Health Care Reform II

[Rick Rowlands]

Why are people who live below the poverty line even having children? Wouldn't it be more logical not add additional burdens on an already limied income?

[Towntalk]

Health-care overhaul legislation being drafted by House Democrats will include $600 billion in tax increases and $400 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel said.

He also said the measure's cost will reach beyond the $634 billion President Barack Obama proposed in his budget request to Congress as a down payment for the policy changes.

[irishbobcat]

I attended the Senate hearing with Dr. Margaret Flowers to provide support when she testified.  We were both arrested together six weeks ago so I wanted to be there when she broke through the barrier against single payer. 




When Senator Tom Harkin left the hearing room he stopped off and spoke with me.  He made it clear, in very simple language, why single payer makes the most sense.  He said:




"I used to sell insurance.  The basic rule is the larger the pool the less expensive the health care.  Today we have 1,300 separate pools - separate health care plans - and that is why health care is so expensive; 700 pools would be more efficient and less expensive and one pool would be the least expensive.  That's why single payer is the answer."




Nothing like common sense.




But, common sense was lacking among most Senators. 




The Senate is poised to increase taxes to pay for health care. Either they will tax business, in the middle of a recession, by taking away the tax credit for providing insurance.  Or, they will tax employee health benefits, at a time when Americans are having trouble making ends meet.





And, it will get worse.  They do not even understand the full cost of their proposals yet and they are bracing for a report from the Congressional Budget Office.




The cost of acting will be trillions and the cost of inaction will be trillions. Sen. Dodd who chaired the hearing yesterday noted that already health care is 18% of the U.S. gross domestic product and it is projected to be 34% by 2040.




But, the Senators did not seriously consider the only cost-effective option, a single payer national health plan.


If you do not want to see another massive transfer of wealth to the insurance industry while Americans continue to lack health care, you need to take action.  Tell your representatives that you want a national health plan funded by a single payer system.  The insurers are working hard, the American people have to work harder.  The time is now.

You can take action by clicking here 




Thanks.  We are keeping the pressure on and making progress.



Sincerely,

Kevin Zeese
Executive Director

ProsperityAgenda.US

[irishbobcat]

For the millions of American children who are living below the poverty line, escaping the cycle can seem impossible.

Statistics show that children from poor families are more likely to drop out of school before attaining their high school diplomas -- and that individuals without a high school diploma are more likely to be poor. A recent study from the Schott Foundation shows that 7 of 10 black and brown males in major urban centers don't finish high school. They are also exponentially more likely to be incarcerated and unemployed throughout the course of their lives.

Quite simply, the odds are stacked against these young people. One of the ways to explain this crippling cycle is as follows:

When you feel better, you do better. When you feel bad, you do bad. In my anti-poverty work I have experienced the truth of this statement firsthand.

The more than 10 million adolescents who currently live in low-income families are not just denied life's little luxuries. They also are denied basic human rights, such as healthcare and nutritious food. Many of these children are unable to see a dentist because their families don't have insurance, and their parents can't take time off from work to spend the whole day waiting at the public health facility. Many of them have poor vision but do not get glasses since their families don't have insurance for vision care.

Furthermore, many of these children are malnourished, which means they are either underweight or overweight. Just because a child's bones aren't sticking out does not mean that his body is well nourished, as obesity has a myriad of health problems that can complicate a child's life. However, many families are forced to rely on cheap, unhealthy sustenance, including fast food and empty candy store calories. Healthy foods such as produce and lean meats are more expensive than fried, fatty foods, and most families don't have the option of buying the fresh food their children need to be healthy.

These are just a few of the very basic health problems that can prevent a child from excelling in school. When children's teeth ache from cavities, when their vision is too blurred to see the chalkboard, and when all they had for breakfast was a candy bar and a soda, it is no wonder that their school performance is poor and their behavior is aggressive.

We need to help the impoverished feel better so they can do better. We must work on legislative, faith-based, private and public sector solutions. Poverty is much too pernicious to fight over turf. Healthcare is just one area we must acutely address and until we do the poverty cycle will continue to ruin lives and imprison dreams.


Poverty
Health
For the millions of American children who are living below the poverty line, escaping the cycle can seem impossible. Statistics show that children from poor families are more likely to drop out of...
For the millions of American children who are living below the poverty line, escaping the cycle can seem impossible. Statistics show that children from poor families are more likely to drop out of...

[Towntalk]

Dems brace for CBO score

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/dems-brace-for-cbo-score-2009-06-11.html

[irishbobcat]

Health Care Costs Could Double 
HEALTH CARE IN CRISIS—Ohio PIRG is advocating for health care reforms to improve quality of care and rein in unnecessary spending.
Unless President Obama and Congress act, the yearly cost of a health care policy is projected to more than double by 2016, according to a new Ohio PIRG report. The report, "Health Care In Crisis," found that, even after adjusting for inflation, the average employer-paid family health policy is expected to rise from $11,381 in 2006 to $24,291 by 2016.

"The facts tell us that, left unchecked, health care costs will financially cripple American businesses and families," said Ohio PIRG Federal Health Care Advocate Larry McNeeley. "We need to act now before the problem escalates further."

Fortunately, the president placed health care at the top of his agenda, and outlined Ohio PIRG-backed principles to cut costs and improve care. We support the Obama administration's cost-containment provisions, such as:


Giving doctors better access to data on which drugs, devices and procedures work best;
Investing in better technology to manage and track patient records and test results;

Creating incentives for more and better preventative care; and
Creating a public health care plan that would compete for customers with traditional insurers, thus lowering the cost of care.

Ohio PIRG
Citizen Advocate
Summer 2009
Vol. 21, No. 3

[sfc_oliver]

The Fact remains that Mr Obama doesn't have a plan. Other than to continue to spend other peoples money.

[Towntalk]

Obama's Secret Moves On Health Care

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/12/politics/onthemarc/main5083352.shtml