Why We’re Passionate About Chronic Disease
AN INTERVIEW WITH SIC WILLIE’S MOM
FITSNews - January 14, 2008 - Given South Carolina’s abysmal health care situation, it’s no surprise that the subject of preventative disease has been high on the radar screen of Republican and Democratic presidential candidates currently courting Palmetto State voters.
A $17.8 billion problem for our state, the issue represents a major concern not only for 2008 aspirants, but also for local leaders as well.
For us, however, the issue is more personal … which is why FITSNews sat down last week with a very special woman, Mrs. Kathy Folks, the mother of our very own Sic Willie.
Here’s what she had to say …
FITSNews: First of all, thank you for taking the time to sit down with us, Mrs. Folks. Before we get into the subject of health care, we have to ask you – what was it like raising Sic Willie? That had to be a nightmare.
Kathy Folks: Raising Will was like raising any other child in that it was a mixture of great blessings and great challenges. Anytime you have a child who is intellectually-gifted you must be alert and challenge them right back. I have two sons and they are both smart, kind-hearted, hard-working men and I am extremely proud of them. Will and his younger brother continue to be blessings in my life and in the lives of many others as well. I think Will’s challenges to others very often make good things happen. His work often “makes the difference†that develops into positive change.
FN: A blessing and a challenge, huh. So did you know from the get-go that he was going to be a handful?
KF: From before he was born I sensed that he would be a challenge filled with blessings. From the first piercing look he sent my way - on the delivery table, I might add - I knew my work as a mother was cut out for me. His early verbal development and language skills as well as his logical strategy that also developed early, those things certainly kept me busy to try to stay a few steps ahead of him. His keen intellect and ability to read people often challenged his teachers to higher levels of preparation. Sometimes they were forced to “pull rank†on him.
FN: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where did you go to school? What did you do professionally?
KF: I was born in Greenville, S.C. and educated in the public school system there. I studied piano for several years and enjoyed singing, too. I went to Queens College in Charlotte, NC where I earned my undergraduate degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing and a heavy concentration in applied music, including solo work with several choirs. I was President of the Concert Choir (I toured Europe one summer where I soloed with them) and also of the QC chapter of the Sigma Upsilon Literary Society.
While at Queens I also worked in the Public Relations Office. Sometimes I wrote news releases for the choir and later for some other organizations, as well. I turned down a Public Relations job offer in Charlotte to pursue a Masters degree in English at USC where I met my husband, Will’s father, over 37 years ago. I stopped my doctorate work when we started our family. I taught piano and sang professionally with the Carolina Chorale, the Columbia Choral Society and the Chancel Choir of First Presbyterian Church. For 15 years I served as the Director of 1st - 6th Grade Ministries at First Presbyterian Church. During that time I studied some at seminary.
I still sing with the church choir, do some volunteer ministry at the church and also volunteer at Palmetto Health Richland Hospital as a Mended Hearts visitor in the Heart Hospital.
FN: You actually retired from your job because of health reasons, correct? Tell us a little bit about your experience with heart-related issues …
KF: I had a heart attack when I was 51 years old and still working, and I continued working through a recurrence of heart blockage problems almost two years later. At that point, I realized that I had a problem with stress and that I needed to address it by changing some things in my life. Being an overly-conscientious individual I sometimes worked too hard because I always wanted to do my very best. Since I was in ministry work it didn’t seem right not to give it my all, even though it was a part-time job. When my assistant had to quit I continued her work by doing the work of both jobs. When I couldn’t get enough volunteer help I would just work longer to get the work done. I knew something had to “give†and decided that I needed to take some steps to preserve my health. Will cheered this decision because he wanted me “heart-healthier.â€
FN: You still have a pacemaker, right?
KF: Actually, I have a pacemaker/defibrillator, often referred to as an ICD. It has both a pacemaker and a defibrillator in it. If I have a “bad†arrhythmia, the defibrillator will shock my heart to keep me from going into cardiac arrest. If my heart rhythm gets too far from what it’s supposed to be, the pacer will activate. I’ve had the device for more than three years and neither the pacer nor the defibrillator has had to activate yet, although we keep a close check on them both to be sure they are still working correctly.
I have a magnet with which I can check the battery externally. It produces a high-pitched tone for about 30 seconds to let me know the battery is operational. One Valentine’s Day I sang a short program for my Mended Hearts group and got my singing pitch from using the defibrillator magnet. I would imagine that probably is one of the more creative non-heart functions for which a defibrillator has been used. Each month I transmit information from my device over the phone lines to Medtronic who manufactured my defibrillator. They send the information to my cardiologist’s defibrillator clinic.
FN: You know, a lot of people are urging better lifestyle choices and preventative care as a way of improving the overall health of South Carolinians. First Lady Jenny Sanford, in particular, has been very active on that front. You’ve met the First Lady on a couple of occasions, what do you think about her and her efforts to make our state healthier?
KF: Personally, I think Jenny is an outstanding individual. She is not only a very intelligent person, she is a very capable person. I applaud whatever Jenny can do to bring a greater awareness to the importance of better health for our state, and I truly appreciate her efforts in this area. South Carolinians, especially our young children, need to learn what healthier choices are available for them, and they need to make those choices in their own lives. Adults in our state need to model good lifestyle choices for the younger generation.
FN: Not to get you in trouble or anything, but you were a smoker, right? How much did you smoke? Do you think that had anything to do with your heart problems?
KF: I smoked during my teenage years, through college - yes, even as a singer - and into graduate school. One day I thought how stupid it was to put smoke into my lungs and determined to quit. I guess there were days when I was working on a deadline under pressure that I might have smoked up to a pack, but usually I smoked much less. I cut back a lot when I started to be convicted I shouldn’t smoke and finally threw away the cigarettes I had left and never smoked another one. Since I quit smoking over 37 years ago I thought my body had fully recovered from any ill effects of that nasty habit. Recently, however, my cardiologist ran a couple of tests on me because I’d complained about some shortness of breath. A CT scan of my chest shows some areas in my lungs that “could be†from smoking, and they are keeping an eye on that.
This doctor also mentioned that the body is sometimes very unforgiving of smoking. Those who know a lot more about the effects of smoking on heart patients than I do have said that quitting smoking is the one thing you can do that will help your heart health more than anything else. Are you listening, Will?
FN: Um, we’ll pass that advice along, Mrs. Folks.
KF: Please do.
FN: You also take on a lot of responsibilities in your life and as a result, you frequently deal with stress. Does that play a part in heart disease, too? What do you do to reduce stress?
KF: Stress can play a very big role in heart problems. In fact, that seems to be one of the “main things†that caused my heart problems. It is a key factor for a lot of heart patients and it is something we must learn to deal with in a constructive way. That may be different for different people because their stress factors vary. My family was very helpful in making me take a step back from my responsibilities. Immediately after my heart attack both of my sons stepped up and took on one of my main work responsibilities. Will was (and probably still is) my chief warden in that respect. Others at my church job also stepped up to the plate and helped with a program I had organized but was unable to administer. I was allowed to visit for a few hours one day, but Will and my other son, Rick, were there to keep a keen eye on my participation and make sure I didn’t “over-extend†myself.
My husband helped out on the home front in many ways. He got others to help me, too. Since I stopped working, I read more now than I used to. I also exercise regularly. I rest more than I did in the past, but not quite enough yet. I continue to pray and take my troubles to Jesus, giving them to Him. My faith has been a great strength to me. At the time of the heart attack, I knew that if it was my time to die that God would welcome me into heaven, not on my merit but because of what Jesus had done for me. It turns out it isn’t quite my time to go home to heaven yet. The prayer support I got was wonderful, almost tangible. I’m trying not to stress out over volunteer responsibilities like I did with my paying job. You have to choose not to let things/people/whatever be stressful to you. A lot of stress is just attitude. You can eat properly, exercise regularly and still not deal effectively with your stressors. You have to do all three.
Studies show - The Dean Ornish Program is the prime example - that diet, exercise and stress must all be addressed for your own action to help you get better. Obviously heredity, other health issues, quitting smoking and medication are factors involved in heart health evaluation and treatment.
FN: Health care has become a pretty big issue in the presidential campaign. Based on your experiences, how important is it to you that the candidate you end up supporting for president offers a plan that addresses America’s health care problems?
KF: I think it is important that our leaders, especially our President, know the facts about health care in our country. I’m not so sure that I’ve heard any kind of “plan†that will address the health care needs of our country effectively or efficiently. Just look at England and Canada to see how miserably federalized national programs have failed.
In Canada you may get into a doctor for a diagnosis “in time,†which may not happen so efficiently in England, but you can’t get the treatment in a timely manner. People have literally died awaiting some life-saving treatment in Canada. Often they come to the US and pay for effective treatment here. That kind of national health care doesn’t sound like anything into which we want to pour our tax money — at least not to me. Any proposal for national health care needs to be evaluated with great scrutiny. I would be very suspicious of it otherwise.
FN: We spend a lot of money on treating chronic diseases in this country. In fact, a recent study showed that these diseases cost South Carolina billions of dollars each year. Do you think it makes sense for government to focus a little more of its money on preventing these diseases before they become so expensive to treat?
KF: Yes. I also think the insurance companies are starting to realize this might be a good idea, too. Prevention just makes good sense. Prevention would end up saving the insurance companies a lot of money in the long run. I hope they will realize that before more people die who could have been helped that those people can live healthier and happier lives by preventive treatments.
FN: You’ve obviously got good health insurance, how important has that been in helping you beat your heart problems?
KF: Insurance has made a huge difference for us. The bills can get quite high. Some of the tests alone are very expensive. Certain procedures can get into the thousands, and surgeries and hospitalizations into the tens of thousands of dollars. The medication is expensive, even if you aren’t having any new heart episodes. It would be nice if insurance would pay for some of my continuing cardiac rehabilitation, but it did pay for the initial cardiac rehab program right after my heart attack and also after the second blockage scare I had.
A friend of mine from another state called me tonight, in fact, telling me about how she was late paying her bills because she didn’t feel well one month this fall. This kept her from making her insurance payment, and she unexpectedly had a heart attack. Since she didn’t make her insurance payment her insurance company now refuses to pay her bills and she is in quite a financial fix. While at the doctor’s office waiting to pay my bill, I have heard others lament their situations regarding the costs, some in tears because they are already in some cases staying with relatives and running out of money. It is a difficult situation for sure.
Unfortunately, there are always people who will take advantage of the insurance companies and the government programs.
FN: You participate in a group called “Mended Hearts.†Tell us a little bit about that group and what it does.
KF: Mended Hearts is basically a support group for people who have had heart problems, their families, health care professionals in this field, or generally anyone else who is interested in better heart health and awareness. We try to encourage people who have had heart “episodes†or who are caregivers for them. Each month we meet and have a program related to heart health or to our Mended Hearts work. We have had several cardiologists speak to us and also had talks about pacemakers and defibrillators, exercise, nutrition, medicines, exercise equipment, insurance, etc., etc. We also have a couple of socials each year, one in the spring and one at Christmas. I am also a Mended Hearts Visitor which means that I visit patients (and their families) who are in Palmetto Health Richland Hospital with some heart or heart-related issue.
FN: We talked about First Lady Jenny Sanford earlier, but you’ve also met Governor Mark Sanford on several occasions, too. Is it true that you once walked into the Governor’s office unannounced and gave him a piece of your mind for making your son work on Sunday when he should’ve been in church?
KF: I think the comment I made, while expressing my disapproval about the matter, was more like “I wish my son didn’t have to work on Sundays so he could go to church.†Although I was a bit perturbed about the whole thing, I realize that my son sets priorities that sometimes shove church to the side, whereas in my opinion the things of the Lord should be the number one priority in everyone’s life, including his. Hey, you brought it up!
FN: You are obviously not shy about voicing your opinions, are you Mrs. Folks?
KF: As my last answer indicates, I will voice my opinions. Hopefully I have matured in the many years I’ve been on this earth to the point that I now “pick my battles†so to speak. I think we need to stand up for the things we know are right. Sometimes you don’t get that chance again. There are many times in my life I would like to be able to “reword†or possibly even retract what I said. It’s important to remember that we need to be kind to people. A friend of mine used to say something like “Be nice to everyone because everyone is having a bad day.†Sometimes a word of kindness can go a long way toward helping someone through a rough spot.
For us Christians, I’ve heard it said that “You may be the only Bible someone else may ever read.†That means we have a responsibility to live in a way that honors God. I hope that I’m doing a better job of that than I used to do. I know that God can accomplish whatever He purposes to do without my piddly little help, but I am certainly blessed when I’m a part of something He’s doing. I told my sons when they were young that it doesn’t take any longer to be nice to someone than it does to be ugly to them, and they should choose to be nice. That doesn’t mean you have to be a doormat, but you should realize you are responsible for your reaction to things, even if you are responding to someone’s rudeness.
FN: Faith is clearly a very important part of your life. You are very active in your church family and are always doing good deeds for others. What motivates you to help people?
KF: I probably answered some of that in the answers I’ve already given. I guess what I’d have to say what is really important to me is that I want my life to honor God. I want to bring Him glory. Although I am an imperfect person, I love and serve a perfect God. He has forgiven my sins not because of any merit I might have. There is no way I can earn my way to heaven with good deeds. It is only because of the law-fulfilling perfect life of Jesus and His death on the cross in which he took the punishment for my sins - and for all those who believe in Him - that I will enter heaven. God had to deal with the sin. Jesus’ sacrifice did it completely. The answer to your question is that Jesus motivates me to help people.
FN: Amen to that. One last question – have you decided who you’re going to vote for in the upcoming presidential election?
KF: That depends on who’s running, now doesn’t it? If you mean in the primary, from what I’ve heard from the candidates so far, Huckabee is the candidate who will get my vote. I am very conservative and could not easily support the more liberal Democratic platform.
Comments
By Tim on January 14th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Why is it that everybody has a mother in the upstate who thinks Huckabee is such a nice Christian conservative? Geez. I guess now we all know what turned Sic into such a debauched reprobate. Here’s to getting married and loving that balance in the middle ground.
By Thom Berry on January 15th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Will,
As a fellow member of the cardiac rehab group at Palmetto Richland, I’ve had the great joy of getting to know your mom as a rehab buddy. She’s a fantastic lady with a lot of say if others out there will listen. However, she was terribly concerned about how the story would end up. I wasn’t worried.
I joined the “fraternity” in 2000 when I came within a short time of having a fatal heart attack. Mine was related to stress so I can can echo your mom’s comments on stress being a major factor we all need to look at in our lives.
Thanks for devoting the time and space for others to read and hopefully take to heart (bad pun, bad pun) your mom’s story.
Rock on!
By Lizzie on January 15th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Your Mom looks like a really fun lady - best wishes to her for a very happy and healthy 2008. Thanks again for your incrediable wisdom.
You are the Best.
By Tricia Cunningham on January 16th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Hello Will,
This entry really touched me. Thank goodness for survivors of chronic disease, like your mom, to be able to tell their story and inspire others to start living a healthier lifestyle and address the issues for those already afflicted. I am a health promoter, former nurse, author, and speaker. My own trials have been having cancer and not being able to afford treament or insurance for the last two years. College educated, hard working, a voter, and still fell through the cracks. Thank you for raising awareness.
I had the pleasure of speaking in front of the Myrtle Beach Mended Hearts on Monday- great group and we have set a date for me to volunteer for the health fair booth. With all of this in mind, I wanted to pass something I received in the mail to you. It has had a powerful impact on how I will be walking into the polls and knew you would appreciate it, too.
I’ll have your mom in my prayers.
A G U I D E T O T H E
2008 Presidential Candidates’
Positions on Chronic Disease
1
PFCD South Carolina Voter Guide |
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is a national coalition of
more than 80 patient, provider, and community organizations, business and labor groups, and health
policy experts committed to raising awareness of the number one cause of death, disability, and rising
health care costs in the U.S.: rising rates of preventable and treatable chronic diseases.
The PFCD believes that rising rates of chronic health problems pose a significant and unsustainable
burden on the U.S. health care system, and that the viability and strength of the system—presently and
in the future—relies on a willingness to enact policies that help Americans better prevent and manage
chronic illnesses. It is our hope that the PFCD policy platform has helped to focus our nation’s leaders—
including the 2008 presidential candidates—on the crisis of chronic disease and highlight common-sense
reforms that will help the nation to address this challenge.
The PFCD has created grassroots networks in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Ohio. These
networks consist of partner organizations and volunteers working together to send a message. Chronic
disease accounts for 75% of every health care dollar. All candidates running for president in 2008
must address chronic disease in their health care proposals and platforms.
Any healthcare reform must:
1) Advance sustainable “Next Generation†chronic disease prevention, early intervention,
and management models throughout the health care system and public health infrastructure.
2) Promote healthy lifestyles and disease prevention and management in every community.
3) Encourage and reward continuous advances in clinical practice and research that
improve the quality of care for those with prevalent and costly chronic diseases.
4) Accelerate improvements in the quality and availability of health information
technology (HIT) throughout the health care system.
5) Reduce health disparities by focusing on barriers to good health.
PFCD South Carolina Voter Guide |
2008 Democratic Candidates
2008 Republican Candidates
Advance sustainable “Next Generation†chronic disease prevention, early intervention, and
management models throughout the health care system and public health infrastructure
Promote healthy lifestyles and disease prevention and management in every community
Encourage and reward continuous advances in clinical practice and research that improve
the quality of care for those with prevalent and costly chronic diseases
Accelerate improvements in the quality and availability of health information technology
(HIT) throughout the health care system
Reduce health disparities by focusing on barriers to good health
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PFCD South Carolina Voter Guide |
Candidate: HILLARY CLINTON
http://www.hillaryclinton.com
Chronic Disease Position Summary: Focuses on preventing and detecting chronic diseases
as well as managing care. Plans to streamline and coordinate chronic disease care to
increase quality and decrease costs.
Candidate: JOHN EDWARDS
http://www.johnedwards.com
Chronic Disease Position Summary: Focuses on bettermanagement of chronic conditions
among insureres and Medicare, improved communication between patients and other
physicians, and establishment of a “medical home†within Medicare.
Candidate: MIKE GRAVEL
http://www.mikegravel.com
Chronic Disease Position Summary: No response given.
Candidate: DENNIS KUCINICH
http://www.dennis4president.com
Chronic Disease Position Summary: No response given.
Candidate: BARACK OBAMA
http://www.barackobama.com
Chronic Disease Position Summary: Plan recognizes chronic disease prevention as
one of three primary needs facing the healthcare system. Believes that promoting
and protecting health is a shared responsibility among individuals and families,
school systems, employers, the medical and public health workforce, and federal and
state governments.
Candidate: BILL RICHARDSON
http://www.richardsonforpresident.com
Chronic Disease Position Summary: Plan recognizes that a strong, coordinated
national effort is needed to prevent and manage chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes,
and heart disease. Plans to substantially increase funding spent on chronic disease
prevention research.
2 0 0 8 D E M O C R A T I C C A N D I D A T E S
PFCD South Carolina Voter Guide |
Candidate: RUDY GUILIANI
http://www.joinrudy2008.com
Chronic Disease Position Summary: Plans to promote access to preventive care and
healthy lifestyle education. Many of his reforms focus on empowering individuals
and families to make health care decisions that work best for them.
Candidate: MIKE HUCKABEE
http://www.mikehuckabee.com
Chronic Disease Position Summary: Will encourage states to address chronic disease
and prevention and to use as models many of the changes that he implemented as
Governor of Arkansas.
Candidate: DUNCAN HUNTER
http://www.gohunter08.com
Chronic Disease Position Summary: No response given.
Candidate: JOHN McCAIN
http://www.johnmccain.com
Chronic Disease Position Summary: Plans to hold physicians and health insurers responsible
for adhering to standards of care for patients. States that everything should be done
to prevent chronic disease, promote appropriate tests for early detection, and ensure
patients follow treatment guidelines after disease develops.
Candidate: RON PAUL
http://www.ronpaul2008.com
Chronic Disease Position Summary: No response given.
Candidate: MITT ROMNEY
http://www.mittromney.com
Chronic Disease Position Summary: No response given.
Candidate: FRED THOMPSON
http://www.tommy2008.com
Chronic Disease Position Summary: No response given.
2 0 0 8 R E P U B L I C A N C A N D I D A T E S
PFCD South Carolina Voter Guide |
ADVANCE SUSTAINABLE “NEXT GENERATION†CHRONIC DISEASE PREVENTION,
EARLY INTERVENTION, AND MANAGEMENT MODELS THROUGHOUT THE
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM AND PUBLIC HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE.
2 0 0 8 D E M O C R A T I C C A N D I D A T E S
CLINTON
Proposes to advance prevention by:
• Requiring coverage of preventive services deemed proven and effective.
• Rewarding physicians who improve their patients’ outcomes.
• Ensuring streamlined, coordinated care of chronic illnesses.
• Establishing a Best Practices Institute that would fund research on effective treatments—including chronic care
prevention, detection, and management—and help distribute this information to doctors and patients.
• Coordinating public spending on prevention across public programs.
EDWARDS
Proposes to advance prevention by:
• Requiring insurers offering health plans through health care markets and other public plans to manage chronically
ill patients’ health across all their product lines.
• Changing reimbursement rules to emphasize primary care.
GRAVEL
No response given.
KUCINICH
No response given.
OBAMA
Proposes to advance prevention by:
• Requiring that plans that participate in the new public plan, Medicare or the Federal Employee Health
Benefits Program (FEHBP) utilize proven disease management programs.
• Accelerating efforts to develop and disseminate best practices, and align reimbursement with provision of high
quality health care.
• Implementing care management programs and encouraging team care through implementation of medical home type
models.
RICHARDSON
Proposes to advance prevention by:
• Expanding research funding on chronic disease, including translational research that helps evidence-based programs
and treatments reach Americans more quickly.
• Boosting research efforts associated with obesity, and improving coordination between the National Institutes
of Health, Centers for Disease Control, Food and Drug Administration, US Department of Agriculture, and others
inside and outside of government.
PFCD South Carolina Voter Guide |
2 0 0 8 R E P U B L I C A N C A N D I D A T E S
GUILIANI
Proposes to advance prevention by:
• Expanding access to HSA plans and allowing for plans that are designed to cover preventive care and carecoordination
services.
• Permitting more flexibility in employer contributions to “disease management†accounts so workers with chronic
illnesses and anticipated long-term expenses will be able to receive employer funds more tailored to their
situation, while also facilitating care coordination.
HUCKABEE
Proposes to advance prevention by:
• Encouraging states to create innovative programs to get better disease management information to diabetics.
• Ensuring that diabetes centers are located throughout the country.
HUNTER
No response given.
McCAIN
Proposes to advance prevention by:
• Promoting competition throughout the health care system between providers and among alternative treatments.
• Making patients the center of care and giving them a larger role in both prevention and care.
• Reforming the payment systems in Medicare to compensate providers for diagnosis, prevention, and
care coordination.
• Dedicating federal research on the basis of sound science resulting in greater focus on care and cure of
chronic disease.
• Giving states the flexibility to, and encouraging them to experiment with: alternative forms of access; risk-adjusted
payments per episode covered under Medicaid; use of private insurance in Medicaid; alternative insurance policies
and insurance providers; and, different licensing schemes for medical providers.
• Building genuine national markets by permitting providers to practice nationwide.
• Fostering the development of routes for safe, cheaper generic versions of drugs and biologic pharmaceuticals and
developing safety protocols that permit re-importation to keep competition vigorous.
• Protecting the health care consumer through vigorous enforcement of federal protections against collusion, unfair
business actions, and deceptive consumer practices.
PAUL
No response given.
ROMNEY
No response given.
THOMPSON
No response given.
PFCD South Carolina Voter Guide |
PROMOTE HEALTHY LIFESTYLES AND DISEASE PREVENTION
AND MANAGEMENT IN EVERY COMMUNITY.
2 0 0 8 D E M O C R A T I C C A N D I D A T E S
CLINTON
Proposes to promote healthy lifestyles by:
• Establishing a Best Practices Institute that would ensure that healthcare professionals and patients receive up-to-date
and accurate information about diseases, including chronic illnesses, and ways to prevent and manage them.
• Increasing access to screening tools that have proven to work.
• Enacting the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Act that will restrict tobacco advertising to children, stop
illegal sales of tobacco to children, promote smoking cessation programs, and provide coverage for comprehensive
smoking cessation in Medicaid.
• Putting physical education and sports programs back in schools.
• Removing junk food from schools.
• Increasing funding for the Carol White Physical Education program.
• Implementing a healthy schools program the provides funding for schools that commit to replacing all
unhealthy food with healthy food by 2012.
EDWARDS
Proposes to promote healthy lifestyles by:
• Requiring health plans offered through health care markets to encourage people to stay healthy by offering primary
and preventive services.
• Redesigning federal insurance programs to include appropriate incentives for families to use wellness programs.
• Requiring government programs to cover education efforts that help beneficiaries understand their health so they
can help take better care of themselves and stay healthy without costly hospitalizations.
• Investing in public health promotion and improving coordination among local, state, and national public health departments.
• Addressing school nutrition guidelines and emphasizing healthy food options.
• Improving funding for physical education, healthy lifestyle programs, and after-school programs that promote
physical activity.
• Supporting tax incentives to support businesses that promote healthy living programs.
• Establishing a nationwide healthy lifestyles campaign to promote individuals’ healthy choices.
GRAVEL
No response given.
KUCINICH
No response given.
OBAMA
Proposes to promote healthy lifestyles by:
• Expanding and rewarding worksite intervention/health promotion programs.
• Working work with schools to create more healthful environments for children.
• Expanding funding—including loan repayment, adequate reimbursement, grants for training curricula, and infrastructure
support— to improve working conditions.
• Increasing funding to expand community based preventive interventions.
• Aligning funding mechanisms to support an effort to develop a national and regional strategy for public health.
RICHARDSON
Proposes to promote healthy lifestyles by:
• Instituting a nationwide ban on workplace-smoking.
• Removing junk food from schools and putting physical activity back in.
• Supporting improved infrastructure for exercise such as biking and walking trails, increased physical activity in
schools, and policies that promote access to more affordable healthy foods.
• Promoting health literacy.
• Promoting healthy lifestyles through employers and community-based programs, including incentives to businesses
to implement worksite wellness programs.
PFCD South Carolina Voter Guide |
2 0 0 8 R E P U B L I C A N C A N D I D A T E S
GUILIANI
Proposes to promote healthy lifestyles by:
• Moving towards a new patient-centered health system that encourages healthy lifestyles and facilitates preventive
care and wellness programs.
• Educating seniors about their coverage options and encouraging more seniors to take advantage of Medicare Part D.
HUCKABEE
Proposes to promote healthy lifestyles by:
• Encouraging states to provide smoking cessation programs and eliminate co-pays and deductibles for PSA
tests, mammograms, and colonoscopies for those covered by state health insurance and Medicaid.
• Encouraging states to provide clinical breast exams, diagnostic services, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation to women
below certain income levels who do not have health insurance or whose insurance does not cover these services.
• Encouraging states to remove/reduce vending machines in schools.
HUNTER
No response given.
McCAIN
Proposes to promote healthy lifestyles by:
• Teaching children about health, nutrition and exercise.
• Undertaking public health initiatives to stem the obesity and diabetes epidemic and to deter smoking.
PAUL
No response given.
ROMNEY
No response given.
THOMPSON
No response given.
PFCD South Carolina Voter Guide |
ENCOURAGE AND REWARD CONTINUOUS ADVANCES IN CLINICAL PRACTICE
AND RESEARCH THAT IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CARE FOR THOSE
WITH PREVALENT AND COSTLY CHRONIC DISEASES.
2 0 0 8 D E M O C R A T I C C A N D I D A T E S
CLINTON
Proposes encouraging and rewarding advances by:
• Offering higher reimbursement rates to doctors who participate in qualified Maintenance of Certification programs
and whose patients have improved health outcomes.
• Recognizing care models that use teams of providers that meet consensus-based quality measures.
• Increasing the NIH budget by 50% over 5 years and doubling it over 10 years to support research and innovation in
the fight against the most prevalent and costly chronic diseases.
EDWARDS
Proposes encouraging and rewarding advances by:
• Promoting evidence-based medicine.
• Requiring Medicare to develop new payment systems to help make sure that beneficiaries have a medical home
with a doctor who knows them and coordinates their care.
• Rewarding high quality care and penalizing plans that fail to meet critical, quantifiable goals.
• Changing reimbursement rules to emphasize primary care (for health plans participating in health care markets).
GRAVEL
No response given.
KUCINICH
No response given.
OBAMA
Proposes encouraging and rewarding advances by:
• Requiring full transparency about quality and costs.
• Requiring hospitals to collect and publicly report measures of health care costs and quality, including data on
preventable medical errors, nurse staffing ratios, hospital-acquired infections, and disparities in care and costs.
• Establishing an independent institute to guide reviews and research on comparative effectiveness.
RICHARDSON
Proposes encouraging and rewarding advances by:
• Incentivizing health care providers and insurers to further meet state of the art delivery of the best clinical
practice models.
• Requiring that all health plans cover a standard set of evidence-based preventive services such as well-child visits,
cancer screenings, and chronic disease management programs.
PFCD South Carolina Voter Guide |
2 0 0 8 R E P U B L I C A N C A N D I D A T E S
GUILIANI
Proposes encouraging and rewarding advances by:
• Fostering innovation and continuing to fund research in advanced medical technologies and medications and
facilitating affordable access to them.
• Streamlining FDA mechanisms and ending regulatory excesses without compromising safety.
HUCKABEE
Proposes encouraging and rewarding advances by:
• Supporting the new model proposed by the National Committee for Quality Assurance which encourages patients
to visit primary care physicians identified as the best and paying those doctors more per visit.
HUNTER
No response given.
McCAIN
Proposes encouraging and rewarding advances by:
• Supporting innovative delivery systems that provide greater market flexibility in permitting appropriate roles for
nurse practitioners, nurses, and doctors.
• Employing telemedicine and community and mental health clinics in areas where services and providers are limited.
• Passing tort reform to eliminate frivolous lawsuits and excessive damage awards.
• Providing a safe harbor for doctors who follow clinical guidelines and adhere to patient safety protocols.
PAUL
No response given.
ROMNEY
No response given.
THOMPSON
No response given.
PFCD South Carolina Voter Guide |
ACCELERATE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE QUALITY AND
AVAILABILITY OF HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (HIT)
THROUGHOUT THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
2 0 0 8 D E M O C R A T I C C A N D I D A T E S
CLINTON
Proposes to accelerate improvements in HIT by:
• Financially incentivizing doctors to adopt health information technology.
• Facilitating adoption of a system where better quality care and better patient outcomes can be rewarded.
EDWARDS
Proposes to accelerate improvements in HIT by:
• Investing in programs that encourage doctors to communicate with each other and in technologies that allow
them to quickly and easily gain access to all relevant patient information
• Requiring all health plans who want to participate in federal insurance programs to use interoperable information
technology that protects privacy.
• Providing resources that hospitals need to implement information systems that improve patient safety and
hospital efficiency.
GRAVEL
No response given.
KUCINICH
No response given.
OBAMA
Proposes to accelerate improvements in HIT by:
• Investing $10 billion every year over the next five years to move the U.S. health care system to broad adoption of
standards-based electronic health information systems, including electronic health information systems.
RICHARDSON
Proposes to accelerate improvements in HIT by:
• Providing grants, loans, and financial incentives for the widespread adoption of health information technology.
• Making personal health records available as an option to those who sign up for any federal health plan.
• Supporting incentives that encourage providers to use health IT in preventive and chronic health care management,
as well as track costs, outcomes and the quality of care provided.
PFCD South Carolina Voter Guide |
2 0 0 8 R E P U B L I C A N C A N D I D A T E S
GUILIANI
No specific proposal to accelerate improvements in HIT.
HUCKABEE
Proposes to accelerate improvements in HIT by:
• Supporting funding for the Nationwide Health Information Network that will link state, regional, and other networks
and make individuals’ medical records available anywhere.
HUNTER
No response given.
McCAIN
Proposes to accelerate improvements in HIT by:
• Making public more information on treatment options and requiring transparency by providers regarding medical
outcomes, quality of care, costs, and prices.
• Facilitating the development of national standards for measuring and recording treatments and outcomes.
• Promoting rapid deployment of 21st century information systems.
PAUL
No response given.
ROMNEY
No response given.
THOMPSON
No response given.
PFCD South Carolina Voter Guide |
REDUCE HEALTH DISPARITIES BY FOCUSING
ON BARRIERS TO GOOD HEALTH.
2 0 0 8 D E M O C R A T I C C A N D I D A T E S
CLINTON
Proposes to reduce health disparities by:
• Covering every American with health insurance.
• Requiring the development and testing of quality measures for use by doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, and other
providers targeted at eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health care.
• Requiring DHHS to develop a uniform reporting format for the collection of quality information on race and ethnicity.
• Providing $50 million in federal funding for the development of culturally and linguistically competent clinical care
programs.
• Providing opportunities and incentives to encourage greater diversity in the health care workforce through recruitment
initiatives, scholarships, and loan forgiveness programs.
EDWARDS
Proposes to reduce health disparities by:
• Supporting medical research into disparities.
• Reducing the pollutions and toxins.
• Investing in translation services to address language barriers.
• Addressing disparities in health caused by disparities in insurance by implementing universal coverage and
guaranteeing that all Americans get high quality health care by encouraging all providers to implement
evidence-based medicine.
GRAVEL
No response given.
KUCINICH
No response given.
OBAMA
Proposes to reduce health disparities by:
• Addressing differences in access to health coverage and promoting prevention and public health.
• Requiring hospitals and health plans to collect, analyze and report health care quality for disparity populations and
holding them accountable for any differences found.
• Diversifying the workforce to ensure culturally effective care.
• Implementing and funding evidence-based interventions.
• Supporting and expanding the capacity of safety-net institutions.
RICHARDSON
Proposes to reduce health disparities by:
• Ensuring access to affordable, quality health care coverage for every American.
• Supporting increased training for minority health professionals.
• Supporting efforts to increase the number of minorities who have medical homes.
PFCD South Carolina Voter Guide |
2 0 0 8 R E P U B L I C A N C A N D I D A T E S
GUILIANI
No specific proposal to reduce health disparities.
HUCKABEE
Proposes to reduce health disparities by:
• Encouraging states to reduce the number of uninsured children.
• Encouraging states to find ways to require better, more consistent management of disease and early detection for
those in poverty.
HUNTER
No response given.
McCAIN
No specific proposal to reduce health disparities.
PAUL
No response given.
ROMNEY
No response given.
THOMPSON
No response given.
By Hmmm... on January 17th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Tim,
If that’s what you took away from this, you have a chronic need to have your ass kicked.
Will,
A touching, enlightening post. Thank you.