Nana's take on Health Reform

Why Nana? Well, she reads more than anyone I know and has been Correct about
EVERYTHING from the war to the spin to Obama and his fierce opposition...
AND more importantly, she knows healthcare inside and out, working as an editor for a company that provides publications and information for boards of directors of hospitals.

It should be said that nearly 80% of doctors and nurses and people within healthcare are in agreement with health reform as presented in the House bills and the Senate HELP Committee bill -- these include a "public option."

The problem is and always has been making the truth easy to understand AND being heard over the incredibly loud lies and smokescreens out there. All the opposition has to do is misrepresent the statistics and throw in some industry words and lay people think, "well that sounds right." Even more so if they consider themselves conservative or are apprehensive about healthcare change. Note: in the case of health reform, probably more so than most issues, it's pretty easy to sound "reasonable" because most people don't know the ins and outs of healthcare. Knowing about this really requires homework and a broad exploration, digging deeply, of all ideas and proposals.

I really think Obama WANTS to do the right thing but had no idea when he started the process that there is in place a machine to foil his every effort. As noted above, it's pretty easy for the opposition to sound reasonable, and even though Obama and his team understand the issues, that doesn't mean the general public does, and it doesn't mean that he can easily interpret and present those issues to the general public. Of course, negative sound bites always trump reason and they always trump detailed explanations of policy positions.


The forthcoming Senate Finance Committee bill (and Obama's proposal as outlined Wednesday night), as it stands, has got big problems.
The #1 problem:

Without a CAP on insurance premiums (not mentioned anywhere in the Senate Finance Committee "bill" -- very similar at this point to Obama's speech), this whole thing means nothing. If insurance companies are asked to take people with pre-existing conditions and keep people who get ill, cover preventive care, etc, they will most definitely raise their premiums...AND without a public option for EVERYONE (which would mean many individuals COULD switch from their insurance to the lower priced public option if they wanted) then there is no competition that the president speaks of that would encourage companies to keep premium prices down. AND the "trigger" mentioned that would kick in when premiums got too high wouldn't actually kick in. As soon as a bill with a public option "trigger" is passed, the insurance lobby will pour money, money, money into "reworking" that portion of the bill. It won't happen. Take, for example, the "trigger" under the current Medicare Modernization Act (under Bush in 2003) -- there is a trigger for allowing people to purchase drugs from other countries. The trigger is when the Secretary of DHHS can pull the trigger when he/she decides "drugs from other countries are safe" -- hasn't happened yet. Have you noticed any Canadians falling over dead from "unsafe" drugs? Inside the Beltway, "trigger" is a euphemism for, "ain't nothing gonna happen here."

A public option for everyone (without a trigger) is very, very important to make health reform work. The idea is make sure competitive forces work in the insurance market, and the only way for that to happen is to have a strong plan (with many, many enrollees nationwide) with significantly lower prices than what the insurance companies currently are charging (let alone what they will be charging next year, the year after that, etc.). "Regulating the insurance industry" without either a public option or significant rate fixing/price caps sounds good on paper, but won't accomplish anything. No one will be denied care for pre-existing conditions, but fewer companies will be able to afford premiums for their employees, who will then go into an insurance exchange (where, again, premiums will be high), and the government will have to pay an enormous, enormous amount to subsidize care -- that is, subsidizing the private insurance market (we used to call it corporate welfare). A huge influx of enrollees for private insurers? Yes -- they will be cheering, but they won't be lowering the cost of insurance premiums. They're not stupid. And they're not in business to be nice to people. Unless their premiums are controlled or unless they have to compete against a large, nationwide health plan (public plan), they will behave as they always have behaved. Any arguments about that?

So, everyone has to know and understand this so we can't be fooled twice. Once by assuming a public option isn't necessary, and TWICE by swallowing the b.s. the right is putting out there that they are so outraged by the insanely "left" bill. The Senate Finance "bill" (it actually isn't a bill yet; it has issued a "framework" and the components outlined in that framework are what are being discussed and presented for amendments within the committee) is pretty much what the right would have come up with themselves. Very little changes. They're lucky -- they won't have to take the heat for its failure to deliver on true health reform. The outrage is ridiculous and they know it.

And the funny part is that the only thing the republicans say outwardly that they like about the bill is the part about tort reform ...which has been in place in California for ever and makes very little difference at all in saving money. Tort reform has been enacted in California and several other states -- why has this moved from a state issue to a federal issue? For those on the right who recently have been yelling about states' rights, nullification, secession, etc., it's more than ironic. They are playing politics.


I hate politics.

Note: non-partisan policy analysts are predicting that reform as it currently is proposed won't be implemented for 7 to 10 years. We already know that Obama has recommended that insurance exchanges not be in place for four years, and that primarily is to save money, or truthfully, to lower that multi-billion dollar price tag. Interesting.

Let's face it. If this country wants to cover everyone equitably, it's going to cost a lot. A lot. A good reform plan would have many, many features in place that insist on lowering the cost of delivering care. The American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association have signed on to real reform. The roadblock is the for-profit insurance companies.

This whole thing is about politics and money -- not policy, and definitely not ideology.

It seems the only group of people doing their best to NOT play politics is the progressives in the house...despite claims by everyone to the contrary. They are being truthful and perhaps not
politically savvy when they refuse to support a bill that doesn't include a public option.
That's because it's like saying...WE WON'T SUPPORT A SAIL BOAT WITHOUT SAILS!

I'm wondering whether something really is better than nothing??? Or if it's just nothing.

Peace Out on Facebook

Three weeks was enough. I am far to obsessive of a personality.
I found myself sitting at the computer at many would-be-relaxing moments..and checking and rechecking.
Publishing and removing and republishing and checking. Just seeing what's going on out there. Did anyone comment on my comment.
Reminds me of the kids and Tomagachis. I remember Emmett saying, "I just can't stand it but I have to check to see if it evolved" (or something like that)...and I guess that's what i do on facebook.

And it's not creative or satisfying...and sometimes it can be a little bit creepy.
For instance...have you noticed that people rarely mention, when in person, that they facebooked
eachother all night?! (mildly suggestive sounding...)

Anyway, I prefer the blog because after 20 minutes of staring into the glowing rectangle, at least I have something!
Having said that, I did truly enjoy re-introducing myself to some long losts...that means YOU Dawn...and the old dancer friends.

p.s. I also realize that for most normal people it works well enough to merely turn off the computer and take a walk when over-facebooked. I am clearly not normal in this area!!

9/11

There was no connection between 911 and the war in Iraq.... except we are still there!!
I cannot think about tomorrow being 9/11, eight years later, without feeling such sadness about this f-ing war happening NOW and now and now...
The tragedy just continues until the war ends. Not just 3,000 dead for nothing in NYC but 95,ooo iraqis, and 5,000+ american soldiers. That's alot of people over one big fat lie. And MOST of them civilians.
So that is my thought tonight.

clean out office, check

notice the "stop and think" card...it's from Bill Ayers!
Yes, THE Bill Ayers!

Also notice the perfect watermelon. Finally!
I realize this room looks a little like a kindergarten...
but that's what happens when you use paint from the
art drawer to paint the window seat. AND when your
house is filling up with kid art at an alarming rate!


Now I am off to the studio to redo the windows. big sigh.

Back to School!

3rd Grade, 7th Grade (gulp)
and 2nd year Preschool!


and the fabulous Miss Bell!

28 things about summer 2009

this year was the summer of...

1. braids

2. iced jasmine green tea/no coffee

3.gardening

4. few headaches

5. only one book read aloud to mac and emmett...Eragon (vs. the 20 books read aloud last year)
but lots of books read to Silas!

6. making the couch into a giant pillow slide

7. evening beach, daytime pool

8. lots of vegetables from the garden (didn't buy one tomato, green bean, lettuce or zucchini or cucumber!)

9. silas potty trained and preschooled

10. facebook, still not sure how I feel about this...

11. cousins really loving eachother, baby FEEEEEE!

12. yoga

13. mui tai (sp? forgive me matt!)

14. the staycation to beat all

15. "playing for change"- the whole family loves it!

16. more chores for the kids. they are not too happy about this.

17. Tobeys 19th hole restaurant.

18. Zarina being free and then lost and then found and then free again

19. peaches and nectarines (last three years it was watermelon!)

20. mac and emmett lounging in different positions all over the house

reading reading reading

21. doomed tuesdays (always hit crowds or traffic)
22.new piano teacher in OB, new guitar teacher too
23.the "trip" to Palm Springs
24.the ZOO! and wild animal park! (again)
25. the stingray attack on Mac! but then surfing!
26.the sound of Mac on guitar accompanied by Emmett on piano, priceless!
27.dungeons and dragons
28.silas jumping off something saying "to infinity and beyond!"

This was the summer I got to stay home with a 2 year old, 8 year old and 11 year old
and it was unexpected, difficult at times and great.

There will never be another one like it! And I guess I am ready .... now, on to Autumn!