State of Play: Health Hearings Heat Up, Public Weighs In

If you would like to help pressure Congress to pass single payer health care please join our voting bloc at:
http://www.votingbloc.org/Health_Bloc.php

The United States National Health Insurance Act also known as HR 676, anything else is another sell out to DC politician's corporate masters.

With President Obama in the White House, K Street is alive and well.

So... the Republicans want the American public to have "choice", but only if none of those choices is a public, non-profit plan? I realize that there are millions of ignorant, and even stupid, people in this country, but how obvious does it have to be that these clowns are shilling for the insurance companies before people 'get it'?

If it REALLY is taxes that these buffoons are concerned with, rather than insurance company profits, then why not argue to have the public plan be revenue neutral by statute, like the Post Office?

What are the NeoCons worried about? How could an evil, government bureaucracy run insurance plan possibly compete on an even playing field with those wonderful, industrious and efficient institutions like Aetna, Cigna, Humana, Kaiser, etc? Keep the playing field between the public option and the private ones level by denying the public insurance plan support (other than start-up cash) from the United States general budget, and there would be no problem, right? The The wonderful 'free market' will assure that those god-like private institutions will use their 'entrepreneurial spirit' and 'innovate' their way to higher market share, right? After all, the NeoCons have been telling us for over thirty years that the private sector can beat the public sector for efficiency and cost/benefit. Why not give the private sector a chance to prove it?

Answer: The Neocons don't want to see private insurance companies going head to head against a national, non-profit public insurance plan because they KNOW that their 'heroes' would lose the fight. The public plan will trounce all of the private ones in a fair fight for market dominance. The public will get a better product for far less than they pay now and the NeoCons fundamental mythos will be destroyed.

If there is no public option, there will be no real health care reform.

geezle,

you do realize that there are plenty of non profit private insurers out there don't you?

The answer is trying to rein in the costs from ALL players. I love the pharmacuticals trying to act like they're trying to help. If they're trying to help so much then why have the prices on drugs gone up about 15-20% over the last 6 months. Its because they know they're going to take a "haircut" in the next few months and if they increase 20% and then decrease 20% then the net effect is "0". They're worse than used car salesmen. Oh and as is mentioned they're looking to get 50 million new patients on Lipitor or whatever. All those clamoring for single payer are IGNORING the fact that the current single payer plan is a mismanaged, inefficent bureaucratic MESS and about to go BANKRUPT. That's akin to watching your car go off a cliff but throwing your kids in the backseat. Why would we do that???

We need to fix the system we have because its severly broken and getting worse by the day. Throwing TRILLIONS of dollars at a single payer system that is broken will not help

The real issue with Govt run healthcare is that the Govt can't run anything well. Private business can run better. I do agree there are currently problems.. costs are through the roof. Insurance companies do a horrible job, hospitals are more concerned with churning patients and the malpractice insurance costs are insane. Reforming the current system is really the answer.

Doctors and hospitals pay insane amounts of money for malpractive insrance. Insurance companies have to do the same. Reform there is one of the largest issues. Other issues are billing and dealing with insrurance forms from the hosptials and doctors offices. Staff to handle the paperwork is a HUGE cost. Medical records should be in an online format and will also reduce costs. Instaed of created a Govt run healthcare plan. How about revising one in existance. It would seem more economical and practical.

Health care is broken but that doesn't mean it can't be "fixed" instead of throwing it out and trying to reinvent the wheel. Obama-Care is NOT the answer just as it is not the answer for the Auto-Industry or Banking. We are already stuck with Obama-Motors and Bank of Obama. I really don't want to see Obama-Care. Where does it stop??? If ever??? Do we need McObama, Obama King, Obama Fil A, Obama Disney World? Cuba and the former USSR tried this and it didn't work out so well.

A previous poster suggested revenue neutral like the Post Office. We can see how well that has worked... just like AmTrak. Let's not create another loser that can't compete and let those who do compete control costs and compete better to help lower costs.

My proposal: A safety net for basic treatment for all. Then, the better coverage is paid for by individual. My point is to encourage folks to work hard, make more money and pay their own health coverage. Nothing special, noble - just common sense.

To H*ll with bipartisan support. Bipartisan support from the radical rump of the Republican party in their eyes means giving in to their positions. I can see no evidence of compromise from the Republican side of the aisle.

If we get cosmetic reform that enriches insurance executives, procedural physicians, and the pharmaceutical industry the Democrats will condemn themselves to losing the next election. The administration had better start playing hardball with these blue dogs (aptly named).

Has anybody noted the tax cuts by Bush amount to 1.8 trillion over 10 years. Reversing those to the levels of the Clinton years would pay for all of this if we get by the Bush recesssion.

My family has a small business in Indiana and cannot afford to give it's employees any kind of health care, that's why we agree with a large portion of America on the single payer system. Born in Europe I paid for our health care with insurance stamps in a little book, so did the employer everybody worked for? Until the mass legal and illegal immigration into my country of birth all citizens had exceptional medical services. It insured us of surgery, eyes and teeth care for all the people. Today Europe is under considerable pressure from the millions of foreign labor poured into my nation and other industrialized nations. Why American newspaper always seem to quote that European health care is free--is beyond me? Nothing is free! We paid for it through our employers, but we were--NOT--subsidizing for profit insurance companies?

Every health insurance company removes their pound of flesh, their co-pays, deductible, premiums and of course pre-existing conditions. These nefarious businesses are already spending millions of dollars, spreading rhetoric and propaganda on TV, radio and magazines. They are truly worried that there mammoth profits are in jeopardy, because for once the majority of the American people are not listening to their lies.

Does anyone who has been following this issue believe that the latest play by Big Pharma will have any substantive effect on the sorry state of care financing in this country?

This is a diversionary move made to forstall legislation that would remove the Medicare prohibition on drug price negotiation.

There really is no "bipartisan" position here. The Democrats need to forget about the ideologues who think they have a right to deprive everyone else of a sustainable medical coverage model and get on with the REFORM we need.

AMERICA’S NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY!

It’s official. America and the World are now in a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. A World EPIDEMIC with potential catastrophic consequences for ALL of the American people. The first PANDEMIC in 41 years. And WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES will have to face this PANDEMIC with the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed World.

STAND READY AMERICA TO SEIZE CONTROL OF YOUR NATIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.

We spend over twice as much of our GDP on healthcare as any other country in the World. And Individual American spend about ten times as much out of pocket on healthcare as any other people in the World. All because of GREED! And the PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare system in America.

And while all this is going on, some members of congress seem mostly concern about how to protect the corporate PROFITS! of our GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT NATIONAL DISGRACE. A PRIVATE FOR PROFIT DISGRACE that is in fact, totally valueless to the public health. And a detriment to national security, public safety, and the public health.

Progressive democrats and others should stand firm in their demand for a robust public option for all Americans, with all of the minimum requirements progressive democrats demanded. If congress can not pass a robust public option with at least 51 votes and all robust minimum requirements, congress should immediately move to scrap healthcare reform and demand that President Obama declare a state of NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY! Seizing and replacing all PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance plans with the immediate implementation of National Healthcare for all Americans under the provisions of HR676 (A Single-payer National Healthcare Plan For All).

Coverage can begin immediately through our current medicare system. With immediate expansion through recruitment of displaced workers from the canceled private sector insurance industry. Funding can also begin immediately by substitution of payroll deductions for private insurance plans with payroll deductions for the national healthcare plan. This is what the vast majority of the American people want. And this is what all objective experts unanimously agree would be the best, and most cost effective for the American people and our economy.

In Mexico on average people who received medical care for A-H1N1 (Swine Flu) with in 3 days survived. People who did not receive medical care until 7 days or more died. This has been the same results in the US. But 50 million Americans don’t even have any healthcare coverage. And at least 200 million of you with insurance could not get in to see your private insurance plans doctors in 2 or 3 days, even if your life depended on it. WHICH IT DOES!

Contact congress and your representatives NOW! AND SPREAD THE WORD!

God Bless You

Jacksmith – WORKING CLASS

Mr. Obama's desire to keep the for-profit-health-insurance thieves in place - is misplaced.

INSIST on having the economics of HR 676 heard. READ about it yourself! GO to www.HR676.org or www.CalNurses.org or www.PNHP.org

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The Republican Party is in the pockets of most of the most powerful Pharmacutical firms in the U.S.
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Why does no one address the issue of litigation on health care costs? This is perhaps one of the largests cost incurred by physcians and hospitals.. as well as the insurance industry itself. IF.. there is reform there ( silly suits by ambulance chasers etc.... ) a Doctor may not have to pay $120,000 a year for malpractice insurance... A hosptial pays millions for this coverage every year.

Many posters attack evil drug companies and evil insurance compnaies as the problem. Drugs are expensive because of all the years of R&D to develop, the insanely long process to gain approval by the FDA.. add these up and it is 15-20 years before you can bring a drug to market.. and then you are only allowed a patent for half that time to recoup your costs before it goes generic.

Revise the litigation side of healthcare, revise online records and portability.. sure insurance companies need to give.... they have room to... so lean on them until they give. A European healthcare system is not something we can afford or something that will positivly provide the best care. Ask anyone in England or just talk to a Canadian about it... they will tell you about long waits, Govt not wanting to perform a procedure becuase you are already too old and you'll die soon anyway. Rationed healthcare is what we will get.

Fix the current system. The are real flaws that will save BILLIONS which can lower costs for everyone... not a new system to cost TRILLIONS. Obama-Care will only bankrupt us even sooner than Bank of Obama and Obama Motors is going to.

Please stop referring to anonymous Senators and Representatives! The public needs to know what their elected leaders are saying and thinking about this crisis. These politicians do not deserve one moment of cover. It is impossible to patrol all the sources where leaders make comments. We rely on YOU to help us.

I agree with Geezle. The government is actually quite efficient at delivering well established services to the largest percentage of people. The much maligned post-office delivers over 99.9% of mail correctly in 2-3 days for a whopping 44 cents. The price of stamps has been going up only because email, Fedex, UPS have been siphoning off the higher margin services.

You can find acceptable doctors and hospitalization on both coasts under Medicare. Overhead is a whopping 2%.

We need continued innovation in medicine and procedures, not in their financing and delivery (like the selective socialism of HMOs), that ultimatly rips-off the public.

To raise the quality of care at a cost of $1 Trillion would take a miracle.

Today's quality of care in nursing homes is measurable to the Holocaust.

My mother suffered and was killed by Sun Healthcare Group Inc's Sunbridge nursing home in Newport Beach, Calif where they refused to repair/replace known broken equipment while under a Calif state injunction for having killed patients in Burlingame, Calif years earlier. The Dept of Justice turned a blind eye. The Dept of Health didn't fine the usual $100,000 for her death. But their own medical director, Dr Stoney, wrote an opinion SUN killed her and he'd quit due to their disregard to his pleas and other families' pleas for help.

They produce profits at the at the cost of elder abuse and manslaughter.

Deborah Calvert daughter of the late Evelyn Calvert, Newport Beach, California

Our nation is drowning in health care expenses. From Big Business to Little POP, the time is now for change. The Dems don't seem to recognize that it is not the 40+ million uninsured at the core of our problem. Our problems began years ago with a system where the direct consumer (us, dear Americans, us) didn't really experience the real cost of health care. As a result, we use it injudiciously. We don't take care of our health, and when we overeat, underexcercise, or whatever, we expect our "insurance" to cover the cost of our mobility chair. WAKE UP. BE SMART. USE THE PRECIOUS RESOURCE OF HEALTH CARE WISELY. And Republicans, Big Pharma is a problem, too. As are all the little dominions trying to get their slice of the health care pie, including the AMA, and similar organizations. This problem is very complex, and the approaches we need must be extremely creative and courageous to be effective. Well, I guess that leaves government out... I wonder what would happen if employers gave their employees a "cash account" for non-catastrophic health care, and the government sponsored a pool for catastrophic health care, fed by payments from business big and small. We would then need agreement with AARP, Am Cancer Society, Am Heart Assoc, etc to advocate less use of resources by those with no hope of significant cure or recovery.
Let's get on with it, already!

I am so weary of that worn out idea that private companies can do anything better than government run agencies. If this were true, we should have corporate mercenaries instead of armed forces, and security companies instead of the FBI or CIA. The fact is, government agencies are generally much better able to provide consistent and competent services in most areas because they are not so subject to the whims of the marketplace. Any private company or public agency large enough to be run by a bureaucratic structure is going to have some problems with efficiency, but government agencies are much more subject to the scrutiny of various watchdogs to weed out actual corruption and greed.
I would like all the people ranting against the evils of public health to take a look at the Veterans Administration. This is an example of a high quality medical care system completely supported by taxpayer dollars that provides a vast range of health care services as good as or better than anything the private sector can offer. Yes, it is expensive, but unlike a national health care system, it does not have anyone paying premiums (except, of course, having put their lives on the line in the service of their country).
Give people a choice. If they don't like public health insurance, they won't buy it. Then all the current naysayers can say, "I told you so," and vote it out again. However, I suspect what is more likely to happen is that most people will choose government run health care over the current meager options available to them.

Like the Dems are not in big healthcare pockets like the Reps...come on. Look at Baucus...he got the single payer docs and nurses tossed in jail. Look at the campaign $ disclosures for him, Dodd, Landreu, Feinstein and others. They are not fighting for the public option. Stop blaming the reps for ruining the chance for your free healthcare. Obama turned his back on single payer and now he wants to steal from Medicare like it's the culprit...Dems are all BS. If they wanted they could rally round O and get it done.

How much does this country pay to maintain millitary bases in Europe? The Red Army not being what it used to be (if it ever was), shouldn't that money be used to help pay for 21st Century first class health care for ALL our citizens like the rest of the world provides? Of course, we are far more likely to suffer catastrophic losses by our failure to provide affordable healthcare in a deadly pandemic than in any military action in Europe. Sure we won't be marking our territory and those whoneed to beat their chests to feel adequately masculine will be unhappy, but the choice between thew two is obvious, AS WE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD BOTH.

AMERICA’S NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY!

It’s official. America and the World are now in a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. A World EPIDEMIC with potential catastrophic consequences for ALL of the American people. The first PANDEMIC in 41 years. And WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES will have to face this PANDEMIC with the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed World.

STAND READY AMERICA TO SEIZE CONTROL OF YOUR NATIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.

We spend over twice as much of our GDP on healthcare as any other country in the World. And Individual American spend about ten times as much out of pocket on healthcare as any other people in the World. All because of GREED! And the PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare system in America.

And while all this is going on, some members of congress seem mostly concern about how to protect the corporate PROFITS! of our GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT NATIONAL DISGRACE. A PRIVATE FOR PROFIT DISGRACE that is in fact, totally valueless to the public health. And a detriment to national security, public safety, and the public health.

Progressive democrats and others should stand firm in their demand for a robust public option for all Americans, with all of the minimum requirements progressive democrats demanded. If congress can not pass a robust public option with at least 51 votes and all robust minimum requirements, congress should immediately move to scrap healthcare reform and demand that President Obama declare a state of NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY! Seizing and replacing all PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance plans with the immediate implementation of National Healthcare for all Americans under the provisions of HR676 (A Single-payer National Healthcare Plan For All).

Coverage can begin immediately through our current medicare system. With immediate expansion through recruitment of displaced workers from the canceled private sector insurance industry. Funding can also begin immediately by substitution of payroll deductions for private insurance plans with payroll deductions for the national healthcare plan. This is what the vast majority of the American people want. And this is what all objective experts unanimously agree would be the best, and most cost effective for the American people and our economy.

In Mexico on average people who received medical care for A-H1N1 (Swine Flu) with in 3 days survived. People who did not receive medical care until 7 days or more died. This has been the same results in the US. But 50 million Americans don’t even have any healthcare coverage. And at least 200 million of you with insurance could not get in to see your private insurance plans doctors in 2 or 3 days, even if your life depended on it. WHICH IT DOES!

Contact congress and your representatives NOW! AND SPREAD THE WORD!

God Bless You

Jacksmith – WORKING CLASS

Yup. There's just too many 'cooks in the kitchen' on this one. I believe that total US taxes are a little too low in general. Throughout the last 100 years or so, Fed and State taxes have naturally flucuated. If any adjuatments or 'options' are to be initiated, US tax rates will have to go up for a certain amount of time, to be adjusted later, in future years. We already do this on behalf of the economic recovery. in other ways as well. It brings to mind the term, "Ways and means". At the moment, nearly all of us cotribute to about 1,300 disparate companies into a pool of assets, which then gets released into the system in payments. Why not 'try' a single payer system for a while?

As they draft health care reform legislation, lawmakers should include a public plan option to ensure affordable access to comprehensive care for HIV patients -- nearly 30 percent of whom have no insurance. A public plan option can help offer everyone the chance to benefit from early and reliable access to lifesaving HIV care and treatment.

HIV treatment is one of the most effective medical interventions available today, but it requires ongoing access to high-cost medications and services over the course of a patient’s lifetime. People with chronic conditions like HIV are not attractive to most private insurers, and HIVMA is particularly concerned that private insurers will discourage HIV patients from enrolling in their plans by excluding HIV clinicians and programs from their provider networks.

Only 17 percent of HIV patients have private insurance coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Fifty-four percent rely on Medicaid and/or Medicare, while 29 percent are completely uninsured. Even if potential safeguards were in place requiring private insurance plans to include HIV health care providers, it would be difficult to ensure the adequacy of HIV provider networks in the numerous private plans that likely will be available across the country.

The availability of a public plan option will ensure a reliable coverage option is available to people with HIV no matter where they live in the U.S. A public plan option will better ensure all patients have the opportunity to benefit from HIV treatment and live healthy and productive lives.

-- Michael S. Saag, MD, FIDSA, HIVMA chair-elect

Not only should be inundate Washington with our concerns

LET'S INDUNDATE WASHINGTON WITH OUT HEALTHCARE BILLS

SEND COPIES OF THOSE DENIALS, THOSE BLOATED BILLS, THOSE NEVER-ENDING THREATS THAT COME FROM CREDITORS. SEND THEM COPIES OF WHAT YOU PAY MONTHLY FOR POOR SERVICE, OVERPRICED MEDICINE and HAVE YOUR EMPLOYER DO THE SAME>

IF 72% of the public wants and OPTION-- LET's NOT GIVE CONGRESS THE CHANCE OF NO OPTION.

Geezle writes:

Answer: The Neocons don't want to see private insurance companies going head to head against a national, non-profit public insurance plan because they KNOW that their 'heroes' would lose the fight.
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Actually, that is correct....and, as a result, americans would lose their right to choice...the "public option" wouldn't be one of many options to choose from...it'd be the ONLY option.

Republicans and sensible democrats are actually trying to keep Obama's promise that no one would lose the health care they already have....but as we know already, this is a straw man of a promise, isn't it?

I have been playing with the numbers from Families USA, the Dartmouth report, an earlier Kaiser report similar to the Families report. I normalized the data in to patient-years (coverage for one year).

To treat all medicare patients was $9360/yr each in 2006. Data from the Government Trust report.
Similar data From Dartmouth medicare usage report was $8304/yr in 2006. Short term acute and long term were about even cost and combined.

Families USA estimated that the uninsured were provided with healthcare equivalent to $1829/yr each for a normalized population of 63.4 million uninsured people. The Kaiser report confirmed this population estimate.

The WH and McCain have released other estimates to cover the uninsured.
46 million uninsured at 1.6 trillion = $3478/yr
16 million uninsured at 1 trillion = $6250/yr
46 million uninsured at 3 trillion = $6522/yr ballpark estimate.

The Kaiser report mentioned that if the uninsured is provided with insurance, they use it more often, so the current $1829/yr would increase up to about $3000/yr, close to a normally insured person. Makes sense.

The big question is who is paying at what rate? An uninsured patient pays retail, an insurance company pays wholesale at a deep discount. It appears the estimates are retail numbers, not the true discounted wholesale costs that a single payer would pay.

The next question is equivalency, is the coverage equivalent. The medicare data for geezers is HI+SMI hospital and long term care. It is not clear what medical care type the uninsured received, or what the insured received to be valued at about $3000/yr.

tbastian asks::::Why does no one address the issue of litigation on health care costs? This is perhaps one of the largests cost incurred by physcians and hospitals.. as well as the insurance industry itself. IF.. there is reform there ( silly suits by ambulance chasers etc.... ) a Doctor may not have to pay $120,000 a year for malpractice insurance... A hosptial pays millions for this coverage every year.

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The reason is very simple. Torts are the standard contract failure resolution in the private business world. As long as medicine remains private, with private hopsitals and physicians all practicing as private entities, and private health insurance, then they will have to accept the market consequences of torts when their business transactions go awary.

Lets put it simply. When you have a surgeon do a surgery, under the current set up, they are contracting privately with you to do a service at a certain standard. As a consumer, you accept this contract and pay the hefty price accordingly. If the contract terms of service and quality are not met, then as in any other contractual obligation, you sue to get made whole.

That's called business, and we are always being told how medicine is a business.

What always amazes me is that so many seems to think in health care, that the rules should be different. Private practitioners should have all the profits, but pay none of the costs assicated with the risks.

Basically, all tort reform is is a cry that we should let the government interfere to protect the providers' profits, but never the consumers' well being.

By bringing up tort costs, and they are high, you demonstrate one more reason why private medicine is not the solution.

Did it ever occur to you why torts are such a small issue in countries with nationalized care? Because there is little need for it.

If you want tort reform, then you have to stop running health care as a for profit only business. Torts will disappear on their own.

All the right-wingers who believe 'gov't can't run anything well' and therefore oppose a public healthcare option tend to laud the great performance of our military and intelligence services. But aren't these institutions run by the government?

I posted the numbers above. So let's live the life of an uninsured patient.

I have posted aspects of this story as it has unfolded. Yard Guy fell off a pickup truck, or fell off his bike. A week later his shoulder still hurt him. Visual diagnosis based on the shoulder lump, broken collar bone. He goes to doctor, about $90. Suspects a broken collar bone. Does he need a ride to hospital? Volunteer fire department ambulance takes him and leaves ($500). Hospital takes x-ray (radiologist $80) Hospital ($450). Yup, it is broken. You need physical therapy. Go home with your broken collar bone. Total cost is more than $1000 and nothing was done, he still has a broken collar bone sticking up about an inch. He may never pay this money, the providers will get government subsidies for providing healthcare to the uninsured.

If we truly want to get the greed incentives out of healthcare in this country, we need to get insurance companies out of our healthcare system. Single Payer is the ONLY way to do this and is proven to work well in many civilized countries around the world.

Please take three minutes to send three FREE faxes to a long list of legislators plus the President.

http://www.1payer.net/faxapp/

If you take profit out of healthcare, you will also take away the motivation to BECOME a doctor (please, do you really think that it's 'all about making people healthy?) Doctors have to jump through lots of expensive hoops just to BECOME doctors....these smart people will have to jump through less hoops to become successful in some other field.

Let's see...what will we get with LESS doctors and MORE patients (under the "everyone is insured" plan)?

RATIONING.

Rationing is about more than just what treatments will be allowed in the hospital room or doctor's office...it's also about how many available physicians are in your area to accomodate all the patients that need specific services. Longer wait times to be seen IS a form of rationing.

Google the Wait Time Alliance...an organization in Canada that has put out a timely report on wait times for specific procedures in Canada...could be our future if single-payer advocates get their wish...

A survey from CDC shows that there are more than 550,000 people joined the std dating site positivefishes.com and the number are increasing by hundreds everyday... It's not to bad, right ? At least it can prevent the stds spreading by providing such a dating site for stds users.

Much of the high cost of health care today comes in the form of expensive tests requiring specialized equipment (e.g. CT scans, MRIs, etc.). The cost of this equipment, and the anticipation that maintenance and upgrades will be regularly needed, requires that the manufacturers, purchasers and operators of this equipment charge consumers, insurers and our government exhorbitant fees. This would seem to be one area where government health intervention would be welcomed by all. The government's purchasing power could be used to buy these machines (probably get at least a hundred for the price of one B-1 bomber) and charge nominal fees for their operation and upkeep, thus saving millions in current billing costs.