Nationalize part of children’s health care, hospital CEO urges

By William k. Alcorn

BOARDMAN — Start with the children.

That is the advice given to President Barack Obama as a starting place to fix health care in the U.S. by another president, William Considine, president and chief executive officer of Akron Children’s Hospital.

Considine, who describes himself as a “privatization kind of guy,” nonetheless advocates some type of combined private/nationalized health-care system for children.

“The financing of health care, as we all know, is broken. I’d like to see nationalized health care for children, birth through 21. It could serve as a pilot program and perhaps eventually be expanded to other age groups.

“I consider myself a champion for kids, and I really believe one of the things that government can do is advocate for our children and give them a good start in life by leveling the health-care field,” he said.

Many things have been tried, said Considine, who has been CEO at Akron Children’s for 30 years. Akron Children’s Beeghly Campus in Boardman has been open for a month.

“But, what we have done is not working relative to the financing of child health care in this country. I still think I’m in the minority on this issue in terms of my colleagues. But, I believe if something is not working you have to have the courage to try a new approach,” he said.

Even with programs in play, such as Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and private insurance, large numbers of children still lack adequate health care. The challenge is to figure out how to cover them. Maybe that’s where a national program can fit in, he said.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com