House Proceeding 10-22-09 on Oct 22nd, 2009 :: 1:52:25 to 1:57:30
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1:52:23 to 1:52:45( Edit History Discussion )

Steven Kagen: mr. kagen of wisconsin. mr. kagen: thank you, mr. spea having the opportunity to review with the members of the house and also with other peo of the most important ailments of the country and that is there is an asthma epidemic all across the united states.

1:52:25 to 1:57:30( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Steven Kagen

1:52:46 to 1:53:08( Edit History Discussion )

Steven Kagen: the rate of asthma in terms of incidence, morbidity, mortity has been increasing each and every year. what we find here today is asthma in america has some numbers we all need to be aware of. 22 million people here in these united states suffer from symptoms of asthma. there are 4,000 deaths every year from people who have asthma

1:53:09 to 1:53:29( Edit History Discussion )

Steven Kagen: that's totally out of control, undermedicated, and undercared for. y patients will suffer from allergic reactions not just in the nose and sinuses which we call hay fever, but also in the lungs where we call it asthma. for asthma is nothing more than allergic reaction within the lungs.

1:53:30 to 1:53:50( Edit History Discussion )

Steven Kagen: $20 billion is what we spend every year treating and diagnosing this condition. we can and must do better. in terms of lost days of work, over 10 million days are lost because people are ill with their asthma symptoms. and 13 million school days are lost each and every year because

1:53:51 to 1:54:12( Edit History Discussion )

Steven Kagen: children are underdiagnosed and undertreated with this important condition. we can and we must do better. one way to do that is to guarantee the patients receive an accurat recently in the health care

1:54:13 to 1:54:34( Edit History Discussion )

Steven Kagen: debate here in the house, much attention has been paid to primary care or to the medical home model where every citizen in the country would have a primary care physician to go to to receive their medical care. not just for themselves, but for their members of their family as well. so how well are the primary care doctors doing when taking care

1:54:35 to 1:54:55( Edit History Discussion )

Steven Kagen: of these asthma patients? in a number of double blind cost over control studies we find at asthma specialists have been delivering higher quality and lower costs for the care of these asthmatic patients. there's been a documented 95% reduction in hospitalization when taking a patient once hospitalized with asthma and

1:54:56 to 1:55:17( Edit History Discussion )

Steven Kagen: then following the patient whether they are referred to primary care or asthma specialist. a 95% reduction in hospitalization. a 77% reduction in visits to an emergency room. and a 77% reduction in days missed from work. clearly the evidence reveals that specialty care for the diagnosis and treatment and

1:55:18 to 1:55:38( Edit History Discussion )

Steven Kagen: management of this chronic and often fatal disease is best handled by those who are specialists in the area. these acts have to be considered as we consider legislation that would compress people and not force people but guide them into primary care vs. specialty care. throughout the country

1:55:39 to 1:56:00( Edit History Discussion )

Steven Kagen: specialists and primary physicians have worked hand in hand and need to cooperate in caring with patients not just with asthma butther ailments. now we are on the subject of health care reform, there are three essential elements that must be in a piece of legislation to pass this house and senate and be signed by the president. they include not only no discrimination against any

1:56:01 to 1:56:22( Edit History Discussion )

Steven Kagen: citizen due to pre-existing conditions, but also transparency in the medical marketplace. where every entity, every individual or business entity that offers medical products or services for sale to the public should at all times openly disclose all of their prices. and guarantee that everyone has an opportunity to know the price of the bill before they swallow

1:56:23 to 1:56:43( Edit History Discussion )

Steven Kagen: guarantee that everybody knows the pry -- price of a chest x-ray or any other medical procedure before they have that procedure done. transparency, that's sun shine that's needed to help create a medical marketplace is critically important. no discrimination against any citizen and complete transparency will help to create that medical marketplace, but we also need to develop a standard

1:56:44 to 1:57:04( Edit History Discussion )

Steven Kagen: health benefit plan, one that will guarantee if you are sick and covered by that standards benefit plan, you'll be be i your house not the poorhouse. a standard plan that each and every insurance company must offered to every citizen within regional markets to guarantee that a marketplace creates that competition to drive down prices

1:57:05 to 1:57:26( Edit History Discussion )

Steven Kagen: immediately, not in 2013, but in early 2010. asthma is an important condition, it's a very common condition, best managed by specialists collaboratively with pry harry care physicians. as we go forward to reform our health care system, i hope that the house leadership will understand how important it is

1:57:27 to 1:57:30( Edit History Discussion )

Steven Kagen: to collaborate between primary care and specialty care and