Health Care Reform Theater

http://gawker.com/5657264/daschle-public-option-was-secretly-nixed-early-in-health-care-debate

Soooo.... A Public Option was NEVER really an option.

And the Douchebag Of The Year Award goes to....

Reform and Change

"Health insurance reform" is here.

Now pay up bitches, or be fined.

whuh?

heyyyyy.... helloooooooooo.

i think health care reform dropped off of the national radar.

i guess now it's up to private industry to do what our government refuses to do with Public Policy.

Time for Silicon Valley to improve and annihilate Traditional Medicine like it's done every other industry it's touched.

bill passes Senate

The Senate passes health care bill.

Except that, having removed the public option to appease conservative Democrats, it is now just a regulatory/oversight thing - a police action.

And as various examples in society demonstrate --- the economic mess on Wall Street and main street, the mess on the fronts of two foreign wars --- our government does a piss-poor job of policing and regulating.

It is essentially rewarding the insurance industry for a badly done job by forcing millions of additional Americans to purchase coverage from those same "health care providers" who have showed a knack for murder and financial profit.

A public option would have helped to keep insurance companies in check by allowing market forces to have a balancing effect. If a public plan can run with about 10% or less administrative costs, private insurance would have to stop ripping off consumers and compete on a value basis.

Not unlike TARP, another victory of Socialism for the rich.

A more in depth rundowm here.

Health Care Reform update

Congress is still creeping slowly "forward" on the health care bill.

The 800-pound gorilla, a Public Option, is still not an option as Republicans want to protect the Health Insurance Industry Death-Quickening-and-leading-cause-of-personal-bankruptcy-sucking-away-at-the-life-essence-of-our-Nation Industry in our "free market".

Protect Insurance Company Profits

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Robery Reich on the Public Option

Mr. Reich sounds as if he's addressing 2-year-old children. Which is sort of accurate.

The HR676 petition is here.

choose death

Republicans still blocking each and every health care reform bill in congress.

How is it that Republicans find it easy to spend money on War, but difficult to correct the horrific overspending-and-under-service of the health care system?

The GOP's new Motto should be: "When in doubt, choose death"

1/2 of current health care costs are wasteful

This is the broken system that certain conservative party-liners seek to preserve with crass smoke and mirrors disinformation tactics.

Health Insurance as Investment

If you viewed health insurance through the eyes of a finance professional, what kind of investment would it be?

Felix Salmon, in his blog post Conditional probabilities and evil insurers, sees it as a risky one... you have about a 50% chance of collecting (and a 50% chance of getting nothing) if you get really sick.

"if you’re making a series of small payments now on the grounds that you will be paid a large sum of money if something bad happens, you’re running some large and unhedgeable counterparty risk"

The Taunter article (unconscionable math) which he refers to is a clear analysis of health insurer's rescission methods. ie - real and sad and borderline criminal.

The simple numbers of Universal Health Care

The real numbers here: Healthcare costs in U.S. vs. rest of world.

UK, France and Germany... all have universal health care, the "European-style Socialism" feared by U.S. Conservatives.

Those nations pay less than $4000 per capita for health care. In the U.S. it's nearly $7000 per capita (with over 40 million people falling through the big "not-covered" crack.)

Conservatives in Europe look at America's health care shenanigans and wonder what brand of crack we're all smoking. Universal health care doesn't appear to be offensive to even the most conservative of folk on the other side of the pond.

Let's review:
1) Twice the $$$ per capita goes into the U.S. health care system, but many citizens aren't given access to that health care, and those that do have access/coverage can have it rescinded for any odd reason.

2) Universal health care (UK/France/Germany) costs half as much per capita than the U.S. and no one is refused care.

Now... how exactly is Universal Public Health Care worse?

How does universal health care work?

In Europe, Health Care is a basic human right.

In America, Freedom of Speech and the right to bear arms is covered. We got that whole "life, liberty, pursuit of happiness" thing... whatever that means.

But Health Care is a commodity in the U.S., not a basic human right.

What America doesn't want but desperately needs is Universal Health Care. Hear David Sedaris on French health care (Real Audio File). A view from the inside. From NPR's Morning Edition - August 15, 2000

Sadly, the Asshole Health Insurance Cabal and it's 30% skim will likely continue, except with a new infusion of funding from your tax dollars. Thanks Obama. More Socialism for the Rich.

and the horse you rode in on

Nancy Pelosi tears the insurance industry a new one .

“They are the villains in this. They have been part of the problem in a major way. They have been doing everything in their power to stop a public option from happening. The public has to know that. They can describe their arguments any way they want, but the fact is they don’t want the competition. They don’t even want anti-trust laws. They have had a good thing going for a long time at the expense of the American people and the health of our country. Our members have to go out there ready to take on a big special interest that has not made our country healthier and have made our cost spiral upward and for whom that is coming to an end.”

Rein in insane health costs

Former U.S. controller general David M. Walker says, "Rein in insane health costs" before dumping more money into a broken system.

"If there's one thing that can bankrupt our nation, it's health care costs. Health care reform must do more than add a wing on a house that is structurally flawed"

"Rein in insane health costs" - NY Daily News

flat rate health care illegal in New York

Not-overcharging for primary health care is apparently illegal in the state of New York. At least that is what State Insurance Regulators say.

Reuters article here

I guess they didn't get their  bribe  cut of the profits.

When things like this happen, the words "conspiracy" and "monopoly" and "asshole health insurance cabal" come to mind.

I don't see the problem. It clearly states on AMG's website: "this is not insurance".

Stick that in yer pipe and smoke it, ya overreaching bureaucratic dinosaurs.

$79 unlimited preventative care in NYC: AMG Medical Group