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Let’s Have a Real Senate Debate on Health Care |
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Next week, the U.S. Senate is expected to begin debate on long-promised health care reform legislation. We’ve waited decades and fought hard for this moment—but progress could be blocked if a minority of senators refuses to allow a fair debate and a fair vote.
That’s right: Despite huge wins for pro-working family, pro-health care reform candidates in the House and Senate and the election of a pro-health care reform president, a few senators can do the bidding of insurance companies and prevent a bill from getting to the floor or getting a vote.
Now is the time to contact your senators and tell them: Health care can’t wait. It’s time for action.
Here’s more news from the fight for real health care reform:
- The Alliance for Retired Americans offered thanks to members of the U.S. House who voted to pass a health care reform bill that will improve Medicare and help the young and seniors alike. Alliance members also are protesting insurance companies like Humana that have used scare tactics and falsehoods to try and stop reform.
- At Open Left, Mike Lux runs down the benefits we will see from health care reform and the big fights still ahead to make reform the best it can be.
- Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is launching new ads urging senators in two key states—Arkansas and Nebraska—to allow a Senate vote on health care reform.
- The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) looks at the employer’s role in health care and finds that the just-passed House bill does well at ensuring that employers can provide high-quality coverage.
- The Center for American Progress notes that the House bill will have big benefits for unmarried women, who are too often uninsured in our current system.
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Can we do anything other than whine that the liars of the right wing are lying?
How about going after them as they go after us, kind of? Let me see,
there are their despicable morals,
there is their despicable behavior,
there are the despicable consequences of their despicable behaviors …
they’re working 24*7*365 to make sure we’re all free to be boot lickers, butt kissers, doormats, serfs and cannon fodder
and we’re whining cuz mean meanies are being mean.
boo hoo.
p.s. I do NOT know what to do - I do KNOW what we’ve done since RayGun has NOT worked.
I do know that in WA. state the teachers union collects 10s of millions in dues a year - maybe the union bosses could hire people effective at beating right liars, instead of excuse making whiners?
How bad will the public option have to get before you abandon your support of it, President Obama and the DNC?
This week the House threw the progressives off the train when they took the Weiner and Kucinich amendments out of the House bill. AND they allowed a vote on the Stupak anti-choice amendment and it passed. Despite this desperate maneuver, still 23 of the snti-choice House members STILL went onto vote AGAINST the HCR bill.
How much more rope do you need?
Remember your members passed two resolutions unanimously FOR Single Payer!!!
Please answer my questions:
Do you think Americans should go to jail if they refuse to buy healthcare? Where do we go…prison with rapists and murderers or are we going to set up “healthcare prisons”? Who comes to get you….the SS, the gestopo? When Pelosi was asked my first question she answered everybody has to do their part. I am not buying it so come and arrest me now!
Where in the constituition can the government force you to buy healthcare….the answer is no where. It is not permitted in the constituition of the United States to force us to purchase anything. This is not the country my father fought for and my son now fights for.
Stop drinking the kool aide and wake up. This is NOT about healthcare…this is about power and greed by a few in our government and we must not let thenm take our country from us!
Dummy up America!!
Read below this disaster, incredibly supported by the AFL-CIO “leadership”, that the House passed “health care reform” bill will inflict upon working people.
US House health care bill would slash Medicare services
By Kate Randall
16 November 2009
Benefits provided under Medicare would be sharply reduced for some senior citizens under the health care plan recently passed by the US House of Representatives, according to a new government report released Saturday.
“America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009” (H.R. 3962), sponsored by House Democrats and approved on November 7, includes more than $570 billion in cuts to the government-run Medicare program for the elderly.
A report by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), requested by House Republicans, has found that these deep cuts to Medicare would likely result in real reductions in care, resulting in some hospitals and nursing homes refusing Medicare patients altogether.
The CMS report also predicts that expansion of eligibility for Medicaid would “exacerbate existing access problems,” threatening access to care for millions in this health care program for the poor administered jointly by the federal government and the states.
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CMS says that the cumulative effect of a sustained reduction in payment updates would cause Medicare payment rates to grow more slowly than health care providers’ costs of providing services to Medicare beneficiaries. This in turn would cause providers’ to reduce care provided under the government program, or pull out of Medicare altogether.
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The House passed the legislation in a narrow 220 to 215 vote, with 39 Democrats voting against it and with the support of only one Republican. The slim majority was only achieved with the adoption of a sweeping anti-abortion amendment that imposes strict bans on the use of federal funds to finance abortion, a medical procedure that is constitutionally guaranteed by the US Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
The deal was hatched in back-room negotiations by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Democrat, California) under pressure from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other anti-abortion forces. Sixty-four Democrats joined 176 Republicans to approve the reactionary amendment, named for Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan.
The House bill contains a mandate requiring individuals to purchase insurance, or pay a penalty, guaranteeing new cash revenues for the private insurers. It also includes a watered-down version of a “public option” for purchase on an insurance exchange. The secretary of health and human services would have to negotiate rates for payments to hospitals and doctors, unlike under Medicare where the government sets payment rates.
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Whatever version of health care legislation emerges from Congress, it will be based on slashing government spending on health care costs and defending the profits of the insurance companies and pharmaceuticals. Central in all of the competing proposals is a brutal assault on Medicare and the health care needs of ordinary Americans.
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Read the full details here:
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/nov2009/medi-n16.shtml
Another giveaway to Corporate America, shame on the Democrats, who are a majority but obviously are in the pockets of the insurance industry. What should have been a stellar moment for the working people has turned into higher premiums and medications. Shame on Congress for insisting this was the best they could do for us. Shame on the AFL-CIO for teaming up with HCAN and pushing for this garbage. It is obvious HCAN is in cahoots with the insuance industry to make sure single payer was killed and we get substandard health care. I challenge President Trumka to address this issue.
Here are two recent news items that shoulf make the AFL-CIO and HCAN reconsider their support of this ineffective legislation.
How can anyone get behind legislation that has NO price controls on premiums and drugs?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/business/16drugprices.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
And here’s something really shameful…
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/us/politics/15health.html