Keith Olbermann’s Special Comment on October 7, 2009: Part 1 of 4:

Part 2 of 4:

Part 3 of 4:

Part 4 of 4:

Whip it!

[Read more →]

Wendell Potter, former CIGNA executive wrote yesterday,

There are so many problems with the health care reform bill proposed by Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), chair of the Senate Finance Committee, it is little wonder that members of his committee have proposed more than 500 amendments to fix it. Unfortunately, some of the worst amendments that would make the bill even more of a gift to the health insurance industry are being offered by Republicans. If there is a God in heaven, they will not be adopted. But many other amendments are vital, including those that will make this key bill more like the better bills that have been reported out of four other Congressional committees. All of those bills call for the creation of a public insurance option, which is an absolutely critical element of reform. Without it, all of us who are not eligible for an existing government-run program, like the Medicare and VA programs, will be forced to buy coverage from the private insurance industry, which is dominated by a cartel of huge for-profit companies.

The adoption of an amendment to create a strong public option, supported by Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and many others on the committee, is certainly job one. But there are many additional fixes that are necessary, including other amendments being offered by Senator Rockefeller. They are so important I have sent a letter to Senator Baucus and the other members of the committee urging them to adopt the Rockefeller amendments that will require private insurance companies to be more honest and transparent in their dealings with consumers and more accountable to federal and state governments that must regulate them. As I note in the letter, without those amendments, insurance companies will be able to continue their most discriminatory practices without either transparency or real accountability. Here is my letter:

September 23, 2009

The Honorable Max Baucus
Committee on Finance
United States Senate
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6200

Dear Chairman Baucus:

As a former health insurance company executive, I am very concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability in the health insurance industry. That is why I urge you to incorporate Senator Rockefeller’s Amendments #C12 and #C13 into the America’s Healthy Future Act (AHFA), in particular with regard to the need for airtight regulations to protect consumer interests.

As proposed, AHFA will allow insurers to continue many of their most discriminatory practices without either transparency or real accountability: cost-shifting to their most vulnerable members through benefit designs that serve the needs of Wall Street; and rationing of care based on arbitrary opinions about what care is needed. In addition, there is no accountability for insurance companies to provide affordable and comprehensive health care coverage. A requirement that everyone buy health insurance accompanied by subsidies for people with low incomes does not ensure that Americans will have affordable care. The explosive cost growth in Massachusetts after health care reform is a case in point. And, AHFA has no mechanisms to enforce the insurance regulations that are included.

In addition, AHFA designates the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to write key regulations. This is of great concern to me because this proposal delegates to the NAIC, a private organization, with rule-making authority that is generally reserved for an agency of the federal government. Any institution given the authority to define the rules that will determine health insurance coverage for millions of Americans must be completely independent of the insurance industry and have a demonstrated record of putting the concerns of consumers first. The institution must also have the will and the resources to carry out the rulemaking process in a transparent and unbiased manner, with opportunity for input from all interested parties at each stage of the process. Based on its traditional manner of conducting business, the NAIC fails to meet any of these standards. The NAIC does not operate independently of the insurance industry. In fact, the NAIC is a private corporation, funded, in large part, by the insurance industry itself. Without industry dollars, the NAIC would not operate as it does today. In addition, eight of the last 10 NAIC presidents, as well as numerous commissioners, have gone directly from their posts to industry positions, creating the distinct impression that leadership positions at NAIC are mere stepping stones to more lucrative careers in the insurance industry.

For all these reasons, as well as my inside knowledge of how easily insurance companies circumvent existing regulations, I support Senator Rockefeller’s Amendments #C12 and #C13 to AHFA, which will:

*Create a grant program for state insurance departments to help them better enforce market rules and protect consumers.

*Establish a federal role for private health insurance oversight and provide resources for the Department of Health and Human Services to hire expert staff to carry out these functions and coordinate with state regulators.

* Require health insurance plans to disclose clear, accurate, and timely information on their policies and practices to ensure that they do not circumvent new federal health insurance regulations.

* Add needed transparency requirements such as: establishing fair grievance and appeals procedures by health insurers; clarifying information for health professionals and freeing up time for patients by establishing transparency standards relating to reimbursement arrangements between health plans and providers; and requiring advance notice of plan changes so consumers get what they pay.

*Establish America’s Health Insurance Trust, a nonprofit, independent, consumer-driven organization that will evaluate and give ratings to all health insurance products offered through the National Health Insurance Exchange. Annual insurance product ratings will be based on factors such as affordability, adequacy, transparency, consumer satisfaction, provider satisfaction, and quality.

* Ensure that ombudsman offices in each state are open to consumers at all stages of the appeal process to allow for early intervention and increase the likelihood of successful appeals.

Health insurance reform requires that we not only create strong new consumer protections. It also requires that those rules be effectively enforced. American families and businesses must have health insurance that is accountable to them, not to Wall Street.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Wendell Potter, Senior Fellow on Health Care, Center for Media and Democracy

Cc: All Members of the Senate Finance Committee

[Source: Center for Media and Democracy]

Members of the Senate Finance Committee, yesterday, September 29, 2009  rejected Senator Rockefeller’s proposed amendment to the America’s Healthy Future Act even though each of them had Potter’s letter dated  September 23, 2009. Wonder if any of them even read his letter.

CNN says “It’s not clear whether the two Democrats [Chuck Schumer and Jay Rockefeller] have the votes on the [Finance] committee to get their amendments passed.”

A public option would be a government-funded, government-run health care option, similar to Medicare. Under the plan, people would pay premiums 10 to 20 percent less than private insurance.

What in the world is wrong with a 10-20% reduction in premiums through the public option? It is beyond me why anyone is opposed to the public option. That it may be labeled “socialized medicine” doesn’t cut any ice with me. Labels are irrelevant. The arguments that it would put federal bureaucrats between me and my doctor doesn’t cut it either. Insurance company bureaucrats would be worse because they’re in it for the money.

Despite Senator Max Baucus’ healthcare bill, real doctors who work in the system every day, say single-payer health insurance reform is the way to go.

This Summer, Let’s Win Single-Payer Healthcare!

For the first time ever, single-payer legislation will be debated and voted on by the House of Representatives in September.

This is very good news! At last single-payer health care is being elevated to the top of the healthcare “debate” or “argument.” As you will see, if you read this post, we ordinary people aka grassroots have some representation in Congress. Pay attention in the weeks ahead to Representative Anthony Weiner (NY-9) with HR 676 and Senator Bernie Sanders with S. 703.

Senator Bernie Sanders

I see this as a tact to go around the White House and Rahm Emmanuel-Max Baucus and their obsession with trying to get bipartisan support from the Republicans, which isn’t ever going to happen.

Healthcare is too important for fiddling around forever with politics as usual. It is time for “yes, we can” rather than “no, we can’t.”

Representative Anthony Weiner

Rep. Anthony Weiner (NY-9) introduced an amendment to President Obama’s healthcare reform bill (HR 3200) that would replace it with HR 676, the single-payer bill, and Speaker Pelosi pledged to bring it to a debate and vote on the full House floor in September.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is expected to bring S 703 to the floor for a vote in the Senate.

And Rep. Dennis Kucinich (OH) wants to enable states to establish single-payer systems.

Let’s make this the summer of Single-Payer Action and demand that our Congresspeople vote YES on Rep. Weiner’s amendment, S 703, and Rep. Kucinich’s state single-payer amendment in September!

What is the Weiner Single Payer Amendment? Here are the amendment’s details. Please contact Healthcare-NOW! for lobbying strategy or advice – 1-800-453-1305 or info@healthcare-now.org.

Tell your Representatives that the Obama health plan is NOT enough and we want them to vote YES on Rep. Weiner’s single-payer amendment and Senate bill S 703. We need real health reform that will cover every American, provide real choice of doctors, and save the majority of Americans money.

Here’s What You Can Do to Help Win Single-Payer

1. Contact your Congressperson and demand they vote YES on Weiner’s Single-Payer Amendment.

• Call them (find their number here) at 866-338-1015 for the Capital Switchboard, email them, meet with them, birddog them at public events, have a one-person protest at their office every day using a rotating team… Download our toolkit on organizing an effective protest.
• Download these lobby materials to give to your Congresspersons
• Find a town hall meeting with a Congressperson near YOU! Use the form on the right side of this page.
• Order Healthcare-NOW! signs for your events – call 1-800-453-1305 or email info@healthcare-now.org.
• Whatever tactics you use, remind them we will remember their vote on this amendment during the mid-term elections. Remember, civility rules. Here are some tips for achieving a constructive town hall meeting.

2. Brush-up on your talking points and educate others using our resources.

• Watch our teach-in on single-payer talking points and comparison with HR 3200 (Obama’s plan).
• Print out comparisons of single-payer and the public option.
• Remember the ills of the private insurance racket. Brave New Films has launched a hard hitting campaign to expose those who are profiting from denying care to the sick.

3. Write to your local media.

• Organize an op-ed/letter to the editor team and send in as many letters as possible.
• Protests against the media’s blackout of single-payer coverage have also been successful. The more calls media outlets get demanding they cover single-payer, the more likely they will cover it because they know there is an audience for single-payer.
• You can find press contacts here – send a media alert about your efforts to influence the health care debate in your area.

4. Download the petition for HR 676, collect signatures in your congressional district, and deliver the signatures to your Representative.
Go here for the petition.

5. Post this image, and link it to this campaign, to your blog, Facebook profile, and all over.

Here are direct links to this image:
http://www.healthcare-now.org/listimages/ptp.gif
http://www.healthcare-now.org/listimages/ptp1.gif
http://www.healthcare-now.org/listimages/ptp2.gif

6. Use Direct Action!
Sometimes we have to be direct to get the attention of the media and our elected officials, but we don’t have to use the scare tactics of the right to do so. Here are some strategies that people across the country have used to push the single-payer message:

• Not Covered Campaign!
• Vigils
• Die-Ins
• Demonstrations at Insurance Companies
• Demonstrations at the office of your Congress Person
• Demonstrations at Media Outlets

Here are the amendment’s details. Please contact Healthcare-NOW! for lobbying strategy or advice – 1-800-453-1305 or info@healthcare-now.org.

Senator Max Baucus

This amendment could not have happened without the unwavering commitment of grassroots, single-payer activists like you. From the mounting pressure of activists who disrupted Senate Finance Committee hearings, to the in–district birddogging of Committee Chairman Max Baucus, to the 13,000 signatures collected and delivered by FAIR to protest ABC’s censorship of single-payer, every little bit has helped push national, single-payer healthcare to the forefront of the debate.

Jane Hamsher is the founder of Fire Dog Lake.

Here is the 111th CONGRESS 1st SESSION H. R. 676 bill: “To provide for comprehensive health insurance coverage for all United States residents, improved health care delivery, and for other purposes.” It is a pdf file, 30 pages long and dated January 26, 2009. Just exactly how HR 676 relates to HR 3200, I don’t know. Section 501 of HR 676 says

Except as otherwise specifically provided, this Act shall take effect on the first day of the first year that begins more than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and shall apply to items and services furnished on or after such date.

Here is Wikipedia’s coverage of HR 676. Keep in mind that Wikipedia is not an authoritive site, but it is quite helpful in learning an overview so one can sort of put things in place. So I use it a lot. [Read more →]

On MSNBC this morning, Norah O’Donnell asked Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, “what needs to be in” a health care reform bill “for it to be bipartisan.” After saying it needs to be paid for, Grassley declared,

“We need to make sure that there’s no public option.”

By claiming that a public option would destroy bipartisanship, Grassley is ignoring the preferences of a strong majority of Americans. Earlier this week, a New York Times/CBS News poll found that a public health insurance option (which would lower costs and improve quality) is supported by 72 percent of Americans, including 50 percent of Republicans. [Read more →]

Governor Dean is right! He says the Senators, once they get in Washington, seem to think they are there to do what they think is in the Senator’s best interest. They forget (or ignore) those of us who live out here in the real world.

People of Nevada should send a message to Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign to get their act together and get this healthcare reform going. Else look for another job.

Let me make this point. IF the voters of Nevada allow the Nevada Senators to ignore them then the voters of Nevada will get what they deserve. Nothing! That is just the way it is folks. Like it or not.