PNHP-Patient Information Page

Thank you for joining us to learn more about our health care crisis. As a patient, you may have found us through the “Doctor’s Office Project.” Through this project, we have placed cards in doctors’ offices asking patients to go to this website. We hope to learn from you (our patients), how much you are willing to participate in political issues dealing with health care reform. We realize that there is a great deal of misinformation disseminated by the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries in order to protect their profits. We want to give you straightforward and truthful answers to many of the questions that you may have. This project should empower you to become active in changing the health care system in America.

Please tell us how you learned about us and if you would like email notices about upcoming events!

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To pique your interest, we have included two questions/answers for you to review:

1. Question: Is mandating individuals to buy private health insurance and subsidizing low income families who cannot afford private health insurance with tax money, the best way to achieve universal health care in America?

Answer: The major problem with tax subsidies and tax deductions to purchase private health insurance is that they perpetuate the most costly, inefficient and fragmented way of financing health care in the United States – that is, private health insurance. Private health insurance keeps on average 20% of all premiums for administrative bureaucracy and for profits for distribution to shareholders. In contrast, Medicare (the federal program for the Elderly) keeps only 3% of income for administrative costs.

2. Question: Are high deductible and/or high co-payment private health insurance policies an efficient way to control health care costs?

Answer: Deductibles and co-payments are tools used by the insurance industry to reduce patient demand for services. Many studies show that patients who have to pay cash (for deductibles and co-payments) use less health services. Other studies show that co-payments for drugs result in many patients stopping needed medications, which frequently results in hospitalization.

Please watch our new 2-minute, partially animated video which illustrates the problems and potential solutions to the crisis in access to health care. Click on: Where Is My Health Insurance Card?

For more information please read our comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). (After reviewing the Frequently Asked Questions, simply close that window and you will automatically return to this page.) Please return to our homepage to review the many other sections offering reports and news about upcoming events and activities.