A DLC Health Care proposal (or Our Useless Congress)

[Telly Savalas]

From the DLC website:

http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=111&subid=137&contentid=254203

Ultimately, the federal government can and must move toward truly universal health coverage. But given the Bush administration's adamant opposition to such efforts; the current crisis in children's health coverage; and the strong, bipartisan support for "covering kids first;" the Health Kids Act is an important and practical step toward universal coverage that can be implemented right away. The moral case for immediate action to cover kids is unimpeachable. And the political case for taking this step, this year, should be irresistible as well.

Virtually no one from any point on the ideological spectrum believes children should be held responsible for life-threatening or life-shortening health conditions, whether they are caused by environmental factors, genetics, or simply an absence of preventive care and effective treatment. Regardless of where America stands in the slow progress toward universal, affordable, quality health care, we should all be willing to stand up for covering kids.

This is in reference to a proposal to expand S-CHIP that was announced in February, but hasn't gone anywhere.

Even the fucking DLC thinks this is a good idea which could get passed now with the Congress we have and the President we have, but evidentially uninsured kids just aren't enough of a priority for our precious Democratic majority.

Would one of the party apologists care to explain how in light of this, we're supposed to believe they're doing the best they can?

[liberaldemocrat7]

1. Force BIG PHARMA to lower their prices of patented drugs with no generic competition.

Force BIG PHARMA to lower their prices of patented drugs with no generic competition.

Today I announce an effort to force Pharma to lower the prices of patented drugs that have no generic competition. Call your local Eckerd, CVS, and Walgreens pharmacy and tell them that unless they lower their patented drugs to a DOLLAR a pill you will not buy any consumer products or any prescription drugs from them. Then go buy elsewhere from now on..

For those who remain stuck with one of the 3 pharmacies, still call them and tell them the above but get your medication at the pharmacy you remain stuck with but do not buy any consumer items there. Buy your consumer items elsewhere from now on. Make the phone calls because they will wake up these pharmacies and tell them that the middle class will not put up with patented medication that costs 60 dollars or more a month. We will force it down to 30 dollars a month.

[Telly Savalas]

2. What does forcing pharmacy chains to sell products at a loss have to do with S-CHIP?

[pinto]

3. S.1224 was proposed in April of this year. It's in the Finance Committee.

S.1224
Title: A bill to amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen Rockefeller, John D., IV (introduced 4/25/2007) Cosponsors (20)

Latest Major Action: 4/25/2007 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COSPONSORS(20), ALPHABETICAL : (Sort: by date)
Sen Bingaman, Jeff - 5/11/2007 Sen Brown, Sherrod - 5/11/2007
Sen Cantwell, Maria - 6/11/2007 Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. - 4/26/2007
Sen Collins, Susan M. - 6/12/2007 Sen Dodd, Christopher J. - 5/11/2007
Sen Inouye, Daniel K. - 5/16/2007 Sen Kennedy, Edward M. - 4/25/2007
Sen Kerry, John F. - 5/23/2007 Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. - 5/25/2007
Sen Lincoln, Blanche L. - 6/6/2007 Sen McCaskill, Claire - 5/23/2007
Sen Menendez, Robert - 6/12/2007 Sen Nelson, Bill - 5/25/2007
Sen Obama, Barack - 5/11/2007 Sen Reed, Jack - 5/11/2007
Sen Salazar, Ken - 6/4/2007 Sen Sanders, Bernard - 6/6/2007
Sen Snowe, Olympia J. - 4/25/2007 Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon - 5/16/2007


http://thomas.loc.gov/

Search query is S1224

[Telly Savalas]

4. Announced in February, introduced to the Senate two months later

and still sitting in committe two months after that.

It's OK. The kids can wait. Most of 'em don't need to see a doctor anyway.

[pinto]

5. Here in CA, there's been some local success via increased enrollment drives.

I agree it remains an underfunded program. And, it's an underutilized program. The local response to enrollment advocacy, though, has been a big plus.

(aside) That said, I'm a proponent of Medicare for all, across the board.

[OzarkDem]

6. Nibbling at the edges

this isn't anywhere near a substantive effort to develop new health care policy. Its a cheap dodge.

[Telly Savalas]

7. The issue I'm raising is that even though it's politically feasible to nibble at the edges,

they can't even be bothered to do that.