Universal Healthcare Policy

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The Unicorn Party and Jasmine Sherman, presidential candidate, have come together to create a policy that aligns with our principles that we hold so dear. A healthcare system that does the most! It can to improve the health of all Americans, which will protect people from financial ruin, and conforms to our values as a society.

​​Nomenclature (the body or system of names in a particular field.)	​Now (the current status of the USA healthcare)	​​Reset (the future state of USA healthcare under Sherman)
​Cost	​​National Health Expense per resident: $10,202 (2020) Total national health expenditures exceeds $4 trillion (2020) https://www.cms.gov/files/document/highlights.pdf	​​These prices have/will continue to increase annually, unless we change the health industry Eliminating unnecessary expenses (admin, referrals, copays, and advertising of insurance providers) Eliminating superfluous government programs, entities, and redundant staff.
​​Equity	​​Currently minorities receive poorer quality and less intensive care which leads to 265 premature deaths every day Discrepancies in care received based on socio-economic status and race 43% of healthcare orgs have no plan and often fail to collect adequate data (7/28/22) CHOP’s receives $1M grant from Bank of America (7/21/22) University of Louisville (7/26) Initiatives	​​Equity development follow up survey after treatment services by an external party (such as a social worker) Diversify the leadership staffing Implement effective strategies from successful initiatives based on data collected - partnerships to share data Eliminate language barriers between staff and patients (through linguistic apps/devices)
​Access	​​80% of the country lacks access to adequate healthcare - “Healthcare deserts are more likely to affect those who face additional barriers to access, such as lower income, limited internet access, and lack of insurance. Together, these barriers can further widen disparities in health outcomes.”	​​We will be switching it to where hospitals are public property and doctors are public employees Everyone will have a universal public insurance system like expanding Medicare to everyone. It is time now for the government to get involved and help people achieve the most efficient and effective healthcare. We will ensure that there are medical treatment facilities within reasonable distance for every community Facility (mods/new construction) will be equipped for variety of procedures Our plan to combat the shortage of medical professionals is by boosting recruitment efforts via dual enrollment to all high school juniors & seniors, free education, loosening licensing requirements, and expanding training programs.
​Quality	​​The current healthcare does not meet the bar for American excellence because it is not equal everywhere Insurance coverage often excludes dental, vision, hearing and mental healthcare Comparatively	​​The same quality of care that your president and elected officials get you will get Dental, vision, hearing, and mental healthcare will be included
​America's Health	​​People are dying…would you want to be in a hospital in a low income area? Or in a county with no hospitals? Poor health is costly & (in some instances) responsible for lost wages from missed work Worsening health outcomes	​​We will be taking a proactive approach instead of a reactive approach to peoples healthcare which will hopefully reduce the cost of care and the need for aggressive treatments due to preventative care
​Problems & Solutions	​​All Americans have experienced a 30% increase in healthcare wait times Not enough therapists/psychiatrists/social workers Prescriptions not being covered Procedures being denied by insurance companies Shortage of nurses Not every doctor takes every insurance Price of insurance, copays, and deductibles Drs treating the symptoms instead of the cause, not wanting to do the tests for various reasons (the one size fits most solution instead of personalized care) The fear of Drs Lack of access Drs denying pain relief because of a personal belief that the patient is drug seeking Drs who don’t listen to their patients No options for choosing your healthcare professionals Dental *emergencies* are not treated in ERs and require a lengthy appointment/wait time to be properly treated.	​Adding more healthcare staff and beds No medical decisions will be made by an irrelevant third party - only between patient & provider Prioritize health & psychology education, establish initiatives to encourage applicants & address issues that result in dismissal Allow students the ability to practice, before graduation, to eliminate the transition period between student and experienced provider Simultaneously improve patient & provider experience Human connection-focused culture/care All prescriptions will be covered Procedures will no longer be about the cost but will be about what the Dr and patient believe is best. No doctor will be ‘out of network’ Eliminate insurance, copays, and deductibles Dental/other specialists will be available in/nearby ER/hospital
​Life Expectancy	​The average life expectancy in the US is 76 for males & 81 for females (79 overall) Correlation between household median income and life expectancy. States with lower minimum wage have lowered life expectancy Zip codes have also revealed a stark discrepancy in life expectancy	​​"Life expectancy in many places in this country (US) is declining. It's going backward instead of forward... Countries such as Australia are far ahead of the U.S. in delivering preventive care and trying to curb harmful behaviors. Smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, and high blood pressure are all preventable risk factors" 8 of 10 of the shortest lifespan states are also within the bottom 10 of average household income – 6 of the 10 longest-living states, scored within the top 10 average household income Increased access and improved care will improve life expectancy
​Infant mortality rate Birth/death ratio Demographic likelihoods	​​Over 20,000 infants died in the US in 2020. The five leading causes: (1) birth defects, (2) preterm birth and low birth weight, (3) SIDS (4) injuries (suffocation), & (5) pregnancy complications. In 2019, infant mortality rates by race and ethnicity were as follows: Non-Hispanic Black: 10.6 Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander: 8.2 Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native: 7.9 Hispanic: 5.0 Non-Hispanic white: 4.5 Non-Hispanic Asian: 3.4 Correlation between household income & IMR Pregnancy related deaths occur 20.1 per 100,000 live births with the comparable country average 5.3 deaths, Canada follows at 7.5 deaths	​​IMR have been on a steady decline since 1995, never decreasing more than 1,000 annually. Improvements will increase the reduction rate With our focus on equity and increase in standards will reduce the Black infant mortality/pregnancy rates
​Rate of Diseases Prolific diseases How to track/handle an outbreak How well are we doing in prevention of prolific diseases Benefits of the treatment greater than the cost of the treatment How well does healthcare work with our values? When a woman has a tummy tuck after having a baby that is gender reaffirming surgery. When a man takes viagra that is gender reaffirming care. Everyone should have access to care that makes them comfortable	​Delayed, disproportionate response Inconsistent responses from state/local governments - leaving gaps in community protection Inconsistent/inaccurate spread of information Insufficient stockpile of PPE US COVID Stats Exceptions to vaccine mandates allowing people to opt out - personal/religious beliefs US vaccination rates drop; Covid impacts global vaccination rate Chronic Illness (1) worsening costs, (2) cost effectiveness, (3) impacts mental health, (4) treatment alternatives, (5) Cancer treatment costs – indepth breakdown, Substance abuse cost/benefit Code of Ethics Ethical Issues Ethical Approaches to Health Policy Allocation of Meds & shortage of donor organs​	​​Establish/maintain consistent access (for all) to medical care - #1 priority! Address physician, nurse, etc. shortages - expand residency slots/grow clinical workforce, eliminate medical school education costs, & remove barriers to physician immigration for foreign-trained physicians to practice in the US Telehealth & remote patient monitoring - affordable & reliable. Reduce government & insurance industry regulatory burdens that detract from patient care & increase costs [ex: prior authorization] Unified front nationwide in disease prevention and management determined by evidence based understandings Dept. of Health - more authority to determine course of action rather than just “suggesting” Increase funding for all diseases that affect people - maintain consistent funding for public health preparedness planning No cost is more important than a life Cost transparency Science-based, identity affirming healthcare guaranteed Legislation will not interfere with healthcare providers ability to do their job nor a patient's ability to receive the care they need Benefits of treating chronic illness holistically Establish/maintain ‘end of life’ care Eliminating perverse production/ distribution incentives of meds

How will medicare work under Sherman's Plan:

​Part A	​​Check Shermans disability policy Inpatient Care Skilled nursing care Hospice care Respite Care Home health care	​​Pain Management will not be limited to the formulary created by insurance companies, instead will be determined by the medical professional and the patient.
​Part B	Lab Work And X-rays Preventative Care Doctor Visits Surgery Ambulances Transportation to and from Appointments and Pharmacy Visits Kidney Dialysis Cancer Treatment	​​Pain Management will not be limited to the formulary created by insurance companies, instead will be determined by the medical professional and the patient.
​Part C	​Vision Hearing Dental	​​No more reimbursement will be actual coverage Dental, vision, hearing, and other specialties will be available in one facility Pain Management will not be limited to the formulary created by insurance companies, instead will be determined by the medical professional and the patient.
​Part D	Outpatient Prescription Plan All medications, prescribed and over-the-counter will have a dye and flavoring free option	Holistic Medicine will now be included Doulas and Midwives included Pain Management will not be limited to the formulary created by insurance companies, instead will be determined by the medical professional and the patient.