December 4, 2024, should be seen as the need to change how the Healthcare industry, the politicians, and the laws we have in place must evolve dramatically.

The murder of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth, tore open the wounds that millions in the United States have felt with their health insurance companies, recognition of vertically integrated monopolies held by a few corporations, lack of accountability by corporate executives that have continuously chosen to put profit above lives of people which includes many deaths both physical and financial, and seeing the perpetrator on the run being seen as a modern-day Robinhood.

The policy attempted to be implemented by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of limiting Anesthesia during surgery for patients and providers demonstrates that decisions are no longer up to the doctors who care for their patients but instead are left to corporate executives and administration staff who are playing with people's lives for the sake of profit.

Adding to this is the lack of comments from politicians (Democrats, Republicans, and everyone else) condemning the act, the policies by UnitedHealth/Anthem/BlueCross, or the acknowledgment that our system is severely broken and is no longer taking "We the People" into account should alarm every single one of us, no matter the party affiliation or needing care in the past, now, or in the future. 

The fact that none of the politicians are admitting how broken our system is or their desire to step up in fixing it for "We the People," whom they claim to be representing but aren't, should be seen as a wakeup call for anyone in the health care industry and political parties that claim to represent the people. This single act exposes the lack of engagement, position, or desire to do something about it honestly.

So, with that said, I am starting a petition to demonstrate the power of "We the People" and to work with real leaders willing to make a fundamental shift to the policy on the Healthcare system and to represent the people since this one issue is uniting the people and is proving to be party agnostic. 

If we get enough signatures, we might be able to work with those that are interested in changing policies, structures, and processes that have devastated or crippled millions of Americans either through financial debts or deaths as a result of healthcare-associated organizations, people that work within them, and the politicians that have kept the atrocities going.

What do "We the People" want in Healthcare reform?

1. Non-profit status - No profit-based healthcare organizations, and all their profits must be returned to provide patient care.
2. Don't allow it to get too big - No vertical integration to prevent the atrocities demonstrated by UnitedHealth Care and the healthcare industry of Delay, Deny, and Defend policies.
3. Executive accountability - Executives are directly held criminally and financially responsible for patients whose lives are negatively impacted by their policies, processes, and practices. Cap executive pay to a maximum, with performance metrics directly based on patient and provider feedback.
4. Reduce the cost of care - Eliminate the middleman (e.g., the insurance companies) or restrict them to a cost-based pricing model with a maximum limit per transaction and a cap of "Not to Exceed."
5. Create cost transparency - Remove the restrictions on providers sharing cost information with patients and others.
6. Offer patient choices - Offer a true marketplace-based choice for providers, procedures, and care options—not government-run but as a non-profit and democratized version of a platform that operates with principle ask #1 on this list.
7. Curb lobbying - No corporate lobbying allowed for healthcare organizations - No more consultants and lobbyists that continue to prop up the system and line up the pockets of the politicians and corporations in different ways. Lobbying would have severe jail time and financial implications for individuals involved and executives of the organizations they are part of.

As the most endearing country in the world, the United States has continued to inspire others to believe in the power of "We the People," it is time that we recognize that our Healthcare system should not be in the state it is in now, so let's push to change it.

Let's show at least the people's desire, and from there, we can work with the administration personnel who are willing to work to represent the people of America.

Thank you.

A patient & a reform advocate

p.s. If you are willing to help with this reform, please indicate in your comment or send me a note. The best way to make change happen is for like-minded people to unite.