Did the voters know what we were signing up for by taking this action? According to polls, 60% of us were aware of the law and thought it was a good idea. Centered around the Affordable Care Act, and this is where we are:

"Section 6001 of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 amended section 1877 of the Social Security Act to impose additional requirements for physician-owned hospitals to qualify for the whole Hospital and rural provider exceptions. A physician-owned hospital is now generally prohibited from expanding facility capacity."

What Has Happened to Get Us Here?

How did we get to this point? I am just a nurse who has practiced in the world of Healthcare over the last thirty years. I will tell you that in my lifetime, my observations are this. 

Not all physician-owned hospitals were necessarily the best in town over the years. (I am not talking about Surgical Centers here). But neither are many of the big-box corporate hospitals. However, competition would help correct this, and hospitals would continue to improve or fail. Thus the argument of free-market Healthcare.

How many "rich doctors" have you met? (Be honest, not talking about the Hollywood plastic surgeon or one that has maybe patented something and made tons of money) I am talking about the well-paid Doctor after years of education and hard work.
While some make a handsome living, I will say that while taking care of people and saving lives. Many hospital executives make much more than that—six-figure salaries combined with six-figure bonuses.

We are leading to much of my anger and frustrations with the current state of our Healthcare. But unfortunately, we, the people, have let this happen.

For as long as I have been in Healthcare, I have seen trends and watched healthcare transform—the narratives that have gotten us to this point, not the whole story.

Over the past several years, more and more doctors have given to these hospital corporations and systems, giving up their autonomy. Nothing more than the employee that must comply with the boss's wishes.

They are now chained to corporate policies and rules, which have now included how they practice medicine over the last two years, too often to the detriment of the patient. Thus the added layer of my anger.

Here is the 2017 version of the Hippocratic Oath

• "I SOLEMNLY PLEDGE to dedicate my life to the service of humanity;
• THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF MY PATIENT will be my first consideration;
• I WILL RESPECT the autonomy and dignity of my patient;
• I WILL MAINTAIN the utmost respect for human life;
• I WILL NOT PERMIT considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing, or any other factor to intervene between my duty and my patient;
• I WILL RESPECT the secrets that are confided in me, even after the patient has died;
• I WILL PRACTISE my profession with conscience and dignity and in accordance with good medical practice;
• I WILL FOSTER the honor and noble traditions of the medical profession;
• I WILL GIVE to my teachers, colleagues, and students the respect and gratitude that is their due;
• I WILL SHARE my medical knowledge for the benefit of the patient and the advancement of Healthcare;
• I WILL ATTEND TO my own Health, well-being, and abilities in order to provide care of the highest standard;
• I WILL NOT USE my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat;
• I MAKE THESE PROMISES solemnly, freely, and upon my honor.".

This large Healthcare System claims to be many things, including an excellent teaching and research facility. Sadly when I read their Mission statement and values. The Hospital is a church-affiliated, not-for-profit entity.

Here is what they claim:

Each Hospital is staffed by committed personnel who exemplify our I CARE values: integrity, compassion, accountability, respect and excellence. Patient safety, quality and service are our highest priorities.

OUR VALUES

Integrity

We are honest and ethical in all we say and do.

 Compassion

We embrace the whole person and respond to emotional, ethical, and spiritual concerns as well as physical needs.

Accountability

We hold ourselves accountable for our actions.

Respect

We treat every individual as a person of worth, dignity and value.

Excellence

We strive to be the best at what we do and a model for others to emulate. 

Now you can go to just about any hospital website and read similar words. But the events that transpired and their actions are what is in question here. Reading the Hippocratic Oath and the Hospital's actions, the Hospital went against everything.

Ironically, when I looked up the website, I went to the wrong hospital site and found this statement:

 "Texas law prohibits hospitals from practicing medicine. The physicians on the Methodist Health System medical staff are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents."

While I am not a lawyer, I am struggling to understand. So this COVID Protocol has, in my opinion, put hospitals in the front and center of practicing medicine. Am I wrong? 

We Should Have Access To  Alternative Therapy

We do this all of the time. If one medication doesn't work, we try a different one. What has Healthcare become? What are they so afraid of?
Why are they so willing to let people die? This is America; we are far better than this. At least we were!

I am proud of the Doctor for standing up to her principles and commitment to care for her patients. She has cared for many COVID patients, and because of her success, the Hospital finds fault.

Here is the link to the Timeline: History of Health Reform in the U.S. I will not bore you with the history. Please read it for yourself. I go into depth in one of our Healthitude Academy Courses. The point in this article is this.

The Crossroads to Healthcare!

We have come to the crossroads in our Healthcare that we need to decide. In general, I see that we have become passive and complacent.
Combine that with the government's inability actually to fix Healthcare.

Most of the Congress and senators I have spoken to present lip service but don't listen. They have far too much invested in their position. Why would they listen to those that voted them into office? President Trump was starting to address Healthcare. He made some significant contributions.

As FreeMarket Healthcare continues to take shape and evolve. Several other things need to happen.

Direct Primary Care and the Outpatient services honor the FreeMarket fee-for-service model and the tremendous free-standing surgery centers.
There are other Specialists as well that embrace the free-market model.

However, this group is beholding to the hospital groups for emergencies and significant medical events. Some hospitals do well with the model and take a reasonable fee for service payments, while others do not.

Is planning and making the better choice easy? No, but the rewards are great. I encourage you to watch the film Healthcare Unmask. I re-watched it last night. You can find it on Amazon or Netflix. Here is the trailer.
It came out in 2018. If you don't have Netflix, the rental of 99 cents on Amazon is worth it.

I can stress enough we need to rethink how we spend and pay for our Healthcare. Remember what I said you are spending too much on Healthcare. On many levels, we need to take our Health back. I encourage you to reach out and let us assist you with your healthcare needs and the options you have.