This is the
information you need to TRULY understand the 'hidden'
life-altering details, of this so-called Health Reform Bill
- in reality it has little to do with providing quality
-affordable care, and everything to do with sweetheart
deals, worked out months ago with Big Pharma - Insurance
Companies - Hospitals - HMOs - and dozens of lobbyists. Left
out are the people - who bear the brunt of obscene costs.
Doctors pay special heed to last paragraphs, describing laws
already passed in an unrelated bill and how it will greatly
affect your practice and decisions for your patients.
Thus far (in the
Senate Bill alone), there are 2,074 plus pages. The printed
bill weighs 70.8 lbs = $1.2 bill per page. The lobbying (67
Lobbyists for every legislator!) has won all they've sought.
Monies spent $3.3 billion. Our newest form of
'representative democracy' are these sweetheart deals worked
out (buying votes) behind closed doors.
Senator Baucus of
Montana, who had doctors/nurses arrested (March) when the
supposed 'everybody at the table' hearings went on, got
special favors for his citizens. In Libby Montana, there are
many asbestos related illnesses, due to the mining there.
These sick citizens, will be granted 'special access to
Medicare benefits, that are not available to other states,
who are suffering the toxic pollutants of corporate
hucksters (chemical plants, mega dumps, incinerators, coal
plants etc).
Phew, and to think,
the mining company might have had to pay these health costs.
Per usual, taxpayers will instead pay the bill.Nebraska -
Massachusetts - Vermont- Louisiana have been given more
Medicaid monies than other states. Millions more. Folks in
Florida, will receive special attentions to their Medicare
Advantage plans (covers extra costs).
Nebraska has the
rest of us picking up their Medicaid costs - for life!
There's not a single thing in this 'reform' that will
actually deliver a single medical treatment or surgery.
Except for Senator Sanders of Vermont. He thought of the
people in his request for funding of clinics across the
nation. Clinics were people aren't put in a beggarly
position in seeking help. Maybe we should have a bidding
process instead of elections? We'd sure make out better - we
couldn't do worse.
This 'reform' is
just more money, in the form of higher premiums (millions of
more customers) to insurance companies. The people - unable
to afford Cadillac coverage, will get Medicaid on steroids.
Having (gov coverage) doesn't mean you can get health care.
If you've never been on cannery row - with a toothache or
strep throat, looking for a dentist/doctor; who will take
your 'po' man's card' - you soon will. Big deal. So 30
million more will get a Masters of the Universe Health Card.
Take that to your dialysis treatment. That's what your junk
coverage will look like. You dragging up one street after
another looking for care.
And you can't blame
the doctors with ten plus years of education/training. We
only pay gladiator sports figures - golfers - rappers - loud
mouth TV/radio jocks -silicon inflated, air head starlets,
military contractors, and politicians the big money.
Washington shills, while seeing to their own salaries, with
yearly cost of living increases - pensions - life long
(Cadillac taxpayer subsidized health insurance - lots of
choices, no worry over pre-existing conditions) lobbying
jobs for family members etc --don't feel that physicians,
many with huge loans to repay, are deserving of adequate pay
for their work. Heck Rostenskowski (felon) is laying back on
easy street with his $176,000 pension. While a few bucks
more in SS will break the bank, (not trillions to the
banksters) Rostenskowski is getting (they all do) a $9,000
dollar COST OF LIVING increase. They get these yearly.
There will be just
two National Private Plans - one a non-profit, overseen by
the Office of Regulatory Management. Senate leadership
reports, that states will have to police any problems.. Good
luck. California was not able to perform when battling
Anthem BlueCross when they denied coverage to 1,770 policy
holders.
It was a no-win(cost
wise) for California, as Blue Cross had the right to contest
'each' case individually. This would have tied up the courts
for years. Instead (yawn) they were fined a mere million -
walking around money for these bloated charlatans.
"We're right in the
middle of a /&%#!+ reptile zoo and somebody's giving booze
to the GD things!" Hunter Thompson
Aren't you sick and
tired of being compared to a car (buying insurance).
Politicians tell us that this 'mandate' is the same thing!
Not one state requires everybody to buy auto insurance.
There are states that require people who 'wish' to operate a
licensed vehicle on public roads to buy insurance.
I don't know of one
state that requires people who wish to operate a licensed
vehicle on public roads that require those folks to buy
collision or comprehensive fire and theft. They require
folks to buy liability in case they damage somebody else or
their property. This would be like the government
'mandating' me to carry health insurance in case I made
somebody else sick. Physician owned hospitals will get
special favors/exemptions. With our tax money.
AARP got themselves
a billion in extra Medicaid payments. Doctors/hospitals in
Montana - North Dakota - South Dakota (gang who met in
secret) Utah; will get paid extra monies under a special
formula in the bill. This bill is not about 'health reform'
- but a massive expansion of new customers for the insurance
industry. Millions of 'mandated' customers will see a great
expansion of insurance companies profits. Insurance
companies will see tax credits directly payable to them/400
billion transferred to insurance companies. President Obama
meantime announced that he is standing up to the special
interests.
Huh? There will be
no public option - no Medicare buy-in. This was no deal
anyway, with an individual paying $7,500, and a couple
$15,500.00. There is no tort reform, and the insurance
companies will continue to be exempt from anti-trust laws.
Medications will continue to skyrocket as reimportation of
drugs from Canada is out. Broken hip - take two aspirins and
stay off that leg.
Thus, drugs
manufactured here and sent to Canada, will not be reimported
which would save citizens millions, if not billions per
year. We will continue to pay 6-10 times for more drugs than
the other industrialized nations. While this is being made
to look like an act of Congress - in fact, this deal, was
hammered out in July-Aug 2009, with the real wheelers &
dealers in this 'health' bill - (White House health advisory
staff).
The only 'reform'
in this bill (unread); is the mandated millions, who will be
forced to buy 'junk (poor quality) insurance. Sort of like
presenting your child's Spider Man Club Membership for
services. Good luck. This mandated collection of monies will
be the job of the IRS - with those citizens who refuse,
suffering fines (increased in this bill). Citizens will be
forced to pay 8% of their income (so far) to private
insurance companies, whether they want to or or not. Of
course unlike the well paid (full Cadillac coverage)
political hacks in Washington (yearly raises); out here in
the real world - wages have stagnated.
Temporary work at
$8-$10 bucks an hour isn't living - its trying to exist.
Vacations in Hawaii - Martha's Vineyard - river rafting,
Yellowstone, etc. Not out here. Few now get vacations. Sick
time? While Senator Kennedy was paid in full for his two
years of illness - work a day people go to work sick. To get
a day off means a doctors excuse. Cost, $91.00 for that
office visit.
Perverse times we
live in. War = Peace Prize, and the forced payment of an
inferior product = freedom. Paid for by taxes (lots of them)
on the middle class. The insurance plan you have now,
through your employer, will most likely cause them to cut
back (due to costs) on benefits, increase co-payments. While
these taxes start as soon as the President signs this 'bill'
- benefits ( such as they are) will not be realized until
2014. What's the bum's rush?
For us - this is
comparable to paying multiple taxes on a used Corvair ($578
billion in new taxes according to Chief Accuracy
-Congressional Budget Office); and not being able to drive
it. In the meantime, you'll be paying registration,
inspection fees, insurance and gas. * Medicare will be cut
by some $500 billion. This is called 'savings & addressing
waste' by the pro-reform folks. I'm still wondering where
the $2.3 TRILLION, that Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld said
couldn't be accounted for (Defesne Dept), on Sept 10,2001?
In the tragedy of Sept 11 - nobody thought to look into
this?? TRILLIONS!!
Monies for home
health care will be cut along with money for hospice care.
Others - with more common sense, see it for the rationing it
is. Drug companies - besides benefiting from no
reimportation of drugs - have also gotten an agreement to
keep generic version of expensive biotech drugs from ever
coming to fruition. High costs will prevail.
The Congressional
Budget Office reports that this drug deal (spawned in the
White House - July) will save Big Pharma 100 + million over
the next decade. Other economists, project these profits
could be 4 to 5 times 100 million. Unlike other countries /
ours, being a profit driven enterprise, is not about the
health of citizens; but more and more profits (new mansions
- bonuses -Ivy league colleges for the kids - corporate jets
- exotic vacations etc).
Who can forget
President Bush remarking that 'everyone in America has
medical care -they have the emergency room.'
President Bush -
like many from wealthy families, or professional
politicians, don't have a clue as to life in the real world.
He is certainly unaware - that there are documented cases -
of people dying while waiting hours and hours for care. One
pool soul (age 47) died of an obstructed bowel on the floor
of a California ER. The janitor mopped up the blood around
her as she lay dying on the floor. The person with cancer,
in need of dialysis, an MRI or special treatments etc, isn't
going to get it in the ER.
They sure won't get
the heart valve replacement that Barbara Bush (86), received
last year (also stomach surgery) - or the specialized
treatment of Senator Kennedy/ along with his receiving full
pay, for his 2 yrs of sick time. They won't get a month's
'REST' in the hospital like Strom Thurmond or specialized
care like Alan Specter - Dodd - Clinton/ in the best of
hospitals.
People in days gone
by carried insurance to cover any crisis / i.e. illness,
accident, house fire, liability etc. No more.. The insurance
companies now have legions of drone workers, whose only job
is to deny claims. This is usually done under the guise of
some vague pre-existing condition. This can range from
having acne in your teenage years to athletes foot. This is
comparable to carrying fire insurance on your home - only to
be told, when submitting a claim, that it has been brought
to their attention (insurance carrier) that neighbors
report, that a marsh mellow roast, was held by your son's
boy scout troop, in the backyard 15 yrs ago - therefore
adding to the risk on your property!
Over 60% of
doctors/nurses want 'Single Payer' (do not confuse this with
Public Option, which the media is purposely doing). 62+% of
the American public wants Single Payer. This figure would be
higher if we had a reputable press, (TV media) that would
allow this to be reported. To date - with the months of hot
air - talking points, on the House or Senate versions, of
this giveaway to corporate hogs - you have NEVER heard a
peep on the details of 'Single Payer'. All of us recall the
President endorsing 'Single Payer' when campaigning.
Single Payer - What
You Were Not Permitted to Hear Discussed:
http://www.hr676.org/
The simplistic bill
not written by lobbyists or awash with cross references. A
mere 27 pages.
http://www.pnhp.org/nhibill/nhi_bill_final.pdf
This was a major
reason why many voted for him. The promise of affordable
health care. Finally, the insurance companies would be out
of the picture. Insurance companies who are responsible for
many a families financial ruination. Why, as far back as the
President's days as state senator, he was championing
'Single Payer', as the only way to go. Things 'change' when
you enter Foggy Bottom. The real world of corporate occupied
territory - hits you upside the head. The President, while
still feebly wishing for Single Payer now sees it as an
impossibility.
Instead the White
House health team has had innumerable meetings, with
insurance/drug/hospital lobbyists and their CEOs. Why, as
the President stated,' you'd have to start from scratch'
with Single Payer. In reality - Single Payer, would merely
consist of expanding Medicare. Everybody in - Nobody out.
While these bills (Senate - House) are thousands of pages
long (written by industry lobbyists) with numerous
cross-references, the Single Payer Bill, with many
co-sponsors is a mere 27 pages of easily understood language
for the work a day citizen.
*********
Single Payer -
would end the monopoly of insurance along with the greed of
Big Pharma. Recall, that the President promised, during the
campaign, that we would have transparency in Washington.
Everyone (health bill) would have a seat at the table. Why
the entire discussion would be shown on C-Span. It didn't
quite turn out that way. To date everything has been down in
secret - in the shadows.
The fact is,
hundreds of doctors and nurses, showed up at the supposed
'open' meetings in March -'09, to discuss all options for
true health reform. All options, except 'Single Payer' that
is.. The only people at the Baucus Finance Committee hearing
were industry hacks. Nobody representing 'Single Payer' was
permitted at the table. Doctors and nurses were scattered
throughout the audience. As one by one the doctors & nurses
stood and attempted to champion Single Payer - the 'reform',
most desired by the medical profession (not small % of AMA
who don't represent mainline physicians/surgeons) Senator
Baucus called police to arrest them.
Thus, they were
jailed! Our nation's doctors and nurses. This is the
'freedom' that our military is fighting for? Now common
sense might dictate, that who would know better about
medical care, than those who have spent years becoming
educated - and working in the field? Dedicated people, who
have tens of thousands in loans to repay, and thanks to the
insurance industry - some are paying upwards of $80,000 for
malpractice insurance. With cuts in Medicare and Medicaid
payments to physicians; why they'll have to refuse these
patients, or close up shop? Out here in the real world,
taxes are rising by the day, along with electric ( thank you
Congress) food, rents, and of course, prescriptions. Not for
the Washington gang - they've seen to feathering their
health care nests/ for life. Hmm - maybe we should import
some witch doctors eh?
Our illustrious
leaders aren't subjected to the same rigors/ training for
their field. Their corporate masters see to this expense
(campaign donations/ cocktail fund raisers etc). They should
carry malpractice insurance, which would go a long way in
covering the damage they've done to citizens (nation) due to
their ineptness - incompetence - negligence in reading
bills. The town hall meetings showed citizens just what
their elected officials really thought of them - nothing!
Somewhere along the line - they lost sight of just whom it
is they are employed by?
Somewhere along the
line ,they determined, that upon being elected, the job, was
to feather their own nests, and see to lobbying/ board
appointments for family members?
Single Payer:
Automatic enrollment for everyone. Complete service covering
all necessary medical care and drugs. Free choice of doctor
and hospitals who remain independent and negotiate their
fees. Public non-profit processes and pays the bills. The
entire system is financed through progressive taxes (not
high cost premiums - high cost drugs. Once upon a time our
family doctor spent all the time in the world with us. He
didn't have to spend HOURS, dealing with some GED dropout in
a distant cubicle, leafing through a volume of TESTS not
eligible for payment, drugs too expensive. In the real world
this is called 'rationing'.
Medical care for
all was a non- starter. from the git go. Big Pharma &
Private Insurers wouldn't hear of it. Republicans scream -
Canada, we can't become a Canadian system. A buy into
Medicare, for those age 55 to 65? It might result in the
possibility of this large group negotiating lower drug
prices and better service at a lower cost? Oops! Private
Insurers - Big Pharma wouldn't hear of it. Republicans again
warned of Canada! How about a Public Option - only to
Americans who wouldn't be covered by employers or by
Medicaid? Coverage would be pegged to Medicare rates. But -
darn it, private insurers and Big Pharma said 'No'.
Compromised Public Option - open to approximately 6 million
Americans, not otherwise covered?
The Congressional
Budget Office - says this shrunken public option, has no
bargaining power, and would attract those needing lots of
medical care. But even the House's shrunken public option,
is too much for private insurers and Big Pharma. - even as
small as 4 million! It still contains the word 'public'! Not
acceptable to industry. In rides Lieberman. The paltry
public option was not allowed a vote to debate. Good ole Joe
- from Insurance Capital -Connecticut, he didn't disappoint
his corporate puppet masters. It's hard to remember just
what party Joe belongs to - not that it matters. Hey, look
at our circumstances. Everyone always thought that the
Democratic Party was the Party of the working man - the
disenfranchised, the voiceless and powerless. Well this
theater of the bizarre has sure disproved that MYTH.
All this supposed
wrangling for citizens is bad burlesque. Our private for
profit health system, designed to fatten profits of private
health/Big Pharma, is turned over to our private for profit
health care system -except now, these private health
insurance companies and Big Pharma will be getting 30
million added customers - PAID for by the rest of us. Other
Secret Dealings: The White House aided by Senator Harper
(D-Del) worked hard to crush an amendment pushed by Senator
Byron Dorgan (D-ND) to allow for the reimportation of
pharmaceutical drugs from Canada.
The White House
persuaded Democrats to oppose this! Huffington Post reported
memo/ that the White House and Pharmaceutical lobby
'secretly' agreed (July) to a deal they'd been denying. It
said that the White House agreed to oppose any Congressional
efforts to use the government's leverage to bargain for
'lower' drug prices or importing drugs from Canada. They
also agreed not to shift some drugs from Medicare Part B to
Medicare D- which would have cost Big Pharma billions in
reduced reimbursements. And they say this isn't about money!
All 300+ American will be forced to sign on to one option or
the other. The insurance companies will be handling the
large spillover (some 30 million) of new customers.
It's a
government/corporate partnership from top to bottom. Always
was. Insurance companies decided to call in their markers
(thus the avoidance of citizen's numerous faxes - phone
calls - protests) to get the necessary votes. Industry
(insurance - Big Phama) will still be exempt from both tort
reform and antitrust laws. This permits price fixing,
collusion, market allocation. This is illegal in every other
industry under antitrust laws.
Truth be told -
private insurance companies, don't give a rat's azz about
the poor, the jobless, the hungry, the hurting;and will
charge them the highest premiums they can. Loan sharks in
$4000 suits and $200 silk ties. The President keeps saying
that the average family will 'save $2,500 a year - and will
not have to change health insurance plans. Meantime the
Congressional Budget Office reports that user fee taxes
passed through to customers will result in appreciably
higher premium costs. They also report that millions will
lose their current plans.
The Real Wheeling &
Dealing: As Dr (Senator) Colburn said, "There is no bill -
all of this is a decoy. The real 'bill' is being worked on
in secret behind closed doors. We have no idea of the
details. I suspect that the bill, was hammered out in the
White House. The AP asked for records of health interests
who had met with Health Advisers (staff) at the White House.
They found that there were hundreds of meeting with Big
Pharma - Drug companies - Hospital CEOs and Medical Device
honcho. Only the Big guys attended these high powered
meetings with Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarett (top adviser) -
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel (Rahm's brother) Axelrod and 18 others.
Congress/ Pelosi / Reid and Baucus with his new 'squeeze'
were all merely for our entertainment. That's my opinion on
this mess. The White House sure as heck wasn't going to
trust the buffoons in the House and Senate to handle this
DEAL - are you kidding! We're talking real money here,
billions in profits and oh, future campaign donations..
IMPORTANT NEWS FOR
DOCTORS
BLOOMBERG NEWS -
FEB 9-2009 -- Few paid attention to this gem/ in reference
to the STIMULUS BILL - "Right mix of tax breaks and cash
infusion to jump start the economy. NO ONE from either party
is objecting to health provisions slipped in without
discussion. These reflect the work of Tom Daschle." What
health provisions?
It appears that
this $800 billion dollar stimulus bill that was 'hurried'
through Congress in record time, contains some striking 'Big
Brother' health care language. This jobs bill requires
electronic tracking of the medical records of ALL Americans.
All your private data will be stored on a government data
base - including a history of your diseases,
pharmaceuticals, treatments, surgeries, mental health and ER
visits.
Under the NEW
provisions found in this (jobs) bill, all US doctors will
now be stripped of autonomy and forced to follow the medical
guidelines. It means that doctors can NO longer make their
own decisions about patient needs or treatment protocols.
From now on ALL health care decision will be controlled by a
"HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY" of the Federal Government.
The Bill goes
further. A new bureaucracy - the National Coordinator of
Health Information Technology will monitor treatment to make
sure your doctor is doing what the Federal Government deems
appropriate and COST effective.
The goal is to
reduce costs and 'guide' your doctor (pg 442-46). These
provisions in the Stimulus Bill are virtually identical to
what Daschel presented in his book "Critical: What We Can Do
About Health Care Crisis". According to Daschle, doctors
have to give up autonomy and 'learn to operated less like a
solo practioner'. Hospitals and doctors who are not
"meaningful users' of the new system wil face penalties.
'Meaningful User' isn' described in the bill?
This will be left
to the Health and Human Services Secretary (pg 518-540-541).
Seniors (over 65) should be more accepting of the conditions
that come with age. The Stimulus Bill will apply a
cost-effective standard set by the Council (464). This board
approves or rejects treatment using a FORMULA that divides
the cost of treatment by the number of years the patient is
likely to benefit (except if you're an aging Senator -
President - or Supreme Court Justice -jm) Stimulus Billl
will affect every part relating to health care from medical
and nursing education to how patients are treated and how
much hospitals get paid.
Hiding Health Care
Legislation in a Stimulus Bill is intentional. Daschle (who
has advised White House team - jm) attributed the failure of
the Clinton Health Care Overhall to DEBATE and DELAY.
Daschle wrote (2008) that the next president should ACT
QUICKLY - before CRITICS have time to mount an opposition.
"If it means
attaching a HEALTH CARE PLAN to the Federal Budget - so be
it", he said. "The issue is too important to be STALLED by
SENATE PROTOCOL"
We can now
understand the RUSH to get the Stimulus Bill passed in
record time. God help us, if someone ( Legislators) took the
time to read it! It's evident that no great deluge of JOBS
has been realized. And as Daschle advised - Sneak it in
anywhere - before there can be any debate or discussion. So
much eh for Representative Democracy. This explains the
Christmas rush - and lack of debate on the most important
legislation since the NEW DEAL. Keep the people in the dark
like mushroom and feed them manure! "We're late we're late
no time to wait........."
Profits take
precedence. RATIONING - With an unelected board deciding
from some FORMULA (this is what we've been brought to ) the
message appears to be/ Since you are no longer usual as
worker bees / accept the decisions of the BOARD that
expensive surgeries, treatments, and medications are a waste
of time (MONEY). I'm surprised they haven't labeled this
supposed health reform (really insurance lottery win) ICE
FLOE INC.
As Ricky said to
Lucy 'you've got some 'splaining to do".
LASTLY - We are
being told that this health reform is a 'work in progress'.
That there are GOOD parts which should excuse any qualms we
might have. This would be the announcement that this BILL
covers pre-existing conditions. The President has stated
that "Everyone would be covered - all those with
pre-existing conditions or medical problems. We will end the
practice of denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing
conditions.. The days of cherry picking who to care for and
who to deny are over". June 15-2009
To understand this
you have to check out the cross references given in the
Obama bill. This means you have to find out (as referenced)
the meaning of 'pre-existent condition exclusion" as defined
in Section 2701(b)(1)(A) of the Pubic Health Services Act.
The section numbers referenced in Obama's bill for Public
Service Act are the old numbers. The Public Service Act has
been amended with new numbers. The full text is 1,476 pages
long.
Not to bore you
with the maze of bureaucratic cross references of terms in
the bill - suffice to say: Paragraph 2 in Part A does
several things/ Section 2702. First paragraph two in Part A
says that the prohibition against pre-existing condition
exclusions DOES NOT APPLY to benefits offered in the policy
in the "COVERAGES" Section, which means when the policy is
written PRE-EXISTENT CONDITION EXCLUSIONS will be allowed to
be written into the sections defining coverage. In short,
insurers will STILL BE ALLOWED TO EXCLUDE PRE-EXISTING
CONDITIONS FROM COVERAGE.
The Devil's in the
details!Paragraph two also says in Part A that policy
writers for the government will be allowed to make the
insurance you buy cover CERTAIN ailments, and not cover
others/ one of which just may be a condition you happen to
have - which is PRE-EXISTING.
What paragraph two
says in Part B is that policy writers for the government
will be allowed to LIMIT the amount - level - extent - or
nature of the treatment you get for certain ailments.
So, who will be
writing your insurance policy? According to the President's
Plan, a NEW bureaucracy ( recall health plan language buried
in the Stimulus Bill) known as the "Health Benefits Advisory
Committee. These folks will be 'appointed' (27).
How many have to be
a treating doctor: ONE. So we'll have this gaggle of people
with NO medical backgrounds - or intimate knowledge of the
various treatments - or medicines, which besides prolonging
life (we're not talking of 90 yr old patients in a coma),
will greatly relieve needless suffering/pain. It is simply
inhumane, to determine the quality of a person's life, by
some abstract formula most likely drawn up by those who will
profit.
In this the 21st
century no person should suffer intolerable pain due to cost
or the insanity of being thought a drug addict, due to a
Drug War, that is safest targeting the sick - dying rather
than Drug Warlords.I note that they wheeled Senator Byrd
into the late night Senate mayhem to vote. What is he - 100?
Nobody is denying him the best of care. A number of the
Senators are well beyond 65 - ah but then they are excluded
from the nonsensical care they are voting for the nation. So
much for "I was SICK, I was HUNGRY, I was a
STRANGER.........begone from Me I know you not".