In the article Rob says:

Whether you are for or against the current health care legislation soon to go to a floor debate in Congress  nearly all can agree that the current health care system is broken and needs to be fixed. What to fix is where the debate lies. But what about the things that aren’t broken?

Amazingly enough, there is a vital component of our national health care system that not only provides top-notch services, but actually has an incredible 90-plus percent approval rate by those who are covered. This component is America’s vision insurance system. Vision insurance and eye care not only deliver vital health care services but actually lower the cost for treating the chronic diseases that are bankrupting America’s health care system. It is a shining example upon which Congress  should base the reforms they are now examining. So this begs the question: Why are they trying to change a part of the system that’s not broken?

Read the entire article.

During Rob’s segment, he discusses VSP Vision Care’s not-for-profit business model and the importance of not-for-profits in healthcare. Listen now.

Rob Lynch

VSP Global CEO Rob Lynch co-authored an opinion piece for healthnewsdigest.com discussing how stand-alone ancillary benefits, such as vision and dental, provide an essential component of healthcare that should be included in any comprehensive healthcare reform efforts.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

“The current proposal could have significant cost consequences for the medical delivery system. Dental and vision benefits play a critical role in improving the health of Americans and reducing the overall cost of chronic disease. With chronic disease representing 75 percent of the total U.S. spending on health care, few know that optometrists and dentists have the ability to detect symptoms of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, much earlier than primary care providers. Moreover, it is well established that Americans with dental and vision coverage are more likely to go to the dentist and optometrist or ophthalmologist for regular preventive care and obtain needed early treatment related to dental or optical conditions, as well as other chronic diseases which can be detected through these regular visits.”

Read the entire article—we’d love to hear what you think.

Al Schubert

Al Schubert, VSP’s Vice President of Managed Care and Health Policy, was on the air with Tom Sullivan last week, discussing vision care’s place in healthcare reform.

Listen to the interview, and let us know what you think.

See the clip on CNBC.com here.

Liz is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team.

Since June, the Los Angeles Times has published a continuing editorial series on Healthcare Reform.  In today’s opinion piece, “Patient Approach,” the article discusses how unintended consequences could be the result of incremental reform.  VSP is mentioned to make that point:

Excerpt:

In short, shifting to a more limited bill won’t grease the skids for healthcare reformers. Instead, advocates should redouble their efforts to build public support for a comprehensive measure. The loss of momentum could actually help their cause because the breakneck pace leading up to the August recess invited opponents to make an issue out of the process, rather than focusing on the problems in the current system and how to solve them. And it raised the likelihood that provisions of the bill would have unintended consequences because they simply hadn’t been given enough thought.

Here’s an example. To address the problems faced by uninsured or underinsured Americans, the House version of the bill would require medical insurance companies to offer an “essential benefits package,” including dental and vision care for children. Making sure that kids receive such care is a smart, cost-effective move. Most medical insurers, however, stopped providing dental and vision coverage years ago as their customers sought to cut premiums, and specialized insurance companies emerged to fill those niches. Today, more than 130 million people obtain coverage through family policies from specialized insurers, mainly Delta Dental Plans Assn. of Oak Brook, Ill., and VSP of Rancho Cordova, Calif. The House bill would pressure the insurance business to restructure in order to simplify the task of subsidizing children’s dental and vision benefits and, possibly, increase competition in that coverage. But there’s no evidence that such a change would yield better deals for consumers or improve efficiency in the system.

Read the entire editorial here.