By Padmini Arhant
Last night the health care legislation passed by the House of Congress is a major step towards recognizing the American people’s plight in the most stressful economic times. The House members confirmed that their consolidated efforts and commitment to the American electorate could produce the desirable results in the economic, social and environmental cause.Health care is relevant to all and no longer an individual matter.
I had recently fallen ill from women’s related health issue in the months of September and October 2009. Accordingly, I was scheduled for a major surgery on November 4, 2009 - ironically on the anniversary of the historic Presidential election date and around the special elections.
In order to deal with the health crisis, I had to suspend some activities and focus on the immediate recovery plan. It was a temporary action and not meant to avoid communication at any level. Now, I’m able to resume direct contact with the responsible authorities.
Rest of the content @http://www.padminiarhant.com
Thank you.
Imagine if you will a nightmarish situation in which you or a loved one get ill; and even though you are covered by an employer-based health insurance plan, a treatment that will prevent a lifetime disability or even save your life is withheld by the plan, because they call the treatment "experimental" or "medically unnecessary" -- even though your doctors say otherwise!
Now compound the terror that scenario dredges up, from within your most deep-seated instincts of self-preservation, with the prospect of your not being able to sue the health plan for making such a devastating decision. In other words, there would be no downside to the plan for their denial of even life-saving care (other than the public relations mess stirred up by all-too-infrequent articles like this); in fact, there would, of course, be a great financial incentive to simply deny your care, your life be damned.
The fact is, health insurance companies administering employer-based health plans -- the very private insurance plans covering most Americans, even under the health reform bills being considered by Congress -- have that "license to kill": It is contained in Section 514 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, ERISA -- little known to most Americans but very profitably exploited by health insurance companies, costing many people their life savings or even their lives (and shifting the costs of caring for those injured and abandoned by their plans onto state Medicaid rolls).
Click Here to View Health Care Reform: A Matter of Life and Death
Organizing for America is sponsoring a "Health Reform Video Challenge": "Create the best 30 second video you can that makes the case for passing health insurance reform in 2009. This is a complex and often personal issue, and there's way more angles to cover than anyone can squeeze into 30 seconds." The top 20 submissions (The deadline was at midnight, last night) will be voted on by the public and a panel of experts -- including celebrities, political experts, and OFA volunteers -- with the winning ad aired on national television (There is no money at stake in this "contest").
Promoting the president's plan -- an excellent, yet necessarily complex initiative, which unfortunately has left a lot of Americans confused -- in just half a minute was indeed a -- worthy -- challenge. I read further and found this very helpful: "President Obama's plan will accomplish three primary goals: Provide more security and stability for the insured; guarantee more quality, affordable choices for the uninsured; and lower the costs of health care for American families, businesses and government."
So I wrote a script, structured around these three themes: making health insurance "available, dependable, and affordable." I needed, in just 30 seconds, to present each one of those solutions as well as each one of the problems crying out for those solutions.
And what could make more of an impression than presenting the names and faces of those who were victims of our current health system? After all, this debate isn't just about politics or statistics; it's about the very real, life-and-death consequences of the status quo, compelling us to reform.
In order for all Americans to be covered with accessible and affordable health insurance, the public option is the only way to go. A co-op will leave too many Americans without insurance coverage, and forcing companies to furnish their workers with health insurance will leave American workers enslaved in bad jobs because if they quit they will lose thier health care, not only for themsleves but for the entire family.
The public option will keep the insurance companies more honest, and workers will not be enslaved to bad jobs where there is mobbing and bullying, which, by the way, leads to serious physical and mental injury, not to mention an unacceptable workplace.
The public option is the only way to go if we are going to really look to the betterment of all Americans.
I love my health insurance company. They have always done right by me. At least since April 1 this year when they jacked my company rates up 20% at the first annual renewal. The rate hike came “out of the blue” in the worst economic conditions for small business since I have been in business these past fifteen years. My agent said this increase wasn’t “personal,” but an industry-wide action. “All the big health insurance companies raised their rates similarly, so no point in changing policies,” he claimed.
I guess Oxford figured since we are a small New York based business that lost 90% of its income in the wake of the financial system collapse we could ask the government for a bailout. Maybe they thought we were a car company or a bank or something.
I don’t hold it against them. I understand their need to make as much money as possible at my expense. I am glad it wasn’t personal, because health care is so impersonal to begin with.
My company has been enrolled in Oxford Freedom for about a year and a half. It’s a great plan. I don’t need a referral for any specialist I want to see. That’s why we picked it. I am a freedom loving American and I want CHOICE! I want to choose my own doctors, because by no means are all doctors equal. Some are great. Some should have had their licenses yanked years ago. I want to decide where I go, not the government or an insurance company.
We chose Oxford over other New York companies for its relatively less expensive (before the rate hike) freedom loving plan. I picked my own doctors, proudly, like a real choice-happy American business owner. Over the last year, my primary care physician, gynecologist, endocrinologist, and son’s dermatologist refused to accept Oxford insurance anymore. Why? One doctor said, “We have trouble getting them to pay our fees.”
Right now I am stuck until the annual renewal next April with a plan that none of my doctors will accept. I only hope I don’t get sick. But I love ‘em (Oxford) anyway. To paraphrase an old Saturday Night Live line: “Health insurance…Been berry berry gooood to me!”
Before my firm had Oxford, we had an even better plan. Horizon Health Insurance was happily accepted by every doctor selected. They paid their claims and my claims too in a timely efficient way. They were competitively priced and unlike Oxford, paid full prescription benefits. With Horizon, I paid $5 co-pay for any prescribed medicine. With Oxford, I am often paying $150 dollars for an ordinary medication. Good thing I don’t need many.
What happened to Horizon if the plan was so perfect? A good question, I thought you might ask. Around three months before the third annual renewal, I got a letter. “Dear Administrator: We regret to inform you that Horizon Healthcare is moving out of New York and we will not be able to renew your plan.”
It seems that some of the tighter patient friendly regulations by New York legislators ticked top Horizon execs off. They picked up their marbles and went home. To New Jersey that is, where they merged with Blue Cross and Blue Shield. We are only eligible for their plan if we move our offices across the river.
Another small business owner in New Jersey said recently his Blue Cross-Blue Shield rates spiked up too. In the economic downturn this past year, he let go of the costly $400 per month prescription plan. Since he and his wife are young, they are also hoping they won’t get sick. Since their kids are little, chances are slim for that.
What happened before my firm had Oxford and Horizon you might wonder? Ok, glad you asked. We had United Health Care (now merged with Oxford). United was attractive to us because our holistic-minded staff loved the “wellness plan” it offered. Promises of plan coverage for massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic up to $1000 per covered person lured us away from a conventional consortium plan (no longer offered to small business). We loved it. The entire staff went merrily off to chiros and acupuncturists for a solid year.
At the end of the first year, I received another letter. “Dear Administrator: We regret to inform you we cannot renew your company’s plan. We thank you for the opportunity to serve your company’s health care needs. Yours truly, United Healthcare. ”
The reason cited: We used the “wellness plan” to the “maximum allowance” and they decided our little company wasn’t worth it.
With all these experiences in mind, I am happy to say that our current American health insurance system works wonderfully well. If you don’t get sick, or need to go to a doctor, or need any prescription medicine, then you are perfectly covered by your insurance. We are happy to continue paying $1415 per month for family plans, $463 per month for single plans, and $938 for couples, that cover little more than emergency rooms costs—although come to think of it, that might not be covered either due to the $6000 “out-of-network” deductible.
Well, anyway, I don’t want the government telling me what doctors or meds I can or cannot have. After all, my Oxford Freedom Plan is doing a fine job of that all on its own.
In the immortal words of rocker Janis Joplin, “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” And with the “freedom” to choose from one costly inadequate health insurance plan over another—I guess I have nothing left to lose, but my good health.
When the economy is crumbling and tens of millions of Americans risk death and long-term disability as a result of untreated disease or injury, somebody has to pick up the slack. In the quest for quick mega profits that can jack up the price of company stocks, big business took shortcuts that resulted into millions of Americans losing their jobs and with it their health insurance.
The jobless and uninsured Americans are legitimate taxpayers. Some of them exercised their constitutional right to vote the current leaders into office, they be Democrat, Republican or independent. These voters and taxpayers deserve to be protected and fought for by their elected officials. The government they elected should intervene on their behalf so that they are not left out of the banquet table when the national cake is being carved out.
Being without health insurance is a serious business. I bet those waving placards with angry words against the President have health insurance and they want to keep it that way. Who will speak for the uninsured? Is it criminal for government to ensure every citizen receives basic treatment for any health emergencies when in need? Or will the comptetition with government reduce the bacon from the breakfast menu of big business?
The recent fear of government take over of health services and by extension other businesses is ridiculous. It can only have fueled by corporate interests. People ought to take the long term view, the big picture of where America should be in 5-10 years' time.
Government should not be a spectator when its citizens are threatened by bankruptcies in the banking sector. In the same vein, goverment should not be a spectator but intervene to the extent necessary when the health of 15-20 percent of the citizenry is bankrupt.
I want to share something that I have found to be very effective in my effort to support President Obama's Health Care Reform. I have sent the following email letter to everyone that I know. Because I have a personal stake in this reform, and because they know me, it has made a difference in the way they view this issue. They may not support all of it, but at least they stop demonizing those who do. If you have a similar story or know of someone who does, please share it with as many people as possible. If we can put a more personal face on this issue and keep it from being an ideological and political debate, perhaps we can soften the rhetoric and attitudes of those in opposition. Here is my letter:
Friends and Family, As most of you know, I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus over 25 years ago. Because this is considered a high risk pre-existing condition, health insurance companies will not provide me with individual coverage. As you may also know, my husband Jim likes to tell people that the main reason that I married him was for his health insurance--which is partly true! Under our current health care system, if something were to happen to Jim, I would lose my coverage through him, and I would be unable to get insurance on my own at any cost until I reach eligibility for Medicare (a long, long, very long time from now!). So if I get sick, have an accident, or suffer any illness whatsoever-even totally unrelated to my Lupus-I would not have any health insurance and could be financially devastated and denied treatment because of no coverage. I know my situation is not as bad as others, because at least for now I do have coverage (please pray for Jim's continued good health!), but there are millions of Americans with pre existing conditions that just simply cannot get insurance at any price because it may affect the insurance companies bottom line--profit. Many of you with coverage now might be denied coverage later if you are diagnosed with such a condition, or if you change jobs or lose your job or fail to disclose every detail on an insurance application. So it can happen to anyone, even you. Some of you may disagree with some of the provisions in the current health care reform bills, but surely this is one area where everyone can agree that something needs to be done. If health insurance companies are only going to insure the healthy, then we need an option for the rest of us. Please consider this and check out the facts below:
CLICK HERE FOR SUMMARIES & AN INDEX TO THE CLIPS.
On Thursday, September 3, Organizing for America, the Democratic National Committee group calling upon the 13 million Americans who supported Barack Obama for president, and Health Care for America NOW!, the national grassroots advocacy group, organized "Congressional Send-Off Rallies" nationwide, including in historic "Cornfield Park," in downtown Los Angeles, where reporting for OpEdNews, I videotaped the event. I have edited and posted video clips at YouTube (Click on the link above or in the bullet points below to view the clips).
Short and Precise Program and Vigil starts at 6.30 PM and Ends with Breaking the Fast of Ramadan. You are welcome to share the compassionate spirit of Ramadan and Support Health Care initiatives for all, as it is a Human Right Issue. For More Information call Muhammad Salim Akhtar at 773-507-5335
Several of my friends on Facebook have posted this slogan as their status. I think it should be spread around as far as possible, because it encapsulates in a sentence or two the pressing, moral reasons why we need healthcare reform in this country. So please act accordingly:
No one should die because they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick. If you agree, please post this as your status for the rest of the day. Thanks for all the others who have posted before and after me...
By the way, in no other developed country in the world, that I know of, is there such a thing anymore as "medical bankruptcy" or people dying because they cannot afford health care. These are simply beyond the Pale of civilized societies. It is a MORAL DISGRACE that both of these things are still possible in this country, which we pride ourselves as being the best country on Earth.
Dear President Obama and Congress:
Do NOT CAVE and GIVE UP the Public Option. Please Be Strong. So many will be disappointed, and perhaps even worse die without this reform. Please stand up for what you believe in, as do so many Americans, Canadians, and British. Health Care Affordability and Access is as important a human right as is Freedom of Speech and Religion. Of course any reform will be better than none; however, we need big change to fight greed and corruption, as well as ensure quality. We need preventative medicine and stress reduction to be the new focus and health care. Current “Sick Care” is to “Preventative Medicine as “Regular Car Maintenance” is to “waiting till your car breaks down, costing much more money and damage.
Health Care Affordability and Access is as important a HUMAN RIGHT as is Freedom of Speech and Religion! Of course any reform will be better than None; however, we need big change to stop the corruption and greed. We need preventative medacine and stress reduction to be the new focus of health care. It is the difference between getting your car maintatenanced vs. waiting until it stops running to get it fixed for a much higher cost. Pre-existing clauses is why many even wealthy self-employed or underinsured persons cannot get health insurance. Obviously it is not just the dirt poor, disabled, or unemployed suffering, but all the ones WHO Make this great nation go round!
Is it true Medicaid will be expanded to include all people who are under the 133% Poverty line? I am NOT Pregnant Adult Too disabled too work. Won SSI back in 2006. Now that husband left, and I have no income, cannot even drive, I have no health coverage. SSI made me start from scratch all over again. Totally a nightmare, unless it is true that all poor folks, esp. the ones waiting for SSI approval, who I call America’s Forgotten get Medicaid. Current Law in Texas Medicaid only helps kids, the pregnant, those already with SSI approval, and those with rare forms of breast and cervical cancer. Most Americans do not know that not everyone really poor can get Medicaid who needs it. verage either. SSA made me start from scratch all over again. Totally a nightmare, unless this is true that all poor folks, esp. the once waiting for medical SSI Approval, cho I call America's Forgotten get Medicaid. Current lawn in TX Medicaid only helps kids, the pregnant, those already approved for SSI, and those with rare forms of breast/cervical cancer. Most Americans do not know this. Not every state offers medicaid to anyone who needs it.
“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane”. - Martin Luther King, Jr
It is the moral decent human thing to do, that's why! Pass this bill Now!
Didn't the insurance companies spend over 15 billion dollars in 1994, in negative add campaigns, to kill reform to our health insurance system? I wonder how much they are spending this time?
Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
Myself and Millions of Fellow Americans are counting on YOU to make the difference!
It is time to create a new agency called the NCIA.
National Coop Insurance Agency.
Under the provisions of this organization every US citizen would have the right (yes its optional) to be a member of the Coop that this agency represents.
It would:
1. Negotiate costs of health insurance premiums, medical procedures and services, and prescription drugs on behalf of its members.
2. It would do so in a way that allows reasonable profit margins for pharmaceuitical companies in due consideration of R&D expenses. Reasonable profit would be allowed for all medical establishments providing services.
3. At no time will negotiation of price be allowed to interfere with the decisions of Doctors or patients (coop members). in the event that there is a conflict, no negotiation will be attempted.
There is a brilliant article by T R Reid in the Washington Post today pointing out myths about foreign health care. It also makes the point that universal health care is possible (in Germany, Switzerland and other good systems) without a public option, but with VERY strong regulation and an opening up of competition, to a national level.
Here is the linkhttp:
//www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082101778.html
This is what happened to my brother, Michael. He is a 40 year old electrician with a great sense of humor and someone who means the world to me. Last year, he was saving to buy a house he could fix up and live in. He’s a great person, who can always make you laugh, he works hard and is kind to his friends and family.
Late last year, he started to feel ill, so he tried to make some lifestyle changes, he quit smoking, drinking, he started riding his bike for exercise, and he changed his diet (gave up some junk food). But he just kept getting worse.
He does not have health insurance, and he lost his job early this year. Most of the jobs he does are contract jobs which do not offer health insurance.
He thought the stress of not having a job was the problem, so he tried to manage his stress while continuing with his healthy lifestyle changes. He did not tell us (his family) how bad he was really feeling, so we had no idea.
On March 10, he disappeared. He left his apartment that day, leaving his keys, wallet, and car behind.
As one can imagine, my family became very worried. Michael had never done anything like this before.
We found him 24 hours later, in the ICU of a large university medical center, he was listed as “John Doe” and the doctor told us he was unresponsive, on a ventilator, and had a very rare blood disorder called TTP (Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura), which causes his blood platelets to be destroyed. A normal platelet count is generally between 150-450. Michael’s platelet count was 14. We were warned that most people do not survive when their platelets get that low.
We found out that Michael had been very sick for months, and the night he disappeared, he became disoriented and wandered out of his home. The police found him, wandering around, lost, and unable to tell them his name or where he lived. They took him to the local hospital; he was then transferred up to the medical center, which is one of the few facilities in the country that can treat TTP.
Michael was in the hospital for over a month. I am happy to say that he survived and is getting better. It was touch and go for awhile, but he’s alive.
He did not qualify for Medicaid during the month of March (when he was first hospitalized) because he had more than two thousand dollars in assets. He finally got Medicaid because now he is completely broke. But he still has over $250 thousand in medical bills.
Our family also found out that Michael’s condition is genetic, so everyone in my family had their blood count tested. The doctors told us that Michael could have avoided this entire situation if he had health insurance late last year, because a simple CBC (which costs about $50-100) would have detected the low platelet count and treatment could have been started before his situation became critical.
Michael is feeling better, and he wants to go back to work, but if he does, he loses his Medicaid, and since people with TTP tend to have relapses, he needs some sort of insurance. But now he has a pre-existing condition. It’s a very frustrating situation.
Now his bills are being paid by Medicaid, so the taxpayers ended up paying close to a million dollars for his care, when a $100 blood test could have prevented the pain and suffering Michael and my family endured.
We need health care reform now, and it must include the public option. Our lives depend on it.
Please help me figure out how to get this to those that are preparing for future events...
On Tuesday 8/11/2009, I attended a very well run Town Hall event that provided some very clear lessons on how to overcome the organized attempts at disruption and fear/hate mongering led by the radical right and corporate anti-reform supporters.
My thanks and congratulations go to Congressman Schiff and everyone involved in this event. This is the first such event that I have attended, and it was a very positive experience overall. (I was drawn to attend in an attempt to balance out the rowdy anti-reform crowds that I have seen on TV trying to dominate such events.)
The event had at least the expected 2000 people present, and despite the vocal attempts of anti-reform people, the event was kept relatively civilized and constructive.
A large part of this success is due to the obvious efforts of the event organizers to actively manage the event, rather than utilize a normal town hall format, which the anti-reform sponsors have recently managed so well to game to their advantage.
Below I list my observations, which I highly recommend that all Democratic legislators and town hall event planners study before/while planning their own events to discuss healthcare reform.
I also recommend that you contact Congressman Schiff, the event planners at his office and the City of Alhambra, the moderator Dr. Bruce Hensel, and the Alhambra Police Department for their own lessons learned.
· To agitate the radical right
· To prevent constructive dialog on this topic by disrupting and monopolizing the event
· To limit opportunities for reform supporters to spread their message
· To propagate intentional lies about reform goals/methods
· To intimidate supporters of healthcare reform from participating
· To wear down and intimidate pro-reform legislators
· Dr. Benjamin Chu, President, Southern California Region, Kaiser
· Dr. Richard Brown, Director, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
· Jerry Flanagan, Health Care Advocate, Consumer Watchdog
· Leeba Lessin, President, CareMore Health Plan
Potential improvements:A few minor points might be improved upon…
The Public Option is key to providing affordable health care for all Americans. For Big Pharm and its allies in the health insurance industry to continue making enormous profits at the expense of our citizens' health is unconscionable. A healthy life, which includes one's economic well-being - is every voter's most cherished possession. Enhance it; don't jeopardize it - by supporting the Public Option.
Billed as a strategy session and “an incredible opportunity to huddle with the President and discuss how we're going to pass real health insurance reform this year”, what we got was preaching to the choir by our Professor in Chief, rather than a discussion of strategies to actually move this forward.
I was ESPECIALLY disappointed to hear the President refer to the select panel as a legitimate negotiating method, and to hear him praise the Republicans on it, including Senator Grassley who has promoted the lies about death panels, as acting in good faith.
Surely Obama can’t be this naïve!!
First of all, how can that panel be legitimate when half of the members are Republican in the first place. This is not the proportion that was elected. Voluntarily giving them equal weight has only prevented any real reform from moving forward. A perfect example of this is how the single payer option was never considered, because these Republicans would never go along with it. This freed them to target any public option as socialized medicine, which it now sounds like we are moving away from as we try to compromise with them.
The American public elected a Democratic majority to get the job done. In giving away our majority to do so, I can only assume that enough Democrats have been bought out by special interests so that no intent to actually deliver effective healthcare reform has ever been intended. Instead apparently we only wanted to sound like we are trying to accomplish it, while at the same time stacking the deck against ourselves.
Secondly, the actions and comments from these three Republicans have shown that they have no interest in passing anything. Grassley himself, after warning people to be afraid for grandma, recently said that he would never support a bill that a majority of Republicans would vote for. Given the underhanded tactics that they and their pundits use, it should be obvious that they have NO interest in a dialog in good faith, and are only negotiating as a means to drag out the process with a series of endless compromises, while they foster an environment of hatred and intolerance for reform.
Wake up Mr. President!!!
Quit letting the Republicans and Blue Dogs play you for a fool.
It’s time to show less compassion and understanding and instead more backbone and righteous indignation.
Call out the liars as despicable and unpatriotic.
Quit trying to convince the Blue Dogs to support reform by watering it down, and instead make it politically impossible for them to act against it.
Stop portraying the anger in America as legitimate debate and instead demonstrate how it is manufactured astro-turf.
If you don’t feel like you can do this and be a nice guy, assign a senior hard-ass to do it for you. The movement desperately needs someone to lead the counter charge.
It also needs more clear organization...
Your discussion today only vaguely stressed the need for people to talk to their friends and neighbors, and offered a couple of talking points in response to a couple of questions.Lame! We need someone who is actively providing clear instructions on what and how to help.
Now unfortunately, I missed the beginning of the Forum due to internet issues, so maybe the initial speakers provided this leadership and guidance.If so, I’ll be very, very happy to see more information coming from them in the future.
Ever since the health care debate started, the main objective among the visible opponents has been to fictionalize the various contents of the bill. The health care bill principles – costs, quality and affordability extensively discussed per blogpost ‘Health Care Reform’ July 11, 2009 on this website.
Several testimonials by citizens from all walks of life through various mediums confirmed the urgency for health care reform. The partisan politics continues to disparage the millions of people deprived of proper health care during the public discourse.
A sensitive national matter turned into a controversial subject by the special interests’ agents. The health care bill described as voluminous, inadequate and far-fetched in reference to the government plan or public option. On the other hand, the noise amazingly disappeared with the White House statement on the possible elimination of the government plan from the competition.
Hence, the overview of the health care funding and the actual role of government plan in the health care legislation vital for true perspective.
How is the government health care funded?
Answers @http://www.padminiarhant.com
Padmini Arhant
