I attended your Lakewood town hall tonight, and appreciated your intelligent answers and support for a public option in health care reform.  Many questions were asked about how to pay for reform.  I want to share some ideas with you. 

* INCREASED ACCESS TO MIDWIVES AND OUT OF HOSPITAL BIRTH.  Medicaid pays for a lot of births, and requiring federal Medicaid to reimburse a Certified Professional Midwife in an out of hospital setting reduces costly intervention, including Cesarean section.  The WHO recommends an optimal 15% c-section rate and the US rate is now 31%.  These surgeries are costly, many are unnecessary, and could be prevented with midwifery care for healthy women.  Please watch this video:  www.reducinginfantmortality.com.

*  INCREASED ACCESS TO ALTERNATIVE/COMPLEMENTARY PREVENTIVE CARE.  I listened to a round-table on preventive care held by the administration, and many medically-trained providers lamented the fact that they did not get adequate training in disease prevention.  Naturopaths, massage-therapists, acupuncturists, midwives, etc. all provide low-tech preventive and wellness-promoting care.  This also solves the problem of lack of adequate providers while expanding patient choice.

* INCREASED ACCESS TO FAMILY PLANNING.  Preventing unintended pregnancy reduces costs to insurers.  If everyone had access to services provided by state family planning waiver programs (like the Take Charge program in Washington), people would be able to control their reproductive lives and save the state money.

* REPEAL THE BUSH TAX CUTS AND INCREASE TAXES FOR THE WEALTHIEST AMERICANS.  We all benefit from the great things the US has to offer, and the ones who benefit the most need to give back the most. 

Thank you so much for the work you do for us.  Keep it up.

Sincerely,

Alison Duren-Sutherland
Medical Insurance Biller
Homebirth Mom
Apprentice Midwife