innovation,organizational, medical megatrends - Bottoms-up!

This is a toast to business owners, nonprofit groups, local hospital, health care entrepreneurs, health agents and others who are finding innovative ways to make health care affordable.

• To a janitors’ union in Houstonj who pays for care for its members by having them set aside a dollar a day for care.

• To the University of Texas medical branch hospital, in Galveston, Texas, who covers 430 employees of small businesses at $60 a month + co-pays.

• To non-profit groups in Duluth, Minnesota, Pueblo, Colorado, Muskegan, Michigan, who cover thousands of small business owners at reduced rates.

• To entrepreneurs who are creating worksite clinics for workers so they have convenient access to good care at a fraction of previous costs.

• To health agents across the land who are actively selling high deductible plans with HSAs at greatly reduced premiums and overall costs.

• To doctors across America who volunteer at “free clinics” to provide much needed care to those without resources.

• To cities like San Francisco who are making possible affordable universal care through subsidies from city and county government and a series of city and county wide clinies.

• To Wal-mart, Target, and other discount chains who are offering $4 generic prescriptions.

• To the companies and nurse practitioners who run more than a thousand clinics with predictable affordable prices and convenient hours for those with minor illnesses.

• To small businesses, who conduct 90% of America’s business, and to their employees, who make up 30% of the nation’s uninsured.

To all of them, and to all kindred souls, Bottoms-Up!