Please, all Californians, call Senator Dianne Feinstein and ask her to support public option. I got this from her website when I was directed by one of her staff on her beliefs about President Obama's Healthcare Reform. Please call her. Thanks, Melanie
What I Support : Senator Dianne Feinstein I basically believe that reform should be incremental and should cover the following:
In order to see that premiums are affordable, I believe that all non-direct healthcare costs (advertising, overhead, profits, and other administrative costs) should be limited and not exceed 10 percent. All premium rate adjustments should be subject to review and approval by a Health Insurance Rate Authority. Bottom line: your health insurance must remain affordable. Your premiums cannot be allowed to double again in the next nine years, as they have in the past nine.
Another way of stabilizing premium affordability is the public option. Depending how the competition is structured, this “option” could compel insurance companies to lower premiums to remain competitive. It remains a viable proposal. The public option should be one of a variety of choices for people who want improved coverage, giving them an option between a private insurance plan and a public one. The public option is simply that—an option. No one will be required to enroll in the public plan. Instead, it would offer consumers an additional choice as they select a health insurance policy. Instead of choosing between policies offered only by private insurance companies, people could choose to buy a public insurance plan. Those that prefer to buy private insurance could still do so.
The purpose of creating a public plan is to increase competition so that premium costs can be controlled. It is very clear that in the current market, private insurance companies do not control the price of premiums. The public option will not replace anyone’s private insurance coverage, but it could prevent future premium increases as private insurance companies lower their prices to compete with a public option. I am also open to considering a non-profit co-operative model, as long as it can accomplish the critical goal of controlling premium costs and spurring competition. Because insurance company profit taking has been so high, it will be very difficult to control premium costs without some non-profit option.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, 56 percent of all dollars that the federal government is projected to spend in 2009 will be spent on entitlements (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Veterans’ benefits). If you add interest on the debt, which will account for 5 percent of this year’s federal spending, 61 percent of everything the government spends cannot be controlled. That is because if you qualify for an entitlement, you receive it, regardless of cost. And the interest on the debt must be paid, which further jeopardizes the financial future of the county as the debt grows. Any health reform bill must revise and reform Medicare to eliminate duplication and waste, and to prevent this continuing cost explosion. I cannot vote for a bill that will add a new entitlement, like a subsidy, that will grow over time.
One way of accomplishing Medicare reform is to create an Entitlement Commission to reform and control Medicare and Social Security. This Commission would retain independent actuaries to periodically and regularly review the system and periodically make recommendations to the Congress, which would vote them up or down.
Healthcare Reform “Musts”
These payments are vital to the survival of publicly owned hospitals like San Francisco General Hospital, UCLA/Harbor Medical Center and UC San Diego Medical Center to cover the costs of providing care for the uninsured and undocumented. Many counties, including Los Angeles County, Riverside and San Francisco, are concerned that these payments will be reduced as a cost saving mechanism in the bill, and result in additional County costs. In California, these cuts could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
If extending health care to the millions of currently uninsured is achieved by expanding Medicaid, the new cost to California would be approximately $2.05 billion per year, if the new eligibility level is set at 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level ($14,404 per individual). Many California counties contribute to the cost of Medicaid, and they do not have extra funding to pay the cost for a program expansion. California still faces an ongoing financial emergency, so this becomes an important consideration. I could not support a bill that pushes additional costs on California state government or its counties.
These concerns and others that develop must be addressed in the Finance Committee bill. I will amend and change this paper as I learn more about the actual bill likely to come before the Senate. I thank you for reading this. Be assured that I want practical health reform to pass, but believe that the package must control the escalating cost of health insurance, increase coverage for those who do not have it, and contain costs.
Thank you,
Dianne Feinstein
By Dan Eggen and Kimberly Kindy Washington Post Staff Writers Monday, July 6, 2009
The nation's largest insurers, hospitals and medical groups have hired more than 350 former government staff members and retired members of Congress in hopes of influencing their old bosses and colleagues, according to an analysis of lobbying disclosures and other records.
The tactic is so widespread that three of every four major health-care firms have at least one former insider on their lobbying payrolls, according to The Washington Post's analysis.
Nearly half of the insiders previously worked for the key committees and lawmakers, including Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), debating whether to adopt a public insurance option opposed by major industry groups. At least 10 others have been members of Congress, such as former House majority leaders Richard K. Armey (R-Tex.) and Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), both of whom represent a New Jersey pharmaceutical firm.
The hirings are part of a record-breaking influence campaign by the health-care industry, which is spending more than $1.4 million a day on lobbying in the current fight, according to disclosure records. And even in a city where lobbying is a part of life, the scale of the effort has drawn attention. For example, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) doubled its spending to nearly $7 million in the first quarter of 2009, followed by Pfizer, with more than $6 million.
The push has reunited many who worked together in government on health-care reform, but are now employed as advocates for pharmaceutical and insurance companies.
A June 10 meeting between aides to Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and health-care lobbyists included two former Baucus chiefs of staff: David Castagnetti, whose clients include PhRMA and America's Health Insurance Plans, and Jeffrey A. Forbes, who represents PhRMA, Amgen, Genentech, Merck and others. Castagnetti did not return a telephone call; Forbes declined to comment.
Also inside the closed committee hearing room that day was Richard Tarplin, a veteran of both the Department of Health and Human Services and the Senate, where he worked for Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), one of the leaders in fashioning reform legislation this year. Tarplin now represents the American Medical Association as head of his own lobbying firm, Tarplin Strategies.
"For people like me who are on the outside and used to be on the inside, this is great, because there is a level of trust in these relationships, and I know the policy rationale that is required," Tarplin said in explaining the benefits of having government experience.
But public interest groups and reform advocates complain that the concentration of former government aides on K Street has distorted the health-care debate, and that it further illustrates the problem posed by the "revolving door" between government and private firms.
"The revolving door offers a short cut to a member of Congress to the highest bidder," said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, which compiled some of the data used in The Post's analysis. "It's a small cost of doing business relative to the profits they can garner."
Aides to Baucus and other lawmakers bristle at any suggestion of special treatment for former staff members. Baucus spokesman Scott Mulhauser said the senator "remains committed to working with a variety of stakeholders" as the Finance Committee attempts to come up with a bill this summer.
"The senator and his staff meet daily with individuals, nonprofits and interests from across the health-care spectrum, and are proud that all interests are treated equally and that no one receives special treatment of any kind," Mulhauser said. "As a result, the Finance Committee has been praised by members of Congress and the media for its uniquely inclusive and transparent health-care reform process."
The Post examined federally required disclosure reports submitted by health-care firms that spent more than $100,000 lobbying in the first quarter of this year. It used current and past filings to identify former lawmakers, congressional staff members and executive branch officials.
The analysis identified more than 350 former government aides, each representing an average of four firms or trade groups. That tally does not include lobbyists who did not report their earlier government experience, such as PhRMA President W.J. "Billy" Tauzin, a former Republican congressman from Louisiana. Federal law does not require providing such detail.
Overall, health-care companies and their representatives spent more than $126 million on lobbying in the first quarter, leading all other industries, according to CRP and Senate data. PhRMA led the pack in spending and employs 49 former government staff members among its 136 lobbyists, according to The Post's analysis. Dozens of other former insiders are employed as lobbyists by Pfizer, Eli Lilly, the AMA and the American Hospital Association, each of which spent at least $3.5 million on lobbying from January through March.
The aim of the lobbying blitz is simple: to minimize the damage to insurers, hospitals and other major sectors while maximizing the potential of up to 46 million uninsured Americans as new customers. Although many firms have vowed to help cut costs, major players such as PhRMA, America's Health Insurance Plans and others remain opposed to the public-insurance option, a key proposal that President Obama has endorsed.
Several major Democratic bills include such a plan, but Baucus's committee -- which is acting as the central broker in the debate -- has not committed to the idea. Instead, the Finance Committee has focused recently on private-insurance cooperatives and other proposals seen as more palatable to the insurance industry and centrist Democrats. More than 50 former employees of the committee or its members lobby on behalf of the health-care industry, records show.
Deploying former government officials is a key strategy for pressing such positions on Capitol Hill, according to industry lobbyists, many of whom discussed the issue on the condition of anonymity. They say that legislative or administration experience helps ensure that policies considered by Congress do not imperil health-care interests, which account for about one-sixth of the U.S. economy.
At the same time, these lobbyists say, a personal connection to lawmakers and their staffs does not guarantee success.
"If anyone thinks hiring a former staffer for Baucus or [Charles] Schumer or Blanche Lincoln is going to get them what they want, they are crazy," said one health-care lobbyist who used to work on the Finance Committee, referring to several key Democratic senators. "If we were being judged on that, a lot of us should be fired."
William K. "Billy" Wynne, a former Baucus health counsel who now works for the Health Policy Source lobbying firm, said that "there's nothing insidious" about medical companies and groups hiring former legislative staff members. He also notes that he is subject to a two-year limit on contacts with Baucus's office.
"The technical processes of the House and Senate are not intuitive or widely known," Wynne said. "Like with any service, people who have experience are going to be valuable to people who don't."
Some trade groups and companies appear to emphasize hiring lobbyists with legislative or executive experience. Wellpoint, one of the world's largest insurance conglomerates, employs 11 lobbyists with government experience and three with none. One of its veterans is Stephen Northrup, who worked for several years for Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), including a year as his health policy director on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
"I think the experience on Capitol Hill gives you a better appreciation of the challenges that members and staff face," said Northrup, who began his Washington career as a lobbyist before entering government. "Every institution has its own rhythm. You need to understand when people need information."
The personal and professional ties between lawmakers, their staffs and lobbyists are often complex. Consider the case of Tarplin and his wife, Republican lobbyist Linda Tarplin. The two worked on opposite sides of the Family Medical Leave Act debate in the 1990s, and each has held high-ranking HHS positions -- he for Bill Clinton and she for George H.W. Bush.
Now they run their own health-care lobbying firms, drawing on their connections. Last year, Richard Tarplin's firm reported $650,000 in lobbying income and his wife's firm -- Tarplin, Downs and Young -- reported $3.5 million.
"We have been in situations that are much more combative than this," Linda Tarplin said of the health-care fight. "Both Democrats and Republicans want health-care reform. The rub has always been they tend to get there in different ways."
At least eight former HHS appointees have also crossed over into health-care lobbying, representing more than 25 companies with a stake in the reform legislation. Most were presidential appointees with high-ranking positions, such as the Tarplins.
A few have also cycled back into government. Jack Charles Ebeler, a former Clinton HHS official, left his job as president and chief executive of the Alliance of Community Health Plans a few months ago to become senior adviser for health policy on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Financial disclosure statements show that Ebeler received consulting fees over the past two years from UnitedHealth Group, Academy Health, the Medicare Rights Center, the Center for Health Care Strategies and the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. Ebeler declined interview requests by The Post.
One of the most prominent examples of Washington's revolving door is Tauzin, who took the $2.5 million-a-year job as head of PhRMA in 2005 after shepherding a Medicare prescription drug plan through Congress.
Uproar over the appointment led Congress in 2007 to pass a bill barring former members from bringing clients onto the House and Senate floors and from lobbying their friends in members-only gyms. The legislation also forbade direct lobbying contacts with former colleagues for a year in the House and two years in the Senate; efforts to enact a wider ban went nowhere.
Tauzin and other lobbyists rebuff critics, arguing that it is unsurprising that those with experience on Capitol Hill should then draw on that background.
"Is it a distortion of baseball to hire coaches who have played baseball? Is it a distortion of universities to hire from academia?" Tauzin asked rhetorically. "The bottom line is that people work in the fields in which they have experience. Somehow there are people who think that's unusual for politics, but I think it's pretty normal."
Now that we’re full-on into silly season, where the policy is getting buried under the politics of the moment, it’s more important than ever to focus of these two essentials. One, reform that does not change the game for private, for-profit insurance is not real reform. Two, insurers will not police themselves, even when the business practice in question is morally indefensible. Such it was that yesterday at a hearing in the House of Representatives, CEOs from UnitedHealth, Assurant Health, and WellPoint point-blank refused to limit cancellations of insurance policies for sick patients.
This is a process known as rescission, and it’s the flip side of the pre-existing condition dilemma. For pre-existing conditions, you’re denied a plan or care at the beginning. For rescissions, you’re denied after you’re already sick. The policy exists to fight intentional abuse of the system. If you intentionally leave something off when you’re applying for insurance and sign a statement saying you haven’t, that’s a pretty clear breach of contract. But, as Bob Laszewski, a former COO of an insurance company himself, writes, “It would be an inadvertent and non-material misstatement to sign your health insurance application having promised you told all but left something, that in the end did not matter, off of it. It is always important to be thorough and honest in filling out a health insurance application but sometimes we forget things.” In Robin’s case, she didn’t even forget anything – it was a mistake on a medical record. Regardless, Laszewki asks the pertinent question: “How could you sleep at night knowing you retroactively canceled (or rescinded) a sick person’s health insurance because of something that really didn’t matter?”
And yet, when given the opportunity point blank to say their companies would cease rescissions except when in reaction to “intentional fraud,” all three CEOs refused.
We hear a lot from Karen Ignani of AHIP about how private insurance knows it must earn a seat at the table. We hear from Joe Lieberman that the private insurance market is plenty competitive and doesn’t require the competition on quality from a public health insurance option. Insurance is fine. Yet these companies haven’t just refused to limit rescissions. They’ve made money off of it: $300 million in California alone. As the L.A. Times reports, “It also found that policyholders with breast cancer, lymphoma and more than 1,000 other conditions were targeted for rescission and that employees were praised in performance reviews for terminating the policies of customers with expensive illnesses.”
Let’s say that again. These companies praised employees for terminating the policies of sick patients with expensive illnesses.
Forget the politics and the theater and the supposed evils of government. This is health insurance as it’s practiced in this country. That’s the game. We need to change it.
http://www.breakingtweets.com/2009/04/obamas-presidency-reaches-100th-day.html
hey I am on twitter and I made to breaking tweets news yesterday on Pres. Obama 100th day. I don't like all the article because of the haters, but it is worth reading.
Salma
Hello friends,
I am just going to let you how my first time as an event's Host went. To tel you the truth it was not like I expected it to be, but I learned from it, and next time I will be more prepared. We went to a K-Mart store located in Bellflower on Rosescrans and McNab , CA and we could not hand out pledges because for them to let us do so, we have to contact their headquaters, and since it was week-end headquaters was close. Also I expected 8 people who sign up for the event, , and only 6 peoples showed up, only 3 was from the signed up list. and I am wondering if there is something that I did wrong or if the event was not advertized enough. How do people actually get more people. The weather was not favorable so we could not really do much. but it was my first time I guess, I hope next time will be better. I am counting on any of your advises, strategies in how you made your event more successfull. I will be reading your post with interest.
Thank you
We are on a hstoric path to becoming the "community" of Bellflower. I recall the first time that I saw the sign that stands facing Alondra from the South End of Bellflower near the old railroad tracks. It reads "Make Bellflower Your Home." What a wonderful and inviting sign... Yet, I know that it will take more than a mere sign to make this a true "home" where all who are within it can grow together as a connected community. Yet, I know that it can be done. We are a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, group of people of various educational, economic, religious, etc backgrounds and beliefs. We have a richness of spirit here that has emerged overtime...and the time has come for us to become a caring community. A first step in doing that is perhaps to come to know each other better, to know our hopes and dreams for our families, our neighborhoods, our children, our parents, our poor, our homeless, our professionals, our immigrants, our middle class, our wealthy, our small business owners and workers, .... The list could go on and on but I think that you get the picture. I want to hear about each of you. I want this blog to be a place where you can provide us with a positive glimpse into your life your concerns, and most of all your talents that may benefit us all as we move towards truly becoming a community. Please talk to us.... We will be hosting a series of meetings in homes to dig deeper into how we can all make a difference...and we need to hear from you.... Let's start the new year together.
Dr. Willingham-Toure'
CALLING ALL LATINOS IN L.A. COUNTY
If you want Barack Obama to win, help us spread the word to all Spanish speakers you know...LOS ANGELES AREA:Latino Camp Obama
Sign up here: In English: http://my.barackobama.com/CampObamaLatinosENIn Espa�ol: http://my.barackobama.com/CampObamaLatinosES
9AM to 5PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Designed especially for LA County, Orange County and San Fernando Valley LatinosEl Rodeo Restaurant8825 Washington Blvd.Pico Rivera, CA 90660(562) 942-0755 SIGN UP TODAY:Maria Elena Yepes Email: yepesme@earthlink.netPhone: (626) 367-6674
I saw both of their speeches and was not impressed at all.
I will say though Sarah Palin did rally the crowd that was there but I came up with 2 conclusions about her. Either she is completely naive or she is completely full of it. All that came out of her mouth were lies like about Barack's inexperience compared to her and that we were very close in a victory in Iraq. One other thing when I heard speak came through my head was "I can't wait for the VP debate on October 2nd." Although as a Political Science Major and unbiased opinion I think if McCain/Palin win or lose Palin will be back on the national scene for the Republicans because she relates to the conservative base. And from her speech she can get the crowd behind her whether I disagree or not she is capable of doing that.
Now onto McCain: Yes he was a war-hero whom we should honor for his military deeds BUT that does not warrant an automatic vote into the highest position in the land. Having McCain talk about his POW experience over and over again instead of real issues that affect the American people he says he will stand for and with to fight the same special interests he has received funding for his whole campaign. This has led me to believe that McCain will say whatever he thinks people want to hear. Another incident was an interview a while back where he said he would use military force in Iran and North Korea and anywhere else where there is a credible threat (and didn't even mention the use of diplomacy), yet at the convention he said that he hates war because of his POW experience. I really see Guillani in McCain a lot of times because no matter the issue he would always make a reference to 9/11 and how he was there during the whole ordeal.
Personally I don't trust McCain and the idea of him as president scares the hell out of me. He is a hothead whom should not have the power of the president in his hand.
A President that we can be proud of and will lead by example, this is what Barack Obama brings to the table. Talk is cheap, as displayed in the youtube video below...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARt-OJKKfQY&eurl=http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/14/213149/670/890/536096
Purchase your tickets to the BARACK THE VOTE concert/fundraiser on Wednesday, April 16 at the Vault 350, located at 350 Pine Avenue in Downtown Long Beach.VIP tickets are priced at $200 each and include a special reception beginning at 6 PM. General Admission tickets are $75 and provide admission to the concert beginning at 7:30 PM. Both the VIP and General Admission tickets can be purchased at the Vault 350 box office prior to, or on the day of the event. You can also purchase tickets by phone at 888-80-VAULT or online at www.vault350.com. JUST ADDED: SPECIAL PRICE FOR STUDENTS - $10 with current student identifaction - available at venue only. Tickets for the event must be purchased for admission to the concert.
For more information on the event, please click on http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rpy5
I encourage all of you to go to the www.democrats.org and indicate your support for Obama. Sign-up if you can and join all the Obama groups. This is the official website for the Democratic party and it's important right now that Obama supporters make a big showing in this "close race."
**Forgive me for "cross-posting." I wanted to reach everyone.
Greetings, Obama friends. At our organizing meeting this past Monday, several decisions were made based on the feedback from all of you.
First of all, the concert fundraiser has been rescheduled for WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, from 5:30-9:30 PM at the Vault 350. See the following site for more information: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rpy5
This will still allow us to raise additional money for Obama before the Pennsylvania primary, but it will give us more time to line up top-notch acts and promote this event. Several of you suggested that we print flyers and invitations to promote this event, and this time will now allow us to do that. Most importantly, we will be able to take this event to a whole new level for Senator Obama's campaign.
Second, several people suggested that we have a more affordable level for students. So we decided to have a $50 ticket level for those with a student i.d., to encourage CSULB students and others to come down, hear a great concert, and do their part to support Obama if they are able. If any of you have leads on comedians, musicians, or other acts, please contact Thomas Fields at thomas@backstagejazz.com. The committee felt that we should have our top acts lined up by March 12 in order to have sufficient time to print materials, publicize, etc.--so this event is still fast approaching.
Our next organizing meeting will be Wednesday, March 5 at Smooth's (located at 144 Pine Avenue in Downtown Long Beach) beginning at 6 p.m. Please come and bring any friends who are interested. For transportation and Downtown Long Beach parking information, log onto http://www.downtownlongbeach.org/parking/index.htm.
If you have not had a chance to contribute to the event, please do so by going to http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rpy5. Thanks to those who have given so far--early money is like yeast, it makes the dough rise!
Some of you asked how you could find out who has given money so far,so that you can keep track of your contributors and follow-up when necessary. Brian Mineghino will be listing our donors on a Facebook page so that you can all see who has given; please contact him at bmineghino@gmail.com re: any questions.
Also, we will bring the updated list to our Wednesday meeting; as of today, we have $3,700 in hand. Also, many of you expressed an interest in getting our local elected officials involved. Here are the folks that we know who have expressed an interest so far, with the contact people listed: LB Mayor Foster (Becki) Senator Alan Lowenthal (Sam) Eric Garcetti (Becki, Elson, Lillian) Ted Lieu (Becki) Mike Gibson (Brian) Dem State Controller Eric Bradley (James) Dem Vice Chair Alex Rucker (Taylor) If you know of others willing to get involved, please reach out to them ASAP.
More information to come--we hope to see you at Smooth's! Please pass this forward.
Fired up and ready to go.
UPDATE: PLEASE JOIN US AT THE OBAMA CONCERT IN LONG BEACH, CA ON WEDNESDAY APRIL 16TH. FOR MORE INFO VISIT: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rpy5
WE ALL KNOW THAT THE OBAMA STORE IS BACKED UP WITH ORDERS, SO WHILE WE WAIT PATIENTLY JOIN OUR FUNDRAISER AND HELP SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN: A few supporters and myself are holding a fundraiser for the Obama Campaign. Custom T-Shirts and hand made Jewelery made by supporters are being sold.
***ALSO THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED OUT DURING THE L.A. MARATHON & PURCHASED T-SHIRTS AND BRACELETS, ETC.
For more info about the fundraiser call Raul at (760) 791-0188 or send a message via the Obama site. If you would like to see images of the items for sale simply e-mail me at RMoreno001@ca.rr.com
***All profits will be donated to the "Obama for America" grassroots movement
