Donna Smith of PDA: "Please don't insult us by selling this legislation as healthcare reform"

[Better Believe It]

Senate Tweaks Away Your Healthcare
by Donna Smith
December 11, 2009

Donna Smith is a community organizer for the California Nurses Association and National Co-Chair for the Progressive Democrats of America Healthcare Not Warfare campaign.

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As my grandmother used to say, "I was born on a weekend but not last weekend." The latest insult to Americans hungry for a bit of healthcare justice for all comes from the news that the Senate health bill now allows insurance companies to place annual limits on payments for some catastrophic illnesses, like cancer.

Surprise, surprise, surprise. Another day. Another lie uncovered in the process. Another piece of this reform bill that favors the for-profit health insurance industry.

Let me get this straight. You will force us to buy private insurance products that will not guarantee approval of treatment or payment for treatment. You will tax our insurance benefits if our employers offer those deemed as "Cadillac coverage" regardless of whether or not we make less than $250,000 a year. You cannot guarantee that employers will keep our current insurance plans and provider networks or that insurance companies will keep benefits and providers the same - therefore we cannot keep what we've got if we like it. You've crumbled on the notion of any real public option for coverage at all much less a "robust" option -- whatever that squishy word ever meant. And now insurance companies will decide when we've had enough treatment for serious illness each year.

Wow. Sweet tweaking indeed for the profit-takers -- and without so much as a debate or airing on the floor of the Senate. It seems only the things that would benefit real people require an appropriate following of legal process in Congress and full debate -- amendments like Senator Bernie Sanders' single-payer amendment aimed at strengthening real reform haven't even gotten a hearing. We're still fighting for that.

Please don't insult us any more by selling this legislation as healthcare reform or even health insurance reform. This seems more and more like health industry protection and less like anything at all to do with providing what President Obama declared as a basic human right during the campaign. Even he said the only way to get to full coverage is a single-payer plan. And that's a tweak too far from profit protection, it seems.

Please read the full article at:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/11-7

[Laelth]

1. k&r for the truth. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[Arkansas Granny]

2. k&r

[and-justice-for-all]

3. K&R!!!

[zulchzulu]

4. The writer is misinformed and somewhat clueless about the HC bills

First of all, in terms of pre-existing condition clauses, Congress would have that bias gone by 2013 and the Senate version would get rid of that bias immediately.

Secondly, the Senate version opening up Medicare for people 55-years and upward would cover many millions ($35+M) more and would lead to that actual incremental legislative change where 45-year olds, then eventually to 25-year olds would make the US have Single Payer, since both the Senate and House bills would extend dependent coverage to age 26.

Should we have Single Payer? Hell, yes. Should we give up what we can get now and not have jackshit for another 15 years? Perhaps some people are just professional whiners who would rather have "an issue" to line their pockets.

Read this article instead:
http://www.kansan.com/news/2009/dec/03/news-health-care/?news

[Better Believe It]

5. From your comments it appears you haven't been following the legislation in the Senate or House

You're dead wrong on both points you raised.

Would you like me to point you in the direction of up to date and credible information?

Here you go for starters:

Medicare buy-in is not really a buy-in ... or really Medicare"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x46292


Senate Dems may change health care Medicare expansion proposal

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x51258

[zulchzulu]

6. My link vs your link...

I am for single payer and the public option, yet know that the bill is far from Joe,

Howard Dean likes the possible new direction. Is he wrong?

[Better Believe It]

7. Your link does not refute any of the points made in the opening article.

[polichick]

8. "I was born on a weekend but not last weekend." LOL K&R

[Vidar]

9. K&R.