Andrea Wozniak- Health Care in South Carolina

October 2nd, 2007 : Our club got a chance to hear Andrea Wozniak, CEO of East Cooper Regional Medical Center, on her thoughts regarding health care in our state and in our country. She has been in the health care industry in some capacity, beginning her career as a nurse, for the last 40 years. She spoke frankly about her industry and the problems that she and other hospital CEO’s face.

First, there was no doubt, that she supports and wants reform in the health care industry. She strongly believes that we will all see that become a big issue during the 2008 campaign. The State of South Carolina currently has 721,000 people that do not have insurance, 160,000 of those are children. All hospitals are obligated to treat emergencies regardless of the patient’s insurance status. The costs associated with treating the un-insured do, to some extent, get shifted to folks that are insured, thus continuing to drive health care costs up for everyone. What is the answer? Government mandated health care is something a few of the leading candidates have suggested. But Wozniak was quick to point out that in the few states that offer such a thing, suddenly doctors and hospitals are no longer excepting new patients. So, you may have insurance, but you can’t get in to see a doctor.

One suggestion she made to all of us is to fully understand our health care coverage. All plans are very complicated these days, so much so, that even she had difficulty getting though her own mother’s plan. Ask questions, make sure you understand what your plans cover, and what your deductible is if something should happen. Many young people today who are getting plans with a high deductible to keep their monthly premiums down, are suddenly facing huge bills when something un-planned occurs.

The message is simple: Our health care is the most expensive care in the entire world and far from the best. More importantly, there are no easy answers or solutions. Educate yourself, fully understand your health insurance policy and pay attention to the 2008 campaign and what kind of reform the candidates are offering. And vote!

Submitted by Darby Hand, Keyway Committee