Rep. Weiner (D-NY9) On The Bad Baucus Bill: Thanks, But No Thanks

Now, you MAY (as I did) need to watch that clip more than once as there is a LOT of info in there (both speakers are rapid-fire verbalists!).

And from Dr. Howard Dean, STERN and alarming words on the Baucus bill (hat tip to slinkerwink at dKos):

Howard Dean, former Democratic National Committee chairman, minced no words about Sen. Max Baucus's healthcare proposal, unveiled to the public this morning. "The Baucus bill is the worst piece of healthcare legislation I've seen in 30 years," Dean said last night at a healthcare town hall and book signing in Washington. "In fact, it's a $60 billion giveaway to the health insurance industry every year," he said. "It was written by healthcare lobbyists, so that's not a surprise. It's an outrage."

"I'm glad Senator Rockefeller is not going to vote for it. I wouldn't vote for it at all under any circumstances," Dean added. Instead, Dean said Senate Democrats should and would end up using the reconciliation process to pass a plan with the public option. "It can be done, and that's how it will be done," Dean said, pointing out that a majority of Senate Democrats still support a more robust bill.

OOOOwee!

One important thing Weiner mentioned as getting traction: Buy ins to Medicare by age-chunks over some time period.

Wyden and Weiner have bills that will be heard/voted on on the house floor soon.

Tomorrow I will be discussing these.

In the meantime... PLEASE continue to call your senators and reps. You can use the FREE 866 number: 866-338-1015. If you do not know your reps/senators, go here.

Here's what to tell your senators and reps (this is simple, really it is!):

1. Hello: my name is _____ and I am a constituent of yours from __(your city)__.
2. I am calling to tell you to support a health care reform bill that has all of the following:

• No triggers. And, BTW, we need to have a bill that kicks in prior to 2013.With 50 people/day going into medical bankruptcy, 1400/day losing their insurance because of job loss or personal income issues, we simply cannot wait. One American dies every 12 minutes because they cannot get health care help. That is immoral and wrong and it MUST change immediately.
• No co-ops. As Senator Rockefeller (D-WV) has noted after investigation, and as the CBO (PDF) has indicated, there are NO successful health care co-ops in the nation and their impact would be unsubstantial.. (go here for info on Rockefeller's co-op information.)
• MUST have a competitive medicare-like public option given there is a MANDATE to be insured. This will cause increased competition and keep costs down.
• NO "Pilot Programs". All these do is delay what we need.
  

PLEASE call.

It is only pressure that gets things done. Be that squeak that gets things done!

Permission given to copy this post with no attribution necessary. PLEASE put on your blogs, or link this post to your friends/family who are interested in health care reform. We ONLY get things done BY doing them.

As Thom Hartmann says, "Tag... you're it."

Kaiser Outlines Future of Health Ins. And It Ain't Pretty

For those who are confused about what the future means in terms of health care costs (as well as the past relative to income), you need to read the new information from Kaiser Family Foundation (if you don't know, Kaiser is the largest non-profit health care provider in California).

The first number was the average cost of a family health insurance policy in 2009: $13,375. To put that number in context, if you are an employer, you can hire an employee at the minimum wage for about $15,000 per year. If you are a consumer, you can rent an average two-bedroom apartment nationwide for $11,136 per year (though it is quite a bit more here in Menlo Park, California where our Foundation is based). You can also buy a new Chevy Aveo for $12,000, and it gets 35 miles per gallon on the highway.

Let's do some very simple arithmetic. Start with a fairly conservative assumption: If we assume that premium increases over the next ten years will average what they did over the last five (about 6.1% per year), the average premium for a family policy in 2019 will be $24,180. That's a big number. On the other hand, if we assume increases revert to the average of the last ten years—an average annual increase of about 8.7% and a very plausible scenario—premiums in 2019 will average a whopping $30,803, a very scary number (Figure 1).

Now I know some of you may not even blink at this information, but most of you will probably be aghast. When my health insurance costs would be double that of my mortgage, something is dreadfully wrong.

Here's another nifty video on United Health Group. Think their CEO will take a nice hefty pay cut just to help? Yeah... right.

Former Cigna Exec Wendell Potter Speaks Out

This is an excellent video on the issue of healthcare, and delves into some of Cigna's behaviors.

US Physicians Across All Specialties and Geography Support Public Option

Well, now. It would appear that those physicians claiming that doctors not only don't like Medicare but don't support a public option are incorrect.

A new study released today shows they do, in fact, support both:

Overall, a majority of physicians (62.9%) supported public and private options (see Panel A of graph). Only 27.3% supported offering private options only. Respondents — across all demographic subgroups, specialties, practice locations, and practice types — showed majority support (>57.4%) for the inclusion of a public option (see Table 1). Primary care providers were the most likely to support a public option (65.2%); among the other specialty groups, the “other” physicians — those in fields that generally have less regular direct contact with patients, such as radiology, anesthesiology, and nuclear medicine — were the least likely to support a public option, though 57.4% did so. Physicians in every census region showed majority support for a public option, with percentages in favor ranging from 58.9% in the South to 69.7% in the Northeast. Practice owners were less likely than nonowners to support a public option (59.7% vs. 67.1%, P<0.001),> it. Finally, there was also majority support for a public option among AMA members (62.2%). [emphasis mine]

I strongly suggest that you read then take the journal report with you to town hall meetings, and also send it to your representatives and senators.

This is very powerful stuff.

Hat tip: Helenann dKos

Health Care Reform and "Triggers": No, And Why

As many of you know, the issue of triggers--a mechanism for compelling the institution of a public plan for health care after we give insurance company giants one more chance to be good--are being talked about again.

This is a short and well done piece from Firedog Lake explaining what triggers are, and why they are bad, with extensive linking. As you may or may not be aware, Olympia Snowe (R-ME) has proposed the idea in the ongoing mess that is the US Senate Gang of Six (3 dems, 3 republicans) from the Finance Committee working on the remaining congressional bill.

This is important to know in light of Obama's upcoming Wednesday talk on health care. Knowing the basics will help you to discern what is going on and why.

The stakes are very, very high. If we cannot provide a good, medicare-like public option that is affordable (some suggest no more than 2.5% of income), we will not have this chance again for decades. The poor, the uninsured will remain so and out of range for health care.

For those with insurance, the costs are rising an average 4.4 times faster than pay. That is obviously unsustainable for everyone but the very rich.

We are facing the multi-headed hydra on health care and unless we knock down every additional compromise as they spit and hiss at us, we won't win. And we have to win.

CA Nurses Assn. and CA Gov. Jerry Brown Investigate

Well worth watching... this is outrageous.

This is An Excellent Two-Part Video on Health Care

Very worth watching:

A Really FUN Explanation of Public Healthcare

I think you'll enjoy this...



hat tip to tunesmith at dKos

On The Public Option...

Many of you may have opened up a local or national newspaper today to see that Obama is walking back on the public option. That does not appear to be the case. Let's take a look at what is happening and think this through, okay?

First of all, this situation totally exploded yesterday when HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that the president may not require a public option in health care reform. Believe me, that was like a declaration of war against most dems and most certainly against progressive and liberal dems.

For great coverage of what happened (including Sebelius commenting and commentary on her comment and other comments in contrast etc.) go here... it's a great piece and pretty well sums things up.

So let's look at today [what the newspaper DIDN'T print this morning and where things now seem to stand (this constantly changes)].

1. First of all, you have the infamous Dem Blue Dogs (you may be in one of their districts, so PLEASE check this list) many, but not all, of which are acting more like republicans than democrats. If YOU find your rep on that Blue Dog list, call them using the toll free number, 1-866-338-1015 and ASK them if they do or do not support the public option. Many of the Blue Dogs do NOT support the public option, but some do.

If they don't support the public option, straighten them out. Without a public option, there is NO way to control costs in the private industry (and for those of you WITH private insurance, this is a big, big issue).

2. Second, you have the progressive caucus. Look for your house member on this list. Then, using the toll free number above, call their offices and see what they think. IF they are NOT a signatory to the letter discussed here at FireDogLake, ask WHY. Let them know in no uncertain terms you want a public option to be included in health care reform.

Now, you saw, above some math done by Jane at FireDogLake on the numbers. THAT is the tale.

So, is the public option dead? NOPE! Not even in the ER. Not even at the doctor's office. But we need to get and keep support for it.

Here is a GREAT CNBC interview done this morning with (my hero) Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY9). Weiner is extremely bright, very articulate, and KNOWS this issue. Watch:



The bottom line is this, folks: YOU either fight for health care or everyone loses.

Losing means those of you WITH insurance will still have caps (lifetime and illness), your policies can and will continue to be rescinded, your premiums will continue to rise dramatically, your insurance will REMAIN forever tied to your job and you will have no back up if you lose your job and cannot afford escalating and temporary COBRA rates, you can be back-charged by the insurance companies for things they have already paid for if they decide they WANT you to and you made one teenie weenie error on your app (and geez, is there anyone that probably hasn't?) etc.

For those of you without insurance, or who cannot GET insurance, you will continue in limbo without health care just as you are now.

If we blow this chance it is blown for years. So if you are NOT actively working on this... please start now.

Obama Absolutely Hits the Mark in Colorado Today

These two excerpts from his speech/town hall meeting in Grand Junction today are absolutely powerful and help to explain a LOT about what is and is not intended.

These are just *must watch*.