If the McCain/Obama polls are close for another two weeks Obama will choose Hillary as VP

This historic ticket will transform the US and the world.

(The "Bill problem" will morph into an asset especially internationally when this ticket beats McCain handily)

Dr. Rick Lippin
Southampton,Pa

Posted at July 26, 2008 10:54 PM in response to Maybe It Should Be Obama-Clinton After All

Thanks FredrickBernanke

Appreciate the thought

(to use a cliche most accidents are avoidable)

Dr. Rick Lippin

Posted at July 8, 2008 5:02 PM in response to Health Care for America Now!

As I promised above here is my economically sustainable real health care plan that HCAN can incorporate into its disease care plan.

I recognize that too much prevention is not politically popular because it is viewed as reduction in or even denial of treatment.Yet I and others contend much more prevention is the ONLY way to free up necessary $ for treatment for those who need it.

My #8 point plan is....

GROW UP AMERICA-A HEALTH CARE PLAN FOR ALL AMERICAN CITIZENS- proposed by Richard. A Lippin MD*

-Stop prolonging death. It’s both expensive and dehumanizing at best, greedy and cruel at worst.

-Empower US citizens to assume increased individual responsibility for health and convince medical consumers that it is in their best interests not to assume the role of helpless, dependent victims/patients.

-Yet also recognize that we have medicalized America’s social problems. So we must provide healthy and safe jobs for all able citizens thereby reducing poverty and all its subsequent health impacts (possibly 1/3rd of health care costs)

-Provide healthy environments including healthy air, water, soil and food.

-Rebuild America’s public health infrastructure to ensure we provide appropriate macro and individual interventions to especially low income citizens such as childhood and adult immunizations and response to man-made and natural catastrophes.

-Face the reality that a very large percentage of illnesses, injuries and hospitalizations are entirely preventable. Subsequently, the elimination of tobacco, alcohol, drug, medication and dietary abuse alone could immediately reduce medical costs by a factor of at least fifty percent.

-Incent and train physicians to maintain the health of patients and populations. Radical changes in provider re-imbursement and medical education strategies are necessary

-Recognize that early childhood preventive medical education can profoundly affect lifelong health behaviors.

*proposed in June of 1995
Revised January 2006/2007

Dr. Rick Lippin
Health Care Sector Forecaster
Southampton,Pa
ralippin@aol.com

Posted at July 7, 2008 2:42 PM in response to Health Care for America Now!

Good Luck with HCAN but it seems NOT to be health care? It is disease care.

We must not continue the high tech-high cost treatment driven disease care system in this nation or abroad since that approach is NOT economically sustainable.

We must enbrace both individual(health behaviors) and institutional(public health) prevention as the only economically responsible approach.

I first published an #8 point plan based on prevention in 1995(revised after Katrina). Hillary for one actually liked it. I will post it here later.

Dr.Rick Lippin
Health Care Sector Forecaster
Southampton,Pa

Posted at July 7, 2008 2:20 PM in response to Health Care for America Now!

agree Cindy Zeldin. People are very scared-justifiably- about accessing affordable health care and we need to address that fear soon.

But we need also to be straight with people about the economic unsustainablity of a high tech-high cost treatment based "disease care" system. Tough but necessary choices ahead.

Dr. Rick Lippin
http://medicalcrises.blogspot.com

Posted at January 18, 2008 12:15 PM in response to Health Insurance & The Stimulus

I believe concern over health care costs is going to continue to be a problem long term both for individuals, families and for policy makers in the US.

(No nation on the planet has figured this out)

We must all recognize the reality of the need for both prevention(individual and institutional) and the "R word" =rationing.

But these are perceived as denial of treatment which renders them politically untouchable if promoted too much.

When we implement the imperatives of prevention and rationing- the latter especially at the end of life- we must do this-

- incrementally
- always with compassion

I don't relate this to the short term econonomic stimuuls we need now.

Dr. Rick Lippin
Southampton,Pa
http://medicalcrises.blogspot.com

Posted at January 18, 2008 8:03 AM in response to Health Insurance & The Stimulus

I'll try but it is still early. I believe both Bill (if he could) and Hillary will reverse some of the mistakes Bill made during 1992-2000 given the results we have witnessed.

Rick Lippin

Posted at January 9, 2008 2:57 PM in response to Hillary Goes Anti-Corporate

Follow-up on some of Hillary's issues as a Senator-

-original co-sponsor and strong supporter of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), a measure that would create a fair and level playing field between workers and employers and promote the economic growth of the American middle class.

-help create the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) during the Clinton Administration, which today provides health insurance for six million children. In New York alone, almost 400,000 children benefit from CHIP every month.

- reintroduced the Kinship Caregiver Support Act in 2007. This bill provides subsidized guardianship by giving states the option to use their Title IV-E funds to provide payments to kinship caregivers.

-Reintroduces Legislation to Link Congressional Pay Raises to Increase in the Federal Minimum Wage

-Senator Clinton, Representative Tubbs Jones Announce Reintroduction of Major Election Reform Bill

Dr. Rick Lippin

Posted at January 9, 2008 1:40 PM in response to Hillary Goes Anti-Corporate

Don

Good Question.

I will study her specific legislative record once more as NY senator and get back to you.

Thanks

Rick Lippin

Posted at January 9, 2008 10:11 AM in response to Hillary Goes Anti-Corporate

Hillary will be criticised for having Bill's corporate agenda.

SHE DOES NOT

Things have gotten much worse under "W" with scandal after scandal since Bill's last day in office 8 years ago.

Bill himself would NOW reverse many of the decisions he made if he were running.Times have changed in 8 years.

Hillary will fight for the truly beleagured and shrinking US middle class.

Dr. Rick Lippin
Southampton, Pa
http://medicalcrises.blogspot.com

Posted at January 9, 2008 9:06 AM in response to Hillary Goes Anti-Corporate