One task for the new administration will be to turn our healthcare rights into reality. Just as he was able to unite us on election night, President-elect Obama should unite us all through equal rights in healthcare. In America, healthcare is only considered a “right” for certain classes of individuals, including those over 65, those with certain diseases, and those with either enough money or not enough money. However, once you become a patient, regardless of your ability to pay, you have additional rights guaranteed to you – at least on paper. And yes, because we are America, our rights come along with additional responsibilities as well. Problem is, it’s not clear that we are even all aware of these rights and responsibilities. A good place to start is by communicating and informing.

Our healthcare rights are published in the Patient’s Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, but even this did not happen until 1998. The bill gives us the right to accurate and easily understood information to help us make informed decisions about our healthcare. We also have the right to choose our provider, access to emergency services, care without discrimination, privacy, speedy complaint resolution. We also have the right and the responsibility to be a full partner in our healthcare decisions. The bill also states that patients must also take greater responsibility for maintaining good health.

While the Obama administration has a long road ahead in many areas, including healthcare, we all have a key role to play as well. If we go back to the original objectives of the Patient’s Bill of Rights, it may provide both us, as healthcare consumers, and the new administration some initial guidance. The original objectives of the bill were to:

· Strengthen consumer confidence by assuring the healthcare system is fair and responsive to consumer’s needs

· Encourage consumers to take an active role in improving and assuring their health

· Reaffirm the importance of a strong relationship between patients and their healthcare professionals

· Reaffirm the critical role consumes play in safeguarding their own health by establishing both rights and responsibilities for all participants in improving healthcare status.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 6th, 2008 at 3:24 pm and is filed under Consumer Health Care, Patients, Patients' Rights, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.