Imagine a new restaurant that's getting rave reviews...but few people have actually eaten there. That's kind of the scenario that currently exists for a revolutionary idea known as virtual healthcare.

What is virtual healthcare? It includes any type of healthcare services that are technology-enabled and are provided independently of location, such as video encounters with physicians, remote biometric tracking, and mobile apps for health management.

A recent Accenture (NYSE:ACN) survey found that 78% of respondents would be interested in receiving healthcare virtually. However, only 21% had actually received virtual healthcare of any kind. Why is this idea such a big deal -- but not yet big enough to engage more Americans?

Image source: Getty Images.

One major reason why some Americans haven't tried virtual healthcare is that they don't know what it is. The Accenture survey found that 27% of respondents had never heard of virtual healthcare. Another 36% had heard of virtual healthcare, but knew nothing about it.

Of those who were more familiar with virtual healthcare, just 5% said that they knew a lot about it. The other 32% responded that they only knew a little. It seems that the classic line from the movie Cool Hand Luke sums the issue up pretty well: "What we've got here is a failure to communicate."

More communication about the benefits of virtual healthcare is needed, especially from physicians and healthcare payers. Around 44% of consumers surveyed by Accenture said that they would be more likely to try virtual healthcare if encouraged to do so by a physician. Roughly 31% of respondents said that they would be motivated if their health plans encouraged them.

Accenture estimates that using virtual healthcare for annual patient visits could save more than $7 billion worth of primary care physician (PCP) time each year. This approach wouldn't eliminate in-office visits, but augment them.

The scenario envisioned by Accenture would have the patient wear sensors and use digital weighing scales prior to visiting the physician. Prior to the in-office visit, data from these devices would be sent to the electronic health record (EHR) system used by the physician. The patient would also use a secure portal to answer standard questions. A diagnostic artificial intelligence system would then suggest clinical options to the physician prior to the in-person exam.

There are other ways virtual healthcare could generate financial benefits. Accenture projects that using technology to enable patients to better manage chronic conditions could save $2 billion annually. Using electronic visits when in-person exams aren't necessary could provide another $300 million annually in savings.

Virtual healthcare could be huge for several types of healthcare companies.

Masimo (NASDAQ:MASI) stands out as one potential winner; the company is a leader in the development of non-invasive patient-monitoring technologies. Masimo's pulse-oximetry solutions currently generate most of the company's revenue. However, Masimo launched a new non-invasive total hemoglobin monitoring technology in 2016 that could significantly expand growth opportunities.

Physicians will need EHR systems that effectively support virtual healthcare. The top provider of cloud-based software solutions for healthcare professionals, athenahealth (NASDAQ:ATHN), should be in position to gain market share as a result. The company already has an technological ecosystem for virtual healthcare. It integrates with multiple telehealth applications, including Chiron Health's telemedicine platform and SnapMD's virtual care management systems.

Perhaps an even greater beneficiary from virtual healthcare, though, will be the payer community. As the largest health insurer in the U.S., UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) should especially profit as more Americans adopt virtual healthcare. UnitedHealth is already a pioneer among health insurers when it comes to virtual healthcare; the company provides a mobile app that allows patients to view a list of virtual care providers with which it has contracted. UnitedHealth Group's Optum segment operates NowClinic, which allows patients online access to secure, real-time interactions with a network of physicians.

Patients should benefit from virtual healthcare's convenience. Healthcare professionals should benefit from the technology's efficiency. And forward-thinking investors could profit as well, with stocks like Masimo, athenahealth, and UnitedHealth Group that are poised to be part of the virtual healthcare revolution.

Keith Speights has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Accenture, athenahealth, Masimo, and UnitedHealth Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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78% of Americans Support This Revolutionary Healthcare Technology, but Only 21% Have Tried It - Motley Fool

MSNBC

House Republicans moving forward with 'secret' health care plan MSNBC Seven years ago, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) used a phrase Republicans loved in reference to the Affordable Care Act: We have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy. For the right, it ... House Republicans Announce Only Republicans Are Allowed to See New Health-Care PlanNew York Magazine all 2 news articles »

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House Republicans moving forward with 'secret' health care plan - MSNBC

For 30 years, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation has fought social justice battles against governments that fail to serve the people but are only too happy to help big-moneyed interests.

The foundation began in the 1980s in Los Angeles with a few friends who set out to fight a fear-based statewide initiative to quarantine the earliest AIDS patients. We set up the first full-service medical hospice in L.A. for AIDS patients, and it eventually helped 1,200 people die with dignity. But first, we had to fight to get Los Angeles County to wake up.

As we grew into the largest HIV/AIDS medical care provider in the world, we battled change-resistant bureaucracies both locally and globally. In South Africa in the early 2000s, for example, then-U.S. Rep. Diane Watson and I dissuaded the government from disastrous notions that the disease could be treated by healthy living. AHF's historic clinic there has saved tens of thousands of lives.

We are now fighting Washington, to address an increase of HIV/AIDS in the Deep South.

Our employees have taken on racism, gender inequality, inequitable immigration policies, public health threats, dangerous stigmas and the dire demand for affordable housing. Indeed, after medical care, housing is our patients greatest need.

We believe L.A. is in the grip of a social justice crisis over whom our city really serves. As we work to house patients in L.A., City Hall focuses on approving $3,500 apartments that sit empty.

Why do billionaire developers profit by tens of millions thanks to backroom favors from City Hall while our homeless population spikes? Why did we lose 22,000 rent-stabilized apartments without any discussion? Why does City Hall designate "open space" land for luxury developments when L.A. is the most park-poor of Americas 65 largest cities? Why does City Hall promote gentrification in Boyle Heights, Frogtown, Westlake, MacArthur Park, South Central, West Adams, Palms, Venice and Van Nuys with no apparent concern for the elderly or working-class Latino and African American families who are displaced by it?

These and other reasons are why AHF is the primary supporterof the Yes on Measure S campaign. Our government and its corporate allies are defending a self-benefiting system. We understand the arm-twisting that goes on, the effort to amass groups against Measure S who rely on City Hall for funding, contracts, letters of recommendation and other favors. Other organizations see thisabominable track record and are standing with us.

We must put a stop to the unmitigated greed andcorruption that will forever change L.A. from a welcoming place to a city built only for the privileged.

Michael Weinstein is president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and a member of the Coalition to Preserve L.A.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter@latimesopinionorFacebook

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Why the AIDS Healthcare Foundation is behind Measure S - Los Angeles Times

Welcometo one of the smallest clubs in Washington: those of us still hoping for bipartisan deal making that produces broadly acceptable national policy. We urge you to add health reform to your portfolio because history teaches us major social policy change seldom succeeds without the backing of both parties.

The Affordable Care Act, passed strictly along party lines in 2010, is a case in point. For any replacement of the ACA to gain traction, and become the effective salve to health system woes that Americans deserve, a bipartisan effort must ensue.

Consider as well the advice that two respected former political leadersVice President Walter Mondale, a Democrat, and Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker, a Republican mentioned several times to members of the Mayo Clinic board of trustees.Without bipartisan support, they said, The outside party will use it as a political football.

The ACA was enacted when Democrats controlled the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. Mondale and Bakers warning played out shortly after the 2010 mid-term elections, when the Democrats suffered massive defeats in national and state elections and lost the majority in the House.

With both parties in play, the new health law got shuttled to the Supreme Court, which unsettled the health care system, weakened the law and ultimately put consumers at risk.

We urge Republicans to not make the same mistake the Democrats made when considering repairsto the ACA. Politics is mercurial. But one thing is certain: neither party will control three branches of government forever. And the citizens of our country need and deserve a better functioning, affordable health system that is sustainable for future generations.

There are many good examples of bipartisan action to draw from:

The Medicare vote during President Lyndon Johnsons presidency in 1965 was especially insightful. The Democrats controlled 68 Senate seats (60 votes are required to overcome a filibuster). But the vote to approve Medicare came from 57 Democrats and 13 Republicans. LBJ knew that getting the bill passed was only the first step. He used his political savvy and arm-twisting skills, not to muscle his own party, but to ensure that both parties would push out this major legislative vehicle to the American people and, in current parlance, own it.

President Reagan and Democratic House Leader Tip ONeill came up with an effective bipartisan way to reform Social Security in 1983. The popular program for seniors, survivors and the disabled faced a funding shortfall. To ensure solvency, the two leaders developed a compromise that would, only slightly, raise taxes and curtail benefits. The House vote on this reform is testament to its bipartisanship: Republicans voted 80 yea and 86 nay; Democrats voted 163 yea and 105 nay.

We need a bipartisan reform of the Affordable Care Act that can transform a political football into a major solution. A caucus of problem-solving lawmakers seems like the perfect place to start.

Health reform is a critical policy issue impacting the livesand pocketbooksof every American. The average citizen does not view health care from a political party perspective. We need to approach change to the U.S. health care system from the perspective of the average citizen. Uppermost in our minds should be to ensure that health care is affordable and patient-centered. We must eliminate waste from the system and provide better results and lower spending (value) across the board.

We were heartened by the words of Rep. Tom Price at his first Senate confirmation hearing to become Secretary of Health and Human Services: The last thing we want to do is go from a Democrat health system to a Republican health system. Our goal would be to go to an American health care system that recognizes the needs of all.

We can begin with the items we all agree upon: expanding health insurance to millions more Americans, including individuals with pre-existing conditions and young adults signing up via their parents policies. We also agree that the ACA fell short in important respectshigh costs, a confusing array of new regulations and an insufficient emphasis on quality.

Now is the time for leadership and compromise. It took leadership for LBJ to shoulder through a change as massive and costly as Medicare. It took compromise, and mutual respect, for Reagan and ONeill to solve a Social Security fiscal crisis.

Major social policy that benefits millions of people, for many generations, is something that can take years to get right. The Affordable Care Act has shown us a lotin six years. Now we need to take those lessons and move forward in a bipartisan way. Sure its hard. But thats why we have political leaders.

CeciConnolly is [resident and CEO of the Alliance of Community Health Plans and a former national health correspondent for the Washington Post.She is an author of the book Landmark: The Inside Story of Americas New Healthcare Law. Dr. Denis Cortese is director of the Healthcare Delivery and Policy Program, Arizona State University and Emeritus CEO of Mayo Clinic. Robert Smoldt is associate director of the Healthcare Delivery and Policy Program, Arizona State University and Emeritus CAO, Mayo Clinic.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.

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Healthcare reform is going to require bipartisan effort - The Hill (blog)

TFW you realize that HSAs wont solve the problem of outrageously high health care deductibles.

Andrew HarrerPool/Getty Images

Here is a thing that Donald Trump said about health care reform during a press conference Monday.

I have to tell you, it's an unbelievably complex subject, he told the reporters. Nobody knew that health care could be so complicated.

Nobody? Nobody! Of course, everybody knows that health care reform is complicated. This is something that almost every single politician in Washington understands. Republicans know it. Democrats especially know it, having tried to enact a byzantine private-public kludge known as Obamacare that, given the political constraints of 2010, may have been the only possible compromise with a hope of passing. You could can together a whole sizzle reel of Obama saying this stuff is hard, like this one, from Politico.

But this is how new information is refracted through the prism of our president's ego. Trump evidently did not know how complicated health care policy was. Therefore, nobody must have known.

But as easy as it is to crack jokes, I take this as a good thing for conservatives looking to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Trump's lack of engagement and guidance on this issue has been one of the chief complaints from Capitol Hill Republicans, who are struggling to unite behind a single plan. The fact that Trump now understands that health care policy is complicated means he is now paying attention, at least minimally, and may offer the GOP some semblance of direction. He even told a group of insurance executives Monday that a new plan was imminent. This time he may not even be imagining it.

Plus, during the press conference Trump said that Congress can't get to tax reform until health care is done. Given how badly Trump would like to cut taxes for Mar-a-Lago Club members, we can only assume he's finally motivated to get this repeal-and-replace thing squared away.

Update, Feb. 28., 2017: Or maybe Trump's health care proposal was imaginary after. CNN is out with a piece this week about the meetings taking place between Hill and Trump staffers about the GOP policy agenda, which contains this nugget:

Perhaps when Trump says he has a plan, we should assume he means Paul Ryan has a plan.

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Trump Says Nobody Knew Health Care Could Be So Complicated - Slate Magazine (blog)

New York Times

Health Care Is Front and Center in Democrats' Response to Trump Address New York Times But Democratic leaders are determined to make health care particularly Medicare and the Affordable Care Act the centerpiece of their attacks against Republicans leading into next year's midterm elections. And as Mr. Beshear alluded to, he has a ... Trump lays out ambitious plans for healthcare and immigration in a disciplined speech to CongressLos Angeles Times The Latest: Trump on immigration, education, health careAtlanta Journal Constitution Trump Address: President Lays Out Bold Agenda With Softer ToneNBCNews.com Minnesota Public Radio News -Yahoo News -Philly.com all 1,926 news articles »

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Health Care Is Front and Center in Democrats' Response to Trump Address - New York Times

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton.

Bill Gates hosted aQ&A session on Reddityesterday. A number of the questions related to technology, innovation, and other important economic issues. Here are some of the Microsoft co-founders most interesting replies:

What kind of technological advancement do you wish to see in your lifetime?

The big milestone is when computers can read and understand information like humans do. There is a lot of work going on in this field Google, Microsoft, Facebook, academia, Right now computers dont know how to represent knowledge so they cant read a text book and pass a test.

Another whole area is vaccines. We need a vaccine for HIV, Malaria and TB and I hope we have them in the next 10-15 years.

What are the limits of money when it comes to philanthropy?

Philanthropy is small as a part of the overall economy so it cant do things like fund health care or education for everyone. Government and the private sector are the big players so philanthropy has to be more innovative and fund pilot programs to help the other sectors. A good example is funding new medicines or charter schools where non-obvious approaches might provide the best solution.

One thing that is a challenge for our Foundation is that poor countries often have weak governance small budgets, and the people in the ministries dont have much training. This makes it harder to get things done.

If we had more money we could do more good things even though we are the biggest foundation we are still resource limited.

We discuss this in our annual letter this year: http://www.gatesletter.com

If you could create a new IP and business with Elon Musk, what would you make happen?

We need clean, reliable cheap energy which we dont have. It is too bad the sun doesnt shine all the time and the wind doesnt blow all the time. The Economist had a good piece on this this week. So we need some invention perhaps miracle batteries or super safe nuclear or making sun into gasoline directly.

(Hereis The Economist article he refers to.)

Why do you think our healthcare systems have such a hard time leveraging the revolutionary changes in scalability that weve seen in software?

It is super important to improve our healthcare system both to reduce chronic disease but if we dont do better health costs will squeeze out spending on all other government functions.

I agree it is surprising how tough it has been to get digital medical records right and to learn from looking at those records.

Still there are some very promising things going on. For example the idea of looking at a blood sample to find cancer very early so it can be treated. We will be able to use genomic data to tune treatments.

There are a few big problems like diabetes, obesity and neurological conditions including Alzheimers that we really need to solve.

Id like to ask, apart from a killswitch, which other precautionary measures we could take to ensure that AI behaves well and doesnt wipe us out?

One thing to make sure the people who create the first strong AI have the right values and ideally that it isnt just one group way out in front of others. I am glad to see this question being discussed. Google and others are taking it seriously.

What do you think about Universal Basic Income?

Over time countries will be rich enough to do this. However we still have a lot of work that should be done helping older people, helping kids with special needs, having more adults helping in education. Even the US isnt rich enough to allow people not to work. Some day we will be but until then things like the Earned Income Tax Credit will help increase the demand for labor.

Any thoughts on the current state of the U.S.?

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Bill Gates on AI, healthcare, and the universal basic income - American Enterprise Institute

By Alix Martichoux, San Francisco Chronicle

Photo: Screenshot Via CNN

Click through this slideshow to read more about President Trump's first 100 days in office.

Click through this slideshow to read more about

Click through this slideshow to see the executive orders and some other actions President Donald Trump took during his first 100 days in office.

Click through this slideshow to see the executive orders and some other actions President Donald Trump took during his first 100 days in office.

President Trump signed an executive order calling for the chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality to

President Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing the Commerce Secretary to "ensure" that all pipelines built or repaired in the United States aremade with American-made steel.

Pictured: In this Dec. 5, 2012 file photo, foreman Javier Garcia works with his crew as they lower a section of pipe into the ground with cradles, along the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline section two near Winona, Texas.

President Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing the Commerce Secretary to "ensure" that all pipelines built or repaired in the United States ... more

Pictured: In this Oct. 21, 2016 file photo, Susan Stacy moves a tube to sort recycled plastic bottle chips being processed at the Repreve Bottle Processing Center, part of the Unifi textile company in Yadkinville, N.C. less

President Trump signed an executive order that calls for the hiring of 10,000 more Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Also included in the order is a mandate for federal agencies to "step up" and deport undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of a crime, charged with a crime, committed a chargeable offense, misrepresented themselves to the government, abused a welfare program, are under deportation order and who may in the judgment of an immigration officer, otherwise pose a risk to public safety or national security." The order also calls for the U.S Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security to block federal grants to "sanctuary cities" that do not follow federal immigration laws.

Pictured: In this Aug. 17, 2015 file photo, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrest a man in San Antonio, Texas.

President Trump signed an executive order that calls for the hiring of 10,000 more Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. ... more

New sanctions on Iran - Feb. 3

New sanctions on Iran - Feb. 3

Bernie Sanders laughs at president saying that 'nobody knew healthcare could be so complicated'

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., burst into laughter during an interview when asked about President Donald Trump's recent claim that "nobody knew that health care could be so complicated."

Trump made the comment in a White House meeting with dozens of governors Monday. While discussing his promise to completely overhaul the Affordable Care Act, the president told the governors, "It's an unbelievably complex subject. Nobody knew that health care could be so complicated."

In an interview with CNN Monday night, Sen. Sanders did not hide the fact that he strongly disagrees.

When asked about the comment, Sanders started laughing before saying, "Some of us who were sitting on the health education committee who went to meeting, after meeting, after meeting, who heard from dozens of people, who stayed up night after night trying to figure out this thing yeah, we got a clue. When you provide healthcare in a nation of 320 million people, yeah it is very complicated."

Sanders went on to say he is "stunned every day" by Donald Trump's presidency.

Sen. Sanders told Anderson Cooper, "I mean this is the president of the United States. We have been debating healthcare in this country for 30 years. And he says, 'Gee, who knew how complicated it was?' He is maybe the only person in this country who doesn't know how complicated it is to provide healthcare for the American people."

Watch the interview in the video below:

Sen. Bernie Sanders has long been an advocate of universal healthcare and campaigned on expanding the Affordable Care Act during his run for president. Sanders told CNN he is willing to work with Republicans to improve the healthcare law, but will not help repeal it.

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Bernie Sanders laughs at president saying that 'nobody knew healthcare could be so complicated' - SFGate

Donald Trump Asks Congress to Unite Behind Health Care, Tax Overhauls Wall Street Journal (subscription) WASHINGTONPresident Donald Trump turned from the ominous language that characterized his major campaign speeches as he delivered Tuesday an impassioned plea for Congress to capitalize on a political uprising and unite behind major overhauls of ...

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Donald Trump Asks Congress to Unite Behind Health Care, Tax Overhauls - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

Nobody knew health care could be so complicated.

That was President Donald Trump speaking at the White House Monday, and if anything can encapsulate the dilemma facing Republicans as they haltingly try to keep their campaign promises to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Actaka Obamacare its that.

The idea that nobody knew health care is complicated is, of course, nonsense as literally anyone whos ever visited a doctor or used health insurance could tell you. But the realization seems to have come belatedly to Trump.

Perhaps Trump will use his address before a joint session of Congress Tuesday to lay out a detailed plan for how to remake the health care system. But the presidents own shifting and contradictory statements about health care reform suggest that he remains unclear about what to do and how much ownership to take of the consequences of repealing the Affordable Care Act.

At a recent meeting with Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), for example, Trump seemed to be swayed by appeals to keep much of the laws coverage expansion in place. The governor drew charts on pieces of paper on the presidents desk outlining the potential costs of repeal, an aide familiar with the exchange told The Huffington Post.

He responded very positively to a number of the ideas I had, Kasich, who used the Affordable Care Act to expand Medicaid, said on CBS News Face the Nation Sunday.

Trump went over the charts three separate times, and even got his newly installed Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price on the phone to discuss it further, according to the aide. Other aides had to remind the president that the congressional Republican plans are far less generous, after which Trump expressed preference for Kasichs approach, as The Washington Post reported.

At a separate meeting with a bipartisan group of governors, meanwhile, Trump largely punted on details for his health care plan when pressed by attendees, a source familiar with the session who was not authorized to speak publicly about it told HuffPost. But when Price said that there would be a replacement plan in place about four weeks after repeal was enacted, Trump did chime in, saying it needed to be done in two or three weeks.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority LeaderMitch McConnell(R-Ky.) seem to have a better sense of where they want to go with repeal perhaps because they, especially Ryan, have spent more time focusing on the issue.

But these congressional leaders havent been able to bridge the divides in their own skittish caucuses about the timing or scope of the repeal and replace effort. Meanwhile, there has been agroundswell of anger over the prospect of killing the increasingly popular law.

Ryan appears desperate enough to advance Affordable Care Act repeal that hes considering pushing legislation to the floor and essentially daring reluctant and unsatisfied members to vote against it, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The bet is that few Republicans would pass up a chance to damage the Affordable Care Act, lest their supporters see them breaking their promise to do so. This trial balloon didnt soar long: On Monday, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), who chairs the conservative House Freedom Caucus,said that he would vote against a forthcoming GOP leadership proposal if, like a version that leaked to Politicolast week, it still had elements of an entitlement program.

That underscores Republicans risky bid. Additionally, legislators would have to be on record calling for millions of people to lose health care with no guarantee that the Senate would follow suit, or that Congress as a whole would eventually come up with something better than the Affordable Care Act.

Aude Guerrucci/AFP/Getty Images

This disarray is new although, in hindsight, it was to be expected. In the years since Democrats in Congress and then-President Barack Obama began putting together the Affordable Care Act and working to implement it, Republicans have had the luxury of sitting in the backseat, criticizing the law and talking about how much better they could do.

Now theyre in the drivers seat, and they cant even agree on a destination, much less a route to get there.

Republicans are trying to square their promises to, as Trump put it, offer great health carethats much less expensive and much betterwhile still eliminating the taxes on wealthy people and health care companies.

Thats pretty much impossible, because those taxes pay for about half of what the Affordable Care Act does and theres no enthusiasm for alternative ways to raise the money.

Republicans also cant square their promises of great health care with the partys ideological commitment to smaller government, since without regulations, insurers will offer policies that cover fewer services and offer even less financial protection. And without generous government subsidies, poor people and many middle-class people wont have enough money to buy coverage.

That draft legislation that leaked to Politicomakes clear how leaders intend to resolve the inconsistencies in their rhetoric. They would weaken protections for people with pre-existing conditions and dramatically slash federal spending on health care for the poor and the middle class, while proposing a new tax on the job-based health benefit plans that cover the majority of Americans.

The result would be many more people without insurance and much greater exposure to medical bills for those who have coverage, according to an analysis of the plan that Axios and Vox obtained.

This approach isnt surprising. Ryans philosophical idol is the objectivist writer Ayn Rand, and he believes that high taxation of the wealthy is morally wrong and that the government should provide far less help to the indigent than it currently does. McConnell has a more flexible ideology, but hes never had much of an appetite for preserving big government programs when he can kill them instead.

The White House, though, is another story. Trump certainly isnt an orthodox conservative, and hes barely a Republican in the traditional sense.

On the one hand, Trump chose Price, an ideological conservative, to be secretary of health and human services. And at various points during his candidacy and the presidential transition, he embraced reforms consistent with Ryans.

On the other hand, Trump also keeps pledging insurance for everybody,a pledge utterly inconsistent with Ryans and Prices proposals, and with decades of GOP health care policies.

The simplest explanation for the inconsistency is ignorance Trump doesnt really understand the trade-offs of health policy, and cant be bothered to learn. His comment at the White House Monday supports that theory.

But its also possible that Trump has genuinely mixed feelings. The abstract notion of snatching away health coverage from millions of poor and working-class families may not trouble the presidents sleep, but some of those folks are his voters, and theyre growing increasingly worried that when Republicans promised to repeal Obamacare, it meant their Obamacare, too.

We also know that Trumps advisers are divided, as The Washington Post reported over the weekend.

Vice President Mike Pence and others are urging the president to forge ahead with repeal. But chief strategist Steve Bannon, senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner (whose brother runs a health insurance company) and National Economic Council Chairman Gary Cohn dont want the president mired in the health care mess, according to the report.

This is the dawning realization that repeal is politically riskier than GOP lawmakers allowed themselves to acknowledge during the past eight years.

The health care fight is also sucking up time and political capital, creating higher hurdles for Trump and the GOP to advance the rest of their agenda, including tax cuts for the rich and infrastructure spending.

The question is whether at some point Trump decides to steer this debate in one direction or the other. He may not. He may just remain hands-off, or continue to send conflicting signals. But at some point the fate of reform may hang on his actions whether its giving up, lobbying legislators or, ultimately, signing a bill. In other words, he cant duck the choice forever.

And so it will be interesting to see whether, on Tuesday night, Trump decides to start weighing in more forcefully. Like the man said: Its complicated.

Sam Stein contributed reporting.

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Yes, Mr. President, Health Care Is 'Complicated.' Now What Are You Going To Do About It? - Huffington Post

Slate Magazine (blog)

Trump Calls Health Care 'So Complicated,' But Vows to Replace Law Wall Street Journal (subscription) WASHINGTONPresident Donald Trump, heading into a critical stretch of Republicans' push to rewrite the Affordable Care Act, acknowledged Monday the effort would be complex and politically risky, but said he is determined to forge ahead because the ... Trump Says Nobody Knew Health Care Could Be So ComplicatedSlate Magazine (blog) Trump: 'Nobody knew that healthcare could be so complicated'The Hill Why it matters that there are no women in this photo of Trump's health care meeting.Upworthy AZCentral.com -ModernHealthcare.com -Globalnews.ca -Pew Research Center all 322 news articles »

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Trump Calls Health Care 'So Complicated,' But Vows to Replace Law - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

With the ObamaCare-repeal efforts by Congressional Republicans under way (even in the absence of a coherent alternative) and thetown-hall pushback from voters all over the country, it is easy to lose track of the ultimate goals of a healthcare system: universal coverage and good evidence-based care. Instead, lawmakers are preoccupied with legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act and modify other federal programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

We believe that Congress can achieve the fiscal goals they seek, while offering free basic universal healthcare and affordable private insurance. This can be done with a plan that would create a modern, efficient and science based American healthcare system that would please most of their constituents. It is time for Congress to consider a single system healthcare-reform plan named EMBRACE (Expanding Medical and Behavioral Resources with Access to Care for Everyone).

THE NATIONAL MEDICAL BOARD

The NMB, the main component of EMBRACEs infrastructure, will be an independent non-governmental body like the US Federal Reserve. It would be chaired by a physician appointed by the president and approved by the Senate, and comprised of physicians, nurses, experts in public health and healthcare administration. Under EMBRACE, all healthcare related federal agencies and programs related to healthcare delivery and payment, such as Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Health Administration, will either be eliminated or integrated into the NMB.

THE TIERED BENEFITS SYSTEM

The Tiered Benefits System is comprised of three levels: A basic tier (Tier 1) that covers all life-threatening conditions and all life extending or preventive services. A second tier (Tier 2) will cover conditions that affect quality of life, and Tier 3 would cover luxury services.

The benefit tiers are separated in this manner to determine coverage. Because Tier 1 conditions are the most serious in terms of both personal and public health, they are covered by a form of public insurance that is managed by the National Medical Board. This coverage is automatic and universal and does not depend on age, gender, employment status, preexisting conditions, or even military service; it covers the entire population from cradle to grave. Tier 2 is covered by private insurance or paid out of pocket and Tier 3 services would generally not be covered by insurance, which is typical of the current system.

THE HEALTHCARE INFORMATION PLATFORM

Although the three tiers provide separate coverage, they are all connected by a centralized platform called the Healthcare Information Platform: a secure web-based system available to every licensed healthcare provider.

Funding for all NMB activities will come from an annual congressional appropriation. This funding will cover all the nations anticipated healthcare related expenses, including payment for Tier 1 services and NMB commissioned studies.

The benefits of EMBRACE would be profound and far reaching. For consumers, it will provide free basic healthcare services from cradle to grave with automatic enrollment, no out-of-pocket expenses and identical access to every licensed clinician and every hospital. Consumers can upgrade their basic (Tier 1) coverage through private insurance offering easily comparable private plans which would be significantly less expensive than current private plans. It would allow for universal portability of all coverage from job to job and state to state and would have significantly lower out of pocket costs.

For government, EMBRACE would provide a patient/consumer-friendly system with universal coverage, hold in check or even reduce public healthcare expenditures, eliminate healthcare-related federal agencies, stop the impending bankruptcy of the Medicare Trust Fund, free businesses from the need to provide healthcare insurance, enable full participation of for-profit health insurance companies with some free-market features without compromising the patients health or adversely affecting the publicly funded system.

For Congress, EMBRACE offers a bipartisan method to accomplish truly universal health coverage while eliminating some of the politically incendiary programs such as Medicare and Medicaid- and the ACA.

Dr. Lancaster is a co-founder of Healthcare Professionals for Healthcare Reform, a former member of the American College of Cardiologys Board of Governors and author of EMBRACE: A Revolutionary New Healthcare System for the Twenty-First Century. Dr. Drozda is Director of Outcomes Research at Mercy Health, is a past chair of the American College of Cardiologys Clinical Quality Committee, and is an emeritus member of the ACCs National Cardiovascular Data Registry Management Board.

The views expressed by this author are their own and are not the views of The Hill.

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EMBRACE single system healthcare reform - The Hill (blog)

Ledyard King, USA TODAY Published 8:07 p.m. ET Feb. 27, 2017 | Updated 11 hours ago

Florida Gov. discusses "flexibility" when it comes to residents getting affordable care.

Gov. Rick Scott addresses the media.(Photo: Ledyard King/USA TODAY Network)

WASHINGTON - After years battling Obama administration directives on health care, the environment and other federal programs, Florida Gov. Rick Scott has been treated like a close pal by President Donald Trump the past few days.

Which he is.

They had lunch. They had dinner. They even took in the hit film La La Land together. Tuesday, hell be attending the presidents address to a joint session of Congress.

For a guy who grew up in public housing to be able to have lunch at the White House, watch a movie and go to dinner with the president at his hotel is pretty amazing, Scott, one of Trumps early campaign backers last year, told reporters Monday afternoon.

The governors trip to Washington has helped cement his buddy status with the leader of the free world. Whats less clear is how much the governor is helping to shape the presidents thinking on a replacement for the Affordable Care Act.

Repeating earlier assertions that the health care law is a mess, Scott, the former CEO of the nations largest hospital company, said the time he spent discussing health care policy with Trump centered on big-picture themes, such as more flexibility for states and consumers.

I talked to him about the free market, the governor told reporters. You need to let people compete, let people buy the insurance that they believe works for them. You might have different health issues than I have so you want to buy a different policy. You dont want the federal government tell you what policies you have to buy.

Scott was asked whether he had discussed with the president specific ideas he has proposed in Florida, such as changes to hospital reimbursement rates or increased transparency in medical costs.

We more talked about the overall system, and how you fix that, the governor said.

Scott is one of several governors who have been in town to share their views on what to do about the health care law, which Trump called a disaster on the campaign trail.

On Friday, Republican Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, who has largely defended the law as good for his state, met with the president to push back against the laws full dismantling.

He said Trump was very responsive to his concerns about the GOP push to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which has allowed 700,000 Ohioans to gain insurance since its enactment. Kasich has publicly called on Republicans in Congress to preserve the Medicaid expansion, which he says has helped improve health outcomes for low-income Ohioans.

He was very open to it and asked a number of questions, Kasich said.

Scott did not seem fazed by angry constituents who have packed congressional town halls across Florida and the nation in recent weeks to denounce Republican efforts to undo the health care law.

We all want people to get health care, Scott said. But Obamacare is a disaster. President Trump inherited an absolute mess.

Contributing Deirdre Shesgreen, USA TODAY

Contact Ledyard King at lking@gannett.com; Twitter: @ledgeking

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Scott pushes health care reform to pal Trump - Florida Today

Gov. Jay Inslee met with President Donald Trump for the first time Monday and says he came away more worried than ever about the new administrations plans for health care and immigration.

Seattle Times political reporter

Gov. Jay Inslee says he walked away from his first in-person encounter with President Donald Trump feeling even grimmer about the new administrations plans for health care and immigration.

Inslee and other governors met with the president Monday morning at the White House as part of a National Governors Association (NGA) gathering.

In a teleconference with reporters afterward, Inslee said he heard nothing that gave him assurance that Trump was making policy in a thoughtful, nonchaotic, rational basis based on facts and evidence rather than just tweets.

I feel more concerned about that now than when I landed Thursday night, Inslee said.

Inslee pronounced himself shocked by Trumps comment at the meeting that, Nobody knew health care could be so complicated.

The Democratic governor, whose national profile has been rising as an anti-Trump voice, called the presidents statement irresponsible given the GOPs sweeping plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

Republicans have argued their private-sector-focused replacement will maintain or even expand health insurance. I think youre going to see something very special, Trump said of his plan at a Republican Governors Association event on Sunday.

Inslee rejected that, saying Republicans simply want to slash spending on health care.

They try to paper that over to say weve got some, you know, Dr. Feelgoods Magic Elixir thats going to allow us to spend billions of dollars less money and nobody gets hurt its an hallucination.

Inslee said governors received no assurances about the future of so-called Dreamers brought here illegally as children but granted work permits under the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

It would be very simple for him to say, but he did not say it, Inslee said.

In a reversal from Obama-era policies, the Trump administration has signaled plans to deport millions of people living illegally in the country. A Department of Homeland Security directive would target undocumented immigrants who have been charged or convicted of any crime, including minor offenses.

Inslee said he did not get a chance himself to ask Trump a question during the meeting with governors, as the president mostly called on Republicans.

The trip to Washington, D.C., for the bipartisan NGA meetings was paid for by the state as part of his official duties, said Jaime Smith, a governors office spokeswoman.

On Monday, Inslee was traveling from Washington, D.C., to New York for a Democratic Governors Association event. Costs for those partisan events will paid for by Inslees campaign, Smith said.

Inslee was scheduled to return to Washington state Tuesday evening.

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Inslee now 'more concerned' after meeting with Trump on health care, immigration - The Seattle Times

"Perhaps health care will come up. Perhaps," Trump said at the annual Governors' Dinner.

The dinner was first lady Melania Trump's first time officially hosting a major social event at the White House, which Trump noted in his toast.

Governors from around the country gathered in the White House for the dinner, packing the room alongside administration figures and their families. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus could be seen seated alongside fellow Wisconsinite Gov. Scott Walker.

Trump entered the room with his wife after Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence.

He boasted of his accomplishments in the few weeks since taking office and said, "It's been a lot of fun."

Pointing to the meetings with governors slated for the next day, Trump said Obamacare has "tremendous problems" and needed to be repealed and replaced, which he said would be one topic among others at the "pretty big sessions" they would have.

"I think you're going to see something very special," Trump said.

He invited governors to hit the ground running ahead of the meetings and said they could speak with Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price at the event.

The President concluded his toast by inviting Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat and the chairman of the National Governors Association, to give a toast. He described McAuliffe as a friend and a very good guy, but also said, "I just destroyed his political career."

McAuliffe told the crowd he expected they would have the "greatest NGA meeting in the history of NGA meetings" and offered a toast to the President.

The President, who doesn't drink, toasted with water. Governors were spotted snapping photos on their cell phones as he gave remarks.

The first lady had made sure to note that Sunday evening's dinner in the State Dining room was a time to put politics aside.

"I am proud to invite all the governors to the White House for this important annual event," Melania Trump, who wore a dark sleeveless gown, said in a statement earlier Sunday. "Tonight, we come together as one Nation, leaving political labels and partisan interests behind."

The black-tie dinner is the first major social event of the Trump administration, planned by the East Wing under first lady Melania Trump and a cadre of aides and advisers, including acting senior adviser Stephanie Winston Wolkoff.

One of the first lady's longtime friends and confidants, Winston Wolkoff was previously the events director at Vogue magazine, orchestrating high-wattage events like the Met Gala.

The evening's theme, per the White House, was "Spring's Renewal," drawing upon nature and florals for inspiration. Tables covered in white tablecloths were adorned with white and green floral arrangements, tall white candlesticks, and White House china (it was not immediately clear which administration's table setting was used Sunday evening).

"The White House has come to life, gleaming with a dazzling, sensorial experience of eternal spring," the White House said in the statement.

"The scents of jasmine and roses fill the air as we give thanks for this great Nation and the glory of renewal," the first lady said.

Ivanka Trump, who spent the earlier part of her Sunday at a monster truck rally in Baltimore, made the quick change into a strapless black gown, posing for a photo with Jared Kushner outside their home in DC's Kalorama neighborhood.

"From the monster truck show to the Governor's Ball..." she tweeted before the evening began.

For his part, tuxedo-clad President Trump seemed to enjoy his surroundings.

"I want to just congratulate the first lady on having done a really beautiful job. The room, they say, has never looked better, but who knows?" he said.

CNN's Kate Bennett contributed to this report.

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Trump tells governors: Our health care plan will be 'very special' - CNN

WASHINGTON A meeting Friday between President Trump and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, his former rival in the Republican primaries, had no set agenda. But Kasich came armed with one anyway: his hope to blunt drastic changes to the nations health-care system envisioned by some conservatives in Washington.

Over the next 45 minutes, according to Kasich and others briefed on the session, the governor made his pitch while the president eagerly called in several top aides and then got Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price on the phone. At one point, senior adviser Jared Kushner reminded his father-in-law that House Republicans are sketching out a different approach to providing access to coverage. Well, I like this better, Trump replied, according to a Kasich adviser.

The freewheeling session, which concluded with the president instructing Price and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus to meet with Kasich the next day, underscores the unorthodox way the White House is proceeding as Republicans work to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and replace it with something else. The day after Kasich delivered his impromptu tutorial, Trump spent lunch discussing the same topic with two other Republican governors with a very different vision: Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Rick Scott of Florida.

Scott said Sunday that he used the lunch to press for principles he has pushed publicly, such as financial compensation for states that did not expand Medicaid under the ACA and the importance of providing competition and cutting required benefits to allow people to buy insurance that fits them.

While leaving most of the detail work to lawmakers, top White House aides are divided on how dramatic an overhaul effort the party should pursue. And the biggest wild card remains the president himself, who has devoted only a modest amount of time to the grinding task of mastering health care policy but has repeatedly suggested that his sweeping new plan is nearly complete.

This conundrum will be on full display Monday, when Trump meets at the White House with some of the nations largest health insurers. The session, which will include top executives from Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Cigna and Humana, is not expected to produce a major policy announcement. But it will provide an opportunity for one more important constituency to lobby the nations leader on an issue he has said is at the top of his agenda.

Democrats and their allies are already mobilizing supporters to hammer lawmakers about the possible impact of rolling back the ACA, holding more than 100 rallies across the country Saturday. And a new analysis for the National Governors Association that modeled the effect of imposing a cap on Medicaid spending a key component of House Republicans strategy provided Democrats with fresh ammunition because of its finding that the number of insured Americans could fall significantly. Trump, for his part, continues to express confidence about his administrations ostensible plan.

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Trump hears clashing viewpoints on health care overhaul - Press Herald

Congress returns to Washington this week to confront dramatic decisions on health care and the Supreme Court that may help determine the course of Donald Trump's presidency.

First, the president will have his say, in his maiden speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. Majority Republicans in the House and Senate will be closely watching the prime-time address for guidance, marching orders or any specifics Trump might embrace on health care or taxes, areas where some of his preferences remain a mystery.

Congressional Republicans insist they are working closely with the new administration as they prepare to start taking votes on health legislation, with the moment finally upon them to make good on seven years of promises to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. House Republicans hope to pass their legislation by early April and send it to the Senate, with action there also possible before Easter.

Republicans will be "keeping our promise to the American people," House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said as he sent lawmakers home for the Presidents Day recess armed with informational packets to defend planned GOP changes to the health law.

But land mines await.

The recess was dominated by raucous town halls where Republicans faced tough questions about their plans to replace the far-reaching law with a new system built around tax credits, health savings accounts and high risk pools. Important questions are unanswered, such as the overall cost and how many people will be covered. There's also uncertainty about how to resolve divisions among states over Medicaid money.

The lack of clarity created anxiety among voters who peppered lawmakers from coast to coast with questions about what would become of their own health coverage and that of their friends and family. It's forced Republicans to offer assurances that they don't intend to take away the law and leave nothing in its place, even though some House conservatives favor doing just that.

"What I have said is repeal and replace and more recently I have defined that as repairing the ACA moving forward," Rep. Leonard Lance, R-N.J., insisted to an overflow crowd in his politically divided district this past week. "I think we have a responsibility in Washington to try to make the system better."

It remains to be seen whether the release of detailed legislation in the coming days will calm, or heighten, voters' concerns. Details on the size of tax credits to help people buy insurance, and how many fewer people will be covered than the 20 million who gained coverage under Obama's law, could create bigger pushback and even more complications.

With lawmakers set to return to the Capitol on Monday, it will become clearer whether the earful many got back home will affect their plans. GOP leaders are determined to move forward, reckoning that when confronted with the reality of voting on the party's repeal and replace plan, Republicans will have no choice but to vote "yes."

Many Republicans say that how they will handle health legislation will set the stage for the next big battle, over taxes. And that fight, many believe, will be even trickier than health care. Already, it has opened major rifts between House and Senate Republicans.

Senators also will be weighing the nomination of federal appeals Judge Neil Gorsuch, Trump's pick for the Supreme Court. Hearings soon will get underway in the Senate Judiciary Committee; floor action is expected before Easter.

Despite Gorsuch's sterling credentials, Democrats are under pressure from their liberal supporters to oppose him, given voters' disdain for Trump and the GOP's refusal last year to allow even a hearing for Obama's nominee for the high court vacancy, federal appeals Judge Merrick Garland.

Yet some Democrats are already predicting that one way or another, Gorsuch will be confirmed. Even if he doesn't pick up the 60 votes he needs, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., could use a procedural gambit to eliminate Democrats' ability to filibuster Gorsuch, an outcome that Trump has endorsed.

Congress is awaiting a budget from the Trump administration, and the slow process of rounding out Trump's Cabinet will move forward as Republicans tee up more nominees over Democratic protests. The Senate has confirmed 14 Cabinet and Cabinet-level officials, fewer than other presidents at this point.

The most controversial nominees, including Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt have been confirmed. Next up: financier Wilbur Ross for commerce secretary, Rep. Ryan Zinke to lead the Interior Department, retired neurosurgeon and 2016 GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson to be housing secretary and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry at the energy department.

How Democrats vote will be telling, given the extreme pressures on them to oppose Trump at every turn. It's a dynamic to which those with potential presidential ambitions are particularly sensitive. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, among others, took heat for voting in favor of Carson in committee, while Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York as opposed nearly all the nominees.

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Congress returns, with health care, Supreme Court on agenda - ABC News

Navigating the complex world of healthcare feels nearly impossible for many Americans. Recently, the onus of understanding, managing, and paying for healthcare costs has been increasingly transferred to patients, forcing people to become healthcare consumers by default. Important financial decisions are being made with little to no knowledge of how the labyrinth of modern healthcare works.

The impact of these decisions is significant. Today, almost 10 percent of the typical Americans income is spent on out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. That number has nearly doubled from just 10 years ago, according toDeloitte. This trajectory shows no sign of slowing down.

Increased plan premiums, higher deductibles, constant increases in the cost of medication, and more expensive procedures all combine to make healthcare very expensive. It is more important than ever that we as consumers engage in the management of our healthcare financial responsibility for the present and future.

Understanding the challenges at hand, how can Americans take back control to successfully manage their healthcare expenses?

Be proactive and make a plan: Most people tend to view healthcare as a reactionary, transactional expense. That is, dealing with it as it comes up versus planning for it and proactively managing it. We should plan for our healthcare needs and subsequent costs, just as we save for our childrens college education or our retirement.

Understand the options: It seems obvious, but strategically selecting your health plan is one of the most important decisions you make when it comes to managing the cost of your healthcare. If your employer offers a traditional PPO and a high deductible HSA eligible plan, your unique needs will determine which plan makes more sense for you. Dont fall into the trap of selecting the lowest premium or simply going with what you had last year. This approach may cost you much more in the long term if you or your dependents require more than the annual wellness event.

Take advantage of HSA or FSA: Funds in these tax advantage accounts are excluded from taxable income, so it makes sense to take advantage of them. Use these accounts to pay for healthcare expenses with pre-tax dollars or better still, if your financial situation allows it, elect an HSA eligible high deductible plan and maximize your contributions for the tax benefit, but pay any out of pocket expense from other sources or funds. You will end up with a safety net of savings set aside if you do incur large, unexpected medical bills in the future.

Use an in-network provider: Always make sure that your healthcare provider is in a network. Unfortunately, this has become a much more complicated challenge in recent years. The breadth of your network can be much more difficult to define in modern plans, and narrow networks are becoming increasingly common. For example, it is not uncommon to find that your General Practitioner is in network, but its associated Radiology department falls outside of your coverage. The cost disparity between in-network and out-of-network providers can be quite substantial. Seeing an in-network provider can be the difference between paying your deductible and paying for everything OOP.

Price compare for your care: Realize that the cost of care may vary by provider, geographic location, and network coverage. Take advantage of the price transparency tools offered through your health plan. These tools let you shop for healthcare based on the price. You can compare the cost of a procedure at different providers while taking quality into account. This is especially useful for planned, higher-priced procedures that allow some time for research before you must proceed.

Review your medical bills and explanation of benefits (EOBs): These documents are notoriously complicated and many people find them difficult, if not impossible, to understand. Estimates on the percentage of medical bills that contain errors or overcharges range from 60 90%. Chances are pretty good that your bill may contain a savings opportunity, and it is your right to question and or challenge medical bills.

Utilize wellness benefits and financial incentives: Explore all wellness benefits, health risk assessments, and/or disease management programs that youre offered, particularly those that have financial incentives, such as premium reduction. At the end of the day, healthy people will pay less for healthcare. If you are able to improve your health and directly impact medical costs like your premium, it stands to reason that you should take advantage.

The inevitable transformation to a consumer-centric healthcare model means we must retrain ourselves to be informed health care consumers. We need to pay attention and participate in benefit decisions that have not had a direct impact on our daily life or household budgets in the past.

This requires all stakeholders in the healthcare industry, whether health plans, employer groups, government agencies, providers or patients, accept this change is underway and place a renewed focus on understanding the system and improving the consumer experience. Providing visibility, price transparency and guidance throughout is the first step to a more engaged healthcare consumer and an engaged consumer is essential to creating sustainable infrastructure in the industry.

Building a new model demands change to the current service delivery and pricing. The industry must nurture consumers to be actively engaged and highly autonomous when it comes to healthcare decision-making. Consumers need to understand what is at stake for physical and financial health, as it is clear that the time for passive participation in healthcare is a thing of the past.

Thomas Torre is it chief executive officer at Copatient. A technology enabled medical expense management company.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.

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Here's how we can act to ensure we all can afford healthcare in the future - The Hill (blog)

Belleville News-Democrat

Report warns of gaps if federal health care dollars are cut Belleville News-Democrat A sobering report to governors about the potential consequences of repealing the Obama-era health care law warns that federal spending cuts probably would create funding gaps for states and threaten many people with the loss of insurance coverage. Pre-existing conditions pose problems for health care replacementThe Denver Post Report: GOP healthcare plan would end coverage for millionsWashington Examiner Medical providers, ACA supporters rally for health care at McCain, Flake offices in PhoenixAZCentral.com Voice of America -Oneonta Daily Star -CNBC -Politico all 1,039 news articles »

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Report warns of gaps if federal health care dollars are cut - Belleville News-Democrat

Photo: Colleen Ingerto / Times Union

January/February 2017 edition of Women@Work magazine.

January/February 2017 edition of Women@Work magazine.

Women in health care: Meet Kitty Joy Thomas

Kitty Joy Thomas is patient care service director at Albany Medical Center, where she started in 1980 as a registered nurse. With the exception of some time spent as a nurse practitioner elsewhere, the bulk of her career has been at Albany Med; she returned to the hospital full time in 2004 as one of the nurse experts in obstetrics. After nursing school, she furthered her career with a master's degree to become a nurse practitioner, a post-graduate certificate in nursing leadership and a health care finance certificate. She credits a former boss, who mentored Thomas and named her as part of her succession plan, with helping her rise through the ranks.

Q: How did your mentor help you advance your career?

A: I met her probably 25 or 30 years ago. She had very definitely always encouraged all of us who worked with her to identify succession plans to be leaders vs. managers because there's a difference between managing and leading. That's what she did for not just myself but for a variety of us, and she challenged us. It wasn't an easy ride. It wasn't everybody gets a trophy. It was, 'You didn't do well with that, but what did you learn? What would you do differently next time?' Even to the point of practicing interviewing skills. ... In order to be credible, you have to know your stuff, and you have to communicate it, and she was really good at helping us learn those skills.

Women@Work

This story also appears in the January/February issue of Women@Work magazine.

For more inspiring stories about Capital Region working women and articles that offer career advice, sign up today for $25 at tuwomenatwork.com.

You'll get a year's subscription to the magazine and become part of a network of 1,700 Capital Region women who want to grow their careers and help other women grow, too.

Q: What are the challenges facing women who want to rise to the top jobs in health care?

A: Nurses as leaders have to become more well-rounded. So in order to become a COO or a CFO as a nurse, or even a CEO, you really have to add to your skill set. Nurses are really smart women and men. ... Women have to understand how to work in a male world. We communicate differently I think that's huge and we have to be able to understand how they think, especially if you're in a male-dominated organization.

Women who are nurses, in particular, may step outside of nursing for their education or get an MBA or master's in health care administration. They may interface with hospital organizations across the state or the nation to network with a variety of groups of people and regions.

Q: Has the climate for nurses changed?

A: Health care is moving more toward team approaches, which is something that I spent time studying, as well as communication. I'm seeing that change tremendously, and have newfound respect for what we do know. I know many, many physician colleagues who will very, very clearly say, 'The nurses are the ones who are doing the work here,' which is great, and again, that's one of the most powerful questions for someone to say, 'What's going on? What do you think?'

Q: What do you tell new nurses?

A: When I talk to nurse residents, in particular, because they're newbies coming out of school, is that sense of no one can know everything anymore. We all need each other to call on as resources, so I might not be the best mathematician or I might not be the best person to plan this piece. Somebody else has that expertise, so you need to identify and use your resources.

The other thing that's exciting about being a nurse in particular is that there's so many different things that you can do. I didn't envision myself in this chair when I got out of nursing school. I was a clinician at the bedside. I was a nursing manager. I was a nurse practitioner. ... Then I became a nurse leader, whether that's a director or manager, and now I'm also looking at other professional development in the education field. There's lots of different things you can do, let alone the specialties, whether you're a surgical nurse or a pediatric nurse or a critical care nurse.

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Women in health care: Meet Kitty Joy Thomas - Albany Times Union