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What the Shutdown Revealed About the Economic Divides in U.S. Politics
Tea Party America doesn’t look much like the base of the big-business Republican Party
This is a disturbing study of our fellow Americans. There are all sorts of people on the edges of the bell curve of life. While I have no love for the leaders of the Tea Party, whom I believe purposely and maliciously lie to their constituents and mislead them, the Americans who want smaller, less wasteful, and less intrusive government, are honest and sincere in their beliefs. They are wrong, but that’s another discussion. The study, on the other hand, in the vein of lies, damn lies, and statistics, paints them as less creative (and by implication less intelligent.
See on www.theatlanticcities.com
See other articles on Scoop.it – Changing Healthcare for the Better
Avoid Being the Ostrich
A recent post on the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions Blog, “Convergence in health care: The opportunity in uncertainty,” starts off with the following statement:
There is no question that significant change is occurring in the health care industry and nobody really knows exactly how all of this is going to play out over the next couple of years. In light of all of this uncertainty, one of two scenarios could have played out: players in the health care industry could have sat on the sidelines, waited it out to see what happens, and avoided the potential risk that comes with uncertainty. Instead, the alternative scenario is playing out with organizations across all parts of health care using change as an opportunity to make bold plays from a strategic perspective. Some of that is manifesting itself in consolidation within sectors, and some of that is manifesting itself in convergence across sectors.
I agree.
As I tell my healthcare clients, the roller coaster healthcare environment presents them with many alternative business opportunities. However, one alternative that must be avoided is doing nothing. Doing nothing is not the same as staying where you are. The status quo may be the right strategy for some. For others, it may be consolidation and convergence. But everyone needs to stay focused and be an active participant in his or her business future. Involvement is required to evaluate the different alternatives and make a good decision. Otherwise, opportunities will be lost and maybe lost forever.
Fighting Lies and Ignorance to Keep the Democratic Process Democratic
The health care crisis and how to solve it has become one of the defining issues of our time. There is much debate over the right course of action. The debate should be principled and intelligent, but we have come to a point in American politics where lying or being stupid or both have become a perfectly acceptable way to debate an issue.
If one assumes that Romney, Ryan, Rand Paul, Cruz, Rubio, Bachmann, Palin, Rick Scott, Pam Bondi, and many other outspoken opponents of Obamacare are intelligent people (an assumption that may be a stretch in some cases), then they must be liars. Other than their being ignorant beyond comprehension (which could be the case for some of the named individuals), lying is the only explanation for what they have been saying about Obamacare.
Honest, intelligent people make sure of their facts before making public statements about this complicated, important legislation.
An open and honest debate, where ideas are discussed and criticized and improved upon, is what is needed desperately in this country. It is the way things are supposed to be done in America.
Americans of good intentions must be educated to fight the campaign of misinformation that has been waged against the President’s plan for health care reform.
Obamacare Facts is one place to get a detailed and unbiased description of what the law does and doesn’t do. Go there, learn, so that, regardless of your position, you will know what’s true and what’s false and who is lying and who is telling the truth. Perhaps, you can even help educate those whose ignorance is keeping them in the dark.
‘Navigator’ flaws compound new health care law’s glitchy start
A program intended to help educate uninsured people in Western Pennsylvania about Obamacare started sluggishly because ‘navigators’ are not trained, and several positions remain vacant nearly two weeks after online insurance marketplaces went live.
Seriously, there is no way that a program this big trying to help so many people in the face of so many obstacles would not have start-up issues. Making things better should be the focus, rather than the rants of the Tea Party Congressmen.
See on triblive.com
Poorest of the poor left out of Affordable Care Act’s health insurance expansion
Because North Carolina rejected the Medicaid expansion earlier this year, the state’s poorest residents will go without insurance despite the national law that was intended to slash the number of uninsured.
This is another example of the short-sightedness (or just plain meanness — it’s hard to know which) of conservative state legislatures that decided taking a stand against Obamacare was more important than the health of its citizens. The Presdient and the ACA will be blamed by the campaign of misinformation from the Tea Party, but this is their fault, not the President’s and certainly not the law’s.
See on www.charlotteobserver.com
See more on Scoop.it – Changing Healthcare for the Better
How Health Care Reform is Supposed to be Working
The RAND Corporation has published a study, “Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Consumer Health Care Spending and Risk of Catastrophic Health Costs.”
RAND provides the following summary of the study:
This study examines the likely effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on average annual consumer health care spending and the risk of catastrophic medical costs for the United States overall and in two large states that have decided not to expand their Medicaid programs (Texas and Florida). The ACA will have varied impacts on individuals’ and families’ spending on health care, depending on income level and on estimated 2016 insurance status without the ACA. The authors find that average out-of-pocket spending is expected to decrease for all groups considered in the analysis, although decreases in out-of-pocket spending will be largest for those who would otherwise be uninsured. People who would otherwise be uninsured who transition to the individual market under the ACA will have higher total health care spending on average after implementation of the ACA because they will now incur the cost of health insurance premiums. The authors also find that risk of catastrophic health care spending will decrease for individuals of all income levels for the insurance transitions considered; decreases will be greatest for those at the lowest income levels. Case studies found that in Texas and Florida, Medicaid expansion would substantially reduce out-of-pocket and total health care spending for those with incomes below 100 percent of the federal poverty level, compared with a scenario in which the ACA is implemented without Medicaid expansion. Expansion would reduce the risk of high medical spending for those covered under Medicaid who would remain uninsured without expansion.
You can read the Study online or download a copy here.
What is the Problem … Really?
On Meet the Press this morning, National Review’s Rich Lowry said that Obamacare presented an unacceptable major social change to the country.
What exactly is that unacceptable change?
Requiring people to get insured and subsidizing those who can’t afford it? Making people take responsibility for their health? Prohibiting insurance companies from refusing to insure someone?
It’s not like public dollars are going to start being used to cover people who weren’t covered before.
People have always gotten care paid for by the public — anyone could walk into the ER. Now, however, people can get better care, preventive care, more affordably. Are there really people who rationally oppose any of this? Poll after poll shows popular support when the actual facts of Obamacare are explained.
Honestly, I hear the words ranted out in opposition to Obamacare, but I cannot comprehend what the real issue is.
65,899,660 Votes Have to Mean Something
The Tea Party Republicans in the House and Senate like to say that they are representing their constituents, and shutting down the government and defunding Obamacare are what those constituents want. They demand that the President be willing to negotiate with them to promote their distorted view of America.
But what about the 65,899,660 Americans who voted to re-elect the President last November? We don’t want the President to negotiate to un-win the victories that were legitimately won. There is nothing to negotiate about and certainly not with these self-appointed so-called leaders, some of whom have retained positions of power through questionable means. Perhaps, a time honored way to stay in office, but not to hijack a government they could not win legitimately. In fact, the Republicans should not even be in control of the House given the local popular vote in many states that “elected” Republicans.
Most Tea Party Republicans belong to an outlier mentality who do not understand Obamacare because they have been so maliciously misinformed about it. Their ignorance is being used by those in power who have promoted it to fight the President’s policies.
This is a battle far more important than any that has faced us since Nixon’s shenanigans. Rich men are doing what they can to impose on America a worldview that the public rejected.
This is not politics as usual, and it is about much more than healthcare. If the President loses this, then let’s be honest — elections and democracy are just meaningless shams in America. Money rules, and rich people of influence who are elected by no one can win political victories through a campaign of lies.
America is about process, and Ted Cruz and the other Congressional members of the flatworld society are only about winning. They don’t get it. They don’t want to get it. We cannot allow these well-funded radicals to take what they couldn’t win at the polls. Moderates and reasonable people of both parties are at an obvious disadvantage by relying on the Constitutional process. So, the revolution is coming, but whether it will be a democratic one or an oligarchic one is the question of our time. Buckle up.
Obamacare and the Politics of Ignorance, Hate, and Fear
Everyone knows that the current healthcare system is broken, unsustainable, and is bankrupting the country (while providing inadequate access to what has become substandard healthcare). Nevertheless, Republicans remain focused on repealing the only meaningful piece of healthcare reform legislation passed in years. Obamacare is not perfect, and politicians should be working to improve it.
But they’re not.
So, let’s just be honest.
The fight against Obamacare is nothing about healthcare. Any one with any knowledge of Obamacare knows it, because there is nothing about Obamacare that explains the rabid Republican-led reaction against it. Instead, the fight is about a deep hate and fear of the President, of the poor, of the foreign, and of the non-white. This hatred, this racism is obvious and clear.
Granted that there may be a “principled” argument to be made against the individual mandate, but, really, is that what is upsetting people?
The misinformed public has no understanding of the benefits of Obamacare. They are victims of the purposely false and deceitful campaign of misinformation waged by Republican leaders, who never mention that Obamacare makes health insurance available and affordable, it eliminate lifetime caps and preexisting conditions, it fights healthcare fraud, and it moves to less expensive preventive care. There are no death panels, there are no governmental bureaucrats making healthcare decisions.
Unfortunately, logic and reason are no match against ignorance, racism, and hate. Patriotism seems to have lost out also.
Florida Cares About Healthcare … Not
I have been very remiss about posting for the last several weeks.
Being a Floridian is very depressing. Florida’s elected and administrative leaders have done everything they can to misinform Floridians about Obamacare, to keep the needy from accessing care, to prevent the uninsured from being able to purchase affordable health insurance, and to force healthcare providers to provide unreimbursed care.
Earlier today, Health News Florida reported on how politics over healthcare reform has become more important than either healthcare or meaningful reform.
- The New York Times reported on Tuesday that “Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican-dominated [Florida] Legislature have made it more difficult for Floridians to obtain the cheapest insurance rates under the exchange and to get help from specially trained outreach counselors.”
- The Miami Herald reported also on Tuesday that HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, stated that Florida officials are “keeping information from people” in a political effort to foil the effort to enroll Floridians for health insurance.
- Florida AG Pam Bondi and CFO Jeff Atwater have also joined in the campaign of misinformation and deceit.
The list of wasted Florida tax dollars and loss of Federal funding in trying to impede Obamacare was reported by Health News Florida earlier this week. Florida’s list of shame includes the following:
- Leading the court challenge on the constitutionality of Obamacare in 2010 soon after it was signed into law. Attorney General Pam Bondi made it one of her high-profile issues, becoming a regular guest on Fox News to attack it.
- After the Supreme Court ruled the law was constitutional, the Florida Legislature told state agencies not to implement it because lawmakers felt sure the Republican party Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, would win the election in 2012 and repeal the law.
- After Romney lost the election, governor and legislature pressured the agencies not to apply for grants related to the law; some agencies had to give back grants they had already been awarded.
- The Legislature this year voted against Florida having its own electronic marketplace for health-plan shopping, even though the state had already spent five years and several million dollars building an online shopping site, Florida Health Choices, that has yet to be used.
- After months of hearings and negotiations, the Florida Senate came up with a compromise plan on Medicaid expansion that would accomplish several things — reduce the number of uninsured Floridians by about 1 million by using federal funds, save millions of state dollars now being spent on the uninsured, and continue privatization of the Medicaid program, already well under way. But the House said no.
- The Legislature voted to strip the Insurance Commissioner’s authority to regulate health premiums for two years.
- Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty issued a report that predicted health premiums in Florida’s individual market would soar 30 to 40 percent, thereby producing scandalous headlines. Later, others would note that the figure failed to make adjustments for the tax credits most of those shopping in that market would qualify for. He also failed to mention that the sector he was describing accounts for only 5 percent of policies.
It’s all really quite pathetic and disgusting. It’s time to vote the bastards out.
Joseph Rugg's Health Law Blog 