For those who have forgotten the Health Care Reform battle that went on for months some of the fruits of that labor come to bear today.  Starting today those who have been denied health care insurance or are considered uninsurable by the insurance industry can begin the process of obtaining insurance beginning today.  This administration and Congress’ high risk insurance pools are being made available to consumers starting today.  If you have been denied health insurance due to a pre-existing condition and have been uninsured for at least six months go to healthcare.govto determine whether you qualify for the high risk insurance currently being offered as a result of the health care reform bill.  This is the temporary measure designed to enable the “uninsurable” to obtain health insurance until health care reform takes full effect in 2014.   There is a limit to the amount of people who can obtain the insurance due to the limit on funds available so if you are interested then you should sign us as soon as possible so as to not miss the opportunity.

Also just in time for the new development some more good news.  The polls are improving as Americans understand the benefits of health care reform.

The Kaiser Family Foundation is the latest survey outlet to see positive movement on the health-care reform bill. In their May poll, 41 percent approved of the bill and 44 percent didn’t. Their June poll has flipped to 48 percent approval and 41 percent disapproval. That’s the fourth poll in a row to show improving numbers for the legislation: The AP and Gallup polls both flipped from plurality disapproval to plurality approval, and the NBC/WSJ poll registered a slight (2 percent, which is within the margin of error) improvement in the bill’s numbers, but remained at plurality disapproval.

Attorney barred in the District of Columbia and California currently looking for opportunities in the private and government sectors.  Specializes in ediscovery/litigation efficiency project management but can do straight litigation or litigation management.  Feel free to contact me with opportunities at progress@progresspolitics.com

As the first female Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi really delivered when it came to this historic achievement of comprehensive health care reform.  Speaker Pelosi not only delivered the votes once but twice in an environment that would send many people running towards safety and did.  This is one tough and effective lady and she deserves SOOOO much credit for getting health care reform passed.  It is hard to put in to words her significant contribution.  Her leadership behind the scenes convincing House members to vote for the Senate bill as is without changes and trust in her that the Senate will make the changes?  Truly effective leadership in action.   She was also instrumental in bringing health care reform back to life after most, following the Massachusetts loss, considered it dead.  Many do not understand what a huge feat that the Speaker was tasked with because she appears to do her job effortlessly and with tremendous grace.  But we can tell you that this…this was a feat of monumental proportions and Speaker Pelosi delivered.  By patiently working with her counterpart in the Senate and pushing for comprehensive health care reform when many were insisting on a scaled back Patients Bill of Rights version the Speaker stayed committed, focused, and undeterred.  She negotiated the fixes to the Senate bill with the White House and the Senate and delivered a House passed Senate bill to the President for signature. In addition to a House passed reconciliation fix to the Senate bill.  HUGE feat!

So thank you Speaker Pelosi for your phenomenal leadership and your unwavering dedication not just to get a bill passed but to get the best bill passed under the current circumstances and given the restraints and pittance that you had to work with.  As a fellow woman….you did us proud.

The White House has just released truth telling 2.0 to combat all the smears, untruths, and outright distortions being circulated about the Health Care Reform bill.

Dear Friend,

Anyone that’s watched the news in the past few days knows that health insurance reform is a hot topic — and that rumors and scare tactics have only increased as more people engage with the issue. Given a lot of the outrageous claims floating around, it’s time to make sure everyone knows the facts about the security and stability you get with health insurance reform.

That’s why we’ve launched a new online resource — WhiteHouse.gov/RealityCheck — to help you separate fact from fiction and share the truth about health insurance reform.

Check it out here.

Sen. Max Baucus has shown his true colors by successfully proposing a health care bill that eliminates the public option and rewards his insurance industry and GOP buddies.  So even though the American people roundly support a public option, President Obama wants a public option, and the majority of the Democrats in the Senate and the House want a public option, Baucus thumbs his nose at the will of the nation, the Executive, and the two chambers in his quest for bipartisan support and his desire to appease the insurance industry.  We voted last November for the Democratic agenda…IMPLEMENT IT!

The following is food for thought for Baucus and Conrad before they make their final decision.

Sen. Baucus, Sen. Conrad, and Sen. Nelson did you by chance read about the 2700 people who showed up as Wise County Fairgrounds in Wise, Virginia this week in hopes of receiving life saving medical treatment that they could not afford otherwise?  The scene is being compared to that of a Third World country.  American citizens slept in tents and beds of pick-up trucks for two days just to make sure that they received much needed treatment.  Baucus, Conrad, and Nelson how do you think these folks feel about achieving bipartisan support at the expense of strong and effective health care reform?  Is compromise more important than effectively tackling an issue that have plagued our nation and our people for generations?   People traveled from several states in hopes of obtaining medical treatment that they have been unable to receive due to lack of insurance, underinsurance, or unaffordable copays.  What is the problem Sen. Baucus?  See full story here.

Further, 72% of Americans want a public option.  Who exactly do you represent?

It turns out that Baucus wants bipartisan support so bad that he may be willing to repeal the SCHIP expansion and deny 11 million children health care.  Unbelievable!

But some liberal Democrats, like Senators John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, expressed reservations about concessions being made by Democrats to keep a few Republicans on board.

Mr. Rockefeller said he was unhappy that the legislation would end the Children’s Health Insurance Program and could reduce the scope of benefits for 11 million children in the program.

Asked if he would support the bill, Mr. Rockefeller shot back a somber, stony look. “Can’t you see the joy on my face?” he asked.

Sen. Baucus can be reached at (202) 224-2651 or baucus.senate.gov/contact/emailForm.cfm?subj=issue

Sen. Conrad can be reached at (202) 224-2043 or conrad.senate.gov/contact/webform.cfm 

Sen. Nelson can be reached at (202) 224-6551 or http://bennelson.senate.gov/email-issues.cfm

When Sen. Chuck Grassley (ranking GOP member in Senate Finance Committee) with all smiles beams that we are close to agreement it should be a red flag to Democrats and is likely a bad sign for proponents of TRUE health care reform.  Baucus and Grassley have been holding secret meetings behind closed doors to draft their plan.  Considering how Grassley receives a wealth of contributions from the insurance industry, as does Baucus, Democrats should be very concerned about their final product.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Committee released a report yesterday dispelling the GOP myth that a public option would drive private insurers out of business resulting in no choice for citizens regarding their health care.

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives pounced on a congressional budget analysis to bolster their plan for a government-run health insurance option on Monday, as party leaders said they were closer to agreement on healthcare reform.

The report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the public option proposed by Democrats would not drive private insurers out of business and most people would still choose to get their medical coverage through employers.

Next obstructionist argument please?

Republicans continue to make the following arguments against health care reform.  However, Paul Waldman of the American Prospect has demonstrated why they are also the dumbest.  This demonstrates in black and white why what the Blue Dog Democrats are worried about and what the GOP continues to regurgitate ad nauseum is lack of cojones by the blue dogs and obstruction and obfuscation by the GOP.  Take a look at the list below and find the argument that best resonates with you. 

Per Paul Waldman of American Prospect

What we really need is a “bipartisan” health-reform bill — and if Democrats act properly, they could get one. The myth that “bipartisan” legislation works better than partisan legislation is widespread, but virtually no real evidence supports it. For every successful program passed with support from both parties, you can find another one that failed. There are also plenty of popular programs that enjoyed the support of only one side. Republicans aren’t afraid to attack Medicare because some party members voted for it in 1965; they’re afraid to attack Medicare because it has been hugely successful at achieving its goal of providing quality, affordable health care to seniors. The future popularity of the current health-care reform will be a function of whether the program works, not how many Republicans voted for it.

More important, Republicans are not going to vote for this health-care reform, no matter what the final bill looks like. Chances are it will get zero Republican votes in the House and maybe two Republican votes in the Senate, tops. Anyone who thinks more optimistically has been partaking of too many free samples from pharmaceutical lobbyists.

Whatever we do, we shouldn’t ruin “the best health-care system in the world.”Progressives confronted with this common argument often respond with incredulity. “Are you kidding me?” they shout. Fifty million uninsured, the highest per-capita costs in the world, millions of people pushed into bankruptcy by medical bills, worse health outcomes than most of the industrialized world? Are you kidding me?

But this is not a practical argument — it’s a moral argument. Those who make it believe that our system is the best precisely because of its inequality. Systems like those of our European friends, in which everyone has access to high-quality care at a reasonable price, just don’t sit right with many conservative Republicans. If a captain of industry can’t buy better health care than the guy who cuts his lawn can, then the world just isn’t functioning as it should. Read the rest of this entry »

A very weak and watered down health care reform bill is in the process of  being approved by the Senate Finance Committee and the $1.4 million dollars used by the insurance industry to lobby the Senate and Congress is working.  Call Sens. Max Baucus, Ken Conrad and Bill Nelson  and let them know that a bill without a public option is not true health care reform and is unacceptable.

WASHINGTON – After weeks of secretive talks, a bipartisan group in the Senate edged closer Monday to a health care compromise that omits a requirement for businesses to offer coverage to their workers and lacks a government insurance option that President Barack Obama favors, according to numerous officials.

Like bills drafted by Democrats, the proposal under discussion by six members on the Senate Finance Committee would bar insurance companies from denying coverage to any applicant. Nor could insurers charge higher premiums on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions.

The Republican party has cited a few horror stories in Canada in its effort to frighten Americans away from insisting that a public option be included in the health care reform bill.  First, a purely government run only health care program is not on the table.  In other words, single-payer health care is not on the table.  Therefore, the continued disengenious claim being perpetuated by the right that Canadian and English health care systems demonstrate why we do not want a government  plan is a specious and straw man of an argument built up so as to be easily knocked down.  Second, this writer will take Canada’s isolated cases of being put on a wait list to our 18,000 American citizens who die EACH year because of lack of health insurance ANY DAY. 

Americans must realize what is at stake.  The Administration is not proposing a single payer health care system like those in Canada and Britain.   The health care reform plan being proposed allows for both private and public insurance.  Therefore, if you want private insurance then keep your private insurance.  The public option that would be made available is simply there so that you will not have to pay as much for your private insurance.  It is a public OPTION.   Unlike the proposed American plan, Canadians are prevented from buying private insurance or private health care inside Canada.  That is not being proposed here.  It will not be illegal for you to buy private health care or insurance like it is in Canada.  You simply are given a choice. 

However, a public option will provide competition for the insurance companies and perhaps companies like United Healthcare (parent company of the Lewin Group, authors of the study being cited by the GOP in opposition of the public option) will not continue to make $22 billion in profits (in a single quarter) off your back by raising premiums in an ailing economy.  For those who want to pay more for their private insurance I am sure that there are quite a few insurance companies and doctors in the US who would be more than willing to accept your money.   With a public option the 18,000 people who die each year because they lack health insurance can choose life. 

By the way, Canada is the fifth healthiest country in the world while the U.S. is only the eleventh.  Canadians also have one of the longest life expectancies in the world.  Check out America’s statistics:

In 2002, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimated that 18,000 Americans died in 2000 because they were uninsured. Since then, the number of uninsured has grown. Based on the IOM’s methodology and subsequent Census Bureau estimates of insurance coverage, 137,000 people died from 2000 through 2006 because they lacked health insurance, including 22,000 people in 2006.

A different source:

WASHINGTON — More than 18,000 adults in the USA die each year because they are uninsured and can’t get proper health care, researchers report in a landmark study released Tuesday.

The 193-page report, “Care Without Coverage: Too Little, Too Late,” examines the plight of 30 million — one in seven — working-age Americans whose employers don’t provide insurance and who don’t qualify for government medical care.

About 10 million children lack insurance; elderly Americans are covered by Medicare.

It is the second in a planned series of six reports by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) examining the impact of the nation’s fragmented health system. The IOM is a non-profit organization of experts that advises Congress on health issues.

Overall, the researchers say, 18,314 people die in the USA each year because they lack preventive services, a timely diagnosis or appropriate care.

The estimated death toll includes about 1,400 people with high blood pressure, 400 to 600 with breast cancer and 1,500 diagnosed with HIV.

“Our purpose is simply to deliver the facts, and the facts are unequivocal,” says Reed Tuckson, an author of the report and vice president for consumer health at UnitedHealth Group in Minnetonka, Minn.

Among the study’s findings is a comparison of the uninsured with the insured:

• Uninsured people with colon or breast cancer face a 50% higher risk of death.
• Uninsured trauma victims are less likely to be admitted to the hospital, receive the full range of needed services, and are 37% more likely to die of their injuries.
• About 25% of adult diabetics without insurance for a year or more went without a checkup for two years. That boosts their risk of death, blindness and amputations resulting from poor circulation.

So the false argument that a public option will result in rationing and waiting lists is ridiculous on its face because it is comparing apples and oranges.  So for the Republicans and blue dog conservative Democrats who are being overly influenced by the health care industry or your so called out-of-state dollar constituents (Sen. Max Baucus D-MT), 18,000 deaths is non-negotiable. 

Call YOUR Senator especially the Blue Dogs.

Wendell Potter was a very successful head of Public Relations for CIGNA, one of the nation’s largest insurers.  Potter testified before Congress last month as a whistleblower speaking out against the industry’s recission rates and lack of transparency.  Below is a riveting transcript of the dirty details of how the health care insurance industry fought and continues to fight against health care reform even though it claims to support it.  Potter said the following before Congress,  ”I didn’t intend to [speak out], until it became really clear to me that the industry is resorting to the same tactics they’ve used over the years, and particularly back in the early ’90s, when they were leading the effort to kill the Clinton plan.”

See FULL VIDEO HERE

Why he left Cigna in spite of being very successful there?

WENDELL POTTER:“……Robert Kennedy said that one of the president’s, one of his favorite quotes was a Dante quote that, ‘The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of moral crisis, maintain a neutrality.’ And when I read that, I said, ‘Oh, jeez, I– you know. I’m headed for that hottest place in hell, unless I say something.’ ”

“Sicko” Sabotage

BILL MOYERS: You were also involved in the campaign by the industry to discredit Michael Moore and his film “Sicko” in 2007. In that film Moore went to several countries around the world, and reported that Read the rest of this entry »

Progressive Democrat of California and Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor (one of the Committees with jurisdiction over health policy) Representative George Miller gave the following details of what the House version of the Affordable Health Choices Act entails in a press conference lead by the House Democratic Leadership yesterday.

CHAIRMAN MILLER:  Our bill addresses America’s economic and fiscal health and its medical well being of all our people. Let me be specific about what our bill means to the average American.

• Our bill will lower costs for health care.
• There will be no more co-pays or deductibles for preventive care;
• no more rate increases because of pre-existing conditions or because of your gender or where you happen to work.
• There will be an annual cap on your out-of-pocket expenses.
• Group rates will be available for individuals who have to purchase insurance for themselves.
• Guaranteed and affordable oral, hearing and vision care for our children.
• Protects consumers and reduces waste, fraud and abuse

 Our bill will provide choice of care.

• You can keep your doctor and your current plan if you like them. Your choices will be protected and enhanced.
• You will have access to a wide variety of choices for quality and affordable plans, including a high-quality public health insurance option to compete with the private insurers.

Our bill will increase the quality of care.

• You and your doctor will make health care decisions, not your insurance company.
• More family doctors and nurses will be able to enter the workforce, helping to guarantee your access to better treatment that meets your needs.
• Mental health care will be covered.

Our bill will offer stability and a peace of mind.

• Never again will you go without health insurance.
• You will have the peace of mind of knowing that you will never lose coverage.
• If you lose your job, you switch jobs, you start a business, you will keep your coverage.
• You will never be denied coverage because of those pre-existing conditions.
• And you won’t — and you won’t face any lifetime limits on how much instance companies will pay, meaning that never again will you be one treatment away from bankruptcy. 

The bill will ensure that 97 percent of Americans will be covered by a health care plan that is both affordable and offers quality, standard benefits by 2019.

We will in this year produce a bill that is fair and fully paid for, reduces cost, preserves choice, and expands access for all Americans. That was the charge that President Obama gave this Congress when he was sworn into office. It was the charge that the American people gave President Obama when they voted for him in the election. And this Congress is delivering on that promise for the first time in the history of this country.

See FULL House version of BILL here. Committee markups of the bill  should take place the remainder of this week and next.

Sen. Ted Kennedy and Sen. Chris Dodd to the rescue concerning the health care reform that includes a public option and covers the majority of Americans at a discount from the originally projected $1 trillion.  What are the basics of the plan?

• Covers 97% of all Americans
• Strong Public option
• Makes health insurance affordable for those currently uninsured
• Allows Americans to keep their current health care coverage if they want
• Only $611 billion over 10 years (much less than the originally predicted $1 trillion)
• Reduces health care costs overall    

See letter from Sen. Kennedy and Sen. Dodd below

July 1, 2009 

Dear HELP Committee Member: 

No issue is more important to our constituents – or to our economy – than health care reform.  As President Obama has said – and as even those who disagree about the particulars of reform understand – inaction is not an option.  The status quo isn’t just unacceptable, it’s unsustainable. 

As you know, last month we distributed initial legislative language for the HELP Committee markup of the “Affordable Health Choices Act.”  With bipartisan cooperation and a great deal of hard work, we have already made significant progress and completed our work on issues ranging from prevention to quality of care to the elimination of waste and fraud.  Meanwhile, we have continued to discuss and incorporate good ideas from a variety of perspectives and both political parties – already, we have accepted 87 Republican amendments, and in the coming days we hope to work out many more.

Today, we are circulating language for two remaining portions of the bill: a strong public insurance option to offer consumers a reliable and affordable alternative, and a provision for the shared responsibility of employers. 

The Congressional Budget Office has carefully reviewed our complete bill, and we are pleased to report that the CBO has scored it at $611.4 billion over 10 years, with the new coverage provisions scored at $597 billion – a significant reduction from earlier estimates.  The completed bill virtually eliminates the dropping of currently covered employees from employer-sponsored health plans.  In addition, our bill, combined with the work being done by our colleagues in the Finance Committee, will dramatically reduce the number of uninsured – fully 97 percent of Americans will have coverage, a major achievement.

A strong public option

Like the President and a strong majority of Americans, we believe that a strong public option is an important component of any health reform bill that keeps costs down, expands coverage, and offers American families a wide variety of affordable options.  Backed by the government for the public good, not private profit, our public option – called the Community Health Insurance Option – will be a strong, effective national plan that provides Americans with a real alternative to traditional, for-profit insurance. 

Here’s how it works:  

·        Our public option will be a national plan, available in each state and territory and administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which will negotiate rates and premiums. 

·        Like private insurance plans, it will be available through the Health Insurance Gateway.  Enrollees will be entitled to the same tax credits as those enrolled in the private plans available through the Gateway. 

·        And, of course, participation in the public option will be just that – an option for American consumers who will be able to decide what plan is best for their families.

For the 47 million Americans currently living without health insurance, a public option will represent an opportunity to access quality, affordable care.  For those who have insurance but still struggle to get the care they and their families need, the healthy competition provided by our proposal will offer a wider variety of options while keeping costs down.   

And for the many Americans who have good coverage, nothing will change.  They will still be able to keep their doctor, their hospital, and their insurance plan.  What our proposal offers these families is stability – no longer will Americans with good health care have to worry about losing everything if they lose or change their job, or if someone in their family becomes sick or injured. 

Even in the face of scare tactics and false claims that a public option would destroy consumer choice or the insurance industry, a vigorous public option is what Americans want.  According to two recent public polls, three out of four Americans support the establishment of a public option to compete with private insurance plans and offer families better choices when making health care decisions. 

Moreover, a strong public option isn’t just what Americans want – it’s what America needs.  All of us understand the importance of the work we’re doing.  The health of our economy and our families rely on it.  But if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.  The Senate must not, and the HELP Committee will not, shy away from this challenge.  We must not settle for legislation that merely gestures at reform.  We must deliver on the promise of true change. 

Enhanced employer responsibility

A core value of our bill is shared responsibility.  To solve the nation’s health care crisis, everyone must be part of the solution, including insurance companies, medical providers, the government, individual Americans – and employers.  Most employers offer quality health insurance to their workers and their families.  These employers, especially smaller ones, need support to continue meeting this responsibility, and our legislation will provide that support. 

Americans whose employer chooses not to provide adequate coverage will now have an opportunity to get the care they need through private insurance plans or the public option.  But those employers should still share in the responsibility for ensuring that everyone is covered.  So those employers (excluding small firms with fewer than 25 employees) that do not offer health insurance would be assessed a modest annual fee of $750 per full-time worker, or $375 per part-time workers, to help pay for their employees’ health insurance coverage.

We look forward to discussing this legislation as the HELP Committee continues its historic and long-overdue effort to implement comprehensive health care reform. 

Sincerely, 

Edward M. Kennedy          Christopher J. Dodd                                                                                 

Chairman                            U.S. Senator