Healthcare Bill Moving forward. Category: healthcare
The Updated Healthcare Bill is about to be voted on in the House, they're voting tomorrow, Saturday.
I support the Healthcare Bill in the House. I wish it did more, but it's a good start. and it will help millions of people.
Here's a sweet breakdown from FCNL, the Quaker Lobby
AARP and the AMA have both endorsed it
that's a good sign. AMA is the American Medical Association, made up of doctors and hospitals and such. the AARP, most of us know, that's for retired people. So I guess we can assume, based on their endorsement that the bill will not 'pull the plug on grandma'.
I'd definitely prefer it over the Republican proposal that was finally released this week.
A key difference between the two bills is that the Democrats forbid companies from denying you based on preexisting conditions. Actually here's an in depth and specific look at what the CBO said about the Republican bill, from the NY Times
well, there's the best analysis I've found so far to compare the Healthcare Bill from the Republicans and Democrats, if you find any better links, hook me up.
Democrats Plan
Republicans Plan
and I'm not going to discuss Republican fear mongering right now because I'm being civil :)
the Republicans are boycotting the committee meetings for the Environment and Public Works committee.
That committee is trying to work on the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. That's how we build a 21st century economy so we can start making solar panels and other cutting edge stuff in America. I think that stuff is kind of important. But the Republicans aren't showing up. This is a video from the hearing, notice that the bottom half of the table is empty. The only Republican is James Inhofe, he stops buy for 2 minutes, drops off a statement and leaves. This is the video of that.
one of the things I hate about politics is when people put loyalty to their political party over loyalty to the country and its citizens. I think we should be talking about the environment right now.
This is especially a problem in light of the fact that the World is meeting to discuss Climate Change in Copenhagen in mid December
Again you prove to be a fair guy yourself. My indictment of lefties on this particular theme doesn't include you. A lot of people would have ignored me or changed the subject. If you notice I'm not on here all the time complaining about Dems being bullies, I sort of expect it, they're the majority. I only get pissy is when it's suggested they're being saints.
And you know what, getting back to your original thought that you want things to not be so god damned partisan, I agree with you. One thousand percent. The politicians have things to think about like will I get the best table at the best restaurant? Will I get the most desirable office? How can my friends get their palms greased?
One of the happiest days in American history will be when we can tell the Middle Eastern oil nations to fuck off. I don't want to deal with those assholes anymore. I'm all about developing technology. I would invest HUGE, HUGE money in developing technology for clean, reliable, abundant, cheap energy. The thought of people not having heat during winter because it's too expensive is just not acceptable for us. Old folks in France dying because of a lack of AC, not acceptable! I'm all about creating new jobs and retraining people who have permanently lost their manufacturing jobs. I want us to EXPORT energy. Wouldn't that be a nice change? I want us to be a leader, same as you.
No more entanglements and relationships of convenience with backwards ass countries, or engagement in violence over it. Unacceptable! This is a conservative position, not like the jerks in Congress would know.
dcoffee - 11/06/09 09:28 Yea, I guess both sides are acting like bullies, I looked up some of that stuff, turning out the lights instead of letting republicans debate offshore drilling, moving meetings, Locking committee rooms :::link:::
Maybe that means there's no place to hide, our government is completely dysfunctional. I'm sick of the game of party politics.
jason - 11/06/09 08:58 Not every Republican is an Inhofe on the issue. Besides, our Congress is filled with certified big mouths - remember it was Boxer who went all "I got this black group that contradicts what you as a black man say" on Henry Alford at the EPW hearing.
Guys, let's be perfectly honest here, there isn't one single thing they could have put forward that the Democrats would have accepted, outside of a letter-for-letter approval of the Democrat-authored bill. There is no need for debate, or bipartisan shaping of the bill, or for including the opposition. I'm okay with that, you won the elections and have a big enough majority to not have to compromise. What I can't abide is whining about the reaction from the opposition. That takes a hell of a lot of cheek.
David, your characterization of the nature of the Democrats can't be more flawed, it really can't. How about the House rushing a bill through before anyone could read it? How about Waxman dropping a 300 page amendment in the dead of night? How about Democrats turning off lights and locking people out of rooms? How about Democrats more or less telling 50% of America FUCK YOUR REPRESENTATION? That's just a taste, I've got a dossier on them a mile long.
Too many lefties don't think the Republicans offer anything concerning Energy because A) They don't bother to look into it, and B) They don't particularly care to know, they just want to bitch that the opposition isn't bending over and begging to be fisted.
I'm not going to say that Republicans aren't partisan. They are. I won't defend that. That's the nature of our politicians. They chiefly want to consolidate power. But to say the Democrats have been non-partisan, and fair?!? They are partisan to a fault. And fair to who? They haven't even been fair to you and me with their bullshit, particularly in the House. The problem is that people think that by default their partisan position is the only one that could be non-partisan. I can't talk someone out of that, I only can say it needs to be re-thought.
And...again...who cares if not one single Republican votes on things? I don't. You can do what you want with nobody else's approval.
dcoffee - 11/05/09 18:42 I just think most people are tired of the bickering in politics and they want to see people get something accomplished. It's not about what team wins, this isn't football. I feel like the Democrats have been pretty fair, all the amendments that have been considered and adopted, dragging the process out, getting estimates, and making sure to release the text of the bills in advance. If the Republicans disagree with the Democrats policies offer something constructive, don't just boycott meetings. Isn't the climate getting a little weird? Do we want to be a leader in green jobs? I think Americans are pretty concerned about the climate. If you don't like one solution offer another. But we need a government that works right now. In Healthcare the majority of people in this country want a public option like Medicare. It seems like the Republicans are kind of boycotting everything, and it's almost forcing the Democrats to become more partisan.
I'm looking for NON-partisanship.
james - 11/05/09 15:25 Republican input would be welcome if they had something useful to say.
We still hear from members of congress that climate change is a hoax and that man has nothing to do with it. It might be difficult to say something at the grown up table when you just babbling.
jason - 11/05/09 13:35 Republican input isn't really welcome. I wouldn't show up either. As I've said before, bipartisanship means effectively fisting someone into submission. Anyway, what does it matter if they don't show up? Not one single Republican vote is necessary for them to pass any type of legislation they choose.
matthew - 11/05/09 13:14 Hmmm, I thought (e:dcoffee) was suggesting that "one of the things I hate about politics is when people put loyalty to their political party over loyalty to the country and its citizens." I completley agree with that.
joshua - 11/05/09 13:02 "one of the things I hate about politics is when people put loyalty to their political party over loyalty to the country and its citizens."
Are you suggesting that people who do not support a left wing climate change bill are being unpatriotic? What about Blue Dog Dems who are surely going to jump ship on the health care debacle/debate? Are you suggesting that Democrats are never guilty of toeing the party line regardless of public sentiment? Ask Americans how they feel about so-called torture - we generally don't care. Ask Americans about Guantanamo Bay - we would rather keep it open. Ask Americans about drilling our own oil - we want to do this IN CONJUNCTION with everything else. I've just named three issues Democrats are losers on but do what they prefer to do anyway - I could go on.
You are making the mistake of assuming that everything Democrats do is good for the country, and everything opposite to what Democrats are doing is bad for the country. I'm amused at the liberal notion of bipartisanship - libs NEVER look for bipartisan bills, they only wish for bipartisan votes for generally ill-conceived bills of their own. This bill was marked up with no Republican input prior to "deliberation" in committee. What exactly do you expect?
Republicans wanted further cost analysis and Democrats said no - what is up with that? This is tantamount to ignoring vital facts for the purposes of political expediency. Ask Barbara Boxer and John Kerry what the economic impacts really are from the bill - they can't tell you. Democrats will not wait for an EPA study before trying to pass the bill in the Senate. Due diligence my ass! That is, unless due diligence means passing bills with insufficient information or knowledge of the consequences of the bills they are writing.
Personally I don't support any climate change bill with a cap and trade element, similar to the fact that I'd never support a health care bill without a serious tort reform element or government funded abortions. Follow the money, particularly with the climate change bill.
BTW, this health care bill in the House included a giveaway to trial lawyers by offering incentives with a HUGE caveat - do not cap awards to trial lawyers! linky - :::link::: - Democrats are exchanging major political donor support for tens of billions of dollars in wasted taxpayer money. Who is playing politics again?
10/30/2009 14:49 #50154
South Buffalo Fall Photos / Healthcare Category: life
One little note about Healthcare... Right now, it's action time.
Now is the crucial point to make your voices heard. Over the next week big decisions will be made. The Senate needs to feel the heat.
You know why people always break their campaign promises? Because after the election the voters are out of the picture, and the politicians are in fundraising mode. So they listen to the lobbyists and they don't hear a peep out of us till next election.
We can't sit back and hope the politicians hear us screaming through the TV. We have to make phone calls and send emails to lobby and make sure people in Washington Listen to us.
To Contact Congress call this number and ask for someone, 1-800-828-0498 it's toll free, call somebody new every day.
Or you can write to them, type something up and send a copy to everyone. You can look at the letters I quoted in my last post for ideas.
Here are the Senators that may need a bit of persuading.
Joe Lieberman, Connecticut
Bill Nelson, Nebraska
Evan Bayh, Indiana
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas
Kent Conrad, North Dakota
Mary Landrieu, Louisiana
Susan Collins, Maine
Olympia Snowe, Maine
I know none of them are in our state, but just shoot them an email anyway, that's how lobbying works. You find out who's making the decisions and you target them. If you know anyone in these states reach out and ask them to call.
Thanks,
Now the fun pictures
The House
Tuscarora rd. Cute South buffalo Street that runs paralel to Caz Park.
Yesterday we got some pretty good news on the Healthcare front. The senate came out with their version of healthcare reform, and it includes a Public Option. It's not perfect, but I think that it's fair, and the most important thing is, I think it might actually work.
Of course I favor Medicare for All, but we didn't go down that road, so you gotta fight within the realm of the possible, so I've been fighting for the Public Option. Go here if you're not sure what the public option is
Go here to read the news about yesterday's Public Option announcement from Harry Reid
Or just Listen to Harry for yourself.
I really loved that press conference, it kinda seems like Harry's got his groove back. He's straight up, and ready to get something accomplished.
The Senate bill includes a provision that was just invented as a compromise between 2 senate bills, one had a Public Option and the other didn't. The new provision is for a National Public Option but individual states can opt-out if they don't think it is good for their state.
I think the Opt-out Public Option is kind of, brilliantly democratic.
If the people of your state don't like the Public Option, you have the freedom to chose another way, nobody is forcing you to accept the new way. But most of the American people want to be able to choose a public option. Medicare is a public option for people over 65, and it works fine, why can't I buy some of that? A few stubborn senators shouldn't prevent the rest of America from having that choice.
The point of a Public Option is to give us a choice. A non-profit choice.
The main complaint against the Public Option (socialism, marxism, fascism, communism, BOO!)..... well ok, the main rational complaint against the Public Option is that it will hurt a particular state or community, senators complain that it will hurt hospitals in their state, or that their constituents are afraid of it, or some other version of I'm responsible for my state above all else.
This provision throws the state based argument out the window. Now your state can opt-out if it wants to, but at least pass Healthcare reform and give the rest of us a choice. Arkansas, North Dakota, Louisiana, and Indiana, you can do what you want, but give the rest of us what we want. And if your constituents don't want the Public Option why don't we give them the chance to say no instead of taking your word for it.
I think this is a responsible compromise, it's all about democracy, let the people in the states decide.
But we have to bring down the costs somehow, cause we're probably wasting $850 billion per year on Healthcare in America.
This video pretty much summs up why I think the Public Option is so important
I've been lobbying about this for a while, and so have the Quakers. I've been on the phone (1 800-828-0498) and writing letters.
here's my latest letter, I sent this to Harry Reid and Obama over the weekend:
I'm a small businessman in Buffalo NY, the healthcare issue is very important to me. We need healthcare reform that works. I don't see too many downfalls to the opt-out compromise, But I don't like the trigger idea, I'm worried that it is an empty promise. We need a public option to guarantee competition and bring prices down ASAP. I strongly oppose mandating that individuals or businesses buy insurance without a guarantee that we will be protected from fraud and abuse. The way I see it, no public option, no guarantee. You can convince the Maine Republicans to support the opt-out provision.
I'm also speaking as a registered Democrat, and my father in law spent weeks in Pennsylvania volunteering for the Obama campaign.
Here's the one from last week, this went out to my representatives and the important people in the Congress,
I'm urging you to pass healthcare reform that works. I'm a Small Business owner in Buffalo NY and I've been paying close attention to the healthcare debate.
I support a Public Option. We need a strong non-profit health insurance option in order to reduce healthcare costs.
We need successful Healthcare Reform. This is not about ideology or political philosophy, it's about what works.
We pay more for Healthcare than every other country in the world and we get less for it, that is the key problem. Healthcare Reform must address the inflated cost of healthcare, or it will be a failure, it will be a missed opportunity, and the Democrats will take the blame.
I've seen all the proposals, I'm looking for a bill that will improve the lives of ordinary people and business owners who are struggling to keep up with rising healthcare costs.
I think the Baucus Bill is ambitious, but does too little to reduce costs. It requires everyone to buy insurance, but we have no guarantee that the product we're being forced to buy is safe, effective, or fairly priced.
The way I see it, no Public Option means no guarantee. America's health will still be at the disposal of for profit insurence companies that have no incentive to reduce the prices they charge.
Insurance companies need competition, and Americans need a guarantee that Healthcare Reform is going to work.
Include a strong Public Option.
Thank you
one more funny video, this is fair and balanced fox
I love the part where they say, "Obama's Healthcare Plan, Scarier than Cancer?"
matthew - 10/29/09 13:04 I think you should spare (e:dcoffee)'s journal and have a live debate at the Halloween party this Friday!! :)
jason - 10/28/09 23:14 Yes, I was goofing. David is here being constructive, that is rare these days actually, and he deserved better than my sarcasm. So I'm sorry for that, David. I am all far eliminating fraud and abuse from the system, and making the system more efficient. Whatever we end up with, we have to demand that and stay on the politicians to make sure we get the best value for our dollar. We all know and agree about this, and about the fact that our current situation is unsustainable. It's about all I can say, I'm really tired of how bad things have become.
jenks - 10/28/09 21:18 sorry for hijacking david. I looked at that report the other day- thanks for sharing. Those all look like good places to start. Particularly the "ordering extra tests for fear of missing something and being sued". We call that CYA (cover your ass) medicine, and it is NOT a good thing.
heidi - 10/28/09 20:44 My understanding is that medical malpractice doesn't add much to the soaring health care costs. Here's one article, :::link:::
"Congressional Budget Office, using statistics from the government's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, estimates that malpractice costs account for less than 2 percent of healthcare spending."
We can't lose sight of the biggest reasons for out of control health care costs...
Insurance companies. Drug companies. Corporations making huge profits off sickness. Out of control paperwork for a multitude of insurance companies and plans. under- and uninsured people going bankrupt.
(In general, not doctors' salaries for doing doctor things. Particularly primary care physicians.)
dcoffee - 10/28/09 20:19 I think doctors' salaries are the last place we should cut costs. They are the people who actually provide care. I also understand how expensive it is to become a doctor, all the school you have to go through. Check out this study, :::link::::::link::: it identifies $550 - $850 billion in waste every year.
jenks - 10/28/09 19:02 but that's my point matthew- if the government controls (and reduces) doctors' salaries, people will leave medicine. If it's hard finding someone now, it will be even harder then.
I'm not trying to be an insensitive greedy bitch. You all know me. And since leaving Buffalo, my expenses are up. I am living paycheck to paycheck. And I bust my ass for my patients.... Not all doctors are monsters that care only about money, and it just infuriates me to hear them (us) portrayed that way.
metalpeter - 10/28/09 17:56 This is not a new idea and it had been used before. But what about trading school for giving people free care that can't pay for it. Some one my mother new did that a Portion of his school was paid and then he owed something like 2 years to a community clinic.
I think the tough part with cutting money is how do you cut down on fraud, and paper work at the same time, all the paper work is supposed to make it harder to commit fraud.
I think that one key issue that unless you are Bill Maher that doesn't get mentioned and should be part of this plan is prevention. I'm not saying that the government should mandate that any place that gets any federal tax credits or federal aid in any way has to serve certain food and only certain food and also have a work out area. But maybe the government should have incentives and really put out a good education system. Again I'm not saying the National Gaurd storm Burger King and places like that. But why can't more healthy options be pushed.
matthew - 10/28/09 17:13 "Or, go ahead. Cut salaries. After that, have fun finding a decent doctor that will actually see you in a timely fashion." I ask you (e:jenks) to find me one now!
jenks - 10/28/09 16:27 J, please tell me that's ALL sarcastic, not just the 'good for the environment' bit.
Particularly this:
"Clearly our docs are putting their Jaguars and their million dollar homes above caring for the people. Doctors should care for people, not money. Their GREED is killing people."
Two brief thoughts on that front-
1: the phrase "capping income" screams 'socialism' to me far more than of the obamacare talk to date.
2: Who in healthcare should make money then, if not the docs? (the only ones who actually help the patients). The insurance CEOs? The scumbag malpractice lawyers?
We need tort reform, first and foremost.
And as far as pay for outcomes- I'm with you on that. However, if you receive ten million dollars worth of care- but you still die (because you are an obese diabetic smoker)- as long as the care rendered was necessary and appropriate, I think you should still owe that money. If you die b/c the doctor is negligent, etc, that's a different story. But people die. It happens. It does not mean the doctor didn't do a good job.
And finally... Pardon me if this was all sarcasm and I'm overreacting. I'm sure I just come across as another "greedy doctor" trying to protect my income... and obviously, I am biased here. But that is really not my point. I just think there are a million other places we can save money, besides just slashing doctors' salaries.
Or, go ahead. Cut salaries. After that, have fun finding a decent doctor that will actually see you in a timely fashion.
dcoffee - 10/28/09 12:03 Anyway, this is kinda my main point, (I know I write a lot of background info) This is why I say Public Option or nothing at all. They want to expand coverage by requiring everyone to buy insurance, but we have no guarantee that the product we're being forced to buy is safe, effective, or fairly priced.
The way I see it, no Public Option means no guarantee. America's health will still be at the disposal of for profit insurance companies that have no incentive to reduce the prices they charge."
The public option being debated in the Senate is really mild, it' kind of like a free trial version, it's not forcing anyone to do anything, it's just barely introducing non-profit insurance into the system to see if it works. All this 'Government Takeover' stuff is overblown, I don't know what people are afraid of.
dcoffee - 10/28/09 11:41 In France Doctors also get their college education paid for. I think we could learn something from that, students in the medical profession should get a break. But also in France they own the hospitals and pay the providers, so it's like comparing Apples to Oranges. I've actually never advocated for a France-like system, Medicare for All is universal Insurance, but the doctors and hospitals are still private. I still don't understand what value insurance companies add to this equation... They add no value to the care we receive, and the different forms and procedures of each Insurance Company just causes headaches for Doctors. I feel like the redundancy of having multiple Health Insurance providers just wastes time, and therefore money. Competition in the Insurance Industry has just lead to denying sick people care. At least the public option won't have to play by those rules, they won't have to buy billboards and TV ads.
This is a good way to put it "Is there really any benefit to competition among insurers? Hardly. We don't need innovation as to who gets covered. We want everyone covered! Nor do we need it regarding the basic coverage package, which we need to standardize. " I don't think I posted this article yet, it talks about fee for service and stuff. :::link:::
PS Jason, I recognized the sarcasm. But the France comment brought up a couple interesting points.
jason - 10/28/09 11:24 Hehe. Of course, I'm just breaking balls here. I try to be a patient guy, but I've more or less lost my patience when it comes to this stuff. David is trying to make an effort here, and I have to respect that, so I'll stop derailing.
james - 10/28/09 10:57 You know, if we capped income in general that would make things much cheaper in general...
jason - 10/28/09 10:57 By the way, isn't it better for the environment for more of us Americans to be dead?
jason - 10/28/09 10:53 And I agree with a pay for outcomes scheme. If I'm undergoing heart surgery and I die anyway, neither my estate nor my family should have to pay for the care I received.
jason - 10/28/09 10:51 Why not? In France docs make $3K a month or so. Clearly our docs are putting their Jaguars and their million dollar homes above caring for the people. Doctors should care for people, not money. Their GREED is killing people. Since they won't do it themselves, we should expand the practice of paying fractions of a dollar for the cost of health care. Eventually hospitals will be forced to make these choices.
mrmike - 10/27/09 22:09 Geez, Jason, harsh. My bigger issue especially with kids has been convoluted billing systems manned by people who didn't understand them It took me six months to get a dental discrepancy settled. It would cost a lot less to see a physician if they did not have to jump through so many hoops. I browbeat a pediatrician to get a handle on to what his minions were doing.
jenks - 10/27/09 20:02 "I know one way to help with our health care costs. Slash every physician's monthly salary by 5K."
Jason. Shame on you.
dcoffee - 10/27/09 16:56 Well this report :::link::: identifies a ton of wasteful spending every year, between $505 billion and $850 billion. Keep in mind that the cost of this healthcare reform stuff is over a period of 10 years, that study counts wasted dollars in just one year.
Sources of waste
Unnecessary care, such as the overuse of antibiotics and lab tests, to protect against malpractice exposure makes up 37 percent of health care waste.
"-- Fraud makes up 22 percent of the wasted expenditures, or up to $200 billion a year in fraudulent Medicare claims, kickbacks for referrals for unnecessary services and other scams.
-- Administrative inefficiency and redundant paperwork account for 18 percent of waste.
-- Medical mistakes account for $50 billion to $100 billion in unnecessary spending each year, or 11 percent of the total.
-- Preventable conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes cost $30 billion to $50 billion a year."
Some of these problems are symptoms of our Fee-for-Service system :::link::: Doctors get paid for the quantity of care, not the quality of outcomes.
Healthcare reform will also raise medicare reimbursement rates, paying doctors more.
James, I guess that's the issue, who will filibusterer this bill in the Senate. I don't see how any Democrats can do it in good conscience, unless they don't have a conscience, or they know that they have a high paid job lined up when they get voted out of office. But I guess it's up to us to lobby and target people on the fence. I don't know what they're so scared of.
jason - 10/27/09 15:26 I know one way to help with our health care costs. Slash every physician's monthly salary by 5K.
james - 10/27/09 15:03 I am sure this has nothing to do with Connecticut housing so many insurance companies.
Buffalo Small Boat Harbor, took this picture on a bikeride with molly.
This is the Beach at the end of Tifft Street, right next to the Small Boat Harbor on route 5. We like having a beach so close to our house, we go swim and canoe. It's so nice on those 90 degree summer days, you just go down and dunk yourself in the water.
the Fam at the same beach,
Molly on the boardwalk. There's a boardwalk and a pier at the beach too.
Labor day in Cazenovia Park, this was so fun, I love parties in caz park and I love Labor. It was a big homey barbecue nothing fancy, but just having the community get together and party after a parade, it's one of those wholesome things.
The labor day parade, Mickey Kearns in front, I marched with them and handed out fliers, helped tie balloons, fun stuff.
My favorite South Buffalo party, the Irish Feis and Expo. they have like 5-6 rockin Irish bands, like Jackdaw, Seven Nations, Emish... they also have Irish dancing troops, 2 stages, local businesses, food, drinks. The party starts around 2 and usually goes till 10:30. Bring your own beer or they have good stuff on tap like Guinness Harp, Spaten.. There's also a whole section for local businesses to set up tables. Very grassroots community oriented.
the women from Emish, I actually went to Fredonia with them, and they majored in Music :)
Irish Fest crowd shot.
Blue Heron Music Festival, near Jamestown NY
Main stage, it was muddy the first day
Tent Setup, this is where we slept at the festival. Dry and cozy :)
Anne
Night
Muddy ruts, cars and... cows.
Parking lot was a bit of chaos. I got splattered pushing somebody out. but I did not get stuck thank you very much.
lots of sun, no rain that weekend. This is the last day.
That's all for now :)
tinypliny - 10/25/09 11:31 Loving these pictures! The first one looks as if it was shot in Eastman colour!
metalpeter - 10/25/09 11:27 I really like the ones of the boats.
mrmike - 10/24/09 21:21 Great pics, very idyllic, especially of the beach
Thanks for the info, (e:dcoffee).