Health Insurance Across State Lines

Okay, so the Repugnant bastards in the House of Supposed Representatives have voted to Repeal the Affordable Care Act as a "Job Killer".  They have a replacement - which refers to a 2009 bill - with most of the same things.
While stating that it does not want to implement a "Government Takeover" - in:

TITLE III—EXPANDING CHOICES BY ALLOWING AMERICANS TO BUY HEALTH CARE COVERAGE ACROSS STATE LINES

The "Common Sense" bill does exactly what it states that it wishes to avoid - creates a federal government takeover of Health Insurance.

Here is the thing - There are only Thirty Seven health insurance companies nationwide.  Most are subsidiaries of even fewer companies.  They all have 'branches' in each state that operate by that state's Health Insurance regulations.  Each state branch is essentially it's own company, with it's own employees.  What do you think will happen when the federal government strips the states' right to regulate it's own Health Insurance industry? (you know, allowing state residents to buy from where-ever)  Think of credit card companies - they are almost all based in Delaware.  If this "Stupid Sense" law gets passed by the corporate profit-above-health loving repugnant  party of no, all insurance companies are going to consolidate - probably to Delaware - and you are going to have fewer companies, offering fewer benefits for more money.  In addition, they are going to close all their state offices as unnecessary - killing hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Where is the "common sense" in that?

So much for the "Undo everything and increase the deficit republican congress"

(and a link to the stupid article that helped inspire this post.  As well as some unrelated good medical news for those of us who are unmarried and rely more on good friends than family while in the hospital)

What? New Jobs being Created?

"companies are responding with a host of new products that can make care less costly and more effective. It's a trend that's been gaining momentum for several years, but it's been helped along by the health-care law enacted last year."

Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/01/18/1821786/high-tech-health-care-reform.html#ixzz1BOj0jfMT

Reducing costs, more effective care, new products being manufactured in the United States - all 'helped along' by the new health-insurance law enacted last year.  That is what Republicans are trying to kill.  New jobs, efficiency, U.S. based jobs - all so they can lower taxes on their Big Business buddies who ship jobs overseas (and pay them awesome bribes donate lots to their campaigns).

As I have mentioned before, right now, the hospitals and doctors have a vested interest in keeping you sick and keeping you coming back over and over again.  Big Pharmaceuticals and others also help push this 'returning profit' model of keeping you in need of health care.  Republicans like this, naturally - its just good business to keep you in ill health (probably why they support fluoride in the water).  Ever wonder why you have to get so many procedures done?  You really think it is only the doc covering himself in case of  a lawsuit?  Okay, yeah, some of it probably is, but another, larger, contributor to the issue is profit.  The more procedures and prescriptions and return visits that they can get from you, the higher their profit.  So, turn your head a cough.

While the Repugnants... er.. Congressional affiliates of Fox Misinfotainment* will only say bad things about the bill with tag lines (because they have no substance), the people trying to explain what all is actually in the bill and how it benefits the public and health care providers have a much harder time.  The Truth takes more than a tag-line.  It appears that most of the U.S. public is so attention-span deficient that they can not handle the list of benefits, so resort to believing the short tag-lines - no matter how untrue and absurd.

* I refuse to use the lie of "Fox News" as that lends them some degree of credibility that they have consistently failed to live up to.  Fox is Misinformation in the form of Entertainment - Fox Misinfotainment.

Lies you Believe and the Facts

Congress gets government healthcare!
Federal workers are overpaid!
The Affordable Care Act (Health Insurance Reform) is a Job-killer!
Health Insurance Reform will make premiums skyrocket!

... all outright lies.
Congress members have employer provided private insurance just like many of us.  So, when Credo Mobile and other liberal organizations ask you to write your congressperson and tell them to give up their Government Run Health Insurance first, well, they are just wrong.  Just like many employers, the Fed gets a pretty good deal because of the sheer number of employees receiving coverage - they negotiate.

Federal workers are overpaid - not.  Many, in fact, are underpaid in comparison with comparable private sector jobs in the same geographical location.  Oh, sure, the "Average Federal Employee" is paid a lot more than the "Average Private Sector Employee," but that is like comparing apples to grapes.  We all know that most private sector employees make under $30k a year, but $30k is around the starting salary for most federal employees.  There are not many fry cook positions in the Federal Government.  Here is something to try - you know how much you make per year.  Now, go to a Federal Jobs site and find out how much you could make doing your same or similar job in your state.  For my current position, pay is from $2,000 to $14,000 less than what I make now.  Although, there were some postings that I found very interesting, they had lots more responsibility and requirements than my current position.

The Health Insurance Reform, labeled as "Obamacare" to give the totally false perception that it is a government takeover of health care, will actually have minimal impact on jobs - if any.  It actually increases jobs in the medical and insurance professions.  Why the big hooplah? Conservatives fear any and all change - for any reason.  It is the main idea behind Conservative philosophy - keep it all the same.  Even to the point of going back to the Bush era that got us in this economic mess in the first place!

The claim that the Health Insurance Reform will make premiums skyrocket - but that is WHY the bill was done in the first place - because premiums HAVE BEEN skyrocketing out of control.  Most of the Affordable Care Act is not even in force yet, so premiums are continuing their trend of going up, but it is NOT because of the ACA.  In fact, there is more money given to states to keep rates low and prevent rate hikes - what? You didn't know that some state insurance commissions have approval control over rate hikes? Yes, they do.  Some states, however, don't want to, so, yeah, those will likely see arbitrary rate increases - because they allow it with no regulation - just what the GOP wants.

The Rich do, still, get Richer.

Facebook Prompted this Post

FACT : I will be getting an extra $400+ per year, over last year, in my paycheck this year because of the Tax Deal - while people making under $20k see their paychecks drop. Another win for the well-off and rich! ("Making work Pay credit" replaced by "Payroll tax holiday")
FACT : NAFTA (and others) big businesses go overseas to hire people to make their stuff, and they do. So, yes, companies hire foreign workers, but not illegal immigrants in the U.S. as much. (Yes, Clinton signed it, but Bush I negotiated and agreed to it.  Bush made the deal, Clinton had to keep OUR word)
FACT : Businesses do not create jobs - no matter how many tax breaks, deregulation or what you give them, they hire for one reason ONLY - they HAVE to. Whether to keep up with Demand or Growth or to run their business, fix their equipment, etc. They are Profit focused. Job Creation and the whole economy is driven by ONE group only - Consumers - the 98% of us the GOP seeks to screw over on a daily basis. They are Killing Jobs by making it easier for all of our hard earned money to be funneled UP to the ultra rich, where it sits in Savings and Trust Funds.  This economic model is doomed to Failure!
FACT : (percentages vary from year to year) Yes, 10% of the population pay 60% of the taxes - but they control over 90% of all the wealth. What that means? Only 10 to 20% of our total National Wealth is free to drive the economy.

Facts and Figures

Well, the GOP is in charge and they have pledged to not introduce a bill that will increase the deficit... and have already broke their promise - day one.  Their proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act, you know - the one they have labeled "Obamacare" and told numerous lies about, will add $230 Billion to the deficit.  (although they contend that those are only 'facts' and have nothing to do with policy.)

While they still claim they will cut spending by $100 Billion... er.. maybe $50 Billion... at least a little...  they are realistically looking at increasing the deficit by a Trillion!

They continue their policy of catering to the ultra-rich to the detriment of the middle class.  I am amazed at the amazing number of middle class and poor who tow the "rich people need more money" mindset dictated by the GOP platform.  Seriously, there are people out there whose whole family has never broke $30k a year that are totally outraged by the idea of an Estate Tax (which, by the way, currently only affects estates over $5 million - or less than one-half of 1 percent of people who die in 2011, was 3.5 million).  What are these people smoking?? (probably cigarettes while cooking their meth)  Its another GOP "feed the rich, raise the deficit, punish the poor" policy platform.


From one of the articles cited above:

But out of the gate, the House majority passed a package of rules on Wednesday that will allow Congress to slash taxes without having to make up for the lost government revenue in spending cuts—a change that Democrats insist could explode the deficit. Under the Democrats' "pay-as-you-go" rules—introduced during the Clinton era and continued under President Obama—Congress had to match every spending increase or tax cut with a commensurate spending cut or tax increase. The GOP has now upended "pay-go" with "cut-go" rules, under which tax cuts don't have to be paid for and tax increases can't offset spending hikes. 

They make a big show of talking about reducing the deficit - just don't pay any attention to what they actually do.


It seems to me that Republicans are trying to do everything they can to ensure and escalate the destruction of our Nation.

Backbone - Stand Up

Here is what I've been calling for! Movement For The People! Everyone should read the History of Corporate Personhood on the site.  Take up the Rally Call and join MoveToAmend.org in the quest to legalize democracy in our republic.

Kick the Lawyers and Money-changers out of the Government and instill our Leadership with Real People, not corporate figure-heads.

Haley Barbour is a Sick Jerk

So, Haley Barbour has praised segregationists and now, to make up for it politically, he pardons suspends the life sentence of two (conveniently black) sisters who were obviously - by any standards - set up and wrongfully imprisoned.  (The people who admitted to the crime and now say the sisters were not there at all, got just a couple years and are free.)

Barbour has pardoned murderers who were known beyond any shadow of a doubt to be guilty.  Mostly those who killed women they supposedly loved.  I don't know how anyone can look at Barbour's record on this and not be completely enraged.

So, why Suspend the Sentence now?  Its costing Mississippi too much money to keep them locked up!

In a statement, Barbour said, "the Mississippi Department of Corrections believes the sisters no longer pose a threat to society. Their incarceration is no longer necessary for public safety or rehabilitation, and Jamie Scott's medical condition creates a substantial cost to the State of Mississippi."

The other sister MUST give one of her kidneys to her sick sister in order to be released.

Seriously, people!?!?! You want THIS sorry example of a human being to run for President??