Miccheck Archives
Tag: Health Care Reform
Health & Wellness
Child Mortality
Child mortality rates dropped dramatically across the globe in the past two decades...unless you're a child in the United States. Overally, "the number of children younger than 5 who die this year will fall to 7.7 million, down from 11.9 million two decades ago." The U.S., however, ranked #29 in child mortality rates twenty years ago. Today, we're #42, " behind much of Europe as well as the United Arab Emirates, Cuba and Chile." Dr. Christopher Murphy of the University of Washington and lead reasearcher in the study, found the data suggests "broader problems with the nation's fragmented, poorly planned healthcare system." [LA Times]
Posted 1:26 PM | Monday, May 24th, 2010 | Permalink
Right Wing Wackiness
“REPEAL” IS A FINAL ATTEMPT BY INSURANCE COMPANIES AND CONSERVATIVE EXTREMISTS TO BLOCK HEALTH C
1) Health Care Reform Becomes Law
- Today, President Obama signs the reconciliation package of "fixes" into Law - this will end Congressional action on health care reform for the foreseeable future. [Associated Press]
- The original bill was signed into law last week; the reconciliation process took much of last week, as the Senate had to send the bill back to the House unexpectedly on a parliamentary error. [Government Executive]
2) Blocking reform
- Insurance companies developed the repeal strategy months ago, in coordination with the “business-friendly conservative group” the American Legislative Exchange Council. [NY Times]
- The idea is also being advanced by Republican officials with personal political agendas – of the 13 state AGs pushing repeal, all but one are Republican, and four are running for governor. [NY Times]
- This political stunt could cost taxpayers millions. [National Journal]
3) The General Consensus - The Health Care Reform Law is Constitutional
- Legal experts across the ideological spectrum agree that health insurance reform is firmly grounded in the Constitution. [American Constitution Society]
- The Supreme Court has long held that Congress can exercise its Constitutional power to regulate interstate commerce to regulate insurance, which the Supreme Court has stated “touches the home, the family, and the occupation or the business of almost every person in the United States.”
- The health reform law’s requirement for all individuals to carry health insurance is Constitutional because even conservative justices like former Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justice Antonin Scalia have held that Congress may lawfully adopt any measure that “may regulate even noneconomic local activity if that regulation is a necessary part of a more general regulation of interstate commerce.” [Cornell Law School]
- This opinion is widely shared by legal experts across the ideological spectrum, including conservative scholars like Orin Kerr, an advisor to Republican Senator John Cornyn, who has said the chances of the Supreme Court reversing the health care law are “less than one percent.” [Volokh Conspiracy]
4) Conservative Hypocrisy
- The idea being challenged by conservatives – the individual mandate – is actually a conservative idea. [McClatchy]
- The individual mandate was a centerpiece of the Massachusetts health reform implemented and championed by former Gov. Mitt Romney. [Wonkroom]
- The individual mandate was also a primary feature of a bill co-sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley – who argued in favor of it as recently as last year, when he insisted it is the best way to ensure that there is “no free lunch” when it comes to health insurance. [Wonkroom]
5) So What Now?
- Republicans are now running on "repeal" of the bill; those who do not face potential revolt in primaries across the country. [Washington Independent]
- However, at least 50% of Americans do not favor repeal; that number could rise once components of the bill are put in place. [Daily Kos]
- Beyond this, repeal is virtually impossible, at least in the short term, as it would take 60 votes in the Senate and a majority in the House. For the next 3 years, and possibly the next 7, they will need 67 votes in the Senate and 290 votes in the House to override President Obama’s veto. [CBS News]
LEARN MORE - Tony Carrk, Policy Director for Progressive Media talks to us about the hypocrisy of the repeal effort in the states: listen here.
Posted 11:43 AM | Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 | Permalink
Health & Wellness
Denying Coverage to Children
Betcha thought that kind of headline was gone with health care reform passed. You'd be wrong. Insurance companies are already arguing that they don't have to provide coverage for certain children with pre-existing conditions. According to their lawyer, "it will have to cover pre-existing conditions for children covered by the policy. But it does not have to sell to somebody with a pre-existing condition. And the insurer could increase premiums to cover the additional cost.” [NYT]
Posted 9:07 AM | Monday, March 29th, 2010 | Permalink
Right Wing Wackiness
Source: flickr/ajagendorf25
Crazy Newt
Yesterday, former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) spoke alongside Gov. Sonny Perdue (R-GA) at a press conference in Atlanta organized to air Republican opposition to the health care bill that just passed. At one point, Gingrich was asked about the death threats and vandalism lawmakers who supported the bill have been recieving. After stressing that “there is no place for this viciousness” and condemning the various threats and violent acts, Gingrich went on to explain that the Democratic leadership “has to take some moral responsibility” for encouraging death threats and terrorism because of the way they conducted the health care debate. You stay classy, Newt. [Think Progress]
Posted 4:18 PM | Friday, March 26th, 2010 | Permalink
Political Junkie
House GOP Trouble
The House GOP might want to rethink that whole running on repeal business. In a new poll out this week, their supportis down 7 points since the passage of health care, leaving them sitting at a 21 percent favorable rating. For now, the Dems and Obama looks to have received a small bump from passage, and a narrowing of the intensity gap between the two parties. November is still a long way off, but those "sky is falling" prognosticators could end up being way off. [Andrew Sullivan]
Posted 4:12 PM | Friday, March 26th, 2010 | Permalink
Political Junkie
Schedule
After news broke that the House would have to take up the reconciliation bill again, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said that he expects to get the bill from the Senate sometime this afternoon, and will vote by this evening. He plans to "pass the bill and send it to the President." [The Hill]
Posted 10:33 AM | Thursday, March 25th, 2010 | Permalink
Health & Wellness
Everybody Just Relax!
The health care reform debate is still not quite done, but one thing is for sure: a version of health care reform is law right now. Time magazine has a good breakdown of the top five reasons Republicans should give up the "repeal and replace" mantra. One of those reasons, What happens when, as President Obama put it to the Democratic House Caucus on Saturday, “lo and behold nobody is pulling the plug on granny”? That's a good question! [Time]
Posted 4:24 PM | Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 | Permalink
Political Junkie
They Like It. They Really Like it.
A new USA Today/Gallup poll found that, once the health care bill became law, Americans liked it more than they did before. Forty-nine percent said it was “a good thing,” while 40 percent did not. Half said they ere “enthusiastic” or “pleased” with the bill with 48 percent saying it’s a “good first step.” [Gallup]
Posted 9:25 AM | Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 | Permalink
Right Wing Wackiness
Blast From the Past
"Some of my libertarian friends balk at what looks like an individual mandate. But remember, someone has to pay for the health care that must, by law, be provided: Either the individual pays or the taxpayers pay. A free ride on government is not libertarian."-- Mitt Romney, defending the individual mandate to buy health care in the Wall Street Journal back in 2006. In case you've missed it: Romney now criticizes the same mandate in the bill President Obama signed yesterday. [TPM]
Posted 9:11 AM | Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 | Permalink
Right Wing Wackiness
The Crystal Ball Says You’ll Get Health Care Then Lose Health Care
Health care reform was signed into law today, but in case you missed it, the National Review's Bill Kristol says it will be repealed by 2013. Remember, to repeal, Republicans will need a super majority in both houses of Congress AND would need to have a Republican president. We'll see how that works out, Bill. [Real Clear Politics]
Posted 3:52 PM | Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 | Permalink
Just Plain Cool
One Way Ticket
Since health care passed, “two dudes living in Brooklyn” are now raising money to buy Rush Limbaugh a one-way first-class ticket to Costa Rica. (If you don't remember, Limbaugh pledged to go to Costa Rica if health care reform passed). Better yet: if he doesn't go, they'll donate the proceeds to Planned Parenthood. Check it out at http://www.aticketforrush.com/[TicketForRush]
Posted 9:21 AM | Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 | Permalink
Health & Wellness
Source: flickr/wikicommons
Health Care Harry
From McClatchy News: "He won't be there when President Barack Obama signs health care legislation into law Tuesday, but the memory of the late President Harry S Truman will. Truman is considered the political Godfather of universal health care, having first proposed it on Nov. 19, 1945, and establishing it as a keystone of the Democratic Party agenda ever since." [Washington Post]
Posted 10:14 PM | Monday, March 22nd, 2010 | Permalink
Right Wing Wackiness
Some More Hyperbole?
Health care hysteria is still reining, as least inside the beltway. Former Republican House speaker Newt Gingrich made one of those shove-it-back-in-your-mouth-as-soon-as-you-say-it statements today when he commented that Obama and the Democrats will regret their decision to push for comprehensive reform. Calling the bill "the most radical social experiment . . . in modern times," Gingrich said: "They will have destroyed their party much as Lyndon Johnson shattered the Democratic Party for 40 years" with the enactment of civil rights legislation in the 1960s. Not quite the best way to put it, Newt. [Washington Post]
Posted 4:52 PM | Monday, March 22nd, 2010 | Permalink
Health & Wellness
Source: flickr/alandberning
Newspapers
- Washington Post: "House Democrats scored a historic victory in the century-long battle to reform the nation's health-care system late Sunday night, winning final approval of legislation that expands coverage to 32 million people and attempts to contain spiraling costs."
- Los Angeles Times: "Ending the Democrats' decades-long quest to create a healthcare safety net to match Social Security, the House of Representatives on Sunday night approved sweeping legislation to guarantee Americans access to medical care for the first time, delivering President Obama the biggest victory of his young presidency."
- New York Times: "House Democrats approved a far-reaching overhaul of the nation's health system on Sunday, voting over unanimous Republican opposition to provide medical coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans after an epic political battle that could define the differences between the parties for years."
- Wall Street Journal: "The biggest transformation of the U.S. health system in decades won approval on Capitol Hill late Sunday, the culmination of efforts by generations of Democrats to achieve near-universal health coverage."
- USA Today: "Congress completed action Sunday night on the major portion of President Obama's top priority, a historic restructuring of the nation's health care system that has eluded his predecessors for more than a century."
- Star Tribune: "House Democrats scored a historic victory Sunday night in the century-long battle to overhaul the nation's health care system, giving final approval to legislation that expands coverage to 32 million people and attempts to contain surging costs."
Posted 8:38 AM | Monday, March 22nd, 2010 | Permalink
Health & Wellness
Bloggers
- Josh Marshall: "I don't want to paint any rosy pictures. And, as I said, I don't want to hazard any predictions. But I think this conventional wisdom is quite mistaken. Hard fought victories don't deplete political capital; they build it. And political wins themselves often have a catalyzing effect that shapes political opinion far more than we realize."
- Matthew Yglesias: "Now that it's done, Barack Obama will go down in history as one of America's finest presidents. It's always possible of course that, like LBJ, he'll get involved in some unrelated fiasco that mars his reputation. But fundamentally, he's reshaped the policy landscape in a way that no progressive politician has done in decades."
- Marc Ambinder: "Republicans had bet that throwing everything into killing the bill would result in the bill's defeat. The entire strategy was predicated on killing the bill. Now that the bill has passed, it means that the health care system has been fundamentally changed, and there's no way -- and there will not be the votes -- to repeal it."
- David Frum: "No illusions please: This bill will not be repealed. Even if Republicans scored a 1994 style landslide in November, how many votes could we muster to re-open the 'doughnut hole' and charge seniors more for prescription drugs? How many votes to re-allow insurers to rescind policies when they discover a pre-existing condition? How many votes to banish 25 year olds from their parents' insurance coverage? And even if the votes were there - would President Obama sign such a repeal?"
- Jonathan Chait: "Let me offer a ludicrously premature opinion: Barack Obama has sealed his reputation as a president of great historical import. We don't know what will follow in his presidency, and it's quite possible that some future event--a war, a scandal--will define his presidency. But we do know that he has put his imprint on the structure of American government in a way that no Democratic president since Lyndon Johnson has."
Posted 8:36 AM | Monday, March 22nd, 2010 | Permalink
Health & Wellness
Well Done, Idaho
Yesterday, Idaho “became the first state to pass a law saying no thanks to part of President Obama’s health care proposal.” During the signing ceremony, Gov. C.L. Otter said the law ensures that people are “treated as an individual, rather than as an amorphous mass whose only purpose in this world is to obey federal mandates.” Klassy. [CNN]
Posted 10:12 AM | Thursday, March 18th, 2010 | Permalink
Health & Wellness
By the Numbers
A new study by the Center for Health Policy Research finds that 1 in 4 Californians under the age of 65 had no health insurance last year. That's 8.2 million people in the state of California without any health care coverage during 2009. The study didn't cover Californians over the age of 65, as they're covered by Medicare. [LAT]
Posted 10:35 AM | Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 | Permalink
Health & Wellness
Source: flickr/alandberning
A guide to reactions, analysis and facts about the health care summit
- Read the words: The Washington Post has transcripts from every speaker at the summit yesterday.
- Read the play-by-play: CBS News live-blogged the entire debate, so you can just skim the highlights.
- Fact-check the claims: Newsweek fact-checks Democrats and Republicans alike.
- Read the analysis: The New York Times thinks that, after 6+ hours of debate, the end result was the "most viable path seemed to be an effort to attach revisions to the health care bill to a budget reconciliation measure."
- Read the aftermath: The Hill says the GOP says Thursday's summit showed them the only option is to start over on health care. (Ed Note: Of course, that's also what they said *before* the summit...)
- Read the surprising quote: Politico reports that House Whip Eric Cantor (R., VA) told CNN he thinks there was "adequate airing of views on both sides" in the summit.
- Look at the timeline: USA Today has a timeline of the milestones of the health care reform battle.
- Check out the opinion pages: The Washington Post writes in "Reconciliation and truth": "...questioning the wisdom of using reconciliation is different from questioning its propriety. Republican rhetoric notwithstanding, using reconciliation in this context would be neither a misuse of Senate rules nor, in a historical context, unusual..."
- And see who's waiting in the wings: The Center for Public Integrity reports there are currently 8 health care lobbyists for every lawmaker in Washington.
And in completely unrelated news:
- The 10 billionth song downloaded on iTunes? "Guess Things Happen That Way," by Johnny Cash. [ABC News]
Posted 12:17 AM | Friday, February 26th, 2010 | Permalink
WellPoint Jacking Up Premiums Throughout the Country
The recent news that WellPoint’s Anthem Blue Cross health insurance company in California wanted to increase premiums for individual policyholders as much as 39 percent is further evidence the current health system is not sustainable. And a survey by the Center for American Progress Action Fund found that California isn’t the only state where WellPoint is hiking individual premium rates by double-digit percentages. Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Bart Stupak (D-MI) have called a hearing on February 24 in the House Oversight and Investigations subcommittee to look into the California rate hikes.
1. Double-digit hikes have been implemented or are pending in at least 11 other states among the 14 where WellPoint’s Blue Cross Blue Shield companies are active: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
2. In Maine, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has increased premiums by double digits for five consecutive years on individual policy holders. In Indiana, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield is increasing rates on some individuals up to 50 percent this year.
3. Some states have regulations in place to firewall these kind of increases, sort of... Connecticut state insurance regulators allowed Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield to impose a 20 percent hike last year after the WellPoint-owned insurer sought permission to hike rates on individual policies by 22 percent to 32 percent.
4. These rate increases come at a time of record profits fro WellPoint. The company grew rapidly starting in the late 1990s and has become the nation’s largest health insurer in terms of the total number of people covered under both individual and group policies. WellPoint ranks 32nd on the 2009 Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. companies. WellPoint reported a $4.7 billion profit for 2009, nearly double that in 2008.
5. WellPoint’s double-digit premium rate increases are further evidence that health reform is crucial for those in the individual market since premium rates are less stable and it is more difficult for some to purchase coverage. Without reform, insurance companies are still allowed to drop coverage when a person gets sick and to deny coverage based on a pre-existing condition.
LEARN MORE:
Listen to our podcast about the rate increases
Read the full memo from the Center for American Progress Action Fund
Posted 11:58 AM | Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 | Permalink
Health & Wellness
Goldilocks Boehner
- House Minority Leader John Boehner then, It's Too Long!: "The best way to get a sense of what Speaker Pelosi’s takeover of health care looks like is to actually look at it. Just shy of 2,000 pages, it runs more than 620 pages longer than the government-run plan Hillary Clinton proposed in 1993." - October 2009 [House GOP]
- House Minority Leader John Boehner's spokesman now, It's Too Short!: ""The White House's 'plan' consists of an 11-page outline, which has not been scored by the Congressional Budget Office or posted online as legislative text. So they want to reorganize one-sixth of the United States' economy with a document shorter than a comic book, and they're complaining that they can't find our plan on their own website? C'mon." -- Michael Steel, February 2010. [TPM]
Posted 6:14 PM | Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 | Permalink
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