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Thursday, August 13, 2009
How Health Care Reform Will Benefit New Mexico: Get the Facts
The Obama administration is offering some useful documents and tools that provide facts about health care reform that we can use to advocate on its behalf:
This document supplies details on how health care reform will benefit New Mexicans.
Visit www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck, a website dedicated to debunking the misinformation and baseless smears that are cropping up daily as part of the national debate on health care. The site gives administration officials and experts a place to refute viral misinformation with an aggressive, direct response, and it allows people to take the information into their own hands and share it with friends, family and colleagues through social networks.
The White House Office of Health Reform released a fact sheet this week outlining the ways in which the current health care system leaves millions of Americans behind by denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions. Pre-existing conditions make adequate health care unavailable for millions of Americans and cause thousands of Americans each year to lose health insurance when they need it most.
You mind find additional material to use in your advocacy in this transcript (pdf) of President Obama's remarks and question and answers at his town hall on health care reform in New Hampshire Tuesday.
August 13, 2009 at 08:46 AM in Healthcare, Obama Health Care Reform | Permalink
Comments
Greg Palast also offers some useful information about Obama's deal with Big Pharma
www.gregpalast.com
Without a single payer system, everything is still tied to corporate profits and therefore by design has an incapacity to control real costs.
With Obama's plan we are still getting shafted. The shaft might not go in as deep, but it ain't real reform.
Remember that it was written behind closed doors, instead of being negotiated in the light of day "on C-SPAN" as Obama had promised. It was not written with public service in mind.
Posted by: Jason Call | Aug 13, 2009 9:24:27 AM
I KNOW LIBERALS LOVE SHOPPING THERE BUT WHOLE FOODS IS RUN BY A WHOLE LOTTA RIGHT WINGERS
https://austinist.com/2009/08/13/a_health-care_editorial_in_the.php
Posted by: BOYCOTT WHOLEFOODS | Aug 13, 2009 5:31:05 PM
This is what the owner said of Obama's health care plan...
"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money"
Posted by: BOYCOTT WHOLEFOODS | Aug 13, 2009 5:32:53 PM
He didn't make the quote up, he cribbed it from Margaret Thatcher.
What health insurance corporations worry about is the same - that they'll run out of our money. That's what this debate is about, it is not about effective health care.
Posted by: Jason Call | Aug 13, 2009 5:56:58 PM
HR 3200 has a lot of commissions specified to be set up to craft the details of the infrastructure of the new system, and they all report back to congress. I have to go back and re-read this, but I think that then there will be a second round of approvals by congress AND a second round of opportunity for public input.
I will check further, anyone else who knows please add comments.
Posted by: Ellen Wedum | Aug 14, 2009 4:18:48 AM
Here is an article from Alternet describing the issue with Whole Foods CEO John Mackey and his campaign against single-payer
https://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/141961/why_you_should_boycott_whole_foods/
Posted by: Jason Call | Aug 14, 2009 11:11:54 AM
The healthcare in this country needs reform. There's no disagreement here. However, the method in which we do so will have tremendous affects on New Mexicans for years to come. When we speak about reform, let's start with Tort reform.
I find it humourous that the "facts" you propose suggests readers to learn from Obama administration websites or from Obama himself. Do you really want them to do everything for you?
Please people, study the bill(s) for yourself and stop drinking the Kool Aid!
Posted by: MC | Aug 14, 2009 12:40:55 PM
Studied bill and yes I want them to create a public option to create competition. If we are drinking Kool Aid then crazy rednecks like you are mixing your Kool aid with your moonshine.
Posted by: mmmmmm Kool Aid tastes good | Aug 14, 2009 1:49:41 PM
I hope MC reads this. Much of the money involved in medical malpractice suits is for the necessare medical care for the person injured by the unfortunate act. If we had a single payer healthcare system that cost would not exist! All that somebody could sue for would be damages, discomfort, and punitive damages depending on the suit. There would be no need to collect 2 or 3 million dollars to cover the anticipated health care costs related to a medical malpractice incident.
That would really reduce tort costs.
Posted by: Terry Riley | Aug 14, 2009 7:43:07 PM
Terry is correct. Furthermore, at the health care forum in Ruidoso Aug 6, Dr. Clement, a geriontologist, said he believes our much-praised NM tort reform only caps the PUNITIVE damages at $500,000. The cost of continuing care for the damaged patient is still part of the settlement.
Why? Precisely because his for-profit insurance company will either drop him or jack up the premiums and co-pays to astronomical heights.
BTW my previous post about reports to congress by commissions does not apply to one of the most important--the Health Benefits Advisory Committee. Its initial report is to the Secretary of the DHHS a year after its formation.
There is supposed to be a public comment period though.
Posted by: Ellen Wedum | Aug 15, 2009 3:22:29 AM
Terry,
It's nice we can agree to disagree without calling one another names. Tort reform (see the recent success in Texas) would make a huge difference.
Ellen,
I understand there is corruption in the insurance "world". However, you/we still have the option to choose another because of competition. I don't see that with a government run plan.
BTW, single-payer seems to be off the table now. A public option will be next. And now we must define what Co-op means. Hmmm.
Posted by: MC | Aug 19, 2009 8:43:45 AM
MC, in the for-profit insurance world, it isn't called corruption, because the whole system is set up to make money by taking your money and delivering the least possible health care coverage they can get away with in return. And that is legal.
As I understand it, HR 3200 would not make that illegal, just not allowed as part of a "Qualified Health Benefits Plan." If people still want to get less coverage and risk being cut off (recission) on an unapproved plan, they will have to pay a tax.
Corruption is, for example, Vigil-Giron taking your tax dollars and (allegedly) lying about how they were used.
BTW, the Republicans have already said they will attack the coop option just the same as a public insurance option. They, along with DINO's like Sen. Baucus, get big donations from the for-profit insurers for fighting reform.
Posted by: Ellen Wedum | Aug 20, 2009 5:54:44 AM
