best website ever. unicorns and rainbows.

by: los anjalis

Mon Mar 29, 2010 at 13:03:25 PM PDT

Say no more: http://didtheypasshealthcarereform.com/

Sure it's perhaps a bit too elated, but the website energy and design (and the fact that it went live almost immediately after the health insurance reform bill was signed by President Obama) get a big YAY.

Plus, here at Cure This, we like unicorns.

calling for civil discussion among progressives

by: los anjalis

Mon Dec 28, 2009 at 08:00:00 AM PST

This week has seen intense discussion among progressives over whether to support and fix the health insurance reform bill or whether to kill it. Such debate began after the Senate version of the health insurance reform bill was stripped of its hugely popular "public option" and then further stripped of a possible "Medicare buy-in" by Senators who essentially held the US Senate hostage.

This debate has been important, and it is healthy for progressives to have differing opinions on a piece of legislation, but recently there has been some disappointing yelling across the aisles and name-calling. On both sides.

[Of note, there are some folks who from the start have called everything "less" than single-payer (100% government-funded and privately/publicly delivered healthcare) a compromise and vowed not to support anything but single-payer. Those folks have a right to their opinion but I'm not referring to them, they haven't been fighting together with other progressives for improving this bill all along. I'm talking about progressives who have tried to make this process workable from what was put on the table.]

(more after the jump...)

cooperation with evil

by: los anjalis

Fri Dec 25, 2009 at 21:36:29 PM PST

The New York Times has a piece out today -- Christmas Day -- that sheds some light on cooperation with evil in the context of the abortion debate and the health insurance reform bill that just passed the Senate yesterday.

The Senate bill, approved Thursday morning, allows any state to bar the use of federal subsidies for insurance plans that cover abortion and requires insurers in other states to divide subsidy money into separate accounts so that only dollars from private premiums would be used to pay for abortions.

Just days before the bill passed, the Catholic Health Association, which represents hundreds of Catholic hospitals across the country, said in a statement that it was "encouraged" and "increasingly confident" that such a compromise "can achieve the objective of no federal funding for abortion." An umbrella group for nuns followed its lead.

The same day, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops called the proposed compromise "morally unacceptable."

(more after the jump...)

'twas the night before christmas and all through the senate...

by: los anjalis

Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 17:50:43 PM PST

• Today (Christmas Eve) marked the 25th straight day of debate. This is just short of the record for the longest number of consecutive days that the Senate was in session, in the winter of 1917 (thanks to @wonkroom on Twitter for this fact).  The extended debate in 1917 was due to anti-war legislators stalling debate about whether or not to arm US merchant ships during World War I ... (more below)

a bizarre process & a historic vote: healthcare reform

by: los anjalis

Mon Dec 21, 2009 at 08:00:00 AM PST

So what exactly happened?  Well, the US Senate voted 60-40 NOT in favor of PASSING the bill -- but in favor of ending debate and stopping further filibustering on a specific set of amendments put forth by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.  Yes, they voted for "cloture" -- to end debate on the bill.  Were the debate to continue, Republicans (or Sen Lieberman or Nelson) would have more and more chances at filibustering the bill (a process by which they are allowed to read every page of the phone book aloud or do other things a 2nd grader wouldn't even do, in order to stall the process of moving a bill forward)...  

public option = citizen owned alternative

by: los anjalis

Thu Aug 27, 2009 at 19:50:32 PM PDT

biting satire

by: los anjalis

Sat Aug 22, 2009 at 21:57:40 PM PDT

"Both parties understand that the current system is broken," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Monday. "But what we can't seem to agree upon is how to best keep it broken, while still ensuring that no elected official takes any political risk whatsoever. It's a very complicated issue."

"Ultimately, though, it's our responsibility as lawmakers to put these differences aside and focus on refusing Americans the health care they deserve," Pelosi added...

"People should know that every day we are working without their best interests in mind," [D-NV Senator] Reid said. "But the goal here is not to push through some watered-down bill that only denies health care to a few Americans here and a few Americans there. The goal is to recognize that all Americans have a God-given right to proper medical attention and then make sure there's no chance in hell that ever happens."

"No matter what we come up with," Reid continued, "rest assured that millions of citizens will remain dangerously uninsured, and the inflated health care industry will continue to bankrupt the country for decades."

How to explain the public option for healthcare reform. Really.

by: los anjalis

Fri Aug 21, 2009 at 09:00:00 AM PDT

The speaker is Chris Hayes, DC editor of The Nation magazine, and the setting is the Netroots Nation blogger/media conference in Pittsburgh, August 2009.

After the conference, a blogger named Nicholas Beaudrot transformed Hayes' flowchart-gesturing and converted it into an easy to read and share flowchart about the public option. Click on the image to enlarge it.

FINALLY, easy to understand, right?  Precisely why you should share it with your colleagues, friends, and foes alike.  

The healthcare debate: don't let anyone tell you it's beyond your grasp

by: los anjalis

Tue Aug 18, 2009 at 16:48:12 PM PDT

Health-care reform is not that hard to understand, and those who tell you otherwise most likely have an ulterior motive.  Reform proponents exaggerate the complexity of the issue to elevate their own status as people who understand it; opponents exaggerate it to make the whole endeavor out to be a bureaucratic monstrosity.

- from "Your Handy Healthcare Cheat Sheet" by Alec MacGillis, WashingtonPost.com

Here's an example.  Last week, as I waited to board a flight, I was drawn to a mainstream "politics" show at the airline gate. This was a show on CNN, which featured an old white conservative man talking with old white male guests on his show. The topic: health care reform. In 20 minutes of discussion, the only information I could glean from the show was that we are screwed. Numbers and $$ costs and statistics were thrown at the audience in rapidfire fashion, in a very obvious attempt to derail the actual debate and incite fear in the public around the steep costs of reform. Nothing of great substance was discussed, and I came away not more knowledgeable, but more anxious.

So, coming back to this wonderful article. Please check it out.  Pass it on to your friends and family. Make sure you all know the framework and facts on both sides of the debate.  Thanks greatly to the author for clearly and concisely presenting the information. The article ends with this call to action:

It's your health care. Don't let anyone tell you that it's somehow beyond your grasp.

Right on.

everyone's talking about it. everyone.

by: los anjalis

Mon Aug 17, 2009 at 22:38:59 PM PDT

Tis very true, there's much debate over how much the various proposals for health insurance actually help the health of people in this country.  But it's also true that there are some very true access issues and life and death realities that need to be addressed.

So, shall we discuss? I'll try to post thoughts, creative framing, and interesting ideas and actions around moving forward in the health insurance reform debate. A strength of the CureThis community is that folks share personal narratives and stories, and perhaps this website can function as a space for such discussion.  As always, healthy debate is a good thing, and feel free to write posts or add your thoughts in the comments section of posts.

half of latinos & native americans in new mexico without health insurance

by: los anjalis

Sun Mar 29, 2009 at 20:28:43 PM PDT

RIP Levi + Standing in the Shadows of Care

by: nightowl724

Tue Oct 28, 2008 at 22:35:37 PM PDT

I often pass by hospitals and pharmacies. I pass by because I can't afford to enter. For two months, my best friend was in the hospital receiving complex, long-term treatment paid for by her insurance. Without insurance, I wouldn't get that kind of care - if any.

I've survived thanks to a few kind doctors who gave me free care and drug samples. Recently, one of them moved away. Prescription samples are scarce these days, too. I've applied for pharmaceutical "indigent programs" with no luck. My scripts are $1000/mo, so I often do without. And, forget lab work, let alone a hospital stay.

Saddened by Levi Stubbs' death, I revisited the great music of The Four Tops. Listening to Standing in the Shadows of Love, something clicked.  I realized that I, too, am standing in the shadows - in the shadows of some of the best health care in the world.  From that came my modest tribute to Levi and to the 47M of us without health insurance.

Great hope lies ahead; Kennedy brings people together

by: los anjalis

Sat Oct 25, 2008 at 00:12:01 AM PDT

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has been organizing and overseeing meetings with members of both parties to draft health care legislation to present to the new president and Congress next year that would extend health insurance to all U.S. residents, the Washington Times reports.

The talks have included 14 roundtable meetings attended by Kennedy aides and staffers for both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate Budget Committee, Senate Finance Committee and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, chaired by Kennedy. Kennedy has monitored the talks, which started in June, through telephone updates from his staff.

The talks also were attended by representatives from a broad array of groups with an interest in health care, including the:

   * AARP;
   * AFL-CIO;
   * American Medical Association;
   * America's Health Insurance Plans;
   * Business Roundtable;
   * Consumers Union,
   * Families USA;
   * Federation of American Hospitals;
   * National Federation of Independent Business; and
   * National Retail Federation.

In addition, Kennedy aides have started meeting regularly with consumers and small groups of people representing each area of the health care industry.

The Times reports that the conversations are "extraordinary" because they are bipartisan and have "managed to put in the same room interests that rarely meet -- let alone agree with one another."

Bold emphasis is mine.  It truly is the beginning of a new era.  I'm going to try to be less cynical too :>

From California Health Line, October 24, 2008.

Connecting some dots.

by: los anjalis

Tue Sep 30, 2008 at 02:00:38 AM PDT

NOTHING in this "bailout" package will lower the price of the gas you have to put in your car to get to work. NOTHING in this bill will protect you from losing your home. NOTHING in this bill will give you health insurance.  Health insurance? Mike, why are you bringing this up? What's this got to do with the Wall Street collapse?

It has everything to do with it. This so-called "collapse" was triggered by the massive defaulting and foreclosures going on with people's home mortgages. Do you know why so many Americans are losing their homes? To hear the Republicans describe it, it's because too many working class idiots were given mortgages that they really couldn't afford. Here's the truth: The number one cause of people declaring bankruptcy is because of medical bills. Let me state this simply: If we had had universal health coverage, this mortgage "crisis" may never have happened.

Uninsured and Lucky to be Alive Part 2

by: nightowl724

Sun Aug 24, 2008 at 10:18:02 AM PDT

If you've read my other diaries, you know I usually don't write about myself and I usually approach my subjects with snark. I laugh to keep from crying. However, this time I was asked specifically to write a serious and personal post. I hope those who have insurance get a sense of what it's like not to and those who don't pick up a valuable tip or two. I invite readers to share their stories and suggestions in the comments section.

In Part 1, I related the background of my story. In Part 2, I am revealing the rest of my story, starting with the onset of my medical problems.

10 Survival Topics for the Uninsured Part 2

by: nightowl724

Fri Aug 22, 2008 at 12:43:01 PM PDT

The topics are important whether you're a patient or a caregiver. They'll help even if you have insurance; co-pays and uncovered items kill budgets. And, you never know when you might lose your coverage.

It took years to find this information. Unfortunately, I learned much of it too late to help my family. Since it's hard to do when you're stressed, I hope you can learn from my experiences now. I invite you to share your stories and suggestions in the comments.    

In Part 1, the subjects included planning for the unthinkable, the Hill-Burton Act, and ways to avoid paying full price for prescriptions, OTC drugs, and medical devices. In Part 2, the topics include finding and asking for help, dealing with long-term illness and debt, as well as some final thoughts and a resource list with links.

Health Care Series: Uninsured and Lucky to be Alive Part 1

by: nightowl724

Tue Aug 19, 2008 at 10:40:38 AM PDT

If you've read my other diaries, you know I usually don't write about myself and I usually approach my subjects with snark. I laugh to keep from crying. However, this time I was asked specifically to write a serious and personal post. I hope those who have insurance get a sense of what it's like not to and those who don't pick up a valuable tip or two. I invite readers to share their stories and suggestions in the comments section.

In Part 1, I relate the background of my story. In Part 2, I will reveal the rest of my story, starting with the onset of my medical problems.

10 Survival Topics for the Uninsured Part 1

by: nightowl724

Mon Aug 18, 2008 at 05:46:51 AM PDT

The topics are important whether you're a patient or a caregiver. They'll help even if you have insurance; co-pays and uncovered items kill budgets. And, you never know when you might lose your coverage.

It took years to find all this information. Unfortunately, I learned much of it too late to help my family. Since it's hard to do when you're stressed, I hope you can learn from my experiences now. I invite you to share your stories and suggestions in the comments.    

In Part 1, the subjects include planning for the unthinkable, the Hill-Burton Act, ways to avoid paying full price for prescriptions, OTC drugs, and medical devices, and dealing with long-term illness. In Part 2, the subjects will include handling debt and getting help, as well as some final thoughts and a resource list with links.

Single Payer Health Care: what your doctor read this week

by: river

Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 23:24:35 PM PDT

Several months ago I subscribed to Medscape, a weekly web medical journal. Subscriptions are limited to the profession, but I lied and said that I was a nutritionist, so I get this publication in my inbox every week. It's full of interesting articles on various medical issues; my main areas of interest are usually endocrinology and diabetes, and nephrology.

This week's lead editorial is by Dr. Quentin Young, National Coordinator, Physicians for a National Health Program. I have permission from PNHP to reproduce this here in full, as most Kossacks probably do not have access to a Medscape subscription. I have followed this with a few excerpts from the comments from both health care professionals and laypeople. This is what your doctor is reading this week.

(click on "there's more")

how they roll in other countries: germany and healthcare

by: los anjalis

Wed Jul 02, 2008 at 21:25:07 PM PDT

Those of us who live in America know next to nothing about how other countries' health care systems operate. Not because we're stupid or ignorant, I'd like to think, but because we are not allowed opportunities through our mainstream media to learn about other countries, so myths created easily perpetuate.  Many of us turn to alternative sources of media or the internet (or both), but still, there's generally so much policy jargon to sift through.  THIS is partly why Michael Moore's documentary Sicko left so many in the American public stunned regarding the various types of health access and services that citizens of other nations receive.

NPR did a piece today on Germany's health care system, a system which by the way has existed for over 125 years. For some jaw-dropping action, read the whole article, it's not that long.  What really struck out for me was a fundamental difference in the set of values we hold above all else, in both countries.  What we tolerate or praise here would not be tolerated there.  What we struggle with here in regards to access to healthcare, bankruptcy from medical bills, huge deductibles, time to see docs, are a non-issue there.  Obviously there are problems in every system.  Here's a glimpse, though, of some of the virtues of the German system we're not exposed to in most of our media sources. Some quotable quotes:

Germany on access to doctors at times of need:

On one particular night, Juergen was the doctor on call for the region. Any German who needs after-hours care can call a central number and get connected to a doctor.

On access to humane and intuitive support services after an operation, as told by a woman who had thyroid surgery:

"Then I came home to my little daughter, who I couldn't really lift up because of my neck having been cut open," Sabina says. "So I asked my doctor, 'What can I do?' And she said, 'Well, your health insurance will pay for someone to come help you in the house.'"

They also pay for support services and money to families who want to keep their elderly parents at home and out of nursing homes.  Again, a fundamentally different set of values.

On coverage for everyone:

The health care system... is not funded by government taxes. But it is compulsory. All German workers pay about 8 percent of their gross income to a nonprofit insurance company called a sickness fund.

On SOLIDARITY:

Basing premiums on a percentage-of-salary means that the less people make, the less they have to pay. The more money they make, the more they pay. This principle is at the heart of the system. Germans call it "solidarity." The idea is that everybody's in it together, and nobody should be without health insurance.

This one really got me.  I dream of the day (it is possible!) when Americans routinely use the word solidarity.

On the cost to employers:

The big difference is that U.S. employers pay far more, on average, than German employers do - 18 percent of each employee's gross income versus around 8 percent in Germany.

On humanity (FUCK DEDUCTIBLES!)

Moreover, German health insurance has more generous benefits than U.S. policies cover. There are never any deductibles, for instance, before coverage kicks in. And all Germans get the same coverage.

After mentioning they would NEVER move to America STRICTLY because of health care costs for their chronic problems, a couple also notes the embarassing statistic about bankruptcy due to medical costs in America.  On DIGNITY:

"It's also the No. 1 reason in the United States that people personally go bankrupt," Sabina translates, "which would never happen here ... never!"

On family coverage:

Nicole pays a premium of $270 a month for insurance that covers her children, too. Nicole pays a single $15 copayment once every three months to see her primary-care doctor - and another $15 a quarter to see each specialist, as often as she wants. She pays no copayments for her children's care --and her insurance even covers her daughter's orthodontia bill.

If you're self-employed you have to buy insurance from a private for-profit company (not the non-profit sickness funds).  This is also an option if you make more than a certain amount a year.  Interestingly...

But most people don't opt out. Chris says that's because there's a fundamental difference in the way Germans view health care and the government's role - which, in Germany, means refereeing the system and making sure it's fair and affordable.

The German govt regulates the insurance companies, or in better terms, holds them accountable to a basic set of guidelines:

So Chris' insurer can't raise his rates if he gets sick or jack up his premiums too much as he gets older. The government also requires insurers to keep costs down so things don't get too expensive.

And again, on SOLIDARITY:

Germans really hate any hint of unfairness in health care. The fundamental idea is that everybody must be covered and, preferably, everybody should get equal treatment. So the fact that 10 percent or so can buy some perks is an irritant - something Germans complain about but manage to put up with.

I noted that the article didn't mention anything about the uninsured in Germany (those who are not employed or are not self-employed, or who are self-employed but cannot afford the monthly premium).  And then I realized that NPR had done a piece on the uninsured in Germany.  0.2 of the population there is uninsured, there are only 8 free clinics in the country, and that's changing for the better as a new law was passed that would allow for the uninsured to be covered.  Picking up my jaw again from the floor.

ALSO check out the interactive international health care comparison chart at the NPR site -- you can do head to head comparisons of US vs Germany, Britain vs Germany, Switzerland vs Japan, and other such permutations.  It's pretty interesting.

Thoughts on all of this?  Let's roll with this knowledge, this new perspective, and dream of what can be. Cmon, pick your jaw up already!