WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO FOOL, NANCY?
Will the April 30 Hearing on Medicare For All Be Little More Than a Farce?
That may well be the case according to an April 26th article in the Huffington Post:
PLEASE READ THIS. When you do, you'll see that not only did the Rules Committee reject as a witness Adam Gaffney, the President of the Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), but a dozen other suggested witnesses. According to the Post, sources involved with the planning of the hearing say three criteria were applied to potential witnesses: (1) Is this person a leader of a single payer group? If so, that person could not testify -- meaning Gaffney was out. (2) Is this person an activist? If so, they couldn't testify. That meant that people like Dr. Sanjeev Sriram, who has repeatedly advocated for Medicare For All, were ruled out. And (3) Has this person said anything negative about the Affordable Care Act? Especially involved in this last requirement was Wendell Primus, Pelosi's top healthcare staffer.
Rules committee chairman Jim McGovern (D-Mass) stoutly denied any such criteria, and insisted that the committee was "free" to choose anyone they wanted -- claims echoed by Henry Connelly, a Pelosi spokesman. But, according to the Post, sources close to the process insist Primus was intimately involved. It goes on to say: Single-payer groups and activists are reflexively suspicious of Primus after The Intercept revealed that he had spoken to insurance executives and laid out his own objections to Medicare for All. Primus also did himself no favors in a March 25 meeting with staff from a number of congressional committees that have health care jurisdiction. He reportedly said the Medicare for All hearing was a “check the box and move on type of thing.”
At the time of the Huffington Post article, the only witness allowed who had in fact spoken positively about M4A was an emergency room doctor whose testimony was to be limited to "patient experience."
Subsequently, it was revealed that a patient dying of ALS would be allowed to testify in favor of Single-Payer. (Not being able even to speak, he was to be equipped with special technology tracking his eye movements.) Doubtless, it had been decided that not only would the "optics" of denying a person at death's door be very bad, but it could be spun that allowing him to testify would make the committee look "compassionate."
But the truth is that the committee is attempting to rig the hearing so that there will be nobody allowed to argue strongly in favor of M4A's superiority to other suggestions on the table. How is this "show trial" superior to the behavior of strong-arm regimes to which we are supposed to be superior?
Who is Pelosi trying to fool? My friends, if you are NOT fooled, you can contact Nancy Pelosi here: https://www.speaker.gov/contact/ Please consider doing it now.
And please forward this everyone you know who might be affected by this sham hearing -- which, in my opinion, is everyone interested in giving M4A a fair shot.
Dio
PS: If you'd like to leave a comment -- and I encourage you to do so -- simply click on the "number of comments" area, and share your thoughts in the "comment rectangle" that appears.
PPS: We know that there are plenty out there who have stories to tell -- stories of your trying to cope with our dysfunctional healthcare system. Trouble is, we don't know what these stories are! That's where you come in. If you have a story to tell, you can email me at indivisible12401@gmail.com. You can be as anonymous as you like. Thanks!
PPS: We know that there are plenty out there who have stories to tell -- stories of your trying to cope with our dysfunctional healthcare system. Trouble is, we don't know what these stories are! That's where you come in. If you have a story to tell, you can email me at indivisible12401@gmail.com. You can be as anonymous as you like. Thanks!
Is it reasonable to question Pelosi & others at the National level when we can't get our own Congressman to represent us directly on Medicare for ALL / Single Payer? Congressman Delgado who represents ALL district 19, one of the most powerful districts in NYS, is on the record for another Insurance company supplement, which amounts to a rationing system of medicine, and another sub-prime revenue share to Insurance companies; courtesy of the state. We challenge Congressman Delgado to go on that system for himself and his family and then sell us on its merits after a year. The truth is, if fair is fair, the Lobby has it:
ReplyDelete" April 1, 2019
Press Release
Bill would allow all Americans to purchase a public health insurance plan through the popular Medicare program
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Congressman Antonio Delgado (NY-19) led the reintroduction of the Medicare-X Choice Act, legislation to create a public option health plan available for purchase on the individual and small business exchanges. Delgado was joined by Representatives John Larson (CT-1) and Brian Higgins (NY-26). The bill would combine Medicare physician networks and reimbursement rates with Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage standards to create a new, public health insurance option available to all Americans."https://delgado.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-delgado-larson-and-higgins-announce-house-companion-medicare-x-bill
https://www.amsa.org/2019/04/10/speaking-up-for-quality-affordable-health-care-for-all/
ReplyDeletethe full contents of Dr. Tsai’s address below.
“Hello everyone, I am Perry Tsai, national president of AMSA, the American Medical Student Association, and a recent MD/PhD graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. I am here representing the voice of AMSA’s 27,000 members, the voice of 27,000 physicians in training, an independent voice of the future of medicine. And with that voice, we as future physicians are here to say WANT MEDICARE FOR ALL!
As medical students, we all start out with this dream. A dream of becoming doctors, physicians, true healers for our patients and communities. We signed up for the hours of studying, months of clinical rotations, years of residency, to achieve this dream.
And what do we learn in all of this training?
We learn how to do procedures, what drugs to use, what clinical decisions to consider.
We learn how to think critically, how to ask questions, how to diagnose a problem and tackle it.
We learn all of these things in order to become a physician who cares for patients, families, and communities.
What else do we learn?
For every procedure we perform, we’ve also seen the exasperation flash across a doctor’s eyes as they field another call from the insurance company.
For every drug we memorize, we’ve also watched pharma executives drive up the the prices of medicines so high that our patients can’t get them.
For every clinical recommendation we make, we’ve also sat quietly with the patient who is choosing to leave the hospital because they know they won’t be able to afford the bill.
For each thing we learn on our way to becoming physicians who care for patients, we find one more thing that will PREVENT us from caring for our patients.
For every medical student that is burning bright with passion, there is a future physician who is burning out from the administrative burdens, the loss of connection with their patients, the feeling of powerlessness generated by a system that values profits over people. As our country faces a looming physician shortage, we find more and more
reasons to just stay away. Our dream is turning into a nightmare, and we will not stand for it.
We’re thinking critically, and we’re asking the questions, why does it have to be this way?
We’re diagnosing the problem, and we are looking for solutions. The root cause is that in our country, healthcare is controlled by insurance and pharmaceutical companies who value profit instead of healthcare. Senator Sanders is offering a real solution here today in “Medicare for All.”
“Medicare for All” means our patients will all have health insurance regardless of their employment status and will have access to the healthcare they need. Medicare for All means that physicians can spend more time with their patients and less time with insurance companies. Medicare for All means they pharmaceutical companies must negotiate to make drugs affordable for all our patients.
And ultimately, Medicare for All is about justice. So many of the problems we have in the United States…Racial inequality. Economic inequality, these all start from or lead to healthcare inequality. Medicare for All is a step toward healthcare justice, is a step toward economic justice, is a step toward racial justice.
We at AMSA believe that healthcare is a human right, and we at AMSA envision a more just world, where we can fulfill our dreams to become physicians providing that healthcare. That’s why we need healthcare for all. That’s why we need Medicare for All.”
This should make one sick to their stomach: APRIL 23, 2019
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bcbsprogresshealth.com/insights/109/The-Medicare-advantage-in-Puerto-Rico
Claim:
The Medicare “advantage” in Puerto Rico
"Nowhere is Medicare Advantage more popular than in Puerto Rico, where 70 percent of eligible Medicare beneficiaries – nearly 600,000 people – are enrolled. This amounts to approximately 20 percent of our population, making it a vital source of healthcare coverage for the island’s seniors and people with disabilities."
"With 41 percent of the population in Puerto Rico living below the poverty line, many residents struggle to afford basics like adequate housing, let alone medicines and other healthcare needs. Medicare Advantage offers benefits that are not available in traditional Medicare, for example, coverage for prescriptions and integration of additional services aimed at addressing the needs of a low-income population."
"Unfortunately the Medicare Advantage program is significantly underfunded in Puerto Rico, creating a downstream affect that has negatively impacted patients, doctors and hospitals. During the last several years, a mass migration of physicians to the mainland has left Puerto Rico with a shortage of specialists. The doctors that have remained are faced with unmanageable patient loads. Investments in healthcare facilities have lagged due to a scarcity of funds. These chronic problems became even more evident in the aftermath of hurricane Maria in 2017."
ReplyDeleteHow to Find Affordable Health Insurance in the State of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Affordable Health InsuranceMedical and healthcare services are provided to citizens of Puerto Rico through the Puerto Rico Health Reform, a government Medicaid program managed by the Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration.
Until 1994, hospitals and clinics in Puerto Rico were owned by the government. They were then sold to private companies and investors, with the exception of the Rio Piedras Medical Center.
Healthcare coverage is provided through private health insurance companies; the government of PuertoRico bargains for the best insurances rates for its citizens. Three large insurance companies are part of the Puerto Rico health Reform: Triple-S, Inc., Medical Card Systems, and Humana. However, less than 35% of healthcare costs are covered by the low premiums paid by Puerto Rico residents, leaving the state government to subsidize the rest. This is an increasing government concern in view of rising medical costs.
Federal funding of Puerto Rico's Medicaid program totals $9 billion with disbursements from 2011 through 2019. A recent payment from Puerto Rico Health Reform to Medical Card Systems has averted a collapse of the Medicaid system.
http://www.affordablehealthinsurance.org/states/puerto_rico_affordable_health_insurance_programs.html#.XMYgkmdef4Y
The U.S. Government's recent Affordable Care Act includes $6.3 billion in additional funding for Medicaid benefits in Puerto Rico and territories. In addition, if Puerto Rico creates optional health care exchanges, they can receive subsidies of $925 million for low income Puerto Rican families who buy health insurance from the exchanges.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/leahbinder/2019/03/06/hhs-secretary-azars-hospital-price-transparency-plan-is-a-terrible-idea-whose-time-has-come/#4430d9f86ab2
ReplyDeleteLeah Binde; Healthcare
HHS-Secretary Azar [HAS] made price transparency one of his top policy priorities, advancing a new regulation requiring hospitals to publicize how much they charge for procedures and treatments.
Reaction has been heated. The charges represent “list prices”— inflated amounts that consumers and payors never actually pay due to negotiated discounts. A survey of 150 hospital leaders found 92 percent were troubled by the new requirement."
SEE:https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/hospitals-list-procedure-prices-under-new-law-what-you-need-n952686
Dec. 28, 2018, 12:47 PM EST
By A. Pawlowski and Lauren Dunn
Hospitals already have to make prices for procedures available on request, but a new rule requiring them to post the information online [went] into effect on Jan. 1, 2019.
"Perhaps the most significant problem is that the hospital charges say nothing about quality. This is important because, unlike industries outside of health care, pricing says nothing about the product(Ibid;Leah Binde; Healthcare, continued)."
ReplyDelete"That’s because patient safety and well-being generally don’t factor into hospital price negotiations."
"Last year in a testimony before the Senate HELP Committee, I told the Committee that price transparency on its own is inadequate for the American public. Beyond overlooking the quality issue, which is by far the most important question for patients, price transparency obscures the impact of poor safety and quality on costs. Infections, errors and poor surgical outcomes can double or triple the original cost of the procedure. A recent study in the peer-reviewed Health Services Research Journal estimates the average cost for a bloodstream infection is $53,395 and the average cost for an excruciating open wound pressure ulcer is $20,312. And hospitals don’t eat these charges – they pass the costs on to patients and payors. They don’t, however, show up on the standard list of charges Secretary Azar requires them to disclose."
Read ALL:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/leahbinder/2019/03/06/hhs-secretary-azars-hospital-price-transparency-plan-is-a-terrible-idea-whose-time-has-come/#4430d9f86ab2