Healthcare Bill Inches Forward

It looks as though the Healthcare bill showdown will be next week. I have reached a point where I almost don't care anymore. I just want it over. I'm thinking the House is closer to passing the Senate bill and sending it to President Obama for his signature than it may seem, which means they are in agreement on Reconciliation, too. I think this because President Obama has put off his trip to Asia for a few days, and I don't think he'd do that if things were still uncertain.

Now, Sen. Dick Durbin says the Senate has the votes to pass the Public Option in the Reconciliation bill. But, he wants the house to put it in their bill first, or it won't be in the Senate bill. Oh, for pity's sake! All this "after you, Alfonse" is getting old. speaker Pelosi says she doesn't have the votes for the Public Option, and here we go again. Aaaaaarrrrrrgh!

I have an idea. Why not present a bill with nothing but the Public Option, have an up or down vote in the House and see what happens? Then, if there are truly enough votes in the Senate, the bill will pass, and the Reconciliation Bill can be passed separately. Simple, no? Apparently not.

If the members of the House won't pass a Public Option, it is obviously because they simply can't bring themselves to jeopardize all that lovely money they are getting from the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Time to e-mail your Representatives, again.

It's time to "git 'er done!"

Stay tuned.

Watching and Waiting

I realize I haven't said much about health care reform lately, and that was on purpose. I have been greatly amused by the waffling and posturing by the Democrats. What they are doing is trying to figure out how to pass their bill without losing all that lovely money from the health care industry. I think what they would really like is to pass a bill without anyone knowing about it. Then, in a few months someone could say, "Looky what I found in the archives! A health care bill!" Then, they could sit back and listen to the howling, moaning, screaming and threats from the Republicans, and the thundering applause from the rest of the country. After that, they could begin to build on that bill and, finally, have a bill that actually helps the people, instead of the lobbyists.

OK, OK, I have too much time on my hands, so I occasionally lapse into flights of fancy. I usually enjoy those flights, but this one has been a pretty bumpy ride. It has run the emotional gambit from excitement to disappointment to disgust and, finally, to my decision never to vote again.

I have been particularly disappointed in my state's senators and one particular congressman, to the point of letting the senators know, in no uncertain terms, that they needn't expect my vote the next time they're up for election. The congressman isn't from my district, but that doesn't mean that I can't urge his constituents to vote the b *****d out. The congressman from my district is a Republican, so he has never gotten my vote, anyway. All right. You don't have to remind me that I just declared, in the previous paragraph, that I would never vote again. Let's not nitpick.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln is fighting for her political life and, has suddenly realized that there is a big part of Arkansas north of Little Rock and has been seen all over the place up here lately. She has never had to worry about us before, because she was strong enough not to need us. So, she just always blew us off, turning down all invitations to campaign up here, and, therefore, neglecting to help any of our local candidates get elected. This has gone on throughout her career. Don't think we're not enjoying her discomfort this year.

Mark Pryor isn't up for re-election this year, but, I have to admit that I just don't know where he is coming from. I have to conclude that his father, David, didn't have much of an influence on him. Either that, or he never got over that phase we all go through in our teens when we do whatever we can to not be like dear old Dad or Mom. A case of arrested development, perhaps. Also, he has allowed himself to be influenced by that "C Street" group of lawmakers that purport to be "good Christians," while they say their prayers, accept Million$ from lobbyists and run around on their wives. So, he didn't get my vote in the last election and he won't get it when I don't vote in the next one. So there.

Anyway, be sure to watch President Obama's funfest on C-Span tomorrow, starting at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. It should be a riot.

Stay tuned.

News Tidbits

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright,
Who are you sleeping with tonight?
So far, you have your choice of ten,
But, one of them won't be Elin.

Well, I'm shocked, shocked, I say! O.K. I lied. I'm not shocked at all. No wonder he tried so hard to keep his private life private. But, to no avail. Every morning brings a new bimbo eruption. Wonder what it's all going to cost him, and we're still waiting with bated breath to see if there are any little Tiger cubs running around with little toy golf clubs.

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Sarah Palin has been in the area in the past week. She was in Springfield, MO, Branson, MO and Fayetteville, AR. I haven't read her book, and I don't plan to. If I want to know anything about it, I can just read the blog of Margaret and Helen. Helen is reviewing the book.

I continue to be amazed at how many people are taken in by Former Governor Palin's lies. She flies in to an area on a borrowed corporate jet, gets off and boards a bus, which she rides a few miles into the town and pulls up at the bookstore or mall where she signs books for two hours. If you want an autographed picture, you'll have to pay for it. She does nothing for free these days. And, people follow just like sheep, believing everything she says.

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Do you remember, a few years ago, when there was a rash of break-ins at Buckingham Palace, and the Queen woke up a few mornings to find a stranger in her boudoir - or at least close to it? We got such a big kick out of that. Ho, ho, ha, ha, ha, all that security, and one of her faithful subjects decides to have morning tea with Her Majesty. How could that happen. Ha, ha, ha, ha.

It isn't so funny when people manage to waltz into a State Dinner uninvited in this country, is it?

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The members of the Senate want to have it both ways on Healthcare Reform, it seems. They want to pass a bill, but they don't want to give up the million$ of dollar$ they get from the insurance, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. That's why it's taking so long. So, we'll probably see a bill that's cobbled together with half-measures and that leaves out several million Americans.

Then, it goes back to the House of Representatives, where it is merged, somehow, with their bill and what we finally get will be a fine mess, but it'll be a start. Hope springs eternal.

Stay tuned.

It Ought To Be Easy

Achieving healthcare reform could be so easy, if it weren't for our elected officials, i.e. the House and Senate.

In a perfect world (MY perfect world, that is) we would have Universal Healthcare, single payer, administered through Medicare. Think about it. We could:

1. Do away with Medicaid, because it wouldn't be needed any more. $$$$ saved. And there are about 50 Governors who would heave a sigh of relief because they wouldn't have to fool with it. Forget the States Rights argument. The states would save $$$$.

2. Insurance companies would still sell supplemental insurance, probably to everybody, because then people could afford it and would still need it. They would also sell Dental and Vision policies, because, probably, Medicare wouldn't pay those, since it sure doesn't now.

3. Do away with Medicare Part D because prescriptions would be covered by the all encompassing Medicare plan. More $$$$ saved.

4. It wouldn't actually expand government because we wouldn't be creating yet another bureaucracy by having a separate healthcare program to be funded and administered by different people, thus saving more $$$$.

5. People would be allowed to go on Medicare earlier, possibly at age 55. Premiums wouldn't be as costly as private insurance, and the $$$$ would all go to Medicare. And, yes, we would all have to pay our share through premiums, just as we do now, only they would be much lower. A free healthcare system is just a pipe dream.

6. The Senate and House of Representatives would be on the same plan as Medicare recipients. Then, we could stop whining about them getting something better than we do. They might also be more likely to renew funding for Social Security and Medicare annually, in order to protect their own healthcare.

7. There would be no more "borrowing" from Social Security to pay for other programs, such as wars and government no-bid contracts.

8. There would be no more "donut holes" in coverage, not even in the supplemental policies.

Simple, yes?

BUT, NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! The Senators and Representatives have to posture and bloviate and obstruct and dance their little sidesteps, They don't care about "the people" they represent.
They care about the special interest groups that keep their pocketbooks and pockets well filled.

So, we have what we have now. Nothing, so far. And, what we WILL have will be some watered down bill that won't actually cover everybody and will not help all that much, because the language in the bill will be so obscure and unintelligible that even the House and Senate members won't fully understand it. And, the legalese will be so boring, ordinary Americans will not be able to stay awake long enough to read it, let alone understand it.

Isn't that always the way?

Stay tuned.

Obama's Back!

All in all, I thought President Obama's speech was excellent.

And, the rebuttal speech by Republican Rep. Charles Boustany (R) Louisiana, was very helpful - NOT. It's central message? Start over. Scrap everything that has already been done and start all over again. Can you say, "stalling tactics, children?" One would think that Bobby Jindall's rebuttal to the State of the Union would have convinced the Republicans to look to some other state for the rebuttal to this one.

And then, as if South Carolina doesn't have enough to be ashamed of, Rep. Joe Miller (R) hauled off and called the President a liar. He apologized this morning, sorta. He said, and I'm paraphrasing, "The Republican leadership told me to apologize, so I apologize."

It looks very much as though the inmates have taken over the asylum.

Apparently Fox News didn't bother to carry the speech. Typical.

Maybe, now, the Democrats will get together and, finally, just go ahead and pass whatever they want, and let the Republicans whine all they want.

Stay tuned.

CORRECTION: Apparently one of Fox's entities carried the speech. My bad.

I Calls 'Em the Way I Sees 'Em

There is a faction in America that will never be satisfied with anything President Obama does. This is why it has been so easy for the GOP leaders to get so many people to disrupt the town hall meetings. Healthcare reform has very little to do with it. If you watch closely, you'll see that most of the rabblerousers are older and on Medicare, even though they rale against "government run healthcare." Don't try to tell me they don't know that their Medicare comes from the government. It's just an excuse.

So, what is the real reason? When you look at those ugly, distorted faces, you realize that racism has reared its ugly head. That's where all the anger is coming from. The media's got it wrong. This is nothing like what happened in Florida in 2000, when the GOP sent in the Brooks Brothers Brigade to stop the vote count. Those people were having fun. Pranksters. Dirty-tricksters. The people at the rallys are haters.

And, so, I believe the town hall meetings should be canceled and other venues used to answer the legitimate questions about healthcare reform from legitimate constituents. Local television programming is one way for the Congressmen to explain their views. They already know the questions, if they've paid any attention to their e-mails, faxes, snail mail and phone calls. Or, failing that, if they just turn on CNN or the Nightly News or any of the other news programs.

The main reason I believe the town hall meetings should be canceled, though, is because if not, someone is going to be seriously injured or killed. It seems inevitable.

It's the anger. The hatred. The racism.

Stay tuned.

Back On My Soapbox

I know I keep harping on this subject, but I think it is of great importance that we get a good, fair healthcare bill out of our do nothing congress and senate, and the only way to do it is to keep nagging at them. If you research the healthcare systems of other countries, you will see that most of them have some sort of public option as well as a private insurance option.

I happened upon a new (for me) blog called 70 Plus and Still Kicking, a day or two ago, and she posted a very interesting and informative blog about health care in Australia. I would like to share some of it with you, and if you are interested, you can go there and read and comment for yourself.

"We in Australia have free hospitals and doctors, but have the option of insurance and private hospitals with the choice of doctors available then. We do pay a token amount to go to general practitioners of our choice and the remainder is government subsidy. Many GPs do 'bulk bill' with no cost to the patient.

Today I rely on a government pension through no fault of my own, having worked fifty years, but two divorces and conniving lawyers (one later gaoled for fraud) didn't help.

As an aged pensioner I pay only $A5 for any prescription and indeed am on three I will need for the rest of my life. People not on any benefit pay for their scripts but there is a government system which works to ensure that pharmaceutical companies cannot control prices absolutely as they do in your country. Our scripts are much cheaper as a result.

If I need hospital treatment and go public it costs nothing. I come home with no bills of any kind, and so does everyone else unless they have insurance, and then payments are made.

There can be a wait for non urgent surgery, but that too is being addressed. If your situation is life threatening a free ambulance takes you straight in.

Due to neglect for twelve years with a government seemingly hell bent on destroying our health system, the formerly highly esteemed public hospitals are in a deal of trouble, but that is being addressed now. The private ones with their profit motive have always been suspect anyway.

(By the way I have just been invited to join a committee to help implement these changes locally. I'm there as a community member alongside the doctors and other professionals, and respected for my point of view.)

Neither system is perfect and people slip through gaps, but my goodness I cannot imagine the insecurity and horrors of living where I couldn't get help when I needed it.

In the midst of this global recession our Rudd Government (18 months old) has just put up the pension for seniors. They respect us for the contribution we have made.

This government is leaning on the States who actually run the system to fix up their health administrations and are gradually working to provide funding for improvements.

All of this during the global recession when Australia has so far avoided the big 'R' and is recognised as currently the best performing economy in the world.

It might seem a bit twee, but the Australian culture has always been caring of people in need. (Could it be our convict roots? We were also among the first to give votes to women and pioneered much of the union system.)

So far as I am concerned a good egalitarian health system is a matter of priorities. Why should good health depend on our bank balance?

The nation gains greatly when its working people are fit and happy.

America - if your administrators really care, a health system of equality is very much within your reach, even now. Priorities is the word.

We have been watching from afar, and aghast at the way you have done things in the past - perhaps it's time for a change?"


There was a comment from Bernie in Canada that I also found interesting. If we ask her, she might write a blog on Canada's system of healthcare, to debunk the outrageous ads we are seeing about their "terrible" system. Here's her comment:

"Hi June, I live in Canada and we too have government run health care and its wonderful. I am diabetic and had Breast Cancer which included a year of treatment, surgery, chemo and radiation. The medication was very expensive and not once did I receive a bill but always received great care. A nurse came to my home twice a week to flush lines, and check vitals again no bill. I chose my own doctor and have been with him for years. If we can do it in Canada, it can be done anywhere. Its so good to know that all Canadians are covered, no exceptions....rich, poor whatever. I did not have a long wait at all for treatment, they will treat a heart attack before a broken leg but that is the way is should be. I do hope US finds a way so that all Americans are covered regardless."

Maybe we can get some others in other countries to describe their healthcare systems, so we can make comparisons.

Lets make ourselves heard.

Stay tuned.

That Just Makes Me Mad!

You may have seen the ad showing testimonials by a couple of people purporting to be Canadians. They are carping about how terrible the Canadian healthcare system is, even going so far as to say that "Canada doesn't care if people die." As far as I am concerned, that last quote shows how very "American" they are. That kind of hyperbole is something American politicians use all the time, especially when they're trying to pull the wool over our eyes. "The biggest tax increase in history!" "The sky is falling!" etc.

Anyway, these "Canadians" talk about how long people have to wait for emergency surgery, "I had to wait six months (or, a year) and I had terminal cancer. So, I came to the U.S., where the healthcare is the best in the world (more hyperbole). And, on and on. But, you get the picture.

So, would it surprise you to learn that this ad was sponsored by the same group that brought you those Tea Parties? Yes, it did.

Where is the FCC when you need them? Why don't we have any agency who can act as a watchdog for ads full of half truths and outright lies? Is this another result of the widespread de-regulation that came out of the previous administrations?

Is there network executive anywhere who has the balls to look at an ad like this and say, "This doesn't ring true to me. Let's do some research." And, then, when he finds out the truth, will tell them, "We're not going to accept your money and run your ad because it is false advertising." Of course, the networks can only see dollar $igns, so that probably won't happen.

We used to have watchdog groups who surfaced during election campaigns and pointed out the lies and half-truths of the candidates, and their followers. But, they seem to have disappeared, too.

One thing is certain, I think. The healthcare plan our elected officials may not be perfect, and may not completely satisfy everyone, but it will be uniquely "American". We may borrow parts of many plans from other countries, but we will tailor it to our needs. The only thing we have to be concerned about is keeping the insurance companies, the pharmaceuticals, and the AMA from scuttling the whole thing.

Here's my suggestion. When you see an ad on television that you know is untrue, or a gross exaggeration, read the fine print at the bottom of the screen, and see who the sponsors are. Then, raise cain with the television networks for running the ads, and, as always, let your congressmen and senators know about it.

At least, when the dust clears, you can honestly say that you did everything you possibly could to see that we get the kind of healthcare plan we need and deserve.

Stay tuned.

About Healthcare

Since I am so opinionated and proud of it, you may be wondering why I have not been blogging about healthcare. Usually, I don't mind hammering away at a subject about which I am intensely interested. But, to tell the truth, I'm almost afraid to write about the healthcare issue. I'm too busy holding my breath, crossing my fingers and toes and praying that Congress and the Senate won't water it down to practically nothing in order to placate the insurance companies, drug companies and the AMA.

In this particular case, I don't think something will be better than nothing. That's what we usually get when a bill that is supposed to help people doesn't really help at all. Remember how wonderful Medicare Part D was supposed to be? At last, seniors would be able to afford both their medicines AND food. We ended up with a bill that might work six months out of the year, and the other six months, there's that abomination they whimsically called the "donut hole", whereby we have to pay the entire cost PLUS keep on paying the premiums.

Folks, we simply have to have a public option as well as the private plans. If we don't, there isn't any point in having healthcare reform. What we'll end up with is a law requiring everyone to carry health insurance from a private source the way we are required to carry auto insurance. There will still be millions of people who can't afford it and they will be breaking the law, to boot.

So, I'm going to continue to watch closely and see how thing go, and if the bill they submit doesn't contain the points that I want to see, I'm going to make a real nuisance of myself with a barrage of e-mails, tweets, blogs and snail mail to my state representatives and senators (and a few in some other states). In Arkansas, almost all of our congressmen and senators are Democrats, but I'll still make my voice known. I doubt I can do much good writing to John Boozman, our lone Republican, but I'll try. And Senator Blanche Lincoln, who is a Democrat in name only, having been bought and paid for by Walmart and a few other big corporations, will be a hard nut to crack, but I'll include her if only for the pleasure of annoying her.

I'm realistic enough to know that a single-payer plan will never go over, although it is what I would like to see, but I think healthcare reform with a public option and doing away altogether with that donut hole should be doable.

So limber up those arthritic fingers, seniors, and get ready to inundate your congressmen and senators with your opinions. Don't be shy. Don't hold back. Go get 'em! And, write to Obama. What could it hurt?

This is not my final word on this subject. But, you know that, don't you?

Stay tuned.