Healthcare Today

 

Marching and protests are a great way to show solidarity and raise awareness about the priorities of the American people1, but it’s not enough. We need results, from a common sense plan that produces measurable results in a timely and sustainable manner.  

PHIERS believes that the problems facing our nation are interrelated and interdependent.  Therefore, we believe that a best-fit solution exists that can solve multiple problems at once – in a way that is 100% evidence-based while saving taxpayers billions.  In fact, our plan can fulfill many of the well-documented and shared goals of most Americans, while redirecting the flow of taxpayer dollars from those who cause and exploit financial hardship… back to the community organizations and safety net programs that a growing number of Americans rely on for their survival.

Unlike existing plans under consideration, we believe that our plan has a strategic advantage that will reduce drug costs and help the safety net survive future funding cuts.  It uses existing resources smarter to improve response time and outcomes while improving health statuses and economies.  This plan is apolitical, nonpartisan, and sustainable, and will help the Affordable Care Act live up to its name.

How?  Through the use of PHIERS. 

PHIERS (pronounced “fires”) is the Public Health Information Exchange and Referral Service.  It is a catalyst for positive change in 3 key areas controlled by the 99%!

  1. We will use the collective buying power of the 99% to negotiate for lower drug prices 
  2. Savings will be tracked and used to defray the costs of medications and primary care for high need populations
  3. This plan will lay the foundation for Single Payer, without the complexity or cost

Once we launch, this plan will give teeth to the demands made by those marching to promote healthcare as a human right.  Our plan will use the buying power of the people to negotiate for lower drug prices on behalf of our members, and pass the savings directly to consumers and Medicare/Medicaid, to increase their solvency.  Most importantly, it will force the “corporate elites” to either acknowledge and respect the People’s wish for fair pay, more affordable healthcare and an end to profiteering, or they will lose market share and profits.

It is in this way that we can disrupt the “flow” of money into politics while putting the power back into the hands of “We the People” – without requiring Congress or the President to do anything.  How?  By proving that the “Power of the people is stronger than the people in power”.

For these reasons, we want advocates of Single Payer and supporters of the Resistance to know that we’re right there with you on the front lines fighting too. Since we honor your social mission and believe that your members can benefit from PHIERS.org’s offerings … we would like to invite you to join a constructive project that will get the ball rolling.  It is ‘free to the public’ discount buying club called the PHIERSale.  

Here’s how it works:

There are at least 119 million prescription drug purchasers in the United States. By capturing even 10% of these consumers, the PHIERSale could generate enough revenue to help fund programs like Meals on Wheels, Plan Parenthood, SNAP and a few others (click here to view the video).  

Some of this revenue will be used to train, sponsor and place job seekers with local community-based and safety net organizations to address social determinants.  In this way, we will create meaningful jobs in the local community to strengthen the safety net and improve health. We will use clean public transportation (when available) to help participants get to their jobs, doctors appointments and therapy sessions on time.  This will improve patient options, adherence, and outcomes while reducing costs and the need for long commutes – which will reduce traffic congestion, carbon emissions and help combat climate change.  

Enrollees will enjoy significant savings, job seekers will be paid fair wages and have decent benefits, while organizations that participate in our public health interventions will receive performance-based grants for improving the health status of participating communities, starting July 4th, 2017.

Most importantly, Medicaid/Medicare would also benefit from this buying club through reduced prices charged to them by our members and healthier beneficiaries, which will reduce their operating cost and help them remain solvent for decades to come – even if Medicare is voucherized and Medicaid is gutted.  How?  By competing as a “privately-owned”, but public benefit corporation – that is 100% operated by and accountable to the members – who are also our owners.  

We are entirely self-financed to remain independent, have zero corporate ties, no profit motive and are committed to helping Healthcare be treated as the human right that it is, accessible to everyone.  

Finally, we can give your members the benefits of a union, but without dues, and can simultaneously give unions negotiating power over employers that value profits more than their people.   By reducing drug costs for private insurance companies by billions, they will have difficulty justifying increases in premiums, deductibles and co-pays.  This means that policyholders should see a reduction of their insurance costs.  The PHIERSale will provide access to lower cost medications and better coordinated primary care and supportive services – resulting in a huge reduction in rising healthcare and insurance costs.  Since the BIGGEST THREAT to organized groups is their inability to use collective bargaining to ensure fair treatment, we will use our collective buying power to force the corporate elites to acknowledge and respond to our demands.   

WE CAN HELP!

Click the image below to learn more about our Vision. 

To dig deeper, click HERE.

 

  1.  Associated Press, American’s Priorities for 2017, from http://apnorc.org/PDFs/American%20Priorities/APNORC_Americans%20Priorities%202017%20DTPv1.pdf