Zoë A. Lewis, MD, FACP, Host of Hospice Radio
Dr. Zoë A. Lewis, producer and host of Blogtalkradio’
Dr. Lewis cited polls showing majority of Americans feel the nation is on the wrong track concerning healthcare reform, willing to shove lawmakers out of office, as the basis for the program. Dr. Lewis used the popularity of the rising Tea Party Movement to engage new listeners and garner media attention for the February 20th one hour live call in program. The program protests wasteful healthcare spending, giving examples, showing concern over the plan to engage more government in healthcare, as the wrong medicine for the correct disease – wasteful government spending.
The show pointed out avoidable costly hospitalizations for the unisured if homeless and uninsured were able to secure subsidies for basic medications, preventative screening, hoping the message will be heard in Washington and invites listeners to get involved with the protest movement and flex voter muscle.
Dr. Lewis working as a hospitalist claims, “it is the lack of free screening and basic medications for vascular disease, diabetes, even cancer screening for those that can’t pay, that ultimately ends up costing taxpayers even more when these folks come to the hospital severely ill. We expect homeless and unemployed folks to come up with the $200 dollars or more a month for the medications and care supplies, and when they can’t, or simply don’t, they get sick and come to the hospital. The $200 we could be subsidizing on medications is exponentially multiplied to twenty or thirty thousand dollars for their hospitalization that taxpayers pay for. Citing examples poor management and unaccountability with the fear of more government involvement, as the reason for voting down the reform.
“We see wasteful spending without any accountability, and we are fighting against a leaking crack in the seawall with a band aid in a raging storm. Americans could benefit from hearing a different point of view. We should be aware of what is going on now with government subsidies, and how off track they are. I am suggesting we clean up Medicare and Medicaid operations and bring down the costs of those programs, not by cutting programs, but by placing greater emphasis on interventions at the prevention and maintenance stage, with increased, the proposed decreased support of programs that help bring down costs at end of life. This debate is heating up with the seat change in the senate in Massachusetts, and I feel those of us in healthcare must find our voice and teach other Americans what is going on.
Dr. Lewis is a member of the the Daughters of the American revolution and cited, “ I am willing to do my part using the Tea Party Movement rhetoric if it helps bring about awareness and change for healthcare reform.”
Hospice Radio is found on www.blogtalkradio.com/
Zoë A. Lewis, MD, FACP, diplomat of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care, is a per diem hospitalist contracted to work where internal medicine doctors are in shortage. Her public service website is hopethroughknowledge.org. She is also the author of acclaimed Alzheimer’s caregiver books, I Hope They Know: The Essential Handbook on Alzheimer's Disease and Care, Virtualbookworm,Publishing 2009 and Espero que sepan: La guía holística para la enfermedad de Alzheimer (Spanish Edition) Virtualbookworm, 2009. Her company, Hope Through Knowledge Resources.Org is a philanthropic community education project with the mission to promote aging and end-of-life care resources, including Blogtalkradio’
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
