Don't Make More of it, than it is: what's "it"

Ah, much ado about nothing or something, depending on your perspective. Example: the Yankees won the World Series, congrats but most of the news on the Internet is about the recent 2 state governor's loss to Republicans and the so-called impact on Obama and pending legislation. BS! Local politics is local not national yet the media seem constantly to be searching for garbage to promote...negativism, who needs this? not me.

When Hillary Clinton was running against Barack Obama for President during primaries and Md Governor O'Malley endorsed her, that was the kiss of death for her in MD. Marylanders are not enthralled with Governor O'Malley, and I believe if the former Republican Governor, Bob Ehrlich were to run against O'Malley today, Ehrlich would win. Does his mean we don't endorse health care reform? No, in fact MD Is ahead of the game with low cost and free health care in state and certain counties. Does this mean, people in MD hate Obama? Not. Yet on most of TV Talk and media outlets the pontification of the impact of 2 Republicans taking over formerly Democratic Governorships is the talk. And it occurred on the anniversary of Obama's election. Spare me. Local is local. Period end.

Obama took over with a lot of issues. He started working before he became President. Is it perfect? No. Do I think he is doing a good job? Yes. Look at him. He is grayer and skinnier than before. He has a lot on his plate. Do I wish he would be more emphatic in his pushing on health care reform and public option? you bet. But given what predeeded him, I think Obama is doing very well. The media picks on everything. And the ponitificating is getting so intense that I only watch the Today Show and no news on TV. I get the news from the Internet and read several different articles to try and get one non-biased, factual story.

Thank goodness for reality shows that are non taxing, non ponticating, non life/death (though I cannot figure out why Top Chef had the reunion show in the middle of their hotly contested series). The good news is Project Runway is on tonight. Life is good.

But I can't close without my asking you to call your congress representative to make your voice heard on health care refom and your senators. Tell them you want this vote before the end of this year. Senator Reid now says vote won't occur before 2010. Not acceptable...45000 more people will die from no health insurance...a fact. And our Congress seems to always make more of something; make things more complicated than they have to be....when Medicare came into being, it took only 10 months not 3 years as Congress is proposing for health care reform. Can you live with this? I cannot. So here is the number once again to call either the House or Senate: 202 225-3121

Health care is a freedom and liberty. We don't have to make it complicated. If every other country can provide BETTER health care to all their citizens at no or low cost, certainly we, the USA can do it.  But then, that might just leave some politicians not getting millions of dollars to decide on how to vote. BS. Just do it.

Updates to this morning HCR Call, and blog below

Just when I was feeling so discouraged after our morning conference call (see blog below) change has already started to take place. Not because of our call this morning, though I hope that will have an impact but because of comments the public has been making to Congress.


I just found out from the team on the call this morning two things:
An ammendment has been addes that would improve beneficiary access to primary and preventive care by adding a modified version of the Medicare Fracture Prevention and Osteoporosis Testing Act (S.769). This policy would improve beneficiary access to bone density tests. This policy was submitted by Senator Lincoln as amendment D2.

And more ammendments are coming in to change the bill that addressed our concerns. Here are links to original Baucus Plan and updated plan for your viewing pleasure:
the original Chairman’s mark released last week in case you still need it: http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/leg/LEG%202009/091609%20Americas_Healthy_Future_Act.pdf

Here are the modifications to the Chairman’s mark – proposed by Baucus – that the Committee will consider: http://finance.senate.gov/press/Bpress/2009press/prb092209a.pdf



This is why it is so important to contact Congress.

To see more from people who are talking, go here

Add Your Name; the Myth of 60

The Senate only needs 50 senators and Vice-President Biden to pass -- by majority vote -- healthcare reform including a public option in a budget bill this year. there are  50 senators on record ready to vote for real reform.


The budget process can start as soon as October 15. Need to hit the critical mass of at least 250,000 signers by then to make sure our call to action has an impact on every member of Congress nationwide.  If we work together, I think we can double it and gather 50,000 signatures by Monday.


As the President said in his speech to Congress last week, this is the season for action. The majority of Americans want the choice of a public option and majority votes in Congress will pass it. Join me in calling on Congress to get the job done this year.



ADD YOUR NAME RIGHT NOW http://americacantwait.com/dfaemail2



The myth of 60 is pushed by those who want to kill reform.



But the foundation of American democracy is based on majority votes and the United States Congress is no exception. While Senate rules allow a procedural tactic known as the filibuster to block most bills without the support of 60 senators, there are exceptions -- because Senate rules also ban the use of a filibuster to block budget reconciliation bills. That means, if the Senate can't pass healthcare reform including the choice of a public option with 60 votes, they can still pass it in the budget bill this year by majority vote.



The question is do they have the political will to fight back against right-wing fear mongering and misinformation to deliver real reform?



It's up to us to demand action. Let's work hard to get 50,000 signers by Monday.



ADD YOUR NAME -- THEN PASS IT ON
http://americacantwait.com/dfaemail2

I added my name. Will you add yours?

Support those in Congress supporting a public option health plan, sign up now

Sign your support of the health heroes who are backing a public option health plan.....do it now

From Democracy for America:
This week, we kicked off September reminding Congress that passing the choice of a public health insurance option is about people -- not politics.



Organized by our partners at MoveOn, DFA members joined in holding over 350 "Can't Afford To Wait" vigils nationwide. Local papers covered many of the events whether there were 15 people attending or several hundred. And members of Congress were reminded that real people have real stories and are depending on them to pass real reform.


Over 60,000 Americans have signed on to thank the House Healthcare Heroes for committing to not vote for a bill if it doesn't include a public option. We will deliver all the signatures next week. Can you help us get to 75,000 signatures by Tuesday night?


SIGN UP NOW TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE 64 Democrats who have stood up to draw a line in the sand (AND SUPPORT THE PUBLIC OPTION PLAN) need to know we have their backs. They need to know that no matter what happens we're depending on them to not back down. Here is the link:http://www.democracyforamerica.com/activities/181

Health Care Reform UPDATE

Read this post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/why-health-insurance-refo_b_276202.html

Finally a rationale analysis of why a public plan and health reform must pass.

Health Care Reform or Revolt? An insider's view

First and foremost, I wanted to say how proud I am to be part of a blogging community that is taking action to provide accurate, truthful, factual information on health care reform as proposed under the Obama administration. Much has been written, printed, pontificated about already. Much of it wrong. This blog will attempt to offer opinions and views, facts that will dispel the horrendous propaganda being dispelled by people who have a mission to destroy health coverage for all. Others will report more facts and this blog has listed resource for you also. Today, I want to talk about polls, myths and my own experience working in the insurance industry...managed care (and it is managed).

First, let's talk about public opinion. How can you have an opinion if you don't know the facts?

Polls: the reports are polls are showing people are against healthcare reform. Well it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that when people are reporting that the new reform will kill elders and ration healthcare, people would fight back. BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE.

How polls are reported is up to selection of material by politician and media alike. They usually choose those aspects of polls that support their views. On the Health care Blog yesterday, the Chairman of Harris Interactive posted one of the most thoughtful, factual truths about the health care reform polls. I urge you to go and read it NOW: http://www.thehealthcareblog.com/the_health_care_blog/2009/08/health-care-reform-what-do-people-really-want.html

Humphrey Taylor, Chairman of The Harris Poll, Harris Interactive. reports on what do People Really Want? He lists the top 13 items people really want or feel about health care reform. He says its not about cherry picking polls as politicians do and choosing those aspects of polls that confirm and individuals opinion.



More on polls:http://polls.newsmax.com/results/obama_health.html is from a sight Newsmax that offers an immediate online poll on health care reform. Anyone can take it. I went to the site and the results listed are above. You have to sign up with your email so this is really a site, in my opinion, that really is soliciting information based on your email that they can perhaps sell or reveal. That is my opinion because when I went to the site for results: see url above, the poll was over 70% against health care reform and the same percent were people who voted for McCain. Factual and reliable poll? No. Be careful what polls you use or believe.

HMOs, Managed Care from the inside: I am a nurse. I worked in managed care for 7 years. I even worked in appeals and medical management where claims and issues with members were attempted to be resolved. People please understand that this affects YOU, your family, your health. Here are some examples of issues I found that made me sick:

A woman went to the hospital for surgical removal of a suspicious breast lump. When the surgeon went to remove it, it was obviously malignant and spread to lymph nodes. He removed the breast lump, the breast and some of the lymph nodes. The HMO denied coverage because the surgeon did not call the managed care organization for pre-authorization for a mastectomy instead of lump removal.

Mandates for hospital stays that were unreasonable and have changed but these included 1 day post op for mastectomy; 1 day hospitalization for postpartum care following vaginal delivery.

What happened? Cases such as the above caused more repeat hospitalizations for complications thus various states, and politicians, started a movement that finally resulted in certain conditions having to follow mandates for good health care. This was the first public mandate of health care. Whether you choose to believe this or not, this is true. So public, or government mandated care, actually saved lives, and money. And had it not been for the government and human outcry, this deplorable restriction on health care would be alive and well today.

Did you know: that most health insurance, including yours, has a cap on care? Did you know that your insurer has the right to deny coverage for care based on fine print including such terms as medical necessity?

Did you know that UNLESS you have group health coverage with an employer, the health insurance company can elect not to cover certain pre-exisitng conditions? These include asthma, diabetes, and more. So if you lost your job....which is entirely possible in this economy, and could not afford COBRA or ran out of COBRA and had to buy an individual health coverage plan, you would pay top dollar and still NOT be covered for pre-existing conditions.

And let's talk about individual purchase of health coverage. My son works. The company where he works is small and cannot afford to provide health coverage. Understandable. So my son purchased a HMO plan of one of the nation's largest HMOs. It started out at $150 per month. It went up every single year and hit $400 per month in 36 months. My son never was hospitalized, is in good health, went to a doctor once a year for a physical that was the extent of his claims. Health coverage for individuals and families who do not have access to employer covered health insurance is UNAFFORDABLE.

MYTH: the most widely spread myth out there is that the proposed government insurance will ration health coverage and kill off elders. Spare me. The stupidity of this is unbelievable. Public insurance will provide "end of life coverage". That is Hospice care. Hospice is offered for people of ALL ages who have a terminal illness. What it says is even though you have a terminal illness and may die within 6 months, you CAN STILL GET HEALTH COVERAGE to keep you pain free, and avoid complications that would hasten death. THIS HAS BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS. It is needed. Ask anyone who has experienced a catastrophic illness affecting a family member. Hospice has gotten the family and the patient through this difficult time. NO ONE KILLS ANYONE.

Where to go for more information:http://www.healthreform.gov/

I urge you to contact your congressional representatives TODAY to support health care coverage for all human beings. This blog has been touching on issues for the last week. YOU need to do your own sole searching based on solid facts and what you want and deserve for yourselves, your children, your families.

I urge you to visit Time Goes By, the site that started the movement among "elder"bloggers that spread to all ages blogging on health reform today. Here is the link to see the list of bloggers on health care reform: http://www.timegoesby.net/weblog/

Also, a great blog with questions and answers to help people understand the health care reform movement:
http://darleneshodgepodge.blogspot.com/2009/08/questiona-and-answers-on-health-care.html

To your health, and for your health, please, please be vocal, make your voice heard. "One voice can change a room, and if one voice can change a room, then it can change a city, and if it can change a city, it can change a state, and if it change a state, it can change a nation, and if it can change a nation, it can change the world. Your voice can change the world." — Barack Obama

Show YOUR support: http://www.healthreform.gov/support.html

Big Night on TV tonight: Big Day Tomorrow for Healthcare reform

Tonight is a night for relaxing and enjoying shows. Relaxing and getting away from the right wing lies on healthcare reform is just what I need. Top Chef Masters ends...(will miss it) but Top Chef begins!. And tomorrow night is Project Runway. HURRAY! And it's a double dose. First show is bringing back favorite designers who did not win to give them a second chance. 2nd show is the start of the new season....another Hurray!

Tomorrow, many bloggers, me included will post blogs on health care reform: what's real and what's not. The movement was started by Ronni Bennett of Time Goes By. Here is the link to that post:http://www.timegoesby.net/weblog/2009/08/elders-for-health-care-reform.html

Health care is personal. Almost 50 million Americans have no health insurance or are under insured. In this economy, anyone is at risk to be without health coverage. You included. Ask yourself what would you do? How would you care for a child? spouse? yourself?

Some people are saying this is healthcare rationing. Not true. Some people say it is a way to kill off seniors: not true or I would not be endorsing it nor would AARP. Some people say AARP is losing members because of their endorsement of health reform: NOT TRUE. The reform is not causing the problem; the conservative right wing Republicans who will do or say anything to assure this does not pass are the reason for the controversy. Make no mistake about it: health is a liberty....a freedom, the freedom to live YOUR best life and be able to pay for preventive, and interventive, medical care is every human being's right. Man, woman, child, old and young.

It is also a CIVIL RIGHT. I got an email from Dr. Howard Dean. Here is part of that email: The campaign for the choice of a public health insurance option will be over only if we quit or we've won. That decision is ours to make. Not the media's decision - Not the insurance industry's decision - It's our decision. We have the power and we're going to win.Make no mistake, victory won't happen overnight. Just like President Obama's campaign for President, this campaign is a long haul. Congress returns in September for the final stretch to pass reform by the end of the year. "

I urge you to get involved. Learn the facts not from the media, but from legitimate sources which I will post tomorrow. I will also post how to contact your congressional leaders, the White House and more. More to come...

Want health coverage? Get Informed

Unfortunately, the majority of the population would qualify to be on Jay Leno's stupid answers section of the show when it comes to healthcare reform. Why is this? You work, you get health coverage, right? Do you know what your health insurance covers and does not cover? How much do you pay for this? If you lost your job tomorrow, what would health insurance cost you? If you could even get it.

Don't be stupid please. Be informed. More people, more uninsured. More unemployed, more uninsured. Make no mistake: YOU PAY FOR EVERY UNINSURED PERSON, in one way or another.

Make no mistake also: the Republican conservative right wingnuts are out to kill health care reform. In fact, under their fearless leader, Russ Dimbat, they are out to destroy the Obama Presidency. And they just might succeed if you, yes YOU, allow this to happen.

They are the ones that started the health rationing rumors and rumors the new health reform bill will kill elders. NOT TRUE PEOPLE. Read it yourself.

On August 20th, many bloggers will be speaking out with facts on the health care reform bill. Join us. But know of what you speak. You can also speak to the President and tell him your thoughts on this and more at usa.gov and whitehouse.gov. And you can look up your Congressional team online and tell them your thoughts. Rest assured, that "other" side is doing that now. Step up for you and your family!

Some Facts for You: On June 13, 2009 "President Barack Obama announced new Medicare and Medicaid savings proposals that will contribute more than $300 billion over 10 years to paying for health care reform, beyond the historic $635 billion down payment included in his FY 2010 Budget. The President stressed in the address that the health reform effort must be deficit neutral and that reform is a fundamental part of the solution to our long-term fiscal problems".

There is a website that lists reports, facts and the truth about healthcare reform under President Obama. You can also let your support be heard. I urge you to go to this website: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/index.html

Here is a sample of info you will see at the site:

Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have nearly doubled since 2000, a rate three times faster than wages. In 2008, the average premium for a family plan purchased through an employer was $12,680, nearly the annual earnings of a full-time minimum wage job. Americans pay more than ever for health insurance, but get less coverage. A new report Hidden Costs of Health Care: Why Americans are Paying More but Getting Less details the rise in health care costs.
View Report

Don't be part of a diagnosis of disaster. Get the prescription for good health for all of us! Don't fear health insurance companies but be strong because the managed care groups DON'T want a public health insurance. the reasons are obvious; think about it: the CEO of BC/BS and Wellpoint got HUGE payoffs when they retired, in the tens of millions of dollars. You and I paid for that. What did it do for us?

Get involved now!

Health Care Reform, Activate yourself, part 2

Not sure what is real and what is not in the health care reform movement? I urge you to go to Ronni Bennett's post on it NOW. This is real, this is truth, this if factual: http://www.timegoesby.net/weblog/2009/08/elders-for-health-care-reform.html

You owe it to yourself and your family and friends to be involved. But first, you need to understand this in real terms...no political pontification. Go to the link above....more to come!