New Orleans' healthcare system was not working well before the storm.
It was part of the statewide two tier system. Those with insurance who could pay went to private hospitals, doctors and clinics and received typical American care levels. Those who could not pay went to Charity Hospital when they were sick. Preventive medicine was largely out reach for indigent patients. Medicare and Medicaid helped with the elderly and disabled poor.
Since the storm, it is still easy to
obtain quality health care services with insurance. However with Charity Hospital now closed, indigents are arriving in the private hospital emergency rooms for care. These hospitals are
struggling with a dramatically increased load of emergency and continuing indigent care. This is putting operational and financial stress on the health
care industry.
Governments are actively trying to redesign the health care system. Governor Blanco and Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt are leading the effort. The feds are dictating an insurance based approach and are withholding funding for health care projects including the VA Hospital pending an acceptable design. Fourteen months after the storm Blanco is floating a "medical home" and voucher program that would allow the poorest citizens to buy insurance much like they buy food stamps. The Louisiana Legislature nust approve and they are concerned about the cost and statewide impact.
Overall, American Medicine has come under fire for failing to provide
preventive services. The case of the uninsured is instructive. Without
insurance you can't get checkups, tests and medicines that would help
you avoid problems. However when you get seriously ill and go to
the emergency room the hospital is legally obligated to treat you.
Hospitals recover their indigent care costs by charging the insurance
companies higher rates.
Look into the national healthcare situation here.