The Ethical Society offers suggestions that may be helpful when attempting to balance power. These suggestions, options, strategies will of course vary depending on the issues. Here are just a few of the many options that exist:
Assist individuals in providing representation. This representation may develop as a result of attorneys viewing complaints, concerns or experiences on this web site. In cases where attorneys determine that the same or similar experiences occur by different individuals, a class action may be filed.
In some cases the Ethical Society may fund or provide attorneys to assist individuals, practitioners or others in the balance of power.
Actively market health insurance plans or companies that have values and ethical positions that are consistent with the Ethical Society's; with positions that are negotiated in an environment of "balanced powers". (The Ethical Society thinks that the imbalance of power creates a leveraged environment. We think that leveraged environments foster an environment that leads to corruption.) The Ethical Society does not recommend any existing health plan at this time because of the imbalance of power that existed at the time the contracts were formed (not negotiated) with participating providers. It is our opinion that the terms of contracts were dictated to providers in the same manner that the mafia extorted money from store owners in New York in exchange for their right to continue practicing.
It is further the opinion of The Ethical Society that the courts legitimized this practice and legalized the concept.
This Ethical Society may contact a company, manage care organization, insurance company, bank, etc. and notify them of the ethical violation and request that they cease and desist from that practice.
The Ethical Society will maintain a web site that will post service requests, which were denied by managed care, resulting in poor patient care. Attorneys will be allowed to search for "actionable" malpractice.
Nurses will have a means to notify communities of documented violations that occur in hospitals, nursing homes, out-patient treatment facilities and other venues which may jeopardize patient care.
The Ethical Society will identify standards that we feel represent the "state of the art" and not minimal standards (which may be couched as "reasonable", profit based, cost effective) which are alleged to hold down the cost of health care.
The Ethical Society may provide links to individuals who believe they have received inadequate services to post their complaint.
The Ethical Society will seek limits on the salaries and bonus of all insurance executives as a means for holding down health care costs.
The Ethical Society recognizes that "fee setting" has been established (in order to contain health care cost). We will pursue applying those limits to all professionals who's salaries impact the cost of health care and not just doctors, nurses, therapist, etc. (We believe that the 22 million dollar bonus awarded to the CEO for 2006 is unethical and not consistent with the sacrifices made by health care employees.)
The Ethical Society request that all capital purchases be reviewed by a regulatory agency to hold down health care cost.