. The Sports Gym is a regular gym combined with sport activities including soccer,basketball, tennis, baseball and more. I decided to chose this mission because of the lack of P.E and voluntary sports programs for Kids. I would advertise free membership. The sports gym would have monthly tournaments, with prizes to entice kids to exercise and play sports for a chance to win a reward. These things will help kids stay in shape and have fun at the same time.
Here is my movie on my Panorama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho9o87jUkaQ
LEARN – Some of the ways we could make Turlock and Modesto more active, healthy communities might be to take our dogs for a walk, start a game of basketball with a friend, or take up an active hobby like skateboarding or running. The weather in the Central Valley is beautiful during most of the year, and these are just a few ways that members of our community can get outside to enjoy it.
ACT – By simply choosing to do something active in public, we as individuals can be positive role models and inspire others to get outside and get moving.
IMAGINE – I started with a panoramic photo of our campus, CSU Stanislaus. I added people that might realistically be in the “active community” scene, such as runners, basketball players, a skateboarder, and people simply out walking their dogs. I want to show how being active is something accessible to anyone at any level of fitness, and where better to do these recreational activities than our own beautiful campus?
.mov links below:
http://youtu.be/9ZlO67QqNsE
For our final project I took a picture of this really big, nice-looking building in Modesto. Even though I’m pretty sure this building is already health related, I decided to change it a little and turn it into a fitness center. This would be a fun place where families could come and choose to be active in lots of different ways. There would be an indoor pool, a gym with treadmills, bikes, ellipticals, weights, etc., a skate rink, and lots of other fitness options. I think a place with lots of fun activities like this, would really help people get up and move, as well as give people things to do with their family and friends
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIow1s7zcXM