Until that fateful November night, I never concerned myself with the politics of healthcare. I took my health for granted; I always exercised and ate a fairly balanced diet. My friends and I biked everywhere, and nothing ever happened. A few cuts and scrapes, but no major injuries.
Luckily, at the time of the accident I was still 21 years old and covered by my family's plan. But when I turned 22, I was dropped from my parents' healthcare coverage. Though I do have a required university healthcare package, it covers little more than my prescriptions and mental health needs. If I was ever in need of serious treatment, I am not sure what I could do. As a student I do not have the time to secure a job with benefits, and my parents do not have the means to support me beyond what they are already doing. I am mired in medical debt; my mailbox is full of second, third and last notices. I have no way of paying any of it off.
Would that change include support of the Representatives and Senators who, just 3 months ago, voted $700B in bail-outs to the banks without oversight as to the use of that money? The very same legislators who are now kicking, screaming and beating their chests because the banks (and the businesses that became banks just to get their hands on bail-out money) have used those funds, not to extend loans to qualified consumers, but to remodel offices, fly corporate jets and pay handsome executive bonuses because they were not subject to oversight by the boneheaded lawmakers who handed them our money?
Do you really believe that the politicians in Washington are looking out for the best interests of the taxpayers? Isn't this a pretty strong indicator that they are not, either out of indifference, stupidity or outright greed?
Do you really want these people to devise a health care system and mandate you to use it and pay for it?
If so, God bless you.
I don't. I wouldn't trust them with the Girl Scout cookie fund.
Yes, the legislators who hastily passed the bank bailout are pounding their chests and demanding accountability. The deregulation and lack of oversight that occurred during the past 8 years came home to roost. The writing was on the wall and several prominant economists warned of the dangers. Bush and his cronies have their fingerprints all over the mess. If I'm not mistaken, the first half of the funds were dispersed before the new administration was sworn in. Certainly the process was tainted and clearly people are outraged. It's going to be a bit like trying to put toothpaste back into the tube at this point. I am confident that the Obama administration will do as promised and investigate, put safeguards in place, and limit the damage. Haste makes waste in this case. So far Obama and his new cabinet and the newly elected members of Congress have had to hit the ground running. I have no reason not to trust them at this point, but we can't turn our backs either or sit idly by if we suspect something is wrong. Trust has to be earned. It's our government!
However, when it comes to a single payer health plan, we have had 30 years of market-based insurance company failures and fraud. I say ENOUGH! We do have a successful single-payer plan in this country: Medicare. From what I've read, we can and should be able to expand it and improve it so that it covers everyone. The fat cats have been systematically trying to privatize it and parcel the benefits off to industry. But it would be political suicide for anyone to propose doing away with it...which is evidence of its popularity. It is the most efficient system with only a 3% to 4% administrative cost, and a transparent billing and reimbursement system for covered services. (As opposed to the hundreds of insurers and thousands of plans...talk about a horrific and unjust bureaucracy!) We don't have to reinvent the wheel here because we can study and learn from the other industrialized countries that have a single payer system.
The task will be to hold the politician's feet to the fire on this one. Yes, we have new leadership, and we must prevent them from acting in haste and passing legislation that masquerades as real reform. You can say what you want about the government, but at least we will have a transparent system. There are good public service and career public employees who love this country and want to do the right thing. With good leadership and public scruitiny, we can win a plan that will meet our needs for health care. It's not a dream, it's legislation: HR 676.
The good news is that we can not only save money and cover everyone with a single payer plan; a universal health care system will create jobs and stimulate the economy. A new study just released from the Institute from Health and Socio-Economic Policy predicts that expanding Medicare to cover everyone would lead to 2.6 million new jobs, $317 billion in new business and public revenue, and $44 billion in new tax revenue. The Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care supports HR 676, a bill that calls for a "Medicare-for-All" system. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) has reintroduced HR 676 January 26th, 2009. The first 30 cosponsors signed on in the first hour after it was introduced -- there are 86 cosponsors in the House from the 110th Congress who have been sworn into the 111th session.
Please continue to write, call, and lobby your representatives. If your congress person is a cosponsor consider sending a thank you letter or holding an event to thank him. Lobby efforts are starting to be tracked through http://www.guaranteedhealthcare4all.org. Please check out the site and submit information about what is happening in your congressional district to support HR 676. We need your help to make this tool work. If you can be a district contact person, please let us know. We will post your name and email with your district to the site.
If your Congress person has not yet cosponsored HR 676, ask them why not? What will it take to get them to cosponsor? Then let's make it happen!
the margin of "victory" for the part d legislaton was driven by gop congressman:
the bill was introduced in the house of representatives early on june 25, 2003 as h.r. 1, sponsored by speakerdennis hastert. all that day and the next the bill was debated, and it was apparent that the bill would be very divisive. in the early morning of june 27, a floor vote was taken. after the initial electronic vote, the count stood at 214 yeas, 218 nays.
three republican representatives then changed their votes. one opponent of the bill, ernest j. istook, jr. (r-ok-5), changed his vote to "present" upon being told that c.w. bill young (r-fl-10), who was absent due to a death in the family, would have voted "aye" if he had been present. next, republicans butch otter (id-1) and jo ann emerson (mo-8) switched their vote to "aye" under pressure from the party leadership. the bill passed by one vote, 216-215.
however bush adminstration staffers did suppress the true cost of the bill.
in july 2004, it was revealed that thomas a. scully, medicare administrator, had ordered richard foster, a medicare actuary, to withhold information from congress on pain of termination. foster had projected that the bill would cost at least 139 billion dollars more than the white house was claiming.
So what this guy is saying is that it takes one full-time clerk per patient to take care of billing??? Still doesn't ring true to me.
Duke is so much more than just the 900 beds in the main building, it's sprawling with clinics, outpatient surgical centers, etc. practically a city in itself.
Yes, the legislators who hastily passed the bank bailout are pounding their chests and demanding accountability. The deregulation and lack of oversight that occurred during the past 8 years came home to roost.
Why did those lawmakers not demand accountability before handing out hundreds of billions of dollars of our hard-earned money? The current hue and cry over the misappropriation of the bailout money is a bit hypocritical, don't you think, given that it's coming from he same idiots that had the ability to place controls on how the money was spent?
Yes, poor financial practices of the past are coming home to roost. The answer to that is not to hand over more money to those who have already proven an inability to manage it responsibly.
The margin of "victory" for the Part D legislaton was driven by GOP congressman:
There's another chuckle! The responsibility for this legislation rests with every Representative and Senator who voted for it and with President Bush who signed it. It did not pass with only Republican votes. Plenty of Democrats supported it as well.
Why did those lawmakers not demand accountability before handing out hundreds of billions of dollars of our hard-earned money? The current hue and cry over the misappropriation of the bailout money is a bit hypocritical, don't you think, given that it's coming from he same idiots that had the ability to place controls on how the money was spent?
Yes, poor financial practices of the past are coming home to roost. The answer to that is not to hand over more money to those who have already proven an inability to manage it responsibly.
I couldn't agree more and the fact that the US Treasury Dept. was unprepared to monitor and track the bailout funds is now, in hindsight, the subject of an intense investigation by Obama's transition team. The fox was definitely guarding that hen house-Treasury Sec. Paulson was the fmr. head of Goldman Sachs, fgs, and his original proposal was for a no strings attached, "just trust me" --(highway robbery? or inside job?) ransom note: 'give us the money bags and no one will get hurt'. Sure, he believes in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for his buddies, but what about the rest of us?
The reeps put some window dressing on the original proposal due to the outcry from public interest watchdogs, but then their marketing of the "bailout solution" went into hyperdrive. YOU MUST ACT NOW TO PREVENT THE SKY FROM FALLING. Window dressing in a vain attempt to salvage bushco's legacy, but it has no traction, too little, too late: a very expensive mistake. I have hope that the majority of us won't let the taint stain the new administration.
While the Congress debated the terms and conditions for the Wall Street bailout, Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson included a $140 billion tax break for banks in the package without oversight. The legality of the move is now questioned as Senator Bernie Sanders, (I), Vermont and Representative Lloyd Doggett, (D), Texas propose overturning the loophole.
Instead of sweeping the damages under the rug, I believe the Obama team is proceeding with due diligence and trying to institute public interest safety controls to limit the damage. With the Justice Dept whistleblowers free to actually serve and protect the public interest, I bet we can look forward to prosecution of corporate criminals and no amnesty!
A more costly mistake continues to be made, not in terms of "things" but in terms of people...everyday that we fail to implement a single-payer universal health care plan. The pain, suffering, and preventable death that occurs because we don't provide access to health care as a social service in this country is appauling. HOW MUCH LONGER will we tolerate such inequality and shameful injustice. Illness impacts our ability to get an education and work and contribute to society.
Again, there is a solution: Economic stimulus and health care for all is not only possible, it's an imperative.
Medicare for All (Single Payer) Reform Would Be Major Stimulus for Economy with 2.6 Million New Jobs, $317 Billion in Business Revenue, $100 Billion in Wages. The number of jobs created by a single payer system, expanding and upgrading Medicare to cover everyone, parallels almost exactly the total job loss in 2008, according to the findings of a groundbreaking study.
I couldn't agree more and the fact that the US Treasury Dept. was unprepared to monitor and track the bailout funds is now, in hindsight, the subject of an intense investigation by Obama's transition team....
Instead of sweeping the damages under the rug, I believe the Obama team is proceeding with due diligence and trying to institute public interest safety controls to limit the damage.
And the actions of the Obama team to protect the financial interests of the citizen of the U.S. include the appointment of a Treasury Secretary (who will take over doling out the bailout money) who couldn't get his own tax return straight. But then, neither could Tom Daschle, nominee for Sec. of HHS. Are you seeing a pattern here? Do you wonder why I fail to trust these people? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
As he ducked into the Capitol late Monday evening, Thomas A. Daschle ran into one of his closest friends, Sen. Tom Harkin (D), the populist from Iowa who had just voted against Timothy F. Geithner's confirmation as Treasury secretary because he could not forgive his failure to pay taxes he owed.
This Story
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Daschle Delayed Revealing Tax Glitch
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Daschle Confirmation Hinges on Ties in Senate
Daschle and Harkin embraced and then huddled together for several minutes as Harkin asked about the health of the former Senate leader's ailing brother.
Now, as Daschle tries to win confirmation as health and human services secretary, he must tap such personal relationships, which he cultivated over 18 years representing South Dakota in the Senate, even as Harkin and his colleagues face the same question on Daschle that confronted them with Geithner: Should tax problems derail the nomination?...
David Axelrod, President Obama's senior adviser, led a conference call yesterday to coordinate the message of Democrats appearing on today's news talk shows -- a message that focused in part on defending Daschle. According to participants, the senators on the call agreed on a central theme: "Go fight for him."...
Daschle has become a major financial backer of Democratic campaigns. Last year he wrote more than $40,000 worth of personal checks to benefit Senate candidates. He and his wife, Linda Hall Daschle, donated over the past two years to at least 14 senators who will be tasked with voting on his confirmation....
As Daschle was being interviewed by the staff, 34 senators opposed Geithner's nomination, including Harkin and three other Democrats -- the largest number of votes against any of Obama's nominees thus far.
Like most of those voting no, Harkin issued a statement that said he could not look past Geithner's "serious errors of judgment in failing to pay his taxes."
So we're supposed to believe that these nominations are being made and supported on any rounds other than partisanship and payback? Puhleese!
And the actions of the Obama team to protect the financial interests of the citizen of the U.S. include the appointment of a Treasury Secretary (who will take over doling out the bailout money) who couldn't get his own tax return straight. But then, neither could Tom Daschle, nominee for Sec. of HHS. Are you seeing a pattern here? Do you wonder why I fail to trust these people? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
:twocents:Well, what I'm seeing is that they've owned up and paid up. I can respect that. The system does work if we're vigilant and empower rather than marginalize, silence, and fire whistleblowers. My eyes are wide open. We repudiated McSame and "Bushness as usual" policies at the ballot box. I think Obama's election will make it a lot harder for corporate cronyism to continue to fool us twice. I think we're witnessing the rebirth of politics that matter and public reinvestment in the political process.
Now on to winning passage of HR 676, expanding and improving MediCare to cover all of us AND using single-payer health care reform as an economic stimulus to generate jobs and drive our economy out of the slump. Yes, we can!
Luke Mitchell of Harper's Magazine Mentions H.R. 676 in February Issue
This month, Rep. Conyers' universal healthcare bill, H.R. 676, was mentioned in the Harper's Magazine. H.R. 676 is a bill that would cover all Americans with guaranteed, high quality healthcare. For almost a year now, Rep. Conyers has been meeting with doctors from many specialties, public health experts, labor advocates, consumer advocates, and universal healthcare organizers, to discuss methods of increasing support for single-payer in the upcoming discussion on healthcare reform.
These meetings are designed to let members of Congress know that single-payer organizers are unified behind H.R. 676and would like for the bill to be part of the upcoming discussion on healthcare reform. The meetings have been open to the public; all members of Congress and their staffs have been invited.
At one meeting, Luke Mitchell of Harper's Magazine was in attendance. In an article in this month's issue, Mitchell describes what he saw. Mitchell mentions the open nature of the meetings and the skillful presentation of the single-payer advocates. The meeting Mitchell attended focused on the elimination of racial and economic disparities in health outcomes that exist under the current system. Such an elimination reduces the financial burden on consumers that current system exacerbates.
The following can be attributed to Rep. Conyers:
"It is very pleasing to see that single-payer healthcare was mentioned favorably in such a widely circulated publication. For years, many people have worked extremely hard to show the merits of this type of system. Now that we know that the discussion on healthcare reform is taking place in the very near future, this article furthers the case for single-payer will be taken seriously as a comprehensive method for financing healthcare. Because of its inherent cost-containing mechanisms, it is time others seriously consider bringing single-payer into the discussion on reform."
:twocents:Well, what I'm seeing is that they've owned up and paid up. I can respect that.
They didn't own up and pay up because they had sudden attacks of conscience. They owned up and paid up because they were under public pressure and scrutiny to do so in order to get plum jobs.
I appreciate that you respect their actions.
I don't, because I don't believe there is any sincerity or remorse behind them. Hence, I don't trust these people in public positions.
I think Obama's election will make it a lot harder for corporate cronyism to continue to fool us twice.
It's not corporate cronyism that has fooled us twice. It is our elected officials who have failed to represent the interests of the American people and Obama seems to be furthering this travesty with his poor choices in appointments.
RN4MERCY
328 Posts
Yes, the legislators who hastily passed the bank bailout are pounding their chests and demanding accountability. The deregulation and lack of oversight that occurred during the past 8 years came home to roost. The writing was on the wall and several prominant economists warned of the dangers. Bush and his cronies have their fingerprints all over the mess. If I'm not mistaken, the first half of the funds were dispersed before the new administration was sworn in. Certainly the process was tainted and clearly people are outraged. It's going to be a bit like trying to put toothpaste back into the tube at this point. I am confident that the Obama administration will do as promised and investigate, put safeguards in place, and limit the damage. Haste makes waste in this case. So far Obama and his new cabinet and the newly elected members of Congress have had to hit the ground running. I have no reason not to trust them at this point, but we can't turn our backs either or sit idly by if we suspect something is wrong. Trust has to be earned. It's our government!
However, when it comes to a single payer health plan, we have had 30 years of market-based insurance company failures and fraud. I say ENOUGH! We do have a successful single-payer plan in this country: Medicare. From what I've read, we can and should be able to expand it and improve it so that it covers everyone. The fat cats have been systematically trying to privatize it and parcel the benefits off to industry. But it would be political suicide for anyone to propose doing away with it...which is evidence of its popularity. It is the most efficient system with only a 3% to 4% administrative cost, and a transparent billing and reimbursement system for covered services. (As opposed to the hundreds of insurers and thousands of plans...talk about a horrific and unjust bureaucracy!) We don't have to reinvent the wheel here because we can study and learn from the other industrialized countries that have a single payer system.
The task will be to hold the politician's feet to the fire on this one. Yes, we have new leadership, and we must prevent them from acting in haste and passing legislation that masquerades as real reform. You can say what you want about the government, but at least we will have a transparent system. There are good public service and career public employees who love this country and want to do the right thing. With good leadership and public scruitiny, we can win a plan that will meet our needs for health care. It's not a dream, it's legislation: HR 676.
The good news is that we can not only save money and cover everyone with a single payer plan; a universal health care system will create jobs and stimulate the economy. A new study just released from the Institute from Health and Socio-Economic Policy predicts that expanding Medicare to cover everyone would lead to 2.6 million new jobs, $317 billion in new business and public revenue, and $44 billion in new tax revenue. The Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care supports HR 676, a bill that calls for a "Medicare-for-All" system. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) has reintroduced HR 676 January 26th, 2009. The first 30 cosponsors signed on in the first hour after it was introduced -- there are 86 cosponsors in the House from the 110th Congress who have been sworn into the 111th session.
Please continue to write, call, and lobby your representatives. If your congress person is a cosponsor consider sending a thank you letter or holding an event to thank him. Lobby efforts are starting to be tracked through http://www.guaranteedhealthcare4all.org. Please check out the site and submit information about what is happening in your congressional district to support HR 676. We need your help to make this tool work. If you can be a district contact person, please let us know. We will post your name and email with your district to the site.
If your Congress person has not yet cosponsored HR 676, ask them why not? What will it take to get them to cosponsor? Then let's make it happen!