Tag: insurance

13-30 An Unbelievable Number | Oregon’s Healthcare Transformation

13-30 An Unbelievable Number | Oregon’s Healthcare Transformation

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Show 13-30 Summary: Lisa Lettenmaier, a former accountant and current insurance expert, has been tracking Oregon’s healthcare system for decades. We take a deep dive with her into Oregon’s healthcare system and the completely unsustainable path its on — unless you want to eventually spend every penny on “free” healthcare.

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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: July 29th & 30th, 2023 | Guest: Lisa Lettenmaier

This Week – Oregon’s Healthcare is Unsustainable

This week, we’re looking into Oregon’s health care system. And, in particular, the tidal wave of spending, endless spending, we’re dumping into what Oregon thinks is a “free” system. Or that’s the goal. It will just take a few hundred billion to get there — and another few hundred billion to keep up the illusion of “free.”

Oh, and doctors are looking to form a union. Because that always makes government expenditures go down, right? Yikes.

We talk with Lisa Lettenmaier, our go-to expert on insurance as well as the inner workings and financial health of the healthcare system.

Diagnosis: the patient is sick.

Oregon’s Healthcare Transformation

There’s a saying I’m sure you know: “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” Along those lines, “Those who do not learn from Oregon are doomed to repeat its mistakes.”

Oregon’s forest management polices often lead to more forest fires. Which is stupid because all we need to do is to do something. Like the most obvious: open the forests up and let timber companies harvest — especially in areas prone to fires. Plus the government makes money. Twice. They get a payment from the sales of timber and they get all those taxes from good-paying jobs and companies making profits.

But the government would rather not do that (logging sounds like hard work) so they would rather spend money on putting out forest fires than make money doing things that would prevent the problem.

Oregon is pretty much setting its health care system on fire. And, once again, it’s a problem they caused — and then they set it on fire.

Tune in to find out just how bad it all is. Yes, the state of Oregon’s healthcare system will make you sick.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

 

 

What to do about our many healthcare crises. It is just one healthcare crisis after another.
Our Many Healthcare Crises, Part 2 | The Root Cause of Many of Them

Our Many Healthcare Crises, Part 2 | The Root Cause of Many of Them

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Show Summary: When Obamacare was passed (rammed through without a single Republican vote), it was supposed to fix health care and lower costs. All those savings, remember? What happened? But there are more problems and more spending than ever. This week, we continue our talk with healthcare-system expert, Lisa Lettenmaier, but zero in on the two root causes of many of, if not all of, our many healthcare crises.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: August 6th & 7th, 2022 | Guest: Lisa Lettenmaier

This Week – Our Many Healthcare Crises

We continue our deep dive into the problems plaguing our health care system—the many healthcare crises and the ever-growing expense. How is it that we are spending more than ever — by far! — on healthcare and yet it’s just one crisis after another? 

But this week, we zero in on the two main problems. And they should be no surprise, really, for anyone who has followed I Spy Radio’s many shows on healthcare or for anyone who has a lick of common sense. The two root causes are money and government. Particularly, government interference.

Healthcare crises in the UK: "My cousin had to deliver his child because the ambulance said they’d take 4 and a half hours to come for his wife. What is the UK coming to? He had to watch a YouTube tutorial on how to deliver a baby."
Healthcare crises in the UK. THIS is what they want to emulate?

We bring back our healthcare system expert, Lisa Lettenmaier. Lisa is currently an insurance agent and owns Health Source NW. But her background is in accounting, overseeing budgets and forecasting for major companies. So when she looks at the healthcare crises, she is viewing it not just from an insurance standpoint but from a systemic-analyst’s viewpoint.

Need healthcare and not sure where to turn? Give Lisa a call. Her website is www.HealthSourceNW.com.  She helps individuals and businesses throughout Oregon and SW Washington make sure they have the right coverage for when, God forbid, they really need it. Will your policy cover what you think it does? 

The Root Cause of So Many Healthcare Crises

This week, you’ll also hear an extended opener from I Spy Radio host, Mark Anderson, on the government’s interference — sabotage, really — of the normal free-market forces that would normally lower cost and improve care. Mark walks you through what a free market system would look like. Hint: we don’t have one now (remember Obama et al. when they were pushing Obamacare:  “the free market failed”?), not in health care. And he walks you through the government interfering with the free market, much of which can be traced back to a 1943 IRS ruling.

If you didn’t already think “they” are destroying things on purpose, you’ll believe it after this show. No one, no government, makes this many “mistakes” on purpose.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

What to do about our many healthcare crises. It is just one healthcare crisis after another.
What to do About Our Many Healthcare Crises | Part 1

What to do About Our Many Healthcare Crises | Part 1

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Show Summary: We are dumping billions upon billions into our healthcare system. But there are more healthcare crises than ever. What’s going on? We talk with health care system expert, Lisa Lettenmaier to find out what’s happening and why there are so many crises. Next week, we’ll look at the root cause of so many of these problems and what can be done.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: July 30th & 31st, 2022 | Guest: Lisa Lettenmaier

This Week – Our Many Healthcare Crises

We are diving deep into the problems plaguing our health care system. The many healthcare crises and the ever-growing expense. How is it that we are spending more than ever — by far! — on healthcare and yet it’s just one crisis after another? 

Does anyone even remember that we were promised that Obamacare would fix all this? And cost less?

We bring back our healthcare system expert, Lisa Lettenmaier. Lisa is currently an insurance agent and owns Health Source NW. But her background is in accounting, overseeing budgets and forecasting for major companies. So when she looks at the healthcare crises, she is viewing it not just from an insurance standpoint but from a systemic analyst’s viewpoint.

And it’s not good.

We talk with Lisa about the many healthcare crises right now but focus on three in particular that are the most troubling. Including the mental health crisis, which, in many ways, is emblematic of the other system-wide problems.

We’ll continue this deep dive next week and focus in on the root of all these crises. Which has changed everything—and not for the good.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Rising prescription drug prices (OregonLive, July 20, 2022)

Oregon agency sets virtual public hearings on 2023 health insurance preliminary rate decisions (KTVZ, July 23, 2022)

Healthcare and ambulance services deal with capacity crisis (KGW, July 22, 2022)

Profits of the pandemic: Moderna gives Boston’s property market a shot (Daily Mail, July 23, 2022)

WA hospitals facing ‘unsustainable’ financial losses, in danger of cutting services (Seattle Times, July 21, 2022)

Left’s Latest Health Care Scheme Will Worsen Inflation, The Deficit, And Your Insurance (The Federalist, July 25, 2022)

Difficulty Paying Bills Tops Pandemic High in US Census Survey (Yahoo News, July 25, 2022)

Covid Relief Spending by the Federal Government (via USASpending.gov, retrieved July 28, 2022)

Oregon Democrats want to transform Oregon's Health Care into universal health care. Can it recover? Or is it gone forever?
Why Oregon’s Health Care Lost Its Way—and Can It Recover?

Why Oregon’s Health Care Lost Its Way—and Can It Recover?

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Show Summary: It was only six years ago that Oregon had one of the health care systems and markets in the nation. But then Democrats “fixed it” with their zeal for universal health care. A look back—and can it be fixed?

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of November, 2018
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

Five Different Times, on Seven Different Stations. Listen anywhere! All stations stream live!

Saturdays
10a – 11a: KFIR 720AM (entire Willamette Valley) | Direct Link to KFIR Live Stream
11a – noon: KLBM 1450AM (Union County) | Direct Link to KLBM Live Stream
11a – noon: KBKR 1490AM (Baker County) | Direct Link to SuperTalk Live Stream
7p – 8p: KWRO 630AM (Oregon Coast & Southeastern Oregon) | Direct Link to KWRO Live Stream

Sundays
8a – 9a: KWVR 1340AM (Wallowa County) | Direct Link: KWVR Live Stream
7p – 8p: KAJO 1270AM or 99.7FM (Grants Pass/Medford) | Direct Link: KAJO Live Stream

Air Dates: Nov 9 & 10, 2019 | Lisa Lettenmaier

There’s a scene in Star Trek III when the crew of the Enterprise have stolen the ship and they’re being pursued by the Excelsior, the newest, fastest ship in the Federation fleet. The Enterprise goes to warp and the Excelsior prepares to give chase—only to have the engines grind to a halt and come to a dead stop. Scotty turns to Dr. McCoy, hands him some bolts, and says, “Here, Doctor. From one surgeon to another. The more they overhaul the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.”

And that’s pretty much what happened to Oregon’s health care.

Oregon’s Health Care: What Happened?

What happened? In a word: Democrats. In their zeal to push Oregon into “universal health care,” also known as “single payer.” Or, more accurately, “socialized medicine.”

A Look Back at Oregon’s Health Care

This week, we’re joined by Lisa Lettenmaier, the owner and operator of Health Source Northwest. Lisa is our go-to expert for health care, especially the “unique aspects” of Oregon’s health care market, given our lurch toward socialized medicine.

It’s open enrollment time. Do you have an insurance plan? The deadline is Dec. 7th for Medicare and Dec. 15th for individuals. See HealthSourceNW.com

Oregon’s Health Care System Transformation

In 2013, then-Oregon-Governor John Kitzhaber, a huge proponent of single-payer/universal health care/socialized medicine introduced a grand plan for Oregon’s health care. It was generally known (in typical socialist lingo) as “Oregon’s health system transformation.”

Kitzhaber convinced Obama to spend billions on this new innovative health care system that was going to transform health care as we know it: improve care and lower costs. You read that correctly. We spent billions to lower costs.

It introduced regional monopolies known as “coordinated care organizations” (CCOs). This,  despite studies that repeatedly shown that ACOs (associated care organizations, as they are known in Obamacare) do not save money. And do not improve care.

Oregon’s Coordinated Care Organizations

To set up these monopolies, they introduced legislation to bypass antitrust laws, violating the free market. The Oregon Health Authority (nice name, Nazis!) became the overseer of all things health. And the bureaucracies. Multiple layers of bureaucrats between you and your doctor. All of whom end up on Oregon’s PERS. A global budget that removed the ability to track monies allocated per patient. (Because that wouldn’t ever lead to abuse, grift, and corruption.) And a never-before seen cap on Medicare and Medicaid.

Basically, CCOs violated every free-market principle that would lower costs and improve care.

And, sadly, Oregon Republicans helped pass it. Yes, Republicans. How did this happen?

Useful Idiots: Oregon’s Republicans

Basically, the transformation was sold to gullible Republicans under the guise of “saving money” and “local control.” After the fact, they were “surprised” that this turned out to be a big giant push toward socialized medicine.

In reality, it shouldn’t have surprised any of them. Why? Because on the first page, the first paragraph of the bill it clearly said, “It is the intention of the Legislative Assembly to achieve the goals of universal access.” Yes. Universal health care. Single payer. No private health care. The finest that Venezuela has to offer.

Bill language from Oregon's health care transformation

True Stories of Socialized Medicine

Here’s a reminder: no democrat running for president has ever lived under socialism. Not one.  That’s right. None of them have ever lived under universal health care. And yet Bernie and Warren and several others are pushing for both socialism and universal health care.

Know what’s funny? Have you noticed that when people in those universal health care systems run into trouble, they go to where there isn’t a universal health care system? Instead, they come here to the U.S. rather than waiting weeks or months for treatment.

Well, not everyone. Just the rich. And the politicians.

When you run into trouble in a universal health care system, you go to where there isn’t a universal health care system

Want some true stories from people who have lived under socialized medicine? See this thread on Twitter from Carlos Osweda.

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Oregon's free abortions - Choose life instead
Darkness and Light: Oregon’s Free Abortions

Darkness and Light: Oregon’s Free Abortions

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Show Summary: While other states are investing in infrastructure and jobs, Oregon is investing in free abortions—including late term and even for those here illegally. 100% free. No co-pay. In the wake of Oregon’s free abortions, and as dark as this is, we look for an example of some light and find one in our nation’s capitol. Then it’s back to darkness: we talk with Lisa Lettenmaier about how Oregon paying for free abortions is the start of a very slippery slope, plus some new scandals with the Nazi-esquely named Oregon Health Authority.

 

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Air Dates: Aug. 26 & 27, 2017 | Susan Gallucci & Lisa Lettenmaier

Oregon is once again making the national news and not for very good reasons.  Oregon’s Governor signed this terrible bill into law, opening the way to no limits, completely free abortions for all—not even  a co-pay and this includes free abortions for those here illegally. The Democrats and the Democrat Governor in creating this free-for-all abortion bill, have also determined to remove limitations on abortion , even if the baby is full term. According to one report, “Taxpayers in Oregon can theoretically be forced to foot the bill for the murder of an illegal immigrants innocent unborn child in the ninth month of pregnancy simply because the child is female or has a genetic defect like Down Syndrome.”

While other states are investing in infrastructure to create jobs and improve working conditions, Oregon is “investing” in free abortions for all. To pay for this, Oregon is forcing insurers and taxpayers to foot the bill.

But there was also a funding gap of $900 million dollars. You’ll have to tune into to hear how bureaucrats will be filling that gap in some rather scandalous ways—but exactly what I Spy Radio had predicted years ago.

It is the power of God to make miracles out of what humans consider “mistakes.” To create an incredible person whose life and importance you cannot even begin to fathom. That unique mix of genetics that cannot and will not ever be duplicated.  Instead, the Democrat leadership in Oregon believes these limitless creations should just wiped away.

But in the darkest of all corners there is light and we’re shedding that light on a program for women that is located in Washington D.C. called The Northwest Center (www.northwestcenter.net).  The Northwest Center is the largest pro-life center in our nation’s capital.  We discuss their two centers, Pregnancy and Maternity, about the welcoming environment of all women without judgment who has assisted thousands of women to take the option of allowing their babies to live.  The Northwest Center does not accept any government funding so has the freedom to focus on the individual and help her to figure out their future.  A future that doesn’t just look at the birth but to help plan years down the road.

Listen to find out how this incredible program gives life value for both parent and child and something that maybe Oregon needs to duplicate.

Oregon’s Free Abortions’ Slippery Slope

Then we turn to our insurance specialist, Lisa Lettenmaier, Owner of Health Source NW (www.healthsourcenw.com). Lisa expertly takes us through the current status of Oregon’s insurance industry and as she discusses what we’d predicted years ago about Oregon’s Health Authority and the damage it would do to the health care system.  If you’re in a government run insurance program (think Medicare and Medicaid) no longer do doctors have the power to determine what care is needed, it’s the bureaucrats who do.

But there’s a slippery slope when it comes to insurance paying for free abortions. Tune in to hear where this could all lead.

Finally, don’t miss the Health Authority’s scandal and coordinated effort to try to sabotage and punish one of its Coordinated Care Organizations for daring to ask for equal pay.  It’s the perfect example of government bureaucrats picking winners and losers.

Links Mentioned

Congress fails again - Obamacare replacement and espionage oversight
Congress Fails Again | Obamacare Repeal and Security Oversight

Congress Fails Again | Obamacare Repeal and Security Oversight

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Show Summary: You’d think with its recent record, the notion of “Congress fails again” should be no surprise. And yet they failed on their biggest campaign promise from the last seven years: Repeal Obamacare and replace it. They are also failing on oversight of the intelligence community, since it turns out Trump was right: the Obama administration was spying on him. Fortunately, we had no faith in Congress to do what it said so for this week, we look at the merits of the Obamacare replacement plans, not whether it would pass. We also take a look at the attack in London and the espionage of President Trump.

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Air Dates: March 25 & 26, 2017 | Lisa Lettenmaier & Scott McEwen

When it comes to healthcare and Obamacare, a lot of people mix the two together. You’ll hear pundits talk about “fixing Obamacare” when what they really mean is we need to fix the healthcare industry. Obamacare is how we pay for healthcare. Mostly. Because it also impacts how healthcare is administered, which impacts the amount and quality of the medical care a patient receives.

This week, we are talking about healthcare financing—in other words, Obamacare—and how it impacts insurance. We talk with Lisa Lettenmaier who discusses how we pay for healthcare, the impact it has on the healthcare industry, and how it could potentially be repaired.

We start off by discussing how the new Ryan legislation attempts to repeal Obamacare, to  get us out from under the mandates and expenses Obamacare created.  Heavy-handed government interference has changed the way we receive and pay for our healthcare but how hard is it to untie all of the tangles Obamacare has added to our healthcare industry?  We discuss the good and the bad of what is being proposed and what we should expect in the near future. Lisa walks us through a lot of the different pieces of this confusing challenge to repeal Obamacare.

In our second half, we talk with bestselling author, Scott McEwen (American Sniper), about the recent London terrorist attack and security concerns arising out of the insane PC culture that is Britain.

We also talk about Sen. Nunes’s revelations of the Trump surveillance that sounds like government agencies did in fact electronically trap private conversations among the Trump team.

If true, US government agencies used the weight and power of the government to listen in on, and spy on, a political opponent of the then-President. And don’t miss Scott’s shocking insights into why Nunes may have publically come forward with the initial information.

Move over Nixon. Obama just made you look like a regular putz.

Links Mentioned

Lisa Lettenmaier (Segments 1–3)

Scott McEwen (Segments 4–6)