Loganotron » healthcare

10 Immediate Benefits of HCR

logan — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:07:10 +0000

I’m not a huge fan of the healthcare reform that is about to pass Congress. Without a public option, it’s just a huge handout to medical corporate interests (via the individual mandate) with a sprinkling of good stuff for the little guys (citizens). It seems now that we progressives begrudgingly support it only to hold on to a slight majority in both houses of Congress so that we might live to fight another day on other important topics (fat chance!).

That being said, one of the things that has irked me the most about the proposed healthcare bill is the delayed effect of the most important provisions by two, four, and six years. So, I was glad to see this today from Rep. John Larson, listing the Top 10 Immediate Benefits of Health Care Reform:

* Prohibit pre-existing condition exclusions for children in all new plans;
* Provide immediate access to insurance for uninsured Americans who are uninsured because of a pre-existing condition through a temporary high-risk pool;

* Prohibit dropping people from coverage when they get sick in all individual plans;

* Lower seniors prescription drug prices by beginning to close the donut hole;

* Offer tax credits to small businesses to purchase coverage;

* Eliminate lifetime limits and restrictive annual limits on benefits in all plans;

* Require plans to cover an enrollee’s dependent children until age 26;

* Require new plans to cover preventive services and immunizations without cost-sharing;

* Ensure consumers have access to an effective internal and external appeals process to appeal new insurance plan decisions;

* Require premium rebates to enrolees from insurers with high administrative expenditures and require public disclosure of the percent of premiums applied to overhead costs.

As the Democratic Strategist notes:

The immediate benefits Larson cites are so good, so light-years ahead of where we are now. that memorizing just five of them and sharing the information with uncommitted voters should impress many of them enough to win their support. Emphasizing them to uncommitted House members can’t hurt either.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Sen. Orrin Hatch Gets Pwned

logan — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:52:06 +0000

Start watching at about the 8:30 mark. WaPo columnist E. J. Dionne totally pwns Senator Hatch about reconciliation. Sweet.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

© logan for Loganotron, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: E. J. Dionne, healthcare, Senator Orrin Hatch

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Nancy Pelosi, You Rock!

logan — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:58:33 +0000

She reminds the summit that the public option would save 120 billion, that it is already law to not publicly fun abortion, and points out many other important key factual inaccuracies. Give ‘em hell, Nancy!!

© logan for Loganotron, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: healthcare, Nancy Pelosi, public option

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Republicans Preemptively Strike: The Blair House Project

logan — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:56:20 +0000

In advance of the Health Care Summit tomorrow held at The Blair House, the NRCC launched this ad. I give them points for creativity. But, with “teabaggers” and now this quote, “They’re going to ram it down our throats,” I just can’t help but feel that a bunch of horny Republicans need to get laid and relax a little.

© logan for Loganotron, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: health care, healthcare, Republicans

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Rep. John Shadegg (R) on Loss of Public Option

logan — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:54:48 +0000

Man, this guy makes a lot of sense. The Dems are idiots for losing the public option.

© logan for Loganotron, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: health care, healthcare, public option

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

If Air Travel Was Like Health Care

logan — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:06:31 +0000

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Horribly Injured Americans Against Obamacare

logan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:40:28 +0000

© logan for Loganotron, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: healthcare, Upright Citizens Brigage

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

US Healthcare Costs Compared to Other Countries

logan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:46:42 +0000

Via Boing Boing:

Four graphs created by the International Federation of Health Plans that compare how much US residents and people in other countries pay for health care. As Jay Livingston of the Montclair SocioBlog says, “Our Lipitor must be four to ten times a good as the Lipitor that Canadians take.”

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Sen. Graham: The Govt. Would Be too Good to Compete With

logan — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:01:10 +0000

“I think most people believe that if the government goes into the insurance business that the private insurers will fold because nobody can compete with the government. Politicians will write these policies very generous. They’ll never raise premiums, and eventually people in the private sector will give way to the government plan. Which is their goal, by the way.” -Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on FOX.

Um, so the government can do something better than the private sector and therefore they shouldn’t do it? That is freaking hilarious. What Senator Graham is suggesting is that Americans should settle for less; settle for a mediocre health care system because that’s the best that the private sector can provide. And, if we as a people can create a more effective and efficient system, we shouldn’t do it because what we create would be too good. Wow. Graham’s line of reasoning is just absurd. But maybe he’s right: Americans should settle for corporate mediocrity because that’s free market capitalism at its best. Hm. Fascinating.

© logan for Loganotron, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: healthcare, public option, Senator Graham

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Rachel Maddow Summarizes Health Care Options

logan — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:56:07 +0000

A very succinct explanation of the types of healthcare systems and just how conservative the public option is. Thanks Rachel!

© logan for Loganotron, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: healthcare, public option, Rachel Maddow

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Call Diane Feinstein: Urge Support for Public Option

logan — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:50:46 +0000

Here is the one thing you should do this week to help the public option pass: Call Diane Feinstein’s office.

If you live here in SF, tell Feinstein’s aide who answers the phone: “I am a constituent in the city where Senator Feinstein got her start, San Francisco. My city has health coverage for all residents. I want for all Americans what we San Franciscans have: a public option that helps to ensure the health of all citizens. Senator Feinstein has a long history of supporting health care bills. Please tell her to support the public option on my behalf. Thank you.”

Phone: (415) 393-0707 or email the Senator here.

Feinstein and health care:
Feinstein skeptical on cost of public option

Feinstein’s solid record on health care

Feinstein’s stated position on health care issues

© logan for Loganotron, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Diane Feinstein, healthcare, public option

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

LOLChrist on Healthcare

logan — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:37:28 +0000

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Public Option as American as Apple Pie

logan — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:13:57 +0000

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Progressives Put Pressure on Reid Over Public Option

logan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:53:43 +0000

I make this pledge today: If Reid does not stand up for the public option in the Senate, I will not financially support him in his reelection next year. If he takes a bold stand and gets a public option into the Senate bill, I will donate money to Mr. Reid’s reelection campaign. Simple enough.

© logan for Loganotron, 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Harry Reid, healthcare, public option, Senate

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Republicans for Healthcare Reform

logan — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:02:04 +0000

Bob Dole recently gave a speech in which he supported healthcare reform: “This is one of the most important measures members of Congress will vote on in their lifetimes,” Dole said, according to the Kansas City Star. “I want this to pass… I don’t agree with everything Obama is presenting, but we’ve got to do something.”

Other Republicans who’ve endorsed healthcare reform are:
Bill Frist (former Republican Senate leader)
Tommy Thompson (former Gov of Wisconsin and Bush’s HHS Secretary)
Mike Bloomberg (Republican turned Independent Mayor of NYC)

Salon.com has a good analysis of why and how these endorsements might matter:

“None of that is likely to make any difference in terms of attracting votes from Republicans in Congress now, of course. The current GOP caucus in both the House and Senate has made it clear that’s not in the cards. But the more support from prominent Republicans the legislation draws, the likelier it is that independent voters watching from home will feel comfortable with the reform proposals. And the more comfortable voters are with the reform proposals, the more comfortable moderate Democrats will be. So expect to hear quite a bit about all these various endorsements as the legislation moves along.”

© logan for Loganotron, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: healthcare, healthcare reform, Republicans

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh