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Inside Demonstration Project For People With Disabilities — p. 3
Volume 11, Number 8
Leah Welch Remembered — Page 2
SOURCES
August 10, 2000
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“The work of the individual still remains the spark that moves mankind forward.” —Igor Sikorsky
RESOURCES
August 10, 2000
CHANGING HEALTH CARE Consumer Empowerment Is Key by John Tschida
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Ted Kennedy, Jr. addresses ADA/IDEA Celebration.
ADA/IDEA Celebration by Linda Larson
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romoting disability rights not only improves the lives of the 54 million Americans with disabilities, it improves the lives of everyone. As President Franklin Roosevelt (FDR) recognized more than 60 years ago in words now inscribed on the FDR Memorial in our nation’s capital: “No country, however rich, can afford the waste of its human resources.” “Now, therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America ...do hereby proclaim July 2000 as Spirit of the ADA Month, 2000. I urge... all people to celebrate the contributions people with disabilities have made, and continue to make, to the progress and prosperity of our nation, and to renew our commitment to upholding the nondiscrimination principles of the ADA and IDEA.”
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Minnesota Governor Jesse
Ventura also proclaimed July 2000 to be ‘ADA and IDEA Month’ in the State of Minnesota. On July 26, 2000, hundreds of people gathered at the Anne Sullivan Center to Celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and celebrate we did! The feel, the sound, even the smell reminded me of the annual hometown celebrations that take place during the summer all across the country with young and old and everyone in-between. There was music, dance, sports, theater, hotdogs, popcorn, my personal favorite, mini-donuts, and booths and more booths. No celebration can be complete without big star attractions. Yes, we had those, too. Commissioner Dr. Christine Jax and Lieutenant Gov. Mae Schunk were there, and the keynote address was deliv-
ered by Ted Kennedy, Jr. Everyone who gathered on that day had their own personal reasons to celebrate. All of us have been touched by the changes and challenges that the ADA and IDEA has brought into our lives. This reporter decided to rove, and ask anyone who would stop, “Why are you here? What are you celebrating today?” Here are a few of the responses. “There is more physical accessibility. Employers are more aware of employees with disabilities.” Kari “ADA and IDEA are the two most important pieces of legislation in recent history. They protect our civil rights. I came here today to pause, reflect, and look to the future. I feel the disability community will soon have an international conscience. We need ADA/IDEA - cont. on p. 6
here is a sea of change underway in today’s health care system and people with disabilities could be winners as a result. Yesterday’s passive patients have become today’s internet-savvy consumers, plugged in, well-informed, and demanding more from their doctors. We’re forcing a reluctant industry to respond to meet the needs of consumers with disabilities.
to their health problems. Increasingly, these solutions are what have traditionally been labeled “alternative” therapies. Today, these services, such as massage, acupuncture, and meditation, are called “complementary.” Often not covered by commercial insurance plans, people are paying out of pocket for these services, and are doing so in record numbers.
Over 200 members of the health care community gathered July 13 in Washington D.C. to discuss the changing role of the consumer in today’s health care system. Co-sponsored by the Minnesota-based Medtronic Foundation and Healtheon/Web MD, an internet company connecting physicians and consumers, the day-long “Patient Summit” brought together consumers, providers, advocates and policymakers.
“These treatment options recognize the needs of the whole person, not just an illness or condition,” said Dr. David Eisenberg, associate professor at Harvard Medical School and the new director of its Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies. Why have these therapies become so popular? Because traditional medicine has failed to meet the needs of a more demanding consumer.
The message delivered was a powerful one: Consumers are tired of a health care environment that doesn’t meet their needs. “Americans love their doctors and they love technology,” said Dr. Regina Herzlinger, professor of business administration at the Harvard Business School, “but they hate the lack of support and the inconvenience” found in today’s health care environment. A recent survey shows that public satisfaction rates for both managed care and health insurance companies have plummeted over the last three years, dipping to levels just above tobacco companies which rank dead last. As a result, individuals are looking elsewhere for answers
Historically, the $1 trillion health industry has not responded well to the needs of its customers. While the retail industry has shifted to superstores and websites offering one-stop shopping for a time-strapped buying public, health care has not. You can pick up a copy of Consumer Reports to compare the quality of cars, televisions, or toasters, but if you’re shopping for a doctor or an HMO, no such tool exists. “How come you can buy just about any product over the phone at midnight, but you have to lose half a day of work just to see a doctor for a minor illness?” Herzlinger asks in her book Market Driven Health Care. “Are we doomed to have an unsystematic health care system that keeps us waiting, provides all
too little information and support…and pays outrageous fees to those who deny us the services we have paid for and need?” The answer, she says, is no, and technology is playing a key role. The Internet is giving Americans unprecedented access to health information. Last year 70 million adults searched the World Wide Web for health information. These “cyberchondriacs” are coming to doctors’ appointments armed with online versions of medical journal articles and chat room advice, adding to the wave of consumer empowerment. Technology may help, but it won’t solve what ails the current health system. “The Internet will enhance the physician-patient relationship, said Jeff Arnold, CoChief Executive Officer of Healtheon/WebMD, “it will not replace it.” Arnold sees the Internet as a tool to connect consumers with the right health care provider, provide comparisons among therapies and professionals, and allow direct communication between the consumer and the health care team. And with that concept of ‘team’ is where the disability community enters the picture. Individuals with disabilities often have complex medical needs that are unmet in the current fragmented world of health care. We need a coordinated team of providers that treat not just our symptoms but our minds and spirits as well. As Medtronic President Bill George said, “We don’t have health insurance cover-
Summit - cont. on p. 7
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