It’s always pleasing to highlight good news! Recently, the New Jersey legislature passed a law that will offer seniors on Medicaid more long-term care options. By 2008, senior citizens living in New Jersey will have a choice in the type of long-term care they receive through Medicaid, under a law by Governor Jon S. Corzine. The law provides “an extraordinary change in direction and policy in a way that makes sure our seniors have a choice,” said Corzine at a recent summit on long-term care. Currently, New Jersey spends $1.68 billion of its Medicaid long-term care budget on nursing home care, compared with $162 million on community-based care like assisted living facilities, home health care and adult day care. That’s a whole lot of money going to skilled nursing facilities. The law will now help bridge the gap between money going to nursing homes versus money going to people in the community. “Rather than requiring that nursing homes be the first stop, now nursing homes will be the appropriate stop, if necessary,” said Dr. Fred Jacobs, state health commissioner for New Jersey. Skilled nursing facilities are the right choice for many seniors who require this type of specialized care; however, seniors should never be placed in a nursing home simply because there are no other options. On a personal level, the law provides for appropriate changes in a person’s home including the installation of bathroom handrails and other safety features. Home health aides and respite care are now under the Medicaid umbrella of covered services. There are already so many choices to make regarding long-term care the passing of this law will enable you to make better and smarter choices that will really suit your needs.

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Kansas City-area residents are worried about funding health care reform and don’t want additional national debt or new taxes in order to achieve reform, according to a survey released Wednesday by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.According to the executive summary of the survey, titled “Putting A Local Face On A National Issue: 2009 Public Opinion Survey On Health Care Reform,” area residents fear further unemployment, risings costs for health care coverage and losing their health insurance.The survey results were released at a health summit presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City at Liberty Memorial Auditorium. Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole and political analyst Robert Laszewski were to speak at the invitation-only event.VVV Research & Development Inc. conducted the survey of local physicians, hospital CEOs, brokers, large and small Kansas City employers and the general public. Topics included general understanding of reform, acceptance of reform plans, insurance mandates, financing options/taxes, personal accountability and methods to control health care costs.The survey showed big differences between the responses of so-called health care insiders and those of the general public.Although 75 percent of insiders rated the performance of President Obama and Congress on health care reform as “very or somewhat poor,” only 49 percent of the general public responded in the same manner.But a huge split split showed in a series of questions regarding government participation in health care coverage.To the question: “Several health care reform plans are still being debated in (Washington). Please indicate your current level of support for”:• Keep our current health care system: overall, 34.6 percent; insiders, 53.5 percent; general public, 31.8 percent.• Create government-run single payer for all individuals: overall, 23.1 percent; insiders, 2.3 percent; general public, 26.1 percent.• Create new public option that would compete with private plans: overall, 42.9 percent; insiders, 8.4 percent; general public, 47.7 percent.• Create new state-run health co-ops with federal guidelines: overall, 30.4 percent; insiders, 13.1 percent; general public, 35.2 percent.Responses from insiders and the general public were somewhat closer on the question of mandated coverage with possible fines for noncompliance. Sixty-eight percent of insiders supported the concept, compared with 49 percent of the general public.The survey also indicates that Kansas City-area residents:• Want subsidies for the poor of at least 100 percent of poverty level initially, not 200 percent to 400 percent.• Want health care reform that requires coverage mandates with guaranteed issue and waives pre-existing conditions.• Are worried about a physician shortage compromising quality of care.VVV Research & Development, after reviewing the survey results, observed that:• Health care insiders are concerned that Washington is “rushing to reform” and not focusing enough on details. They want more focus on stabilizing Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.• Kansas City-area providers want effective tort reform enacted to reduce malpractice costs and eliminate unnecessary and costly tests and procedures.• Preferred sources for funding reform include “sin taxes” on cigarettes and unhealthy foods; fraud and abuse auditing; Medicare Advantage cuts; elimination of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA); creation of a new private-payer tax; and taxes on health benefit plans.The study was conducted in two phases: a qualitative phase involving one-on-one interviews and focus groups, and a quantitative phase involving online/written surveys. Ninety Kansas City-area health care insiders participated in the survey.A general public sample also was surveyed, comprising two audiences: a Kansas City public online panel of 2,000 and 2,165 members of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. The study claims a 95 percent confidence level and a 3.9 percent margin of error.

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The medical industry and drug companies have their place. But this is in disease care and crisis care, not health care. Their method is: • Disease pathology, identifying a disease and giving it a name. Once the condition has been named, the appropriate method of removing this condition is followed with most often no thought given to the underlying cause. • Singular approach. Fight disease by killing germs and bacteria using strong chemicals (drugs), surgery and other methods designed specifically to remove diseased tissue and pathogens. This is done with no real concept of health. They do not work with the body’s internal self-regulating and healing instincts.• A pronounced ‘disassociation’ with long term effects within the living organism and outer environmental concerns. I do not plan to put down the roles of medical doctors and nurses. We certainly do need their services in our communities, however, our methods and philosophies are different. This is often seen in the different attitude and approach we have to caring for children and particularly babies. Up until only recently, quite often the advice given at medical child clinics was the opposite of the advice you will receive from a good natural health professional. Now, thankfully, the new breed of doctor and nurse is emerging. These are independent thinking individuals that have not restricted their level of thought and research to their university subjects alone but have studied broadly to also include the natural health approach. Many more medical doctors are seeking to learn about the natural health method. I work with such professionals and there is harmony, cooperation and success between us. No one has a closed mind. All are seeking the best for the child.  An intelligent and unbiased inquiry combined with rational scientific explanation is what is needed if we are ever to replace the former, ‘stooped in tradition’ and closed minded medical attitude of rejection through arrogance and ignorance. It is more than this. It is becoming more apparent that the medical profession’s attitude towards natural and complementary healthcare and those of the public who chose to use it is negative and completely un-¬accepting of its value. The following story reveals the seriousness of the situation. Earlier this year in Canberra, an inaugural summit was held sponsored by the Complementary Health Council in an effort to establish some form of collaboration between the medical profession and the complementary and natural health care industry and also provide the government with sound reasons to allow the development of our industry in this country. Representatives from the government parties and the Australian Medical Association were invited and did attend. One of the first speakers was a medical doctor who I have lectured with and have respect for. He related the following story that reveals clearly the attitude of the medical profession towards complementary and natural health care. The doctor referred to the struggle of the alternative and comp¬lementary health industry as a war with the medical industry. I agree but let me bring out; we of the natural health camp are only ‘defending ourselves and patients’ from attacks from the medical fraternity! The following story reveals our plight and that of many of our patients. The doctor had a family consisting of a mother, father and baby with eczema come into his office for consultation. To cut a very long story short these were people with healthy children who moved from the Blue Mountains to settle under the flight path of Sydney Airport. The first baby developed asthma and eczema. The mother was expecting at the time and when born, it was doing well but also finally developed asthma and eczema within a few months. The mother had a deep commitment to comp¬lementary health care, was committed to breastfeeding her baby and had a qualified herbalist and a qualified homeopath looking after her baby birth and saw them regularly for the care of the baby. She also saw a pediatrician but the baby still was not doing well to spite all these efforts the baby lost some weight so the pediatrician suggested they go to hospital and at the hospital the name of the pediatrician was laughed about by other doctors in the hospital as being a bit on the weird side. When the mother related the history of her past use of homeopathy and herbs, things got a good deal more serious and when she mentioned that the child at eight months had not been vaccinated, things got very serious indeed. The net effect of all that happened was that within two days the department of community services was bought in and a joint investigation team were bought in because it was clear evidence of an abusive and non¬caring mother that she would choose complimentary health care over orthodox medical advice. She had only received the medical advice two days before and it was, ‘catheterize the child and stop breastfeeding’. Her rejection of those two items led to the removal of the child from their care. The child is now under the care of the director general of the department of community services – ‘leased back to the family’ only on the basis they sign an agreement that the mother will not use any further complementary care and will accept all medical care without question in future. As long as she obeys that rule, as long as she does not see another health care practitioner apart from an orthodox medical practitioner, she can keep her baby. If she sees a complementary or alternative health practitioner, or indulges in any form of complimentary health care including homeopathy, the baby will be removed. The baby is being held to ransom. The mother found it absurd that the decision to keep breastfeeding was seen as ‘evidence of an abusive mother.’ Having met the family for two hours the day before relating this story, the doctor realized just how deeply this war divides. Had she gone to hospital and said nothing, she would have been back at home within days with a re-hydrated baby. The fact that she mentioned ‘what she believed’ meant that the medical profession went on full attack and incorporated the department of community services and the police to enforce an opinion that her views were unacceptable’. We of the natural and complementary health profession as well as those who choose to follow this more natural and less dangerous path of healthcare are constantly defending ourselves from the attacks of the medical profession. This manner of arrogance has been the flavour of the mainstream ‘stooped in tradition’ orthodox medical profession and industry all along and until a real leader with an open mind genuinely takes the lead, I expect nothing will change. The medical profession will continue to put down and suppress the role of qualified natural and complementary health care practitioners and those who choose to follow the same. ‘Fear is born in ignorance, arrogance is the barrier to communication, learning and progress.’ I share this observation, research and press releases revealing the situation in of public health (or lack of it) and where it is going. It is no longer a matter of ‘doing what everyone else is doing’. I am not attacking the medical profession, the innumerable headlines you will read in the future in the papers reveal the danger and error in the method of modern medicine. Parents must think for themselves and, to a large extent, take responsibility for the health of their children. I will reveal this information with numerous press releases and news headlines; the government and also the medical establishment are finding out that many of the chemical drugs and procedures they have previously recommended for years have been shown to be harmful and dangerous to say the least. These reports will help the reader to understand the current ‘disease care’ system is dangerous. Responsible parents need to know that the ‘sickness industry’ is just that, an industry designed to treat sick people. Their method pays no attention and has no idea of the concept of ‘health’ and the essential importance in building it. This is
where the philosophy I share offers you the reader, a world of difference and a welcomed ‘positive approach’ to keeping your children not only disease free, but vibrantly well!

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