Is It Finally Time For More Than 2 Parties?

With the passage of a health reform bill over the weekend which was hardly reform, American voters have become starkly aware of the lack of choice we face from those who represent us.

The Democrats, who we trusted for “change” in 2008 are as bad or worse than the Republicans.  The health care bill the Dems passed last Saturday night is hugely expensive, will be bad for business, will raise taxes, and, worst of all, will  penalize good Americans who can’t afford a high-priced private insurance policy.  The legislation passed by Pelosi & Company goes to the extent of punishing average Americans by sending them to prison if they don’t comply with the will of the private health insurance industry!

The Republicans haven’t done any better!  They had 6 of the last 8 years to do something about the health care crisis so their criticism has, for the most part, an air of hypocrisy.

Two things are glaringly obvious about both the Democrats and the Republicans.  (1).  They both agree to disagree with each other to divide the American people into two halves; and (2).  Both parties have leaders and influential powerhouses who are in the pocket of Wall Street and big-money.

The Republicans did nothing about health care during their tenure to please the health insurance industry.  And the bill the Democrats pushed through the House is a gift to that same industry!

While it’s certain that something be done about health care, neither side has the solution.  There are good ideas coming out of both sides, but they are usually promptly shot down by the leadership of both parties.

The House will completely be up for election next year and every member will have to face voters in his or her home district.  2010 may finally see Independents and other alternative parties filling those seats!

 

CNN Tells It Like It Is About Elections

This time, all politics was local – CNN.com.

CNN published an article focusing on yesterday’s seemingly surprising election results which they summed up in four words:  ”All politics is local” – a phrase which CNN credited originally to former Speaker Tip O’Neill.

If you didn’t catch any news last night, incumbent  Governor Corzine lost his re-election in New Jersey to the Republican in spite of the fact that Obama campaigned for Democrat Corzine.  In New York’s 23rd District which is conservative, the Conservative candidate lost to the Democrat.  You will recall the controversy of the Republican candidate being forced out of that race and also out-of-state big-mouths like Sarah Palin campaigning for the Conservative, yet their guy still lost last night.

These results seem surprising only to those who don’t understand the unique character of the American People.  And to those who think that they can bring out political and/or media heavyweights to sell us on a candidate.

The CNN article is well written and makes a very important point.  But will those in Washington be listening?  If those now in Washington hope to stay in power after 2010 and 2012, they might want to carefully consider yesterday’s results and Speaker O’Neill’s insightful words.

It’s time that ALL the politicians in Washington, including Obama, realize that the results in NY’s 23rd District and New Jersey are  NOT unique.  If Washington politicos think that they can roll out big wheels on either side – be it Palin, Thompson, or even Obama himself – they may be sadly surprised by the election results.

Americans are not all the same, and we resent anyone thinking that we are!  We reject being boxed into “right or left” or “liberal or conservative” corners.  The American people are reasonable and can share a mixture of views.  Yesterday’s elections results demonstrate this.  And they also demonstrate something else too:  that the American People are waking up to machinations of big-power politics!  Those who would want to continue controlling Washington may discover that they are voted out or power in 2010 and 2012.

Americans can’t be “sold” on a politician using marketing tactics like famous celebrity endorsements and glitzy ads.  Our votes are not for sale.  Commercials, endorsements, media hype tends to turn us off.  We’ve been disappointed too many times in the past by glossy, glitzy candidates who fizzle out once elected.  We want to know what a candidate is truly for or against, who they are as people, and how strong their character is.  These are traits that can’t be boxed into a glossy PR campaign!

 

 

Single Payer System Works Everywhere Else: Why Not In America?

One of the elements of “change” that many Americans voted for was real reform for our health care system.  We voted for lawmakers who would move this country away from health insurance lobbyists and toward a health care system that is open and fair to everyone.

Some of us were hopeful that America would join the rest of the industrialized world by creating a single payer system – or a Medicare system for everyone. Sadly, it doesn’t look like real “change” we can believe in will happen.   Once again, the lobbyists in Washington, from the insurance and pharmaceutical industries as well as Wall Street, are exerting their power and control over the people we have elected.

Instead of representing us, as they are supposed to, these lawmakers choose to take funding for their ever-continuing political campaigns from corporate lobbyists who have sold their souls to keep the health insurance industry in control of the American people.  It’s no surprise that health insurers are the only private companies allowed to create and maintain monopolies (which would violate Federal anti-trust laws for any other businesses).  The health insurance industry has bought the votes of politicians – both in Washington and at the local level – to keep them unregulated and above the rules that apply to everyone else!

Congress is moving ever closer to passing a health care bill.  There is no doubt that a bill will be passed.  But, unless the American People speak up soon, and in one loud voice, the bill that finally reaches the President’s desk will only benefit the health insurance cartel.

Once the melding of the House and Senate bills takes place – most likely behind closed doors – we’ll feel and see the influence of insurance industry lobbyists:

1. Any hope for a public insurance plan or Medicare for all will be watered down or a very limited afterthought;
2. Everyone will be forced – via Federal law – to purchase a private insurance policy;
3. The insurance industry itself will be allowed to continue gouging Americans because lawmakers, who are largely funded by them, are unwilling to regulate them;
4. If there is a public plan, states will be allow to opt out of it which will be a boon to the insurance companies.  In many states, only one insurance company controls most of the market without competition.  These insurance companies, who fund local lawmakers, will influence them to opt their state out of the public plan.

Why not Medicare for all?  Why not a single payer system?  Why can’t the United States develop a viable and fair health care system for its citizens like every other major country?

There is one reason – the influence of the health insurers who will do anything to maintain their power and control.  These health insurers will buy votes to water down legislation or completely block it.  They will purchase minions who will become their mouthpieces to confuse issues, turn lies into truth, and cripple reform through propaganda.

“Public option” has become a dirty word because of propaganda.  ”Single payer” is equated to “socialism” and “communism” because of lies.

The truth is that most other developed and industrial countries have a single payer plan which is funded either publicly or privately, or a combination of both.  Nations who enjoy single payer include:

• Japan
• Israel
• Almost all of Europe
• The U.K.
• Canada
• Mexico
• See the complete list here

Another truth is that some Americans already enjoy the benefits of a single payer plan.  If you are on Medicare, you are in a single payer plan.

Ironically, some of those on Medicare, we saw this summer, were the loudest voices defending Medicare but yet shouting down the “public option” which would essentially be Medicare for all.  It’s not that these people shouting down the public plan at town hall meetings were greedy to deny others the same benefits they already enjoy.  No, not greed on their parts.  But it was a demonstration of the greed and power of influence of industry lobbyists to twist the truth and confuse the issue.

It’s time for all of us to become informed about health care and to discern the truth from the myths.  Here is a good place to start to begin debunking the lies:  healthactionnow.org.

Here are some other links:

• To learn about universal health care, single payer systems, and a list of nations currently providing single payer (including Medicare, SCHIP, & TRICARE in the U.S.):    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_health_care#United_States
• Two letters to the editor from Americans with interesting information about health care: 

 http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20090925/VIEWPOINTS03/909250301/1129/Single-payer+system+best;

and,

 http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_6967f5e2-bd40-11de-8076-001cc4c03286.html.

 

Snowe’s Sway Over Baucus Committee A Good Thing

It’s no secret that Republican Olympia Snowe holds a lot of power in the Senate.  Her power comes from her willingness to reach across the aisle and work with the Democrats who are in the majority.

Snowe is reasonable.  She works with others, she’s willing to listen and then offer her own input and ideas on issues.  She does not name call nor does she practice obstructionism.  These are differences for the Maine Senator which set her apart from most of her fellow Republicans who are becoming, it seems more so every day, increasingly fanatic and unreasonable.

No more has Snowe’s power through reasonableness been felt recently than on the Senate Finance Committee headed by Montana Democrat Senator Max Baucus.

Snowe, working with New York Senator Charles Schumer, successfully amended the Committee’s health care reform bill which has been sharply criticized by both sides for its harsh penalties, including jail time for those without insurance, to force every American to purchase private insurance without applying any cost restrictions to the insurers.

Snowe’s efforts on the panel, with this new amendment, will now soften the impact of the personal mandate requiring people to purchase private insurance.

The Snowe / Schumer Amendment, which passed the Committee 22 to 1, would reduce the penalty for a family not having insurance down to $200 starting in 2014 and go up to $800 in 2017.  It would also exempt millions who would suffer financial hardship by purchasing insurance.

This amendment also overturns criminal penalties, including jail time, for not purchasing insurance.

“The obligation should be first and foremost on the United States government to ensure that these plans will be affordable in the marketplace.  It surprises me that we would have these high-level penalties on the average American when we have have no certainty about whether or not these plans will be affordable.  I just don’t understand why there’s this impetus to punish people,” Snowe said according to the NY Times.

Read this:  Panel Finishes Work on Health Bill Amendments – NYTimes.com.

 

New Progressive Memo Sent Around Hill Warns Against Finance Committee Health Care

Let’s hope that this memo gets through to those Senators on the Finance Committee. We need healthcare reform in this country but a giveaway to private insurance companies, requiring everyone to purchase their product, with no other choice, is not the way to go!
Most Americans – left, right, or somewhere in between, realize this, that the greed and abuses of private insurance companies are why we need reform now. But enriching these insurance – through a private mandate – WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE (like a public option) will do absolutely nothing to force these companies to change. That’s why we need the public option to compete against them.
Lawmakers need to get their acts together and work through the problems regarding the public option.
One of the major sticking points against the public option is its potential cost to the taxpayers. That’s a real concern, and it should not be on the back of the taxpayers.
The public option shouldn’t be taxpayer funded…it should be self-supporting, meaning that an individual choosing it would have to pay a premium for it just like with a private plan.
If lawmakers can put together a self-supporting public option – which will require people to purchase it and pay premiums, the same as they would do with a private insurance policy – this plan would probably be acceptable across the board.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

 

McConnell Calls Out Baucus on “Gag Order”

Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell calls Senate Finance Chair Max Baucus out for influencing the government's decision to gag insurers. Baucus plan will cut Medicare Advantage program over 10 years.

Painting a threatening picture for American freedom in the future if a company (or an individual for that matter) “disagrees with a powerful Senator,” Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell sharply rebuked fellow Senator Max Baucus for his influence in a government decision to prohibit health insurers from providing their Medicare customers with information about how the proposed reform legislation will impact or cut their Medicare benefits.

Without referring to the Montana Democrat directly by name, but instead calling Baucus “the Chairman’s Mark” (a direct reference to Baucus’ controversial Finance Committee bill), Republican McConnell accused Baucus of violations of the First Amendment “to squelch free speech.”

Baucus’ legislation will cut Medicare Advantage benefits if it becomes law.

Humana, a provider based in McConnell’s home state of Kentucky, sent out letters to its Medicare customers warning of the cuts to their benefits if the Baucus bill passes Congress and is signed into law.

Baucus urged what he called “scare tactics” to stop and, on Monday, CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), which oversees Medicare, ordered an investigation of Humana and also warned other insurers about mailings to their customers about proposed healthcare legislation.

Although CMS says it was already investigating Humana before Baucus urged them to get involved, McConnell is not buying it.

“Is this what we’ve come to in America?” McConnell pressed his fellow Senators on the floor, “that any health provider that disagrees with a powerful Senator (referring to Baucus) will be treated?…to squelch free speech.”

Medicare Advantage is coverage provided for people who qualify for Medicare which comes through private providers.  Under Baucus’ program, this popular program will be sharply cut back, denying those who already have it or want it.  So much for the Democrats’ claim that “if you like what you have, you’ll be able to keep it.”

 

Baucus Plan Finally Here But It’s Not Likely To Have Support From Either Side

Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D – Montana) finally released his long-awaited version of health care reform.  The 233-page document was supposed to be a bipartisan effort but, so far, is not generating any Republican support and, if anything, has only added fuel to the fiery debate on both sides of the aisle as the Democratic base will probably not be happy with this plan either.

The Baucus plan creates private insurance exchanges at the State level rather than a public option, a major break with core Democrats who are demanding a public option.

The Baucus model also expands Medicaid coverage for lower-income individuals and families who are not elderly and not yet eligible for Medicare.

Without a public option, Baucus’ plan will force American citizens and legal residents to purchase insurance from a private company; this mandate will penalize those who do not obtain insurance by hitting the uninsured with an excise tax, the fine varying according to income level.

President Obama has indicated that he would prefer a plan that brings together Democrats and Republicans and, therefore, has minimized the importance of the public option.  But, by insisting on a bipartisan bill, Obama risks losing his base and the support of many in his own party.

By caving on the public option, Obama and Baucus are giving into the special interests who want total control of America’s health care:  these big-money special interests contribute to members of Congress, including Baucus,  to influence legislation and a Federal Law requiring every adult citizen to purchase their products (or be punished by a penalty tax) would be exactly the kind of  ”reform” these special interests would want!

Obama – and Baucus too – need to realize that the Republicans aren’t going to agree with anything the Democrats do, no matter what.  It’s obvious they’re the party of “no” and have no ideas or options of their own.

The problem is that, by playing into Republican demands in the spirit of bipartisanship to look like they’re willing to work with them, Obama and Baucus risk having a final bill which, worse than just watered-down, will actually be worse for Americans than the current health-care mess we have now!

Americans voted for Obama and the Dems because the majority of us wanted reform and to clean up the mess created by special interests and big money in health-care, banking, and other industries.

If Obama doesn’t stand firm here – requiring the public option so that we have real reform – this will send a signal, not just to the Republicans, but to special interests, that his administration will cave into manipulation, propaganda, and oppostion.  This will ruin any future reform in banking, the environment, energy, or anything else.

Due for markup beginning on September 22, this will definitely not be the final Senate bill; each part of this bill will be debated and voted on; these sections will either be amended, accepted, or removed.  Read the plan for yourself.  The Democrats should scrap most of this bill and go back to basics with or without the Republicans!  Put in the public option or, better yet, create a single payer system!

Link to Baucus Plan:  pdf file – Chairman’s Mark America’s Healthy Future Act 2009: NY Times

Technorati Tags: Baucus,Baucus Plan,health-care reform,healthcare

 

Iowa’s Harkin Is Positive About Health Care Reform Passage

Senator Tom Harkin  is sure that Congress will have a health care reform bill on the President’s desk which will include a public option “before we go home for Christmas,” according to the Associated Press.

The Iowa Democrat told reporters on Sunday that a “silent majority” are in favor of real health care reform which includes a public option.

Harkin is picking up the baton for the late Senator Ted Kennedy in the Senate, according to the Boston Herald, replacing Kennedy as the Chair for the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Commitee.

Links:  1.  The Associated Press: Harkin: `Silent majority’ back health care reform.

2.  BostonHerald.com:  Tom Harkin to fill Ted Kennedy’s Senate health-care role.

 

It’s Time For Obama to Step Up For Real Healthcare Reform

It was the dream of Senator Ted Kennedy that every American have qualilty health care.  And it’s no secret that Kennedy put his faith behind Barack Obama to get it done (remember that Kennedy “passed the torch” to Obama during the 2008 Democratic Convention).

Now, with the passing of Senator Kennedy, President Obama must step up to the plate to get healthcare reform done.  To do this, he’s going to have to unite Democrats by using his leadership to honor the life-long dream of Kennedy.

The only way to really to provide healthcare for every American is with a single payer system.  Democrats must get together to stand up to the myths and propaganda created by healthcare industry lobbyists.  They must also be ready to stand up to Republicans especially in the Senate (let them filibuster and make a spectacle of themselves in front of the nation if necessary!).

The United States is the only modern developed nation in the world that doesn’t provide healthcare for its citizens through a single payer system.  The reason we don’t is because too many of our lawmakers are intimidated by big-money healthcare industry interests.  If the Dems compromise on this issue by dumping the public option or by requiring all Americans to buy a private insurance plan (or be penablized through taxes), the American people will become the pawns of these big-money interests who will be forever more enriched at our expense.

With President Obama’s leadership and Democratic majority in both Houses of Congress, Americans can free themselves of healthcare lobbyists who are only interested in bottom line profit if – and only if – President Obama leads the way and the Democrats stand united, tough, and strong.

House bill HR 676 and its Senate equivalent S 703 will provide quality healthcare for all of us.  By clicking the links you can read these bills for yourself (online or download the pdf).  For those who want to keep their private insurance, they can opt out of these plans (similar to people who send their kids to private school and opt out of universal education).

Read this for more information:  Hudson Reporter – Support single payer health care.

 

Obama Acknowledges That HC Reform Will Be Difficult

“The easiest thing to do for a politician is to do nothing,” President Obama told supporters today during a health care forum which was streamed live on the Internet (see previous post).

Obama is not opting for making it easy on himself as he admitted that he will stand up to opponents who are trying to stand in the way of his efforts to reform health care.  He encouraged his supporters to do the same saying, “We’re gonna get this done one way or the other.”

In an obvious reference to Fox News, Obama reminded supporters of “that one tv news channel” which has been a major source of misinformation through commentators such as Glenn Beck and others.

Obama also came back against recent criticism that he is taking the public option off the table and that hc reform will provide insurance for illegals.

He cited both cases as examples of misinformation.