Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA)’s Post

We have to be realistic about American culture, values, and political landscape. While I do see positive examples of government run #healthcare in other countries, the U.S. is its own country. At no point in the last 50 years of U.S. history has the American public agreed on becoming more like Commonwealth countries (Canada, U.K.) or like Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Denmark, etc) in terms of healthcare. Even if one streamlined system could drive greater coordination and efficiency (in theory), that is not what the last 10 years since the ACA shows. I’ve worked in government and I see how much lobbyists influence the elected politicians and the unelected bureaucrats to extract money from the “value chain” while patients have less and less choice, autonomy, control. Clinicians of various types also have little to no control. Large systems that gobbled up independent practices have driven consolidation. Instead of “economies of scale”, we’ve seen predatory higher pricing from lack of competitive threats. While I started off my career with high belief in collaboration, I have not seen that validated in how the stakeholders behave. Right now, patients are not decision makers and become pawns on a chessboard. We need to empower patients with real choices in American healthcare. Ge Bai‘s publications and posts identify many of the underlying mechanisms that get between patients and good, accessible, affordable, quality healthcare.

2024 is building to be a year of political significance for the UK, with a general election looming and increasing global pressures spanning climate change, conflict, security and migration. Having lived through turbulent economic, social and political times over recent years, we all know the importance of being prepared for the unexpected – so how can we best prepare ourselves for change? In our latest newsletter, leaders from Citycare and Shared Agenda, Community Ventures and Parallel Data Intelligence explore the challenges the NHS is facing. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/eNhNTScD

Why are America's lagging counties rebounding in the post-Covid-19 era? I discuss this in my latest op-ed article. To learn more, go to:

🚨If you use California data in your work, don't miss CalSHARE, a new resource from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and the California Department of Public Health! CalSHARE brings together data from more than 20 sources to allow state/local data users to view 80+ indicators of health and well-being at the neighborhood, county, and state level. 🔗 Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gQGx7-Ne

READ: Kevin Patterson, senior fellow and PhD student at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, writes about the interconnectedness of protecting Indigenous children and water in our latest essay. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/dhfhGvEq

People are more likely to experience better health when they’re engaged in decisions that impact their future. Join our February 20 webinar for strategies to involve community members in public budget decisions: https://bit.ly/3vOboHQ

Great overview, in his own words, of his amazing decades-long career fighting for our health and constitutional freedoms. A real embodiment of hope! https://lnkd.in/dAc_CfG8

Hope you will consider joining the Aging Summit as we discuss Building Equity in Aging!

Join us for our upcoming webinar! What does our response to COVID, and a history of underfunding public health, tell us about how we must improve? Journalists can serve their audience by staying on this story. Learn more on June 12: https://ow.ly/VEml50S11B0

🚨My new book, Crisis and Chaos is officially out! As only the 2nd black man ever to be the Nation’s top doctor, I reveal hard truths and surprising insights about our COVID-19 response. Lack of consistent, trusted information left us confused. Now, learn critical lessons from mistakes and successes overlooked during the pandemic, that will allow us to create safer communities, respond better to future threats, promote health equity, and avoid political bias! Get your copy of Crisis and Chaos today. #COVID19 #PublicHealth #LessonsLearned https://lnkd.in/gzjWr66s