Top Adirondack health provider gives cautious praise for Obamacare decision

This statement was released Thursday by Adirondack Health CEO Chandler Ralph, whose hospitals, clinics and nursing homes provide healthcare to much of the Adirondack North Country:
“Today’s ruling from the Supreme Court affirms the extension of health insurance coverage to 32 million Americans, some of whom have been previously denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions.  Coverage for all is something Adirondack Health has long advocated for, and no one should be denied care for any reason.
“The decision also means we must continue to reduce costs and improve patient care though innovation and greater use of technology.  Adirondack Health is an early adopter in this area, and as our high quality measures and positive outcomes show, we are meeting these challenges with success. 
“Reform does come with a cost, but cuts to Medicaid and Medicare cannot be so deep that they undo the progress we have made to become a more efficient, higher quality health care system.
“Regardless of where the debate goes from here, Adirondack Health will continue to provide sophisticated, quality care to the residents and visitors of the Tri-Lakes region.   We must continue our work of strengthening the network of physicians and providers in the region, which remains a critical component of the health care delivery system.
“Adirondack Health will continue to partner with elected officials and leaders by advocating for those Americans who will still be without health insurance coverage.  The challenge going forward will be to achieve universal coverage so that no American is denied affordable, quality health care.”

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6 Comments on “Top Adirondack health provider gives cautious praise for Obamacare decision”

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  1. Pete Klein says:

    If the Republicans want to repeal the health care act, before they do this they should get rid of their tax payer paid for health insurance and pension plans.
    I am sick of people who don’t want other people to have what they have.

  2. Walker says:

    “The decision also means we must continue to reduce costs and improve patient care though innovation and greater use of technology.”

    Read The China Study. We don’t need greater use of technology– that’s exactly what’s driving medical costs through the roof. We need doctors to focus on their patient’s diet.

  3. mervel says:

    That sounds interesting walker.

    I keep hearing from the medical side that patient costs are so high because of advanced medical technology. Yet we rank I think right below Costa Rica as far as our medical outcomes go. I think it is possible that the technology we have is for breakthrough’s such as the next generation of gastric bypass surgery or the next drug to make us less anxious or depressed or helps us go to sleep.

    How much of US medicine is even about health?

  4. mervel says:

    Part of the problem may be us however. We demand those things and we have an overly optimistic view of technology itself, we want health provided to us from an outside provider, when much of our health is within our own grasp, not needing anything from the medical establishment. Of course that model is not good for business. Diabetes is a growth industry in the US.

  5. Walker says:

    Mervel, we demand them because the doctors and the drug makers and the hospitals are all telling us that this is the best way to treat what ails us. Meanwhile, in rural China, where people eat mostly fruits and vegetables, they have almost no heart disease and far less cancer than we do with our rich meat and dairy diets. And it’s not genetic– when Asians in the U.S. adopt a typical American diet, their rates of heart disease, obesity and cancer rise to typical American levels.

    The medical community isn’t interested in telling the populace that they could control their own disease through diet, for obvious reasons.

    I would strongly recommend that you get your hands on a copy.

  6. Pete Klein says:

    Just to aggravate some people. Maybe the current heat wave and storms in the Red States is just God punishing those Red State Tea Party people for not supporting Obama and his health care plan and not doing anything about Global Warming.

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