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Memo to Joe, Re: Debate by Robert B. Reich, robertreich.org | October 11, 2012
Beware: Paul Ryan will appear affable. He’s less polished and aggressive than Romney, even soft-spoken. And he acts as if he’s saying reasonable things. But under the surface he’s a rightwing zealot. And nothing he says or believes is reasonable – neither logical nor reflecting the values of the great majority of Americans. Your job is to smoke Ryan out, exposing his fanaticism. The best way to do this is to force him to take responsibility for the regressive budget he created as chairman of the House Budget Committee. Ryan won’t be able to pull a Romney — pretending he’s a moderate — because the Ryan budget is out there, with specific numbers. It’s an astounding document that Romney fully supports. And it fills in the details Romney has left out of his proposals. read more »Memo to Joe, Re: Debate by Robert B. Reich, robertreich.org | October 11, 2012
Beware: Paul Ryan will appear affable. He’s less polished and aggressive than Romney, even soft-spoken. And he acts as if he’s saying reasonable things. But under the surface he’s a rightwing zealot. And nothing he says or believes is reasonable – neither logical nor reflecting the values of the great majority of Americans. Your job is to smoke Ryan out, exposing his fanaticism. The best way to do this is to force him to take responsibility for the regressive budget he created as chairman of the House Budget Committee. Ryan won’t be able to pull a Romney — pretending he’s a moderate — because the Ryan budget is out there, with specific numbers. It’s an astounding document that Romney fully supports. And it fills in the details Romney has left out of his proposals. read more »Obama's Record Is His Firepower to Debate Victory by Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Huffington Post | October 4, 2012
Debates are as much about style points as substance. But substance with style points will win every time. And this is where Obama can always beat Romney. It starts with his record that Romney has run against. It's an astoundingly productive, and perfectly defensible record that keeps the focus on these crucial make-or-break election issues, the economy and health care, and then, his handling of foreign policy. Obama can say and keep saying that the economy despite the towering problems has shown clear signs of rebound, with unemployment down, with most economic indicators indicating positive growth, and the administration has proposed measures to reduce the deficit without putting at mortal risk Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. read more »For Hospitals, Health Reform Starts Today by Sarah Kliff, The Washington Post | October 2, 2012
The start of October means, for most Americans, the onset of chilly weather and a chance to start thinking up a new Halloween costume. For budget wonks, it signifies the start of a new fiscal year. And for American hospitals, it means something quite different: October 1 is arguably the day that the health reform law changed the way they get paid for providing health care. There are two big parts of the health reform law going into effect today. One penalizes hospitals if patients are re-admitted to the hospital within one month of a visit for a condition that should have been dealt with on the first trip. The other seeks to redistribute higher Medicare payments to the hospitals that are delivering better care. Both are part of an effort to fundamentally transform the health-care system in the United States by moving it from a system that pays for value rather than volume. read more »A Mandate To Preserve And Extend Our Social Insurance System by Digby , OurFuture.org | October 1, 2012
Those of you who read this blog know that I've been nearly apoplectic over the past few months over the behind the scenes maneuvering to read more »Emergency Medicine by Digby , OurFuture.org | September 25, 2012
So Mitt Romney now believes that everyone should use the emergency room for their health care needs if they don't have insurance. Or, at least, it sounded that way. read more »Still Seething by Leslie Boyd, lettersfromtheleft.com | September 20, 2012
The more I think about it, the madder I get. There’s my friend, Lynn, who worked in human services all her life for low pay. She’s on Medicare now and she gets Social Security. She’s not on the dole and she’s not looking for a handout. Then there’s my friend, Mike, who was injured in service to his country, and the woman he would love to marry. She has diabetes and would lose her health care if she married him. These are some of the people Mitt Romney isn’t interested in. All three of these people are better Americans than Mitt will ever be. Then there’s my son, Mike. He worked hard and paid taxes until he got sick. My son was not a bum. He was not lazy. He was terminally ill and still couldn’t get what he needed, even though he had paid into the system for 15 years. read more »Still Seething by Leslie Boyd, | September 20, 2012
The more I think about it, the madder I get. There’s my friend, Lynn, who worked in human services all her life for low pay. She’s on Medicare now and she gets Social Security. She’s not on the dole and she’s not looking for a handout. Then there’s my friend, Mike, who was injured in service to his country, and the woman he would love to marry. She has diabetes and would lose her health care if she married him. These are some of the people Mitt Romney isn’t interested in. All three of these people are better Americans than Mitt will ever be. Then there’s my son, Mike. He worked hard and paid taxes until he got sick. He didn’t have health coverage because a birth defect is a pre-existing condition, and because of that, he couldn’t get the screening tests he needed. read more »What Romney Left Behind by Paul Waldman, prospect.org | September 18, 2012
One of the common misconceptions about the presidential candidate version of Mitt Romney is that he disavowed his greatest achievement in public office, health care reform, in an attempt to appeal to his party's base. The truth is that he never actually disavowed it or said it was a failure or a mistake. What he did was tell primary voters that Romneycare was really nothing at all like Obamacare, and anyway Romneycare shouldn't be tried in any other state. His comments were utterly unconvincing, but since they were always accompanied by a thunderous denunciation of Obamacare, Republican voters were assuaged enough to let it slide. Which means that had he wanted to, Romney probably could have entered the general election making a positive case on health care beyond "Repeal Obamacare!" Instead, his entire case for competence is that he got really rich in private equity, and his entire case for compassion is that his wife seems nice. read more »Thank You, Paul Ryan by Robert Kuttner, Huffington Post | September 17, 2012
Two years ago, the Democrats handed the Republicans their two crown jewels -- Social Security and Medicare. By targeting Medicare for budget "savings" that could be used to finance what the Republicans called Obamacare, the White House gave the GOP ammunition to contend that the Democrats were taking benefits away from seniors. Now, however, Republicans have given Social Security and Medicare back to the Democrats (where they belong.) Polls show that Medicare is no longer a winner for the Republicans, and the Democrats have embraced the term, "Obamacare" as positive label. The reason, of course, is Paul Ryan. read more »
The Latest
Drug Industry to Run Ads Favoring White House Plan, The New York Times | August 10, 2009
The drug industry has authorized its lobbyists to spend as much as $150 million on television commercials supporting President Obama’s health care overhaul, beginning over the August Congressional recess, people briefed on the plans said Saturday. read more »
House Health Care Bill Criticized as Panel Votes for Public Plan, The New York Times | July 31, 2009
The House Energy and Commerce Committee resumed work Thursday on major health care legislation, voting to establish a government-run health insurance plan, as top Republicans stepped up their criticism of the ambitious legislation. By a vote of 35 to 24, Democrats defeated a Republican effort to eliminate a section of the bill that would create the public health insurance option. read more »
Survey: Canadians Like Their Health Care, mcclatchydc.com | July 22, 2009
New Ipsos-McClatchy online polls find that patients in Canada, despite some grumbles about waiting times, are much more likely to say that they have access to all the health care services they need at costs they can afford, by a margin of 65 to 49 percent. read more »
Health Insurance Mandate Wins Support, The Washington Post | July 22, 2009
President Obama's dream of dramatically remaking the nation's health-care system is still a long way from reality. But if lawmakers can reach an accord, one thing is virtually certain: For the first time ever, every American would be required to carry health insurance. read more »
Battle Looms Over MRI Cuts, USA Today | July 17, 2009
As Congress debates a sweeping overhaul of the nation's health care system, a battle is brewing over one provision that could affect the availability of MRIs and other tests, particularly in rural areas. read more »
Massachusetts Takes a Step Back From Health Care for All, The New York Times | July 15, 2009
The new state budget in Massachusetts eliminates health care coverage for some 30,000 legal immigrants to help close a growing deficit, reversing progress toward universal coverage just as Congress looks to the state as a model for overhauling the nation’s health care system. read more »
Insured Bankrupted By Health Crises, The New York Times | July 1, 2009
Health insurance is supposed to offer protection — both medically and financially. But as it turns out, an estimated three-quarters of people who are pushed into personal bankruptcy by medical problems actually had insurance when they got sick or were injured. read more »
Health-Care Market Characterized By Consolidation, Not Competition , tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com | June 30, 2009
Senators Closer To $1 Trillion Health Care Bill, Reuters | June 25, 2009
U.S. senators moved closer to agreement on a $1 trillion U.S. health care overhaul that would provide medical coverage to nearly everyone and could be paid for without adding to huge budget deficits. read more »
FBI 'Cracks $50 Million Health Care Scam', BBC News | June 25, 2009
The FBI says it has uncovered a $50 million scam involving the U.S. health care system, making arrests in Florida, Michigan and Colorado. Fifty-three people have been charged with defrauding Medicare, the government insurance scheme providing care to the elderly and disabled. Doctors allegedly gave cash to patients to sign paperwork claiming to have had treatments which they were never given. read more »
