· 5 issues
The December 1971 issue of HealthPAC Bulletin critiques the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, which was established to manage the city's municipal hospitals. The article discusses the corporation's failure to improve patient care and its bureaucratic inefficiencies, highlighting the political control exerted by Mayor Lindsay and the inadequacies of the management structure. Notable figures include Joseph English, the Corporation President, and Gordon Chase, head of the Health Services Administration, both of whom are criticized for their roles in perpetuating a two-tiered healthcare system in New York City. The issue reflects broader concerns about the privatization of healthcare management and the implications for public accountability and service quality.
The May 1972 issue of HealthPAC Bulletin focuses on the evolving landscape of hospital construction financing, highlighting a shift from philanthropic support to loans and government grants. It discusses the significant role of the Hill-Burton program and the impact of hospital expansion on urban communities, particularly in New York City, where tenant groups are organizing against evictions caused by hospital development. The issue emphasizes the financial burdens of hospital construction on patients and taxpayers, as well as the need for community involvement in hospital planning to prevent displacement of low-income residents.
The April 1973 issue of HealthPAC Bulletin focuses on the critical state of public hospitals in the U.S., particularly in California, where many county hospitals are facing closure due to financial strains exacerbated by Medicaid cutbacks. The article highlights the shifting burden of healthcare costs back to local governments as federal support wanes, with private hospitals increasingly refusing to accept low-income patients. Notable discussions include the implications of the 1972 Airlie House Conference on Public Hospitals and the ongoing struggles in cities like Chicago and San Francisco to maintain public healthcare access amidst privatization pressures. The issue emphasizes the need for grassroots organizing to preserve public hospitals as essential healthcare providers for low-income communities.
The October 1973 issue of HealthPAC Bulletin focuses on the ongoing privatization of public hospitals, particularly highlighting the contrasting situations of Bellevue Hospital in New York City and Boston City Hospital. The articles critique how public hospitals are increasingly becoming adjuncts to private medical institutions, with Bellevue's transformation into a facility serving elite private interests while Boston City faces severe cutbacks and a potential takeover by Boston University. Activists are urged to build a long-term, organized base to effectively combat these trends, emphasizing the need for a strategy that prioritizes public health over private profit. The issue underscores the broader implications of these changes for community health and access to care.
The November 1973 issue of HealthPAC Bulletin focuses on the rise and implications of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), particularly the Kaiser Permanente model. It discusses the growing interest from big business in HMOs as a solution to rising medical costs, highlighting the mixed outcomes of such systems in terms of cost reduction and accessibility to care. The issue critiques the profit-driven nature of many HMOs, arguing that while they may reduce costs initially, they often lead to decreased availability of services and poorer patient experiences. The editorial emphasizes the need for community-controlled health plans as a potential alternative to profit-oriented models.