Healthcare Policy/Reform

What the heck is an Accountable Care Organization?

This informative and fun animated video is presented by Boston’s NPR news station and was created to help clarify some of the recent complex healthcare changes that greatly affect people’s lives. In particular, this video discusses and defines ACOs. This video is available on Danya TV, The Danya Institute’s YouTube channel for videos that cover a range of topics on behavioral healthcare, and would be appropriate for all healthcare professionals who wish to better understand ACOs so they can explain them to their patients and clients. (00:05:16)

The HIPAA Privacy Rule

This informative video briefly explains the HIPAA privacy rule and provides examples that will be useful to healthcare professionals who present on privacy and confidentiality topics. This video is available on HBVideocast’s YouTube channel, which compiles various healthcare videos. (00:05:47)

President Obama Speaks at the National Conference on Mental Health (2013)

The National Conference on Mental Health held on June 3, 2013 featured this speech delivered by President Obama. In his speech, he addresses the impact of mental illness in U.S. society and the importance of destigmatization. Obama also speaks about mental health care within the Affordable Care Act, how new health insurance plans will cover assessments and treatment for depression, and how, beginning in 2014, it will be illegal to deny an individual health care because of a pre-existing mental health condition. He also speaks about changes in the Veterans Affairs department and treatment for PTSD. This video would be useful for any healthcare professional and could act as a conversation starter for changes in organizational structure and advocacy. To save time, one could begin the speech at about 00:01:05. (00:14:17)

Healthcare.gov

Healthcare.gov’s YouTube channel provides a number of excellent short videos on various topics related to healthcare reform and the Affordable Care Act.

The following videos are related to the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010:

Pre-Existing Conditions and the Affordable Care Act (00:01:26)

Lifetime Limits and the Affordable Care Act (00:01:29)

Moms and the Affordable Care Act (00:01:37)

The following videos are related to the Affordable Care Act of 2013:

HealthCare and You

This comprehensive video features a slide show presented in a discussion format. Select pieces from this highly informative video could be used to aid in a presentation or it could be used in its entirety with time for a Q and A session afterward. (00:11:10) LINK: http://youtu.be/n4hpyk2Cfo4

HealthCare.gov Hangout

This video provides specific information related to the Affordable Care Act of 2013, with particular focus on the new marketplace. The end of the video takes a discussion format with a live Q and A session with call-in questions. A good starting point for this video could be 00:04:30 and if needed, the time between 00:10:25 – 00:12:17, which features Jamie’s story, could be removed as it is featured alone below. (00:18:51)

I’m Looking Forward to Getting Covered: Malik’s Story (00:01:22)

I Can’t Get Health Care: Howard’s Story (00:01:25)

6. I Don’t Have Insurance: Lupita’s Story (00:01:23)

En Espanol Lupita: No Tengo Seguro (00:01:53)

The Marketplace for Individuals and Families (00:01:43)

En Espanol El Mercado de Seguros Medicos para Individuales y Familias (00:01:43)

Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare

This compelling 90-minute documentary was directed by Susan Frömke and Matthew Heineman. It tackles the complex subject of what is wrong with the healthcare system in America and how it can be fixed. While it is not the first documentary with such ambitions (attempted before most notably by Michael Moore with Sicko), it makes a worthwhile contribution to the discussion.

The initially confusing title “Escape Fire” is clarified by the story of a team of firefighters surrounded by a fire burning too quickly to outrun. One firefighter manages to save himself by actually starting a fire at his own feet, reasoning that if he burns the fuel around him before the main fire reaches him he will be surrounded by a safety zone. This “escape fire” allows him to survive unharmed while the rest of the crew perishes. The film posits that we are in a similar situation – unless we can start to think more innovatively about new solutions, we will be engulfed by the flaws in our current system of healthcare.

This documentary artfully presents statistics to illustrate this point, bringing them to life with human stories. Particularly affecting are profiles of soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who are successfully treated for multiple medication addictions with alternatives such as meditation. Experts like Dean Ornish explain how “75% of healthcare costs go to treating chronic diseases that are largely preventable” and discuss what can be done to change this alarming fact.

At 90 minutes the film it may prove challenging to completely absorbed in one viewing. However, its many compelling segments may help play a role in reimagining the future of healthcare in the US. An added bonus is that watching the film will qualify for two (2) Prescribed CME credits from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), which can translate via reciprocity into American Medical Association (AMA) Category 1 credits. For CNE credits, the film will qualify for one and half (1.5) CNE credits from Nurse.com.

Refugees and the Affordable Care Act

The Office of Refugee Resettlement produced a six-minute video to introduce the Health Insurance Marketplace to refugees, available in six languages.
Click on one of the links below to see the video in other languages.