Quote of the day

"The last two weeks of the Republican debates have seen audiences boo a soldier serving in Iraq, cheer for executions, and erupt with glee at the thought of an uninsured sick man dying. Every decent American should be ashamed of this, regardless of party affiliation." CD --From "The American Progressive Party" group on Facebook, yesterday. Link: https://www.facebook.com/#!/americanprogressiveparty

Health care reforms that kick in today

•--Allowing young adults to stay on their parents' coverage until they turn 26. In 2011, an estimated 650,000 young people who would otherwise have been uninsured will gain coverage. Another 600,000 will benefit by switching from individually purchased policies to less costly, more comprehensive employer plans. The number with coverage will grow in 2012 and 2013. --A health plan for uninsured people with pre-existing health conditions. From 200,000 to 400,000 could benefit in 2011, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The government may limit enrollment if $5 billion allocated through 2013 starts to run out, as projected. Beginning in 2014, insurers will be required to accept all applicants, regardless of medical history. --Ending lifetime limits on coverage, and restricting annual limits. As many as 20,400 people a year hit lifetime limits, as did Mira Raether. Many more — an estimated 102 million — are in plans that impose such limits and will no longer be able to do so. --Requiring insurers to cover children with medical problems. An estimated 51,000 uninsured children are expected to gain coverage. Another 90,000 children who have been excluded for coverage for a particular condition — asthma, for example — will also benefit. What about this seems like a bad idea? Really, why didn't we require this of insurance companies from the 1950's on, other than the fact that they and their lobbyists and their lobbyists money bought our Congress--and we let them do it? Link to original post: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100705/ap_on_bi_ge/us_expanding_health_insurance

All you really need to know about health care and reform in the US

It seems we can't discuss virtually anything anymore, as a nation and people, without people getting unrealistic and/or emotional and/or ugly, etc., etc., doesn't it?

First, so many of us were furious at what our government was doing--and doing to us--during the previous 8 years in the "W" regime and now people are so upset because, frankly, they say a screaming Liberal, in the worst definition of the word, Socialist and, dare I say it? African-American is now President that too many people just flip out.

There needs to be much more rationality and pure facts out there in our discourse.

And so it particularly is with health care and reform right now in our country.

If President Obama proposed is, they're agin' it, whatever it is.

So let's get some clear, simple, true facts in a short list and keep these in mind in this debate.

Herewith:

1) There are nearly 50 million Americans without health care in this country--and it's not because they choose to be;

2) Our health care system is the most expensive system in the world;

3) We rank 37th, internationally, in mortality rates, proving that the system doesn't work right or well, particularly in lieu of its costs (see no. 2 above)

That's all.

That's all we need to know.

The system is broken, folks.

It's broken for corporations and businesses and individuals, all. It's broken and it's only going to get more expensive, if left unchecked.

Don't kid or fool yourselves, we need health care reform and we need it badly. There have been too many millions of people without health care in this country for entirely too long and the way this economy has gone (thanks in large part to the previous President, in a great deal of people's opinions), there is a high likelihood that many more of us could also end up on the list of people without health care.

To repeat: the system's broken. Badly broken. It needs to be fixed. And the sooner the better.

I'm just sorry the insurance companies, through their lobbyists and requisite money, are in the room, contributing to the "reform."


Have a great weekend, everyone.