Great Northern States Health Care Initiative

Jerome Christenson: Visit to hospital leads to revelation

2012-02-01T06:28:00.000-06:00

Jerome Christenson: Visit to hospital leads to revelation:

A great story to support single payer.

Battle over how health insurance is sold in Minnesota begins | StarTribune.com

2012-01-31T08:07:00.000-06:00

Battle over how health insurance is sold in Minnesota begins | StarTribune.com:

And the battle continues.

Timeline:

Jan. 1, 2013: States must demonstrate that exchanges can be operational by Jan. 1, 2014.

First half of 2013: Exchanges undergo testing.

October 2013: Open enrollment begins.

Jan. 1, 2014: States begin to offer coverage over the exchanges.

Tough talk for Minnesota's medical community | StarTribune.com

2012-01-27T06:14:00.000-06:00

Tough talk for Minnesota's medical community | StarTribune.com:
Some issues to consider here -- we do need to focus on inefficiencies and not just new fancy technologies. The article critical of Mayo (which some reports say is one of the most cost effective providers in the country) is available by clicking here.

Internal Memos: Obama Avoided Health Reforms to Build GOP Support for Legislation | NationofChange

2012-01-26T11:09:00.000-06:00

Internal Memos: Obama Avoided Health Reforms to Build GOP Support for Legislation | NationofChange

The politics of medical funding reform............

Consumer groups fear White House may water down rule on user-friendly health plan summaries

2012-01-26T09:17:00.000-06:00

JSOnline.com AP News::

" Consumer groups are scrambling to salvage a popular provision of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul that suddenly seems to be in question. "

A story about what can happen with the complex wording insurance policies contain.

Editorial: Finding a cure for 'charity care' ills | StarTribune.com

2012-01-24T06:46:00.000-06:00

Editorial: Finding a cure for 'charity care' ills | StarTribune.com:
Charity care does cost us all a lot of money in what hospitals charge and in what we pay for insurance and in what we pay via income and property taxes. This gets into how much 'charity care' goes on but does not really give a true picture of how much it really costs all of us.

Eliminating the Individual Mandate - RWJF

2012-01-24T06:42:00.000-06:00

Eliminating the Individual Mandate - RWJF:

A study on the ACA's requirement to have insurance. Good to follow as this is a stepping stone toward single payer but it is really too bad that so much of our money will still go to finance such an expensive insurance system that really should just be shut down.

Health care changes: Will state of MN remain gridlocked? | StarTribune.com

2012-01-24T06:33:00.000-06:00

Health care changes: Will state remain gridlocked? | StarTribune.com

The exchanges are needed as the best we can do for now. Another link to a column on the need for teamwork needed to accomplish this is here.

2012-01-18T10:26:00.001-06:00

Why the fight to cut medical coverage for most of us?

PolitiFact | Mitt Romney repeats claim that repealing health law saves $95 billion a year

2012-01-18T10:17:00.000-06:00

PolitiFact | Mitt Romney repeats claim that repealing health law saves $95 billion a year:

Another Lie!

Cracking Down on Insurance Companies, Protecting Consumers | HealthCare.gov

2012-01-13T04:25:00.000-06:00

Cracking Down on Insurance Companies, Protecting Consumers | HealthCare.gov

An excerpt: "The health care law gives us new tools to protect consumers who are looking for health insurance. One of those tools is “rate review”. For the first time ever, in every State, insurance companies are required to publicly justify their actions if they want to raise rates by 10 percent or more. "

Tip/Wag - Irresponsible Dead People & Insensitive Papa John's - The Colbert Report - 2012-10-01 - Video Clip | Comedy Central

2012-01-12T15:45:00.000-06:00

Tip/Wag - Irresponsible Dead People & Insensitive Papa John's - The Colbert Report - 2012-10-01 - Video Clip Comedy Central

This video by Colbert has great stuff on people without health insurance.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/405668/january-10-2012/tip-wag---irresponsible-dead-people---insensitive-papa-john-s
Per PNHP Jan. 12th post: "On Tuesday night, television comedian Stephen Colbert did a two-and-a-half minute segment based on GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum’s refusal to accept an Iowa student’s remark that 50,000 people die annually in America from lack of health insurance, a finding based on a PNHP study by Dr. Andrew Wilper, et al. The “Colbert Report” segment, which starts at the very beginning of this clip, is must watching!"

Uncompassionate Conservatism - NYTimes.com

2012-01-12T05:07:00.000-06:00

Uncompassionate Conservatism - NYTimes.com
Talks about Romney but speaks to health care:
Excerpt:
"But most of all, we don’t see the health insurance company as providing us a service. We see ourselves, rather, as indentured supplicants forced to pay exorbitant monthly rates for a basic need that responsible people with means can’t get out of paying for if we can help it. We don’t see ourselves as in control of the relationship with them. They are in control of us–and no more so than when we get sick and need the insurance most."

Annual growth in US health care spending at historic lows; experts debate if relief will last | StarTribune.com

2012-01-10T06:13:00.000-06:00

Annual growth in US health care spending at historic lows; experts debate if relief will last | StarTribune.com

Postponing or just plain skipping medical care is likely to cost more in the long run - both in dollars for treating more advanced illness and in pain, suffering and death.

Instead of tweaking system at patients’ expense, opt for single payer - Letters - The Boston Globe

2012-01-09T04:52:00.000-06:00

Instead of tweaking system at patients’ expense, opt for single payer - Letters - The Boston Globe

Great little letter from a Boston doc:

Tiered coverage limits choice for patients who may prefer doctors or hospitals outside their network, and unfairly penalizes patients who can’t afford extra fees to go to providers of their choice. The SaveOn initiative that pays patients to go to less expensive service facilities, even though their doctor may not recommend them, strains the important doctor-patient relationship and raises doubt about the quality of cheaper services.

The real solution to the health care crisis should be focused on eliminating the huge administrative waste generated by the health insurance industry, the unacceptable number of uninsured, the growing number of underinsured, and the Rube-Goldberg-like systemic complexity that makes patients fall through the cracks.

Patients should be the center of a strong health care system that makes high-quality health care available to everyone regardless of ability to pay. We need a single payer system that covers everyone, provides continuous care, and is affordable and sustainable.

Despite GOP Claims, U.S. Health Care Nowhere Near ‘Best’ in the World | NationofChange

2011-12-01T11:53:00.000-06:00

Despite GOP Claims, U.S. Health Care Nowhere Near ‘Best’ in the World | NationofChange:
by: Wendell Potter
Excerpt:

"Last week, the 34-nation Organization for Economic Cooperation (OECD) released the results of its most recent study of the health care systems in its member countries, including the U.S., plus six others, for a total of 40. And those results are illuminating.

If Boehner and his fellow Republicans had characterized the U.S. system as the most expensive in the world, they would have been right on target. But they would have been way off base by calling it the best."

Last week, the 34-nation Organization for Economic Cooperation (OECD) released the results of its most recent study of the health care systems in its member countries, including the U.S., plus six others, for a total of 40. And those results are illuminating.

Health care law won't be as easy to repeal as GOP contenders say - TwinCities.com

2011-11-06T07:34:00.000-06:00

Health care law won't be as easy to repeal as GOP contenders say - TwinCities.com:

Some interesting comments on the "ObamaCare" debate.

Plain Talk: Health care solution is simple: single-payer

2011-11-02T07:25:00.000-06:00

Plain Talk: Health care solution is simple: single-payer:

A great colomn on the need for Medicare for All.

Governor Dayton Announces Task Force to Identify Ways to Provide Better Health Care at a Lower Cost

2011-11-01T05:45:00.000-06:00

Governor Dayton Announces Task Force to Identify Ways to Provide Better Health Care at a Lower Cost:

Hope we have a friend on this.

This Trib. article shows the battle already in the works with the Legislature.

How many dreams fall prey to health care costs? | StarTribune.com

2011-10-30T06:15:00.000-06:00

How many dreams fall prey to health care costs? | StarTribune.com:
This has great arguments and stories supporting the need to separate my access to health care from what job I have.

Heart Failure Care Influenced by Insurance Coverage

2011-10-24T09:34:00.000-06:00

Heart Failure Care Influenced by Insurance Coverage: "Heart Failure Care Influenced by Insurance Coverage"

If "Insurance" wasn't part of our system of how to access health care, we wouldn't have to worry about "coverage".

Yes, let's put health care on the table | StarTribune.com

2011-10-24T05:07:00.000-06:00

Yes, let's put health care on the table | StarTribune.com:
This is a great argument for states to do their own thing for universal single payer health care.
'via Blog this'

ANALYSIS: Republican field shies away from history on insurance mandate | iWatch News

2011-10-21T05:17:00.000-06:00

ANALYSIS: Republican field shies away from history on insurance mandate | iWatch News:

Single Payer is still the best bet but still not passable. This article shows how flip flopping has become the norm. I certainly would prefer a model that provided that all citizens were guaranteed health care and not one that 'mandated' that you buy an insurance policy. I am going through trying to figure out which Medicare Supplement to get and the annual review of Part D coverage. No wonder most people don't switch even if they can save money. It is a nightmare. And then you get all that paperwork every time you go to the doctor. All that crap is intended for one purpose -- to provide profit for insurance companies. We really need to get them out of our health care and out from between us and our doctors.

'via Blog this'

Ezra Klein: Reason to feel more confident about health care reform

2011-10-20T07:10:00.000-06:00

Ezra Klein: Reason to feel more confident about health care reform:
Another view on the Class Act concerning long term care coverage.
'via Blog this'

Editorial: Precious few ideas on long-term care | StarTribune.com

2011-10-19T07:21:00.000-06:00

Editorial: Precious few ideas on long-term care | StarTribune.com:

We really need to address this long term care issue when reforming how our health care is paid for.

'via Blog this'

Premiums will drop for private Medicare plans, Obama administration says - The Washington Post

2011-09-16T05:03:00.002-06:00

Premiums will drop for private Medicare plans, Obama administration says - The Washington Post

Rather than continuing this subsidy to big insurance companies the Advantage Plans should be scrapped and just have all Medicare coverage be via fee for service plans - at least until we have a true Single Payer system.

[The article will also be available at this link in case the Post deletes it.]

Age, wage to play big roles in health cost

2011-08-29T08:31:00.000-06:00

http://www.jsonline.com/business/128570588.html

The pros and cons of the new law are mentioned here. Interesting that WI Gov. Walker's people in the office giving this report are mentioned as opposed to the new law. This law is complex, hard to understand and will continue to rankle people on all sides of the issue. A simple single payer system would fix this. But, how do we overcome the cash cow resistance to such change generated by the insurance industry?

Non-Profit in Name Only

2011-08-10T06:08:00.000-06:00

Pa., Mich. Blues insurers make move to expand into Medicaid managed care coverage | StarTribune.com

This article shows how the non-profit insurance companies talk and act like a for-profit one and how the new law has them salivating over the money which it drives in their direction.

Government Takeover? Or Not?

2011-08-01T10:13:00.002-06:00

"....when you follow the dollars, there is no more evidence of a government takeover than there is of a private sector one."

Health Care Plan - LTE

2011-07-15T06:34:00.001-06:00

Letter to Editor LinkLove this quote from the LTE:
"As I see it, the Paul Ryan Republican Tea Party health care plan is to put us in the basement of our outhouses and make us think we will come out with a new suit on! "
Ryan and his billionaire supporters think we're too dumb to see what they have us wearing. I think it's time for us to uncover what they are trying to hide -- their real motivation and the real outcomes that will adversely affect the vast majority of us.

Report: Systems to catch Medicaid fraud inadequate

2011-07-12T06:57:00.000-06:00

Click Here for article: Report: Systems to catch Medicaid fraud inadequate

It is always interesting to note that this medical vendor fraud issue always comes out relative to Medicare/Medicaid government payments. The majority of such fraud relates to the private insurance companies --the ones we all use and those same ones actually handle/pay the bulk of the Medicare/Medicaid medical bills. Those private insurance company problems with fraud are hidden from us - even when it affects our personal premiums and our tax burden. They hide it for business reasons -- competition. They hide it the same as credit card companies and banks avoid public notice of fraud. If all the medical bills were paid with the same system, monitoring and investigation would be much easier. With literally hundreds of medical bill payers out there (not including all of us individuals paying bills) the complexity just aids the fraudulent vendors.

Specialists Often Turn Away Kids With Public Insurance: Report

2011-06-16T04:57:00.000-06:00

Specialists Often Turn Away Kids With Public Insurance: Report: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
"Two-thirds of kids with public insurance were unable to get a doctor's appointment, compared to 11 percent of privately insured children. Kids covered by Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) who did receive appointments also faced far longer average wait times -- 42 days to see a specialist compared to 20 days for kids with private insurance."

Medical News: Union Nurses Call for Single-Payer System - in Nursing, Nursing from MedPage Today

2011-06-09T05:22:00.001-06:00

Medical News: Union Nurses Call for Single-Payer System - in Nursing, Nursing from MedPage Today: Article and video at this link.

Medica plan may be glimpse of future | StarTribune.com

2011-06-07T06:37:00.000-06:00

Medica plan may be glimpse of future | StarTribune.com:
Excerpt:

"John Naylor, Medica's vice president of sales and account services, said the new plan moves from a "cost shift" to a "cost share" model.

"Employers are making decisions behind the scenes about the level of benefit and the kind of contribution they'll make," he said. "Maybe they'll lower their benefits or find ways to lower cost, or you as an employee take on more. 'My Plan' offers a way for employers to control costs, but to give me as an employee more flexibility and choice."

Simeon Schindelman, Medica's senior vice president of commercial markets, said the company spent about a year working on the program, based on feedback from some of its 200 brokers as well as businesses."

I wonder about getting feedback from "brokers as well as businesses" and not from providers and patients/employees. This seems like just a new twist on the high deductible models.

Plain Talk: Ryan’s plan plays into hands of insurers

2011-06-04T06:54:00.002-06:00

Plain Talk: Ryan’s plan plays into hands of insurers: "There’s a much better way. Don’t destroy Medicare as Ryan would have the U.S. do, but extend it to everyone from the day they’re born to the day they die. For the inflated prices we’re now spending for health care, we could cover every American and still save money — more money than the Ryan “reform” could ever do."

Barbara Quirk: Vermont is leading the way on health care

2011-05-30T05:49:00.000-06:00

Barbara Quirk: Vermont is leading the way on health care:
"Indeed, single-payer health reform is supported by a majority of Vermont residents, and although the current legislation falls short of that standard, it goes a long way to ensure high-quality, comprehensive and affordable care.

The Vermont plan, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, will be overseen by a five-person board. It is a Canadian look-alike model.

This is not a new idea for Vermont. In 2006, legislation was passed providing the foundation for health care reform. Each year since then Vermont’s administration and legislature have worked collaboratively to pass additional legislation that clarifies and enhances the 2006 act."

Medicare and Mediscares - NYTimes.com

2011-05-28T05:52:00.000-06:00

Medicare and Mediscares - NYTimes.com: Krugman takes on Ryan. Here's an excerpt. See full column for details. "Then people who actually know how to read a budget proposal started looking at the plan. And that’s when everything started to fall apart. "

Security gaps pose a risk in digitalizing medical data - Washington Times

2011-05-17T07:11:00.000-06:00

Security gaps pose a risk in digitalizing medical data - Washington Times:-
A lot of money and effort is going into this electronic records push. Not only is it questonable that it will work are intended and whether it will save money but we also have to watch what it will mean for our privacy (assuming we still have any). Article in at above link and can also be accessed via this one.

Bill Berry: While Americans shout about health care, Canadians love theirs

2011-05-11T11:31:00.000-06:00

Bill Berry: While Americans shout about health care, Canadians love theirs:
An Excerpt:
"This kind of stuff ought to be required reading for a long-overdue discussion about health care in America. The trouble is, we Americans don’t talk about health care. We just shout at each other. Special interests fan the fire by throwing bales of money on it — and meanwhile, living, breathing human beings fall through the cracks every day. In a country with so much concentrated wealth, this is shameful."
If link doesn't work, try this.

25 Shocking Facts That Prove That The Entire U.S. Health Care Industry Has Become One Giant Money Making Scam

2011-05-08T03:15:00.000-06:00

25 Shocking Facts That Prove That The Entire U.S. Health Care Industry Has Become One Giant Money Making Scam: This has some useful info. If this link doesn't work for the article, try this.

Take Action MN's View

2011-05-07T04:40:00.001-06:00

Take Action says we have a corporate take over of public health care programs, that the rural areas and communities of color are hit hardest and they propose we need a new model of how health care is funded that takes the profit out of how decisions are made. This article was well worth sharing.

UnitedHealth's 1Q profit climbs 13 percent

2011-04-22T07:01:00.000-06:00

UnitedHealth's 1Q profit climbs 13 percent:
Rising profits, rising CEO pay, much via public tax funded programs. Is this what we want in health care payment reform? I guess it is what I'd want if I were a United Health investor or big shot manager. BUT.........................
(If link to article above doesn't work, try this.)

Ludicrous and Cruel - NYTimes.com

2011-04-10T07:00:00.000-06:00

Ludicrous and Cruel - NYTimes.com: Voodoo Economics -- mentions Medicare and health care costs and points out the added cost of the middle man if vouchers are put in requiring going to the private market. In case you reached your limit on viewing NYT articles or this link expires, the column can be viewed at this link.

Plain Talk: How corporate spin sets public agenda

2011-04-01T05:57:00.001-06:00

Plain Talk: How corporate spin sets public agenda:
Great column on Potter's book.
An excerpt: "Specifically, “Deadly Spin” describes how the health insurance industry has been able to demonize any plan to improve health coverage for Americans, including so-called ObamaCare, which for the first time expands health coverage to millions of citizens who have had to go without in our terribly broken health system.
Potter insists that much of the vehement anti-health care reform rhetoric trumpeted by Republican politicians and “angry” tea partiers is being orchestrated and underwritten by for-profit insurance corporations. While those corporations assure consumers they really care about consumers’ health, the truth, according to Potter, is that millions die as a result of inadequate health care, and it’s all aimed at increasing profits."
If above link to article doesn't work, try this one.

Winona Daily News Editorial on HMO's running Medicaid

2011-03-27T05:24:00.000-06:00

Our view: Making sure Minnesota gets the best deal:
These comments talk about transparency and accountability. It mentions how HMOs hide behind the idea of not having to reveal "Trade Secrets". In Minnesota HMOs, by law, are to be non-profits. However, they operate as "for profits" are are beholden to the big boy "for profit" - United Health. All states should be pushing for reducing the political control the big multi-million dollar HMO/insurance CEOs have of the legislative process.
If the link to the editorial doesn't work, a copy is here.

Dr. Frank Bures: Doctors overwhelmed by needless regulation

2011-03-20T04:18:00.000-06:00

Dr. Frank Bures: Doctors overwhelmed by needless regulation:
If the above link to the article doesn't work, try this copy.

This local Doc's comments on the red tape he has to deal with and how it raises cost are worth considering in the efforts at reform. An excerpt:
"In order to implement the process, immense expense will be incurred to the benefit of the medical computer companies, such as Cerner, which has Winona in its grip. Every time there needs to be a change, it’s an “upgrade,” leading to additional cost. This adds to the charges you and I pay for “medical care.”

The private insurers have followed suit, and have cleverly twisted it further to their advantage to add even more layers of insurance cost, siphoning off real dollars that could be spent for true medical care.

This is a small fraction of the complexity that has become everyday life

for doctors. The insurers, private or public, the administrations of hospital groups, the bureaucrats assigned to monitor “health care” have become entirely self-serving and self-perpetuating."

Editorial from Mass. : Official’s single-payer comment worth longer look - Watertown, MA - Watertown TAB & Press

2011-03-07T13:48:00.001-06:00

Editorial: Official’s single-payer comment worth longer look - Watertown, MA - Watertown TAB & Press

"It sounds strange, but one way to rein in health costs may be to get the private sector to become as efficient as the government."

Minn. Senator Wants To Kick HMOs Out of Public Health Plans

2011-03-07T05:33:00.001-06:00

Created: 03/06/2011 10:44 PM KSTP.com

State Senator, John Marty, (DFL) Roseville, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that he plans to introduce legislation this week that would eliminate seven HMOs from delivering public health care plans like Meidicaid and Minn-Care. Marty says HMOs spend three billion dollars of your tax dollars every year on public health care plans and do not open their books to state auditors. According to HMOs, they made a 109-million dollar profit on those programs in 2009 alone. Marty says, if HMOs are unwilling to submit to state audits, then he wants them removed from the process entirely.
Marty says the state of Connecticut faced a similar issue with HMOs refusing to submit to state audits, so the governor in that state kicked them out of the public programs. The Minnesota Council on Health Plans declined our request for an on-camera interview, but in a written statement the HMOs say they have delivered high quality health care at an affordable price to low-income Minnesotans for 25 years. They also said there are better options to transparency and efficiency than having government take over health care.

[Full newspaper article and series of KSTP stories in this document.]

Power Point Presentation on the Need for Reform

2011-03-02T10:59:00.000-06:00

United Health's incredibly wealthy CEO Helmsley flustered by protesters

2011-03-02T10:46:00.001-06:00

MN Progressive Project:: United Health's incredibly wealthy CEO Helmsley flustered by protesters

This article on what Take Action did at a speech by Helmsley is great. We need more of this.
If the above link doesn't work, try this one.

A Union Guy, a Teabagger and a CEO

2011-03-02T09:58:00.001-06:00

"A unionized public employee, a teabagger, and a CEO are sitting at a table. In the middle of the table there is a plate with a dozen cookies on it. The CEO reaches across and takes 11 cookies, looks at the teabagger and says, "Look out for that union guy -- he wants a piece ...of your cookie."

Seems to relate to the Wendel Potter article in NYT in above link. If that link doesn't work, try this one.

When Democracy Weakens - NYTimes.com

2011-02-13T07:04:00.000-06:00

When Democracy Weakens - NYTimes.com: This column covers what is at the heart of why we can't move faster to reform our health care payment system. If this link to the NYT doesn't work for you, try this link to a copy.

15 Executives Who Get Paid Millions To Deny You Health Care Coverage | Wall St. Cheat Sheet

2011-02-12T07:36:00.001-06:00

15 Executives Who Get Paid Millions To Deny You Health Care Coverage | Wall St. Cheat Sheet:
[If that link doesn't work, the article can be viewed at this url.]
This shows the exorbitant salaries insurance execs are getting. Even the so called non-profit HMO ones are at our health care trough way too big time. You can search and find examples in your area like this:

Michael Morrow, Blue Plus (subsidiary of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of MN): $1,800,962

Mary Brainerd, HealthPartners: $1,583 ,080

David Tilford, Medica: $1,198,541

Nancy Feldman, U Care: $658,027

Then look at how administrative costs/salaries at hospitals and clinics have skyrocketed. That cost of health care has risen much, much faster than the pay of doctors and other providers. Salary at even small non-profit hospitals often exceeds half a million. These high exec. salaries seem driven by the corporate culture in the country which says you have to pay them like pro-athletes and movie stars in order to make money for the company. Reform of CEO pay levels is right up there with the need to reform campaign contribution laws.

Rationing is not the only alternative | StarTribune.com

2011-02-08T05:46:00.000-06:00

Rationing is not the only alternative | StarTribune.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
This is a good response from a PNHP doc regarding whether and how we ration medical care.
An excerpt: "

It is highly misleading to tell the public that our choice is between continued high numbers of uninsured people or rationing. Our choice is continued high numbers of the uninsured vs. cutting the enormous administrative waste and corporate profit out of our system with a single-payer system that allows us to lower the prices we pay for medical services, drugs and devices to levels paid in other countries."

In case the article is dropped from the Trib. website it is available here.

HMO Ripoff

2011-02-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

PMAP Presentation (11.17.10) on Vimeo: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

PMAP Presentation (11.17.10) from PMAP Reform on Vimeo.

Review of Impact on Medicare Program for Investment Income That Medicare Advantage Organizations Earned and Retained From Medicare Funds in 2007

2011-02-02T12:38:00.000-06:00

Report Office of Audit Services Office of Inspector General

This report could help with information concerning how the insurance companies are wasting our Medicare money and how Congress keeps screwing up the simplicity of how Medicare was intended to operate.

Medicare for All - Race to the One

2011-01-29T07:23:00.002-06:00

Article Link
The column below is well worth repeating. Makes me think of the possibilities of a contest between MN and WI for a Race to the One -- a one payer system providing universal access to medical care.
*****************

Insurance company profits vs. care for all

Cap Times editorial | Posted: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 7:00 am
Americans are divided over the question of how best to reform a dysfunctional health care system.
But the new Republican majority in the House entertains no doubt about what must be done: The for-profit insurance industry must be restored to its “proper” place as the decider of who gets care -- and how much they will have to pay.
In the first major vote of the new Congress, the House voted 245-189 in favor of repealing the modest health care reforms approved last year.
A total of 242 Republicans -- including Wisconsin’s Paul Ryan, James Sensenbrenner, Tom Petri, Sean Duffy and Reid Ribble -- voted for repeal. So too did three conservative Democrats.
A total of 189 “no” votes were cast by Democrats -- including Wisconsinites Tammy Baldwin, Ron Kind and Gwen Moore.
House Speaker John Boehner claimed that the vote represented the will of the American people.
But did it?
Survey research suggests that, while Americans overwhelmingly support health care reform, they are not sure the reform cobbled together by President Obama and the last Congress is the proper fix. According to a new Washington Post/ABC News poll, the country is split three ways: 33 percent for complete repeal of the measure adopted last year, 35 percent for partial repeal, and 30 percent for no repeal.
Those numbers don’t tell the whole story, however.
What about the tens of millions of Americans who are dissatisfied with the current law but who recognize that the whole debate about repealing it is a political show primarily designed to satisfy talk-radio hosts while exciting insurance industry campaign donors?
The Americans who oppose repeal but refuse to buy into the fantasy that the health care system has been sufficiently reformed are right. And there are a lot of them. According to the Associated Press poll, 43 percent of Americans want the government to do more to re-engineer the existing health care system.
That’s millions more than favor the repeal proposed by Republican leaders.
That level of support for more radical reform is the great untold story of the current debate.
The American people are not fools.
Substantial numbers of them understand that what is called “Obamacare” by Republicans is a compromise proposal that, at most, addresses the worst abuses of the nation’s for-profit insurers and health providers while outlining a framework for genuine reform.
Unfortunately, Congress did not take the next and necessary step toward a system that provides all Americans with high-quality health care while holding down costs, which now eat up 17 percent of GDP.
Rather, House Republicans used their new majority to push for a return to the bad old days when insurance executives were deemed to have an absolute right to their multimillion-dollar bonuses but children and others with pre-existing conditions were deemed to have a right only to beg for charity.
If the House debate on repeal of health care served a purpose, it was to illustrate the deep divide between those who believe the highest priority is to preserve insurance industry profits and those who worry about sick kids.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, summed up the whole charade with her usual precision when she invited House Republicans to consider their responsibility to represent not just corporations but the common good. “So I would argue that my good friends -- some of them are new and I appreciate their newness -- I appreciate their desire to keep a commitment to constituents -- but when you come to the Congress, you have to govern, you have to look at the whole of America,” she declared during the debate on repeal. “And therefore, looking at the whole of America, you need to look at the crux; the crux is saving lives.”
The congresswoman bluntly rejected the notion that repeal is the economic necessity Republicans suggest. Instead, she proposed, preserving reforms that protect the most vulnerable is a life-and-death necessity. “Frankly, I would just say to you, this is about saving lives. Jobs are very important; we created jobs,” explained Jackson Lee. “But even the title of their legislation, H.R. 2, ‘job-killing’ -- this is killing Americans if we take this away, if we repeal this bill.”
That’s a credible argument, to be sure.
But what of real reform? What about the changes that might get to the heart of the matter of ending the profiteering that makes health care so expensive and inaccessible?
Congressman Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, brought the right perspective to the debate when he reminded the House that “everyone knows that health insurance companies make money by not providing health care. After all, they are in the insurance business. They are not charities. With as many as 129 million Americans suffering from pre-existing conditions, insurance companies want Congress to repeal health care reform. The provisions which require covering people with pre-existing conditions would eventually cut into insurance company profits.”
Kucinich warned: “Repeal means Americans will continue to pay more for insurance but get less -- that is, if they can afford health care insurance in the first place.”
But the co-author (along with Wisconsinites Baldwin and Moore) of legislation that would extend the Medicare system to all Americans, regardless of age, did not stop there.
“The very idea of health care reform solely within the context of a for-profit system has been more than problematic. Today, 50 million Americans have no health insurance. What are we going to do for them?” asked Kucinich. “Rather than waste time on debating how much reform insurance companies will permit -- if any -- it is time to change the debate. It is time to end the for-profit health care model. It is time for not-for-profit health care — single-payer, universal, Medicare for all — with an emphasis on wellness and personal responsibility.”
Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less.

Minnesota health CEOs taking a whack at Medicaid | StarTribune.com

2011-01-27T06:03:00.000-06:00

Minnesota health CEOs taking a whack at Medicaid | StarTribune.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
HMOs and hospitals (many of whom are owned by HMOs) recommending cuts to care and cuts to non-hospital providers does not look good. The HMOs actually need to be taken out of the system in order to save money. No record has ever been made of whether or not it is cheaper for the tax payer to use the HMOs or not. That would usually mean it is not cheaper and the HMOs are using their millions of campaign contributions and lobbying money to keep from being held accountable. Red tape wastes time and money. I can tell you that when a vendor needs to deal with five plus HMOs to process bills for poor people it is much more expensive than dealing with one pay source. They all have different paperwork, processes, what and how the cover care and different auditing methods. It all drives up the cost and takes money from actual medical care. Funneling tax money to 7 and 9 figure incomes of HMO CEOs is not my idea of good government policy. I guess it is good for the campaign coffers of our elected reps. I just wish they remembered who they were elected to represent.

Vital Signs: Wendell Potter tells of health insurance industry’s dark side

2011-01-22T06:44:00.000-06:00

Vital Signs: Wendell Potter tells of health insurance industry’s dark side: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
I think it is important that we learn from Potter and use his story. The full article is in the link and this is an excerpt:
"This week’s vote to repeal the law in the Republican-controlled House is a “smoke screen” to mask a more sinister threat, he says: that critics will peel away the best parts of the bill rather than kill it outright.

They’ll go after the clause that allows parents to cover their children until they are 26, he warned the crowd. They’ll try to pump up the share of premiums for-profit companies can put into overhead instead of patient care. They’ll try to discriminate against the elderly. They’ll push for exemptions and waivers. And they’ll blast reform as a “one-size-fits-all” failure while demanding “greater flexibility to meet the needs of Americans” because this is the kind of simplistic jargon politicians fall for. “It may not surprise you that many lawmakers are not very smart,” Potter says, getting a laugh."

Push for Safety Oversight of Electronic Medical Records Is Moving at a Crawl

2011-01-21T05:38:00.001-06:00

Push for Safety Oversight of Electronic Medical Records Is Moving at a Crawl:
This link is an interesting article I found that references the issues and research on electronic medical records. A piece not referenced that I wonder about is how the profit motive drives data systems. I have found that discussions about new and improved electronic data systems for health care providers seem to always start and end with how they help enhance revenue. I understand that - given our current system. What I don't understand is not mentioning that purpose in reviews of what is going on and whether or not the systems are doing what is intended. The big insurance companies and big medical vendors don't like to share much. I have been in meetings with some and the issue of protecting corporate secrets that could affect competitive advantage keeps any real communication and sharing at arm's length. Given the affect the financial bottom line has on decisions regarding electronic data systems and sharing of information, how can this whole electronic records push ever accomplish all the pie in the sky promises? No matter how great the outcome might eventually be we can't afford to do this right anyway. Seems like an expensive smoke and mirrors gimmick to distract us from the real issues.

Paul Krugman: It’s not harmony we seek; it’s an understanding of boundaries. | StarTribune.com

2011-01-15T05:42:00.000-06:00

Paul Krugman: It’s not harmony we seek; it’s an understanding of boundaries. | StarTribune.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
I believe that what Krugman says is at the heart of the health care debate. An excerpt from his column:

What are the differences?

"One side of American politics considers the modern welfare state -- a private-enterprise economy, but one in which society's winners are taxed to pay for a social safety net -- morally superior to the capitalism red in tooth and claw we had before the New Deal.

It's only right, this side believes, for the affluent to help the less fortunate.

The other side believes that people have a right to keep what they earn, and that taxing them to support others, no matter how needy, amounts to theft.

That's what lies behind the modern right's fondness for violent rhetoric: Many activists on the right really do see taxes and regulation as tyrannical impositions on their liberty.

There's no middle ground between these views. This deep divide in American political morality -- for that's what it amounts to -- is a relatively recent development."

Editorial: Health repeal antics are a waste of time | StarTribune.com

2011-01-09T07:20:00.001-06:00

Editorial: Health repeal antics are a waste of time StarTribune.com
A comment on this editorial:
Sad - Politics as usual. All the hype about 'government takeover', 'death panels', etc. are and were very well planned out gimmicks created by the insurance company lobby. Just as they successfully did regarding Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage Plans they created (bought) an insurance company bailout law. If we don't stop having a system that links my ability to get health care to the job I have and if we don't remove the middle man insurance moguls from how health care is paid for, we will never be able to afford this and it will fail. The insurance multi-millionaire execs are salivating at all the money they will make off of us tax payers with the investment they made in buying politicians. Sad!

Wendell Potter: The Health Care Spin Continues

2011-01-04T07:28:00.001-06:00

Wendell Potter: The Health Care Spin Continues: I encourage you to read this by following the link. Here's an excerpt:
"In his new book, Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care And Deceiving Americans, he writes, “If you are among those who believe that the U.S. has the best healthcare system in the world--despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary-- it’s because my fellow spinmeisters and I succeeded brilliantly at what we were paid very well to do with your premium dollars.”

“And if you were persuaded that the health care bill President Barack Obama signed into law in March 2010 was a ‘government takeover of the health care system,’ my former colleagues and I earned every penny of our handsome salaries.”

The talking points are designed to be simple, catchy, and memorable. Think government takeover of healthcare, death panels, and socialism.

Do you like this? Click here to get Truthout stories sent to your inbox every day - free.

“And you have to say them over and over and over again. And if you hear them often enough, you think it’s true,” says Potter. “That’s why people, even today, think that the legislation created death panels. Obviously it never had anything approaching that kind of provision. People think this legislation is a government takeover of the healthcare system. In reality, it props up our private healthcare system. It guarantees that these private insurance companies are going to be profitable for years and years to come. It will require us to buy their products and it doesn’t include a public option, which we needed to have.”

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Editorial: Mandate prevents health 'free riders' | StarTribune.com

2010-12-24T06:59:00.000-06:00

Editorial: Mandate prevents health 'free riders' | StarTribune.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
This article on the mandate to buy insurance and the need to have such a mandate is based on a Robert Wood Johnson report. I understand the logic here but I wish we didn't use the term mandate and did not require us to buy insurance from private companies. Requiring us to pay into Medicare and Social Security is a type of mandate but it isn't requiring I pay a private company. Requiring that this health care reform be paid for by requiring me to pay a private company is not the way to go. Requiring me to pay a tax based on my income is the way to go. I bet it'd be cheaper for all of too.

Medical care: Is it a right? - PNHP's Official Blog

2010-12-19T06:16:00.000-06:00

Medical care: Is it a right? - PNHP's Official Blog: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
I found it surprising that so many would shout that medical care is not a right in the USA and that thee author of this article didn't react to that moral/ethical issue. Reminds me of Arizona's recent decision to deny transplants to poor people. We ration access to health care in this country based on income and/or your job. That is just plain wrong!

GOP puts BadgerCare, federal health care law in the cross hairs

2010-12-02T04:47:00.000-06:00

GOP puts BadgerCare, federal health care law in the cross hairs: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
The battle is heating up in Wisconsin. Hope we don't have a race to the bottom between MN and WI.

Kip Sullivan: Health care report card was flawed | StarTribune.com

2010-11-29T04:59:00.000-06:00

Kip Sullivan: Health care report card was flawed | StarTribune.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
"Minnesotans should be alarmed by a report recently issued by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). The Minnesota Health Care Quality Report claims to measure the quality of care delivered by Minnesota's clinics and hospitals, but its methodology is so crude that it is impossible to say what is being measured."
Click here for the rest of the LTE

Alex MacGillis: Prices remain the malady in health care | StarTribune.com

2010-11-08T05:04:00.000-06:00

Alex MacGillis: Prices remain the malady in health care StarTribune.com
This article goes into the argument about value versus quantity in the health care cost debate. Is it the insurance companies, the providers or us patients that are the cause of the problem? Hmmmm.....I can't help but wonder about the trend not only for providers to consolidate but for insurance companies to get into the provider buisness -- directly and indirectly via selling business support services. Still might be just the big coporations playing us all to make as much money as possible with no regard for our real health care needs.

Health group may offer plan to trim costs | StarTribune.com

2010-11-05T07:16:00.000-06:00

Health group may offer plan to trim costs | StarTribune.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
This calls the public programs that pay for medical care INSURANCE. Insurance is defined as "promise of reimbursement in the case of loss; paid to people or companies so concerned about hazards that they have made prepayments to an insurance company". Since Pre-paid Medical Assistance started in MN the managed care companies get a payment per person to cover them like any other managed care plan would. Going from the State paying for medical bills to paying MCOs to pay them costs more but the State will not provide a cost comparison to show how wasteful this is. But then the MCOs have paid a lot to the politicians and lobbyists to keep us all ignorant of the ugly truth.

How can a family with $50,000 in income pay $18,000 in medical expenses? | Physicians for a National Health Program

2010-10-04T13:18:00.001-06:00

How can a family with $50,000 in income pay $18,000 in medical expenses? Physicians for a National Health Program
"The individual insurance market is highly dysfunctional, and was one of the primary motivators for the regulatory changes in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). About 30 percent of individuals who apply for individual plans are denied coverage. The private insurers will cover only individuals with an unblemished health record. Most health care costs for those individuals are very low and often below the deductible. This is why the insurers can sell an individual family policy for only $6,328 - these are healthy people who rarely file significant claims. In fact, when they do file larger claims, the private insurers routinely look to see if they could find an omission in the application such as a prior yeast infection not reported, and then they would reject all claims and rescind the coverage. Both of these practices are illegal for employer-sponsored group coverage, which is partly why group coverage is more expensive, but they were very effective in limiting claims losses in the individual market. The new law requires guaranteed issue (all applicants accepted) and prohibits rescission (retroactive revocation of insurance). These two changes will wipe out the individual insurance market as we know it, and will result in skyrocketing insurance premiums.

Another reason that individual plans are so cheap (if you call $6,328 cheap) is that they do not provide nearly as good coverage - both in benefits and cost sharing. Individual plans frequently omit pharmaceuticals, mental health services, maternity benefits, etc. Also they tend to have larger deductibles ($1,000 to $25,000) and high coinsurance (a percentage of fees which is usually much higher than co-pays would be). The bankruptcy studies have shown that medical debt contributes to about 60 percent of personal bankruptcies, and three-fourths of those with medical debt had health insurance. Individual plans have deteriorated to a degree that they don't keep people out of bankruptcy when they develop significant medical problems. The new law will establish a standard benefit package which will also drive premiums up, though it will still permit excessive cost sharing (at an actuarial value of 60 to 70 percent)."

HealthCare.gov

2010-09-24T04:45:00.000-06:00

Take health care into your own hands

Explore your coverage options

Find out which private insurance plans, public programs and community services are available to you.

Your Health Care, Explained

Daily Kos: Bill Moyers wants you to read this: "Hijacked"

2010-09-05T08:30:00.001-06:00

Daily Kos: Bill Moyers wants you to read this:
"HIJACKED: The Road to Single Payer in the Aftermath of Stolen Health Care Reform"
A book worth considering. Good price as well.

Maine Voices: New federal health care law falls far short of being a real reform | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

2010-07-25T06:41:00.000-06:00

Maine Voices: New federal health care law falls far short of being a real reform | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

"Now Washington sends us, by a narrow vote, new health care "reforms" touted as bipartisan solutions to our crippled health care system. Even a glance at these changes uncovers little more than a Ponzi scheme enriching some at the expense of others."

I found these comments from a doctor in Maine to be right on. The reason the 'big boys' in the health care industry are not trying to kill what has been touted as reform is because they wrote it and will get richer from it.

Insurers Push Plans That Limit Health Choices - NYTimes.com

2010-07-22T09:15:00.000-06:00

Insurers Push Plans That Limit Health Choices - NYTimes.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
And here's the other side of the story on what might be happening with small employers. They can get a tax credit but the insurance companies plan to offer cheap policies that put too much financial burden on the employee.

Tax credit to help small firms on health care | StarTribune.com

2010-07-22T04:45:00.000-06:00

Tax credit to help small firms on health care | StarTribune.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
"These employers would qualify for a tax credit of up to 35 percent of health care costs starting in 2010, according to a report released Wednesday by Families USA, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group that calculated the potential impact for small businesses in each state."
Interesting that current reform efforts can help small business but the naysayers keep touting that reform hurts them.

AMA battles insurers over doctor ratings | StarTribune.com

2010-07-20T04:11:00.001-06:00

AMA battles insurers over doctor ratings StarTribune.com
"A letter that the American Medical Association sent major insurers reflects doctors' concerns about a practice that is expected to spread as insurers compete to offer cheaper coverage to millions of Americans as health reform rolls out.

Insurers steer members by making them pay more to use doctors rated as less efficient, based on quality of care and cost. But the AMA says the ratings are often inaccurate."

Other articles show that the big insurance companies are now offering cheaper plans if you agree to use only a certain group of doctors. Sounds like managed care on steroids. HMOs failed because the incentive was to not provide care. Looks like a repeat performance to me.

Health care changes you may not know of - TwinCities.com

2010-07-12T12:51:00.001-06:00

Health care changes you may not know of - TwinCities.com

"Several little-known provisions of the new health care overhaul law take effect in coming months that could have a lasting impact on the nation's health care system.

They include eliminating co-payments for certain preventive services such as mammograms, giving the government more power to review health insurers' premium increases and allowing states to expand Medicaid coverage to low-income adults without children."

See article for details.

The System is Sick

2010-07-03T05:17:00.002-06:00

David Cameron: The new face of England - The Week

2010-05-31T05:52:00.001-06:00

David Cameron: The new face of England - The Week

Very interesting quote on how the new Prime Minister in England changed his views on universal health care access.

"Did his child’s illness affect his politics?

Yes. Cameron was a very traditional Conservative in his youth, supporting Thatcher’s staunch free-market policies, including fierce opposition to the National Health Service, Britain’s single-payer medical system. But Cameron says his conversations with the families he met in waiting rooms during his son’s many hospitalizations changed his thinking. “My family is so often in the hands of the NHS, and I want them to be safe there,” Cameron told his party conference in 2006. “Tony Blair once explained his priority in three words: Education, education, education. I can do it in three letters—NHS.” No rising Conservative politician had ever dared make such a statement, and it quickly established him as a new kind of Tory."

Health care tries to figure out what works best - JSOnline

2010-05-08T06:18:00.000-06:00

Health care tries to figure out what works best - JSOnline

"In a health care system that spends $2.5 trillion a year, less than one-tenth of 1% is spent on research to determine what treatment options work best - and, in some cases, whether they work at all.

"We spend billions of dollars on developing new treatments and technologies, but we don't go back through and say, 'OK, how do they work?' " said Murray Ross, director of research at the Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy.

The result is tens of billions of dollars - and maybe much more - spent each year on treatments that are of marginal or questionable value.

In recent years, doctors, economists, health plans, business groups and others have called for increased research on comparative effectiveness - research that compares different treatment options.

That's about to happen."

A Book on How the New Insurance Mandate Will Work

2010-05-05T10:43:00.000-06:00

Book Excerpt: How The Individual Health Insurance Mandate Will Work - Kaiser Health NewsClick above for more details - Here's an excerpt -"The mandate requires all citizens and legal immigrants to have "qualifying" health coverage. People eligible for employer coverage can satisfy the requirement by enrolling in their employer’s plan. Employer plans will need to meet certain standards—covering preventive care and disallowing lifetime limits—but will not need to have all of the minimum benefits that will be required of plans sold to individuals and small businesses. "

Medicare You Can Buy Into

2010-03-26T12:20:00.000-06:00

Health care vote expands direct government.......

2010-03-26T04:46:00.000-06:00

Health care vote expands direct government
Single Payer passed in the new health care bill! Amazing -- they will save billions by creating a single payer system.

Too bad it isn't in the health care payment system. We will now have a government run single payer system for student loans. How ironic.............

Obamacare shows off country's can-do spirit

2010-03-24T05:15:00.000-06:00

Jerome Column: Obamacare shows off country's can-do spirit

A positive spin from a small town editor. Click on the link to read the column.
An excerpt: "There's been a lot of manufactured drama over the past few months. Folks dressing up in frock coats and tricorn hats have been kicking up a fuss, doing their best to scare the people into believing that making sure everybody can take their kids to the doctor is an idea Joe Stalin cooked up in the bowels of the Kremlin and that any attempt to guarantee basic medical care is as good as a ticket to the Gulag.

For month's we've heard the "No We Can't" crowd tell us that the United States of America wasn't able to do what Germany, Great Britain, France, Canada and Iceland can do. They told us we're not as resourceful as Spain, as prosperous as Cuba, as self-disciplined as Italy. Well, they're wrong, and it's about time for the costume party patriots to quit selling our country short. First of all, to the all those angry, frustrated folks demanding "I want my country back!" - it's not your country ... it's our country. Each of us has equal claim. For that matter, I'm not sure what country it is you want back or why it is you feel you've lost it."

Letter from one caught in the middle

2010-03-23T04:44:00.003-06:00

More and more people are caught in the ever growing middle between having good insurance and being on welfare. This is an actual letter and a great message:
***

"Self-Employed and Farmers Need Health Care Too

My husband and I are hard working self employed farmers and have a home woodworking business which keeps us fully employed. We do not have an outside job that provides medical insurance.

Given the recent rate increases in our medical insurance premiums, paying for our own insurance is no longer an option we can afford. Here is the letter we had to send to Blue Cross Blue Shield of MN.

Customer service department,

Due to economic circumstances in our household and your two most recent rate increases we can no longer afford to or justify holding medical insurance with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota.

From our perspective the rate increase is unfounded and further depletes our monthly budget to the extent that a visit to the doctor is nearly impossible.

I am not comfortable with being under insured and still paying $539.00 per month for that privilege. Our current policy looks like a very big waste of money, of which we have so little.

I am hoping these explanations help your company to find a better way, and not just a better marketing strategy.

Please cancel my insurance policy numbered XXXX effective April 1, 2010.

Respectfully,

xxxxxxx xxxxxxx

I have heard in the media that the insurance rates are going up so much because of all the lay offs and employers dropping coverage. So, we have to pay more because more and more people don't have coverage. All I know for sure is that the rates on our insurance policy have increased every year in the time we have had it, both in good times and bad.

We need a different way to do this. A way so hard working people don't get left out.

We applaud the effort to extend health care to low income people, but self employed farmers, and others who are self employed and small businesses need affordable health care coverage also. We have always considered the United States to be a great country to live and work in, but now many of who fall in the middle are being forced to take the gamble that we won't get drastically sick and save the dollars that were spending on medical insurance to use to actually go see a doctor if we need to. The policy we were in had a deductible so high that a visit to the doctor’s office would result us making monthly payments to the provider on top of the premiums to the insurance company, what is also known as being "underinsured".

America’s current health care system means people pay more and get less – until they can’t even afford it any more. That weakens our economy, undermines families, concentrates wealth in fewer and fewer hands, and puts people’s long-term health at risk. It’s clear to me that America would be stronger with a decent health care system.

In my mind, we in our state of Minnesota can and should do much better on health care, and can help lead the nation on real reform that works and fits average people's budgets. We can’t afford to keep letting this slide."

Reinventing care for poor means relying less on ER | StarTribune.com

2010-03-14T07:06:00.001-06:00

Reinventing care for poor means relying less on ER | StarTribune.com
Minnesota politicians say they have a wonderful solution to the Governor's threat to stop the medical payment program for the poorest of the poor - GAMC. I love this quote from the article in the Trib.

"First, create a new system to provide comprehensive medical care for 32,000 adults, many of them homeless and chronically ill, add social work and psychological counseling, do it on a budget slashed from $219 million to $91 million -- and roll it out in 12 weeks.

Second, convince Samuel Matoke and other skeptical users of General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) -- living on $203 a month and preoccupied with getting a meal and a bed -- that the best care starts in a low-cost medical clinic, not an expensive hospital emergency room.

"The emergency room, that's where you can go anytime," Matoke said last week during an interview at St. Stephen's shelter near downtown Minneapolis. "Maybe they don't like you too much, but they fix you up when you get really sick or you break your arm.""

A County hospital can't say no to this since a dime is better than nothing even if it means losing a dollar. But our system has such a history of driving the poor and sickest to ERs (which we all pay for in premiums, co-pays and taxes) that changing patient behavior will be very hard. And don't forget that often those arriving at the ER were taken there by others after hours.

Op-Ed Columnist - Health Reform Myths - NYTimes.com

2010-03-13T07:17:00.000-06:00

Op-Ed Columnist - Health Reform Myths - NYTimes.com
Good summary of what the major myths are. Appreciate that Krugman says it would be better to have Medicare for All but let's get what we can right now.

One Payer - One Plan - One Pool

Beck Bashing

2010-03-11T09:28:00.000-06:00

Bill George: Time to transform state's health care | StarTribune.com

2010-03-07T06:31:00.000-06:00

Bill George: Time to transform state's health care | StarTribune.com: "Many great ideas here - except the ideas for using private for profit health insurance as a part of the system. HMO's managed care model has failed. High deductibles are failing and will fail as they cream the healthy off the top and hurt the old, poor and sick. The only way we can afford the team based, high quality model is to rid ourselves of the 30% of our money going into insurance company profits and CEO salaries and shareholders. One Payer, One Plan -- that is the only way we can afford change. Minnesota was the birthplace of HMOs. Let's be the birthplace of a better system -- enact the Minnesota Health Plan. [http://mnhealthplan.org/]"

Lori Sturdevant: Marty looks to future with singer-payer bill | StarTribune.com

2010-02-27T07:54:00.002-06:00

Lori Sturdevant: Marty looks to future with singer-payer bill | StarTribune.com

A candidate for Minnesota Governor has the guts to keep pushing for the eventual adoption of a one payer health care payment system. We can all have renewed hope of eventual change and find motivation to keep fighting the good fight.

If you want to learn more about the proposal: http://mnhealthplan.org/ If you want to learn facts about a one payer system concept, check out: http://www.pnhp.org/ If you want to hear unfounded rantings, you can always go to: http://www.foxnews.com/ or http://www.rushlimbaugh.com

Op-Ed Columnist - The Narcissus Society - NYTimes.com

2010-02-25T15:02:00.000-06:00

Op-Ed Columnist - The Narcissus Society - NYTimes.com
"Which brings me to health care: Crunch time has come on a question central to the nation’s future, where an acknowledgment is needed that, when it comes to health, we’re all in this together. Pooling the risk among everybody is the most efficient way to forge a healthier society. That’s what other developed societies do. And they don’t have 30 million plus uninsured.

Now, as I understand it, the Tea Party movement is angry about waste, bail-outs for the rich and spiraling debt. They detest big government. But if waste and debt are really what’s bothering them, how about the waste in the more than 1,800 daily health-care related personal bankruptcies, the 25 to 30 percent of some corporate insurers’ costs going on administration (versus 6 percent for Medicare), the sky-rocketing health premiums that are undermining U.S. corporations (and so taking jobs), the endless paperwork of private reimbursement procedures, and the needless deaths?"

Paul Krugman: Inconvenient: Health care premiums rise | StarTribune.com

2010-02-22T06:11:00.000-06:00

Paul Krugman: Inconvenient: Health care premiums rise | StarTribune.com
I think this column by Krugman is important but I'm not sure how much it will impact on what Congress is willing to do. Facts never seem to matter. But it does cause me to wonder -- are not the big insurance companies already working across state borders? Seems to me they do - even if it is via various corporate legal maneuverings. United Health in Minnesota seems to be doing business directly or indirectly in every state. We get Medicare supplement policies where we live in WI via Blue Cross Anthem and the envelopes all come from California. BTW -- our premiums only went up 8.9% - guess we are lucky.

Public Option Might Not Be Dead

2010-02-21T08:01:00.001-06:00

Quit Feeding Stray Animals

2010-02-13T07:22:00.002-06:00

Leonard Pitts; GOP candidate breeds contempt for the poor

Many of you probably saw this Leaonard Pitts column. A politician comparing helping the poor to feeding stray animals gets your juices flowing.
Sounds way too much like the Tea Party rantings about single payer health care doesn't it?
I thought I would send this out suggesting that this is a real attitude issue and highlight that he suggests that those most in need can be the most vocal in this seemingly irrational position. The same thing happens when it comes to health care payment reform - those who need it the most can be up front yelling the loudest in opposition. I still think this is a uniquely American phenomena that we need to learn how to address. I think the recent BBC article helps us see ourselves. We need to learn from those outside views Our responses can be our own worst enemies in efforts to help others learn and make informed decisions. There is resentment of what is seen as elitist know it alls telling them what to do, how to think and that they are too dumb to see the light.
In his recent book "Whats the Matter with Kansas" Thomas Frank suggests "the Republicans have learned how to stoke up resentment against the patronizing liberal elite, all those do-gooders who assume they know what poor people ought to be thinking". We need to learn how to listen and try to start where they are coming from. If we are on the right track, they will come to the same basic conclusions as we do. We need to avoid talking down, etc. and try harder to communicate with them and to work to create an atmosphere where they feel listened to and understood.
BTW -- I don't think this will work with very many of the rich, greedy power brokers like those in control of for profit insurance companies because they are too likely to really want to see all those funny looking, strange acting, bothersome poor and sick people die. Maybe some of you could help me with that terrible, personal, prejudice problem. I need to find a book a a column about that I guess.

BBC News - Why do people vote against their own interests?

2010-02-05T06:27:00.002-06:00

BBC News - Why do people vote against their own interests?
"Political scientist Dr David Runciman gives his view on why there is often such deep opposition to reforms that appear to be of obvious benefit to voters.

Last year, in a series of "town-hall meetings" across the country, Americans got the chance to debate President Obama's proposed healthcare reforms.

What happened was an explosion of rage and barely suppressed violence."

We need to tell more stories and avoid talking down to people. Some lessons to be learned here.

Katherine Kersten: Bipartisan health care? Yes, we can. | StarTribune.com

2010-01-31T07:24:00.000-06:00

Katherine Kersten: Bipartisan health care? Yes, we can. | StarTribune.com
Kersten suggests there are ways to create a bipartisan solution. I agree but I do not agree with her suggestions as to how to do so. The suggestions miss the primary areas causing our health care payment system to fail. Sounds like a party line but the party isn't Republican. The party being followed hook, line and sinker is the big insurance company line. They have bought too many politicians and they have way too many lobbyists in D.C. Health care payment needs to be changed and it must be done first by terminating the failed experiment of for-profit health insurance as the way it is paid. The laws and rules they have gotten government to enact only protect them. We pretend the red tape is somehow done to them by bureaucrats. It is done by them to protect themselves. We need a hybrid of how we provide utilities and how we provide fire, police, roads and education. We need the docs to stay private and not become employed by government (except where it makes sense like Vets and County Hospitals). We need hospitals to all be non-profit and to be put on a budget instead of those expensive itemized bills. We do NOT need to continue the escalating ownership of provider clinics and hospitals by insurance companies. If we must have insurance in health care (which is the single biggest problem causing cost overruns), we MUST legally separate and outlaw ownership of a provider by an insurance company. They who pay for the care shall not be allowed to own the care provider. Our own United Health (with their 15 million per year CEO) runs huge insurance industries, providers and has their hands in administrative pieces of many providers and supposedly non-profit insurance companies in Minnesota. Kick out the Middle Man!

Wendell Potter on Health Legislation

2010-01-30T07:26:00.000-06:00

Hospital chain, UnitedHealth in standoff over costs, rules | StarTribune.com

2010-01-25T06:13:00.000-06:00

Hospital chain, UnitedHealth in standoff over costs, rules | StarTribune.com"Minnetonka-based UnitedHealthcare says the proposed rule is meant to improve the quality of care and cut costs by allowing insurance case managers to jump in right away. The hospitals say that having their reimbursement cut in half is too much to pay for a clerical error, and that the drain on their revenues would ultimately hurt their patients."
It is not OK to even hint that government is invovled in health care payment decisions but not enough people seem to care that a for profit company paying their CEO over 15 million can start to dictate what hospitals and doctors and patients can and can not do. Keep it up Unidted Health Care -- maybe enough people will get fed up and we can actually overcome all that money you throw at our elected officials.

George F. Will: Health care, afoul of the Constitution | StarTribune.com

2010-01-14T05:50:00.000-06:00

George F. Will: Health care, afoul of the Constitution | StarTribune.com
This argument against making insurance mandatory is interesting. A State can make car insurance mandatory but then we can choose to not drive. Is getting health care like buying a car or like buying car insurance? Actually I think it is not like either and I sure hope the Judges see it that way. It is in the public's best interest for sick and injured to get care. It is not a public issue whether or not I buy a car or get a driver's license. If you determine that in this great Country health care is a right and not some privegige for those with money, then don't you have to open up access to all? If you remove the whole concept of insurance from the mix, isn't a single payer system the best way to provide universal access?

Why markets can’t cure healthcare - Paul Krugman Blog - NYTimes.com

2010-01-12T06:33:00.000-06:00

Why markets can’t cure healthcare - Paul Krugman Blog - NYTimes.com
We can forget these basic facts so well spelled out by Krugman. We always hear about how the free market will solve it and that if we just shopped for health care the way we do for a car, everything would take care of itself. Well, it won't. As Krugman says there are "....no examples of successful health care based on the principles of the free market, for one simple reason: in health care, the free market just doesn’t work. And people who say that the market is the answer are flying in the face of both theory and overwhelming evidence." This link to his July '09 article should be re-read often.