HEALTH CARE FOR ALL? NOTES FROM OUR TOWN HALL LAST SATURDAY AND RECENT EVENTS IN CONGRESS

The speakers at our town hall were Kali Fox from Senator Stabenow’s Lansing office, James Mitchiner, M.D. Emergency Medicine, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, and Robert Sisler, President of UAW Local 6000 Retired Workers.

A brief recap of some of the speakers’ comments:

Kali Fox stated that Senator Stabenow believes that a single-payer system would be the best health care plan but that it does not have the votes to pass. The Senator is working for the strongest possible public option and is using her position on the Finance Committee to achieve the public option.

Dr. Mitchiner spoke about the myths surrounding the single-payer plan. The first and most often heard myth is that a single-payer plan is socialized medicine. The doctor pointed out that a single-payer plan is simply the method of payment. The delivery of health care will come from the same doctors and hospitals that deliver our health care today. The government takes care of payment and private providers deliver care under the single-payer plan.

Dr. Mitchiner also addressed the comparisons with the Canadian system, stating that the Canadian system spends 54% per patient of the U.S. costs. While there are wait times in Canada, there are also wait times in the U.S. and, in fact, many Americans do not receive health care at all.

Bob Sisler provided us with copies of the actual HR 767 bill and pointed out that the UAW and a number of other unions support the single-payer plan. He also pointed out that the idea of profit in health insurance was really introduced in the 1970s with HMOs. We are the only western democracy that has private for-profit health insurance for our basic health care. Other countries have a single-payer type plan for basic health care.

Additional note: The House produced a plan yesterday that would: ‘expand coverage, slow the growth of Medicare, raise taxes on high-income people and penalize employers who do not provide health benefits to their workers.’
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/health/policy/15health.html?th&emc=th

Donna’s comments and questions on the House plan and other legislation: This plan still leaves 15 million people without insurance. If we believe that health care is a human right, how do we excuse leaving out 15 million people? Why are we penalizing employers? Shouldn’t employers be left out of this game? Don’t we want employers to create jobs, hire workers, and keep down the cost of their products for international trade. Why should employers be responsible for the costs of health insurance?

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) also voted a bill out of their committee. This bill brings up many of the same questions as House bill. Like the House bill, it provides subsidies to uninsured individuals to purchase health insurance either on the public option or the private market. (Can you see the private insurance CEOs salivating now at the prospect of these new consumers?)

These bills are complex and offer their insurance products through an exchange. Does anyone remember the fiasco created by Medicare Part D when hundreds of insurance companies offered prescription plans? Seniors were confused and puzzled about what to do. To make matters worse, the legislation stated that if seniors didn’t make their choices by the deadline, seniors would be charged a penalty for every month delayed. The Part D bill so heavily favored the insurance and drug companies that, while seniors could only change their insurance each January, the companies could change their coverage whenever they wanted.

Another bill will soon be voted out of the Finance Committee. It’s predicted that it will offer co-ops instead of the public plan. Most of us can see the problem with co-ops trying to negotiate coverage with sophisticated, greedy insurance companies. Imagine the fun you’ll have when you present your co-op insurance card to your doctor or hospital. This brainchild is proposed by Sen. Kent Conrad, D-North Dakota, (population of less than a million citizens) and makes Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, (population less than 3 million) happy, along with Ben Nelson, D-Nebraska (population less than 2 million). They are willing to compromise on the health of our citizens.

Sen. Grassley was asked by one of his constituents why he couldn’t get a health plan as good as the Senator’s plan. Grassley’s response was that the fellow should get a job with the federal government. Perhaps it’s time that Sen. Grassley’s constituents decide that Grassley should no longer be working for the federal government.

Senator Debbie Stabenow is on the Finance Committee. If you agree that co-ops are a bad idea call and e-mail her today, contact information is below.

One last thought: We hear continually about how health care for all needs to control costs. We all agree on that. There should, however, be more talk about broad coverage for all Americans. The debate that’s going on right now is complex and obfuscates the real problem which is that many Americans are deprived of health care while we claim that health care is a human right.

Information Sources:

Many people asked for places where they could get information on health care reform. Here are some Web sites that have good information on health care reform and pending bills in the House and Senate. Be an activist! E-mail and call your Senators! Call the White House! March at rallies here and in Washington DC. Talk to your friends and relatives and give them the facts.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ President Barack Obama
(202) 456-1111 Comments
(202) 456-1414 Switchboard
http://stabenow.senate.gov/ Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-MI
(517) 203-1760 Lansing Office
(202) 224-4822 Washington D.C.

http://levin.senate.gov/ Sen. Carl Levin D-MI
(517) 377-1508 Lansing Office
(202) 224-6221 Washington D.C.

http://www.healthcare-now.org/ Health Care Now organization is a single-payer advocate.

http://healthcareforamericanow.org/ Pushes a strong public option and the White House plan.

http://www.pnhp.org/ Physicians for a National Health Program Dr. Mitchiner came to us through the PNHP.

http://www.hr676.org/ Website for the House bill HR 676, single-payer bill.

http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov Find out how hospitals compare on treating various diseases and surgical procedures.

http://www.thomas.gov Look up any federal House or Senate bill in its entirety or in
summary form.

http://www.pbs.org/video/video/1178899944/program/1113570149 THE JOURNAL: Profits Over People. Online video of Bill Moyers Journal which features Wendell Potter, a former health insurance executive. Well-worth the time to watch it.

http://sanders.senate.gov/ Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, strong advocate in Senate for single-payer.

http://conyers.house.gov/ Rep. John Conyers, D-MI, introduced HR 676

http://mikerogers.house.gov/ Rep. Mike Rogers, D-Brighton
(202) 225-4872 Washington D.C.
(517) 702-8000 Lansing Office

County Commission Penny-wise, Pound-foolish

Apparently, you can sell any wacky idea to Livingston County Commissioners if you tell them it will save money.

That's how a former county employee apparently put herself in position to steal thousands of dollars from the taxpayers, right under the noses of our county commissioners.

Julie Wyland Crouse was in charge of the county's medical benefits program, which meant she took in employees' benefits forms and claims and sent them to payroll for payment.

The county previously had paid an outside company to oversee the reimbursements, but, according to the Livingston Press and Argus story in editions for Thursday (July 16, 2009,) "Crouse convinced county officials that using Marwil was 'wasting money,' Gadsby said. As a result, county officials discontinued Farmington Hills-based Marwil's service effective July 1, 2005, leaving Crouse the sole person responsible for determining whether employees' were receiving the correct reimbursement, the detective said."

So, according to charges filed against her, Crouse proceeded to embezzle taxpayers' money. The Livingston County Prosecutor's Office has charged her with two counts of embezzling at least $1,000 but less than $20,000 from the county.

In other words, no one was watching what Crouse was doing. That's a violation of fundamental rules of accounting requiring checks and balances. County officials should have known better. But Crouse apparently spoke the magic words, "It'll save money," and commissioners stupidly fell for it.

Health Care Forum Shows Support for Reform

Check out the Conservative Media's blog for great coverage of the Livingston Dems' town hall meeting on health care reform, held on Saturday.

Roadside Cleanup This Sunday

This Sunday (July 19, 2009) is your chance to do something to help the environment.

Join Livingston County Democrats at 8 a.m. Sunday for the quarterly roadside cleanup along a two-mile stretch of M-59. Meet in the parking lot of the Ironwood Golf Club, 6902 E. Highland Road.

We'll have the safety vests, bags, and sticks.

The more the merrier.

Young: Mother's Role Worth Little

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer is keeping up his attacks on Michigan Supreme Court Justice Robert Young for his extreme views -- this time for a dissenting opinion Young wrote minimizing the value of a mother’s care for her children.

In Thorn v. Mercy Memorial Hospital, Young wanted the Michigan Supreme Court to severely limit the compensation for the future care of the children of a mother killed due to a botched Caesarean section. The majority of the court disagreed.

"Young's statements minimizing the value of a mother's care for her children are an insult not only to all mothers, but to all parents as well," said Brewer. "Once again we see Young putting the interests of insurance companies, like the one he used to work for, ahead of people injured or killed in this state, as well as their children.

"Young's antiquated views would take us back to the days when 'women's work' was used as a crude, offensive stereotype to deny the value of women’s role in child-rearing," said Brewer. "The people of Michigan are growing tired of so-called 'family values' politicians like Bob Young, Mike Cox, and Mark Sanford who proclaim their fidelity to family values and then betray those values by their actions."

Spirit of Humanity Seized by Israeli Navy 6-30-2009

The Livingston Cty Daily Press & Argus in Howell, MI printed my letter today, July 9th, 2009. I appreciate that they did so. Almost every person that I've talked with in my circle had not heard about this incident that happened on June 30th, 2009. Mairead Maguire, 1976 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, said that the Irish did not achieve peace thru the government but that it was the grassroots people who started talking to one another. She said it started in the prisons, people to people.
http://www.livingstondaily.com/article/20090709/OPINION03/907090309/Demand+release+of+Spirit+of+Humanity

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009, I participated in a teleconference with two members of Combatants for Peace, one an Israeli and one a Palestinian. Their website: www.combatantsforpeace.org where they say:

We are a group of Israeli and Palestinian individuals who were actively involved in the cycle of violence in our area. The Israelis served as combat soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces and the Palestinians were involved in acts of violence in the name of Palestinian liberation. We all used weapons against one another, and looked at each other only through weapon sights; however today we cooperate and commit ourselves to the following:
We no longer believe that the conflict can be resolved through violence
We believe that the blood bath will not end unless we act together to terminate the occupation and stop all forms of violence.
We call for the establishment of a Palestinian State, alongside the State of Israel. The two states can exist in peace and security one by the other.
We will use only non violent means to achieve our goals and call for both societies to end violence.

In peace,
Mares

Three ThingsCannot be long hidden The Sun The Moon and The Truth --Buddha


Sent: Wednesday, July 8, 2009 11:39:57 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada EasternSubject: Nightly News with Vincent Browne - TV3
Interview on Irish TV!

1976 Irish Nobel Peace Prize Winner Mairead Maguire interviewed after being deported from Israeli Jail-arrived home in Ireland!http://www.tv3.ie/shows.php?request=nightlynewswithvincentbrowne&tv3_preview=&video=11055

Freegaza - News section

Freegaza - News section

There is an interview with Adam Shapiro and Kathy Sheetz on a Houston Radio show, July 8th, about their capture aboard the Spirit of Humanity by the Israeli Navy and their detention in an Israeli jail for almost a week.