Former Oregon Governor and Health Advocate Speaks at Alliance Reception

Former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, M.D. told attendees at an Alliance reception that it is time to put politics behind and focus on what it will take to meet the health care needs of the people of Marin County.

A former emergency physician and nationally known healthcare advocate, Kitzhaber enthusiastically endorsed Dr. Larry Bedard and Dr. Jamie Clever, the Alliance's candidates for the Marin Healthcare District. "They have the expertise and the commitment to guide the hospital through difficult times ahead," he said.

Dr. Kitzhaber told the crowd that Medicaid (known as Medi-Cal in California) exceeded the cost of primary and secondary education in many state budgets. "Even more disturbing is the fact that the cost of health care is rapidly becoming the major driver behind our national debt," he said with unfunded Medicare entitlements reaching $65 trillion.

Dr. Kitzhaber wants Oregon to put in place its own health program to serve the elderly and one of the priorities close to him is to support the decisions of elderly patients to die at home.

Medicare would have paid for lab work, hospitalization and an ambulance. But it doesn't pay $18 an hour for a caregiver. "When my 88-year-old mother died of congestive heart failure, she was in her own bed, with my father beside her and her family around her. It was sad, but it was also what she wanted."

The real question we need to ask if we want health care reform is "what are the real health and health care needs of an aging population and how do we best ensure that care is available and accessible?"