Co-operative Health

USA Health Care Legislation and Co-ops

Written by David Griffiths Thursday, 08 April 2010 22:21

The National Cooperative Business Association in the USA has issued a statement on the passage of Health Care Reform in the USA. The NCBA is concerned that the final bill contains provision for "Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan"?(CO-OP) - providing USA$6 billion to foster the creation of non=profit, member-run health insurance companies but that co-operatives are not the only entities that can qualify for funding. The program does not require that the entities be member-owned and controlled co-operatives recognised as such under relevant law. NCBA wants the program to change so that only member-owned co-operatives are formed.

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IHCO Health Seminar

Last Updated on Monday, 08 August 2011 12:52 Written by David Griffiths Thursday, 07 October 2010 03:21

The International Health Co-operative Organisation (IHCO) has recently reported on its seminar om "Co-operative Opportunities for Health Care" held in Washington, D.C., USA, on 21 July 2010.

The seminar was the first attempt on behalf of the international health co-operative movement to inspire American health co-operatives in view of the opportunities that the new USA Health Care Reform legislation offers.

"Things have started to move, and we are initiating a new international dialogue, "says IHCO President Dr. José Carlos Guisado, also CEO of Fundación Espriu.

Dr. Guisado stresses the fact that the Washington seminar has to be put into a realistic context.

“The progress of health cooperatives in the United States is an enormous process”, he says. “It would be extremely presumptuous to assume that a single seminar would solve any of the problems that lie ahead. But our hope was to initiate a new dialogue, to inspire American actors to move ahead and to stand by and see how the IHCO and its organizations can best assist in the process.”

Read the full IHC0 report on the IHC0 Seminar.

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Co-operatives and Health Care Reform in the USA

Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 July 2009 10:04 Written by David Griffiths Wednesday, 29 July 2009 09:47

As in Australia, the USA is debating healthcare reform and President Obama has made this a high priority. The Obama Plan includes a government-run insurance program and it is this that has divided USA lawmakers.

A bipartisan group of senators, Democrat and Republican, are working on an alteranative plan. The alternative plan involves a system of co-operatives - saying that this alternative offers more choice without increasing the role of government in healthcare.

Democrat Kent Conrad is proposing that insurance co-operatives are controlled by consumers rather than the government or profit driven companies. Under his proposal, the USA federal government would provide seed money to help set up co-operatives.

Source:,Levey, Noam N and Hook, Janet "The centrist alternative on healthcare::Cooperatives" in the Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2009.

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A Healthier Future Without Co-operation?

Written by David Griffiths Tuesday, 28 July 2009 03:18

The Australian Government has just released A Healthier Future For All Australians - Final Report of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission. It is an important report that neglects an important area - the co-operative option.? The Commission argues "our reform agenda urges action to: tackle the major access and equity issues that affect people now; redesign our health system to meet emerging challenges; and create an agile, responsive and self-improving health system for future generations."

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Largest Social Enterprise Sector in the World

Last Updated on Tuesday, 09 August 2011 12:27 Written by David Griffiths Wednesday, 01 September 2010 05:22

The Department of Health in the United Kingdom wants to hand over services to National Health Services staff. The Department has released a whiite paper which proposes that power will be devolved from Whitehall to patients and professionals - Equity and Excellence: - Liberating the NHS.

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