Health Care Debate

[James48843]

The Health Care Debate is about to begin.

==========================
Dear MoveOn member,

Urgent update on health care: Next week, Congress will begin making the actual decisions about what'll be in a health care reform bill.

Meanwhile, conservative groups have launched a new assault on the president's proposal, including a million-dollar ad campaign claiming that health care will be rationed and "bureaucrats" will "decide the treatments you receive."1

If real people like us don't get involved in this health care fight now, it could all fall apart. So we're holding an emergency online briefing on Monday night at 9 p.m. ET with Dr. Howard Dean to make sure we're all ready for the fight ahead, called "What we all need to know to win on health care this year."

If fixing our health care system is important to you, this is an event you shouldn't miss. All you need to join in is a computer with an internet connection. Can you join us?

Here are the details:

What: Emergency Online Briefing with Dr. Howard Dean (Organized by MoveOn and Democracy for America)

When: Monday, May 4, 9 p.m. ET/ 8 CT/ 7 MT/ 6 PT

Where: MoveOn.org's web site


Last time Democrats tried to pass comprehensive health care reform, it failed. And it failed in part because the opposition was better organized and spread a bunch of lies that progressives weren't prepared to rebut.

It's up to us to not let that happen again. This time, we all need to be well-armed with the critical information to keep the right from blocking change. Dr. Dean will give us an inside look at the battle for real health care reform—and the secrets about what it'll take to achieve a historic victory.

With a key Senate committee meeting on Tuesday to start shaping legislation—plus the right wing's escalating attacks—this couldn't be more urgent.

I'll be part of the emergency briefing, and I really hope you can join me at this crucial moment.

Thanks for all you do.

–Justin, Matt, Anna, Joan and the rest of the team


P.S. On Monday night, click here to listen in:
http://www.moveon.org/drdean?id=16038-4879197-T7j7TUx&t=7

(http://www.moveon.org/drdean?id=16038-4879197-T7j7TUx&t=7)
Sources:
1. "Group launches health care offensive," Politico, March 3, 2009
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19542.html

=================================================

Will health care reform really happen this time?

It's up to you to make a difference.

[KevinD]

If fixing our health care system is important to you,


Remind me again whats wrong that needs to be "fixed"? Seriously...I'd like to know.

Is it the cost? Availability of medical care? Availability of medical insurance? Corporate greed?

[XL-entLady]

Remind me again whats wrong that needs to be "fixed"? Seriously...I'd like to know.


I just refilled 5 medications yesterday. It cost me $430. A close relative has MS and she pays almost $25,000 a year out of pocket for just one of her meds. And we both have good federal insurances.

My daughter, who has serious medical problems, had to do without medications for a year while her husband was self-employed, because they could not afford any medical insurance and she couldn't afford her medication.

A relative who works in the medical industry says he spends more time filling out legally mandated paperwork (often duplicate information but for different agencies) than he does seeing patients.

When I travel away from home, I have to ensure that I carry tons of medical papers, films and MRI copies with me when I travel. Because in this electronic age we still don't have a central medical information network for health care professionals, and my medical issues mean that if I have a problem there may not be time to hunt up my family physician and have him explain things to a doctor not familiar with my health history.

Those are the things I can think of just off the top of my head. Anyone else want to chime in with some of the many things I've forgotten?

Lady

[wwwtractor]

https://www.google.com/health/ One online place to store personal health records.

[XL-entLady]

https://www.google.com/health/ One online place to store personal health records.
Now that is interesting. I'll look into it. How many on the MB are using it now? I'm always the last to learn these thing. :cheesy:

I was actually looking for something that is a "go to" place for doctors without any input from the patient - like a national repository available only to medical professionals, with records of who accesses it and when, and with great security. And world peace. :p There's a fair chance that if I need medical attention I won't be able to tell the doctor about my issues myself. I guess I could get a medical bracelet that gave the website, or something like that though.

Thanks for the info, tractor!

Lady

[wwwtractor]

As a nurse at the VA Hospital, I have access to my patient's records from other VA Hospitals and DOD. It is helpful, for instance, when you get a patient who comes with no relatives and who can not speak.

[wwwtractor]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/04/obama-to-veterans-.html Obama on Veterans Healthcare

[McDuck]

If real people like us don't get involved in this health care fight now, it could all fall apart. So we're holding an emergency online briefing on Monday night at 9 p.m. ET with Dr. Howard Dean to make sure we're all ready for the fight ahead, called "What we all need to know to win on health care this year."

Here are the details:

What: Emergency Online Briefing with Dr. Howard Dean (Organized by MoveOn and Democracy for America)



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[James48843]

Socialized medicine:

The best health care anywhere:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2005/0501.longman.html

An extract:

"...the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine published a study that compared veterans health facilities on 11 measures of quality with fee-for-service Medicare. On all 11 measures, the quality of care in veterans facilities proved to be "significantly better."

Here's another curious fact. The Annals of Internal Medicine recently published a study that compared veterans health facilities with commercial managed-care systems in their treatment of diabetes patients. In seven out of seven measures of quality, the VA provided better care.

It gets stranger. Pushed by large employers who are eager to know what they are buying when they purchase health care for their employees, an outfit called the National Committee for Quality Assurance today ranks health-care plans on 17 different performance measures. These include how well the plans manage high blood pressure or how precisely they adhere to standard protocols of evidence-based medicine such as prescribing beta blockers for patients recovering from a heart attack.

Winning NCQA's seal of approval is the gold standard in the health-care industry. And who do you suppose this year's winner is: Johns Hopkins? Mayo Clinic? Massachusetts General? Nope. In every single category, the VHA system outperforms the highest rated non-VHA hospitals."

Read for yourself- the triumph of America's VA Health Care system- "socialized medicine" at it's best.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2005/0501.longman.html

[James48843]

From:

http://www.onmylist.com/category/politics/Things_that_should_be_socialized_1 (http://www.onmylist.com/category/politics/Things_that_should_be_socialized_1)






Things that should be socialized.

Introduction

So many people bash socialized medicine, and seem to believe that anyone who favors any type of socialized services is.......well, a socialist. So, I invite you to turn off Rush Limbaugh, and Fox Noise for a few minutes and consider services that should be socialized.






1

National defense. (Already socialized)

Yeah, I really don't want to have to count the private sector to fight wars, and chase terrorists. http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.onmylist.com/list_item_images/16467/f16_list_view.jpg



2

Local police, state police, and federal police. (Already socialized)

I don't want to have to hire a private contractor to guard my house, police my streets, or catch terrorists. Private Bounty Hunters may have been ok in 1870. Professional public safety officers do a better job today.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.onmylist.com/list_item_images/16472/cruiser2_list_view.jpg





3

Building highways. (Already socialized)

It would be tough if HMO stood for "highway maintenance organization," and some CFO told you that fixing pot holes on your street was elective and not covered by your plan. http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.onmylist.com/list_item_images/16479/Highway_list_view.jpg

[James48843]

4

Fire protection (Already socialized)

Needs to be paid for with tax dollars, because I guarantee you can't afford what it actually costs to put out a fire at your house. What if you called, and were told your policy wasn't covered, and, oh yeh, they won't come today, to take care of your fire in the kitchen, because now it is a "pre-existing condition".
http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.onmylist.com/list_item_images/16486/South-on-OverlandColor_list_view.jpg






5

Water and sewer service. (Already socialized)

Again, you really couldn't afford to build your own water treatment plant or wastewater treatment plant.Would you really want to?
http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.onmylist.com/list_item_images/16493/Athens_1_list_view.jpg







6

Public schools. (Already socialized)

America's public schools were the model for the rest of the world, and made this country great. Now cheap right wingers want the rest of us to help pay for their kid's religious school, because we all know "America's schools are failing" and we can't have precious little Tyler going to school with blacks, and hispanics, or poor people. No, that wouldn't work at all, now would it? http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.onmylist.com/list_item_images/16500/school_list_view.jpg

[James48843]

7
Parks. (Already socialized)

Feel free to spiffy up your yard till your heart's content, but do we really want Halliburton running Yellowstone, or Yosemite. Or Blackwater giving the guided tour of Hoover Dam, Mount Rushmore, or the Grand Canyon?
http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.onmylist.com/list_item_images/16507/Mirror_Lake___Yosemite_list_view.jpg







8

Air traffic control. (Already socialized)

Do I really need to explain this one? http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.onmylist.com/list_item_images/16526/air_traffic_list_view.jpg








9

Health care. (Not currently socialized.)

The number 1 cause cited by folks who declare bankruptcy is medical bills. This cannot happen in any other civilized country on earth.

If everyone who has health insurance paid even 50% of what they now pay to the government, instead of Humana; and that was combined with Medicare, Medicaid, and all other money we are now spending and we went to a single payer plan, we would have the best health care in the world. Period.

RAANT, will you please do a list about Canadian healthcare.
Nobody believes me when I talk about how good it is. http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.onmylist.com/list_item_images/16538/stooges_list_view.jpg

[James48843]

10
Every day mail delivery. (Already socialized)

God Bless the USPS.

Some dude comes to my house, pick up a letter to my daughter, and delivers it to her door two days later, for only $0.42. Amazing.

They not only produce all of the stamps, they make some of them so cool people just collect them. http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.onmylist.com/list_item_images/16531/stamps_list_view.jpg




11

Minting money. (Already socialized)

Gotta love the U.S. mint. They not only produce all of the money, they make some of it so cool people just collect it.

I collect gold and silver coinage. http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.onmylist.com/list_item_images/16521/gold_eagle_2001_0B_list_view.jpg


Yes, it's time to complete the list, and fix health care, with a good dose of socialism, ala the Veterans Administration model of superior health care for an affordable price.

America needs it.

[XL-entLady]

Amen and hallelujah!

Before I retired, I worked for an agency on your "already socialized" list. Every time there was an A76 contracting-out competition, we were able to demonstrate all over again that private entities could not do it better or cheaper than it was already being done.

I don't know what the answer is on health care. All I know is that I'm a retired government employee with very good insurance, and my health problems make my health care so expensive that my medical bills top my substantial mortgage payment.

Carry that equation out into a couple of decades as my mortgage stays the same, my retirement check grows by a pittance, and my health care costs continue their double digit rises, and I'm going to be living on macaroni and cheese for the rest of my life unless health care costs can be brought under control.

Lady

[Viva La Migra]

4

Public schools. (Already socialized)

America's public schools were the model for the rest of the world, and made this country great. Now cheap right wingers want the rest of us to help pay for their kid's religious school, because we all know "America's schools are failing" and we can't have precious little Tyler going to school with blacks, and hispanics, or poor people. No, that wouldn't work at all, now would it?
I resent this remark. Why does everything have to come down to a racial issue? There's nothing racially motivated by a parent's desire to send their child to a better performing school. Social promotions, lack of discipline, and poor parenting are the reasons public schools are failing. It has nothing to do with racism.

And yes, my kids do go to public school. The difference is my wife and I take an active role in making sure they are doing their homework and are learning something!

[Silverbird]

Did you know that Health Benefits are 1/4 of the employment expenses for corporate America? No other country makes health care an employment expense! That means, hire someone here and you have to contribute to their health care because to sign up as an individual on a health insurance plan it's usually prohibitably expensive. Health insurance companies also usually don't allow a neighborhood to sign up as a group or anyone else except employers eligibility for group rates.

Of course if the company *doesn't* offer health insurance, often their worker's can't afford it, so they don't go to the Dr. when they are sick, and may end up in the emergency room...REALLY sick.

Small Business often can't get better rates than an individual, so they can't afford to offer health insurance. But workers need health insurance, so they often will take a job somewhere else for less money for the coverage.

So in some ways our health care plan discourages hiring here in the U.S. and encourages outsourcing. :cool::suspicious:

[Viva La Migra]

Did you know that Health Benefits are 1/4 of the employment expenses for corporate America? No other country makes health care an employment expense! That means, hire someone here and you have to contribute to their health care because to sign up as an individual on a health insurance plan it's usually prohibitably expensive. Health insurance companies also usually don't allow a neighborhood to sign up as a group or anyone else except employers eligibility for group rates.

Of course if the company *doesn't* offer health insurance, often their worker's can't afford it, so they don't go to the Dr. when they are sick, and may end up in the emergency room...REALLY sick.

Small Business often can't get better rates than an individual, so they can't afford to offer health insurance. But workers need health insurance, so they often will take a job somewhere else for less money for the coverage.

So in some ways our health care plan discourages hiring here in the U.S. and encourages outsourcing. :cool::suspicious:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't employers receive tax credits for providing health benefits to their employees?