Fun Oreo video

I thought this was a pretty cute video, worth a view.  It is not an endorsement of TrueMajority or Health Care for America Now.  Every internet site has some valid point to make, but don't forget to evaluate the whole and the ultimate goal.

Who Can You Trust?

FactCheck.org

CommonwealthFund.org

Faith Organizations endorsing H.R. 676

1. Assembly of the Urban Caucus of the Episcopal Church
2. General Board on Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church
3. Presbyterian Health, Education and Welfare Association of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
4. Church Women United
5. Social Justice and Ministry Committee of Saint John the Baptist Parish, Collegeville, MN
6. Unitarian Universalists Association of Congregations

Health Care Reform Myths

If you believe the myths, the medical-industrial complex through the paid-for mouths in Congress, has done their job on you.

Universal coverage costs too much. No it doesn’t.  Every other industrialized nation offers universal coverage at a cost much lower than we now spend in the U.S.

Your taxes will go up. Perhaps, but you are still likely to come out ahead when you consider the overall expenses.  Single payer will cost most people the same or less than the premiums and medical bill they are paying today and will be secure regardless of income or employment.

Americans get world class care-we shouldn’t mess around with that. In fact, many Americans don’t get world class care.  Sure, it’s great if you’re wealthy and have good insurance.  But on almost all measures of health care and mortality, we lag behind Canada and Europe.

Other countries have much longer waiting times than we do.   Actually there are no waiting lists for emergency surgery or urgently needed procedures.  Check commonwealthfund.org for studies on wait times.

There is no problem; people get care even if they’re uninsured. In fact, more than 60 Americans die daily from lack of care.  See www.cancer.org for more.

Single payer is socialized medicine.  No, Single payer is NOT socialized medicine because for the most part, government  will not own the hospitals and physicians will not be on a government salary.  It will work like the Medicare program for the elderly today in which patients see private doctors in (mostly) private hospitals; this clearly isn’t socialized medicine.  Single payer is actually public insurance rather than private insurance.

- Source: 10 Excellent Reasons for National Health Care

61% of bankruptcies are because of health care bills

Do you feel financially secure? Don't get sick or in an accident.  That security could go up in smoke.  Is that the America you want to live in? You work hard and save all your life or just start feeling like you're on plan, then poof!

Health care reform isn't about some power grab.  It's about GETTING IT BACK from the insurance companies.  It's about sending a message to Congress that YOU ARE TIRED OF THEM DOING WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE LOBBYISTS.  They represent US, not health insurance companies or hospitals or drug companies!

10 Excellent Reasons for National Health Care

From the book of the same title Edited by Mary O’Brien and Martha Livingston

1. It's good for our health.
2. It costs less and saves money.
3. It will assure high quality health care for all Americans, rich or poor.
4. It's the best choice - morally and economically.
5. It may be a matter of life or death.
6. It will let doctors and nurses focus on patients, not paperwork. 
7. It will reduce health care disparities.
8. It will eliminate medical debt. 
9. It will be good for labor and business.
10. It's what most Americans want - and we can make it happen.

If you don't think these reasons are good enough get the book and get the details.  It's cheap used on Amazon or borrow  from your library for free.  If you find another good book, let me know, I'll post it.

Letter to the editor - read it here-probably won't get printed

If you believe our health care system needs improvement, you need to do some reading or have a member of Physicians for a National Health Plan or a Single Payer advocate in your area speak to your group. AHIP, the Association of Health Insurance Plans, has a play book that they work from like any sports team. They pull it out every fifteen years or so, whenever the political climate has shifted to make raining on their parade again a possibility.

You’re probably aware that some business models don’t work forever and plans need to be reviewed and changed to adapt to the changing business climate. Businesses that don’t recognize changing times fail. Witness the financial and auto sector difficulties. The nation’s model for health care is failing. The nation’s economy has evolved from a manufacturing focus to more service based. Duh! Service sector jobs in most cases don’t pay as well as manufacturing jobs did. Factories are cutting wages or closing under the pressures of climbing health care costs and foreign competition. Workers cannot live on a lower pay scale AND pay a larger share for health insurance.

With the economy weak as it is and jobs leaving the country for cheaper labor sources for decades, it seems irrational to swim against the tide any longer. Despite our deep conviction in free market economics and a competitive marketplace, we are the only world power that doesn’t offer universal health care. It’s past time to disconnect health care coverage from employment. Employers cannot stand the burden and many do not offer coverage any longer and more are planning to quit offering coverage. Insurers are behaving badly by denying and delaying care, not covering or charging prohibitive premiums for pre-existing conditions and using devices like rescission to cancel policies when a person becomes ill. And have you heard, being female is a pre-existing condition?!

Economic stimulus – One of the few growing sectors in the country is health care. With the downturn, hospitals are hemorrhaging jobs like every other industry because their income depends on insured workers, a dwindling class. Millions of jobs would be created in excess of those lost in the insurance industry if H.R. 676 were passed by Congress. Everyone would be covered cradle to grave for medical, psychological, dental and optical needs all with no tax increase for most people because we would save so much by cutting the for-profit insurance companies out of it.

Taxpayers already foot 61% of the medical bills in America considering all the public employees that we pay for at every level of government, Medicare for seniors, Medicaid for the poor, the VA hospitals for Veterans, health care for prisoners and American Indians, and the disabled. They are all covered. Now it’s time to cover people who are between jobs, underemployed, have a pre-existing condition. Taxpayers would get more for their money by eliminating the insurance company middle-men. America is number #1 in per capita health care cost. On no other measure do we rank as high. Look at the only logical, sustainable solution. Let’s get our money’s worth and save over 45,000 lives annually in the process.

Many have said they don’t want the government running health care. Why not? If you reach age 65, your chances of getting older are improved because you now qualify for Medicare. Medicare is not the failure that many claim simply because they hate it and it infringes on government support of their business. Representatives spout off the lies from the AHIP playbook to ensure they are re-elected. Let’s get real and cut the insurance companies off of corporate welfare. One insurance plan paid by the public and reviewed and managed by regional committees of health care professionals sounds like a better system than insurance companies denying claims for profit. It would cut provider administrative expenses enormously and permit more savings and lower rates.