Posted by
Lady Logician on Friday, February 01, 2008 10:34:55 AM
We all make resolutions of one sort or another. I would like you to consider making a few resolutions that will hopefully help direct where the Republican Party of Minnesota heads in the next few years.
As I have written before, the resolution process starts on Feb. 5 at your precinct caucuses. Today I am going to start sharing a few suggestions for resolutions that can be submitted on Feb. 5
HEALTH CARE RESOLUTIONS (courtesy of Logical Lady Sue Jeffers)
Individualized Medical Treatment - Opposing Rationing
Whereas, the physician is professionally and ethically obligated to treat each patient as an individual;
Whereas, Congress passed legislation in 2003 establishing a pilot “pay-for-performance” program to pay doctors more if they comply with government-issued treatment protocols for Medicare patients;
Whereas, members of the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force are pushing pay-for performance initiatives including the recommendation that “purchasers and payers should refuse to pay for care that does not meet the standards” set by government-established committees;
Whereas, the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force recommends that the legislature establish an appointed, unelected, unaccountable board to define “an essential value-based benefit set for health insurance” that only includes “necessary, evidence-based care”;
Whereas, the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force points to England’s rationing protocols as an example and is recommending that new medical technologies, services and medications not be used or paid for unless a government-established committee says they “improve value;”
Whereas, the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force is recommending that government and health plan reporting on doctors’ performance “should focus on the extent to which the provider complies with evidence-based guidelines for care”;
Whereas, there is no one-size-fits-all “evidence” or treatments, and those who decide which studies qualify as “evidence” will not know or care about the patient who will be impacted by the decision;
Whereas, the lives of patient are at risk of medical decisions becoming politicized, and patients becoming subject to the agendas, biases, and values of powerful individuals outside the exam room:
Therefore, be it resolved that the party platform on Civil Rights support “Strengthening the patient-doctor relationship, banning the implicit practice of medicine by health plans, government agencies, and government-established committees.
Therefore, be it resolved that the party platform on Civil Rights support "Encouraging cash-based medical practices and the restoration of true medical charity for the protection of patients and the preservation of medical ethics.”
No Universal Health Care - No Health Insurance Exchange
Whereas, the Minnesota legislature enacted a universal coverage mandate for 2001;
Whereas, the Governor-appointed members of the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force recommend that all citizens be required to purchase health insurance by 2011;
Whereas, an individual insurance mandate by government empowers government to set the rules and define what kind of health care will be available, to whom, by whom, for how long, and where.
Whereas, the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force supports Governor Pawlenty’s proposed Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange and recommends that it be used to do research on the uninsured and run education and outreach programs so “all citizens are aware of their responsibility to obtain health insurance coverage”;
Whereas, all individuals and employees of small businesses will essentially be required to purchase health insurance through the Exchange;
Whereas, the Exchange will be a government-established bureaucracy that will lay the foundation for a government-imposed universal health care system;
Whereas, the Exchange and the individual mandate will impose intrusive tracking and policing systems on the people of Minnesota; and
Whereas, the people of Minnesota have a right to not use their hard-earned dollars to purchase a consumer product that is increasingly at too high of cost for too little benefit or value:
Therefore, be it resolved that the party platform on Civil Rights support “Securing the right of all Minnesotans to be free from government-imposed health care systems and universal coverage policies that violate individual rights under the U.S. Constitution and endanger individual access to medical care.”
Online Medical Records – Patient Consent Required
Whereas, the 2006 legislature mandated computerized and online medical record systems to disclose, link and exchange private patient medical data;
Whereas, a Minnesota Health Information Exchange has been established in Minnesota for the sharing, linking and access to all medical records;Whereas, the 2007 Minnesota legislature weakened patient consent requirements for exchange of private medical data and the federal HIPAA privacy rule allows broad disclosures of information without patient consent; and
Whereas, the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force recommends that “providers be required to implement and use electronic medical record systems and systematic patient tracking systems as a condition of payment”; and
Whereas, state-imposed medical record data systems allow access to comprehensive patient data without patient consent, exposing patients to loss of medical privacy, delayed access to medical care, loss of trust in the confidentiality of their care, and crimes such as identity theft and the emerging dangers of medical identity theft:
Therefore, be it resolved that the party platform on Civil Rights support “Requiring informed written patient consent prior to online storage, access, sharing, disclosure, exchange or transmission of private medical records information.”
Access to Health Insurance Markets Outside of Minnesota
Whereas, the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force and the Minnesota Legislative Council on Health Care Access are recommending the establishment of “medical homes” or “health care homes”;
Whereas, the medical home is proposed as a doctor or clinic responsible for all medical decisions, including referrals to specialists, and eventually responsible for the total cost of care of the patient in the “medical home”;
Whereas, the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force recommends financial inducements to doctors to encourage them to offer to be a “medical home” for patients, as well as financial and other inducements to patients to choose a medical home arrangement;
Whereas, the Task Force states that health insurance plans might require consumers to pay more if they choose to switch medical homes or health care homes frequently; and
Whereas, medical home represents a new version of the old HMO gatekeeper system, where the primary care doctor received a capitated payment per patient, and was encouraged to restrict access to specialty care and medical services:
Therefore, be it resolved that the party platform on Civil Rights support “Opening up the health insurance market to insurance companies and insurance products outside the state of Minnesota to encourage competitive pricing of health insurance and open access to a comprehensive market of medical professionals and health care services.
State Compliance with Genetic Privacy Law
Whereas, the State of Minnesota has been retaining the blood (DNA) of all newborn infants for 10 years without legislative authority;
Whereas, the State of Minnesota has been providing newborn blood and DNA to genetic researchers without parent consent, parent knowledge, or legislative authority:
Whereas, a state genetic privacy law was passed in 2006 requiring informed consent for government retention and use of genetic information, including baby blood and DNA;
Whereas, an administrative law judge in Minnesota ruled that the newborn screening law must follow the informed consent requirements of the 2006 genetic privacy law, but the Minnesota Department of Health has not yet complied; and
Whereas, the Minnesota Department of Health attempted to exempt the newborn genetic testing program from the state genetic privacy law during the last days of the 2007 legislative session and is expected to try again during the 2008 session; and
Whereas, newborn babies are newborn citizens who will become adults with government-stored DNA in only 18 years:
Therefore, be it resolved that the party platform on Civil Rights support “Requiring the newborn genetic screening program to comply with the informed consent requirements of 2006 Minnesota Genetic Privacy law.”
Informed Patient Consent to Share Patient Data
Whereas, patients have a right to medical privacy, and a confidential patient-doctor relationship;
Whereas, the federal medical privacy rule (HIPAA) is actually a data-disclosure (“no-privacy”) rule and does not protect privacy;
Whereas, the 2007 legislature enacted a law allowing the creation of a master “Record Locator Service” allowing every doctor, dentist, psychologist, health plan, hospital, pharmacy, laboratory, X-ray facility, government health program, and clinic to send private patient data to a central data base without patient consent;
Whereas, the Record Locator Service law does not require patients to be informed that anyone given access to the Record Locator Service will be able to see a comprehensive micro medical history of that patient;
Whereas, the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force recommends that “providers be required to implement and use electronic medical record systems and systematic patient tracking systems as a condition of payment”;
Whereas, Congress specifically gave state legislatures the right to pass strong medical privacy laws that overrule the many data disclosures allowed by HIPAA;
Therefore, be it resolved that the party platform on Civil Rights support “Strengthening Minnesota patient privacy laws to require informed written patient and parent consent.”
Use the existing platform as a guideline for writing resolutions and follow the directions in my previous post on how your platform resolutions should fit into the platform. If you are really concerned about the direction of the MNGOP today, then get busy because this is where it "gets done".