The PCTC Blog

More Health Care Around the World

(Part One of this series can be found HERE..)

Here are three more countries with health care systems to consider. Every single one of them is way above us in the WHO health system rankings, and every single one of these countries has a legal and ethical commitment to provide universal health care to everyone residing in their countries. That is the main thing to keep in mind here. Is it possible that our method for getting to universal coverage is less important than just a dedication to universal coverage?

Look through these and see what you think. Oh, and one more thing. When you see the term "private insurance" in the examples below, it does not mean for-profit.

Pity Those Poor Insurance Companies...

Will Ferrell hits the nail on the head with this one...

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

We Have to Be Patient, Progressives

I know there's a growing impatience with the Obama Administration among progressives.  And I see a lot of articles and blog posts out there expressing a growing sense that he's abandoning his principles for political expediency. There's this crazy notion that 30 years of neocon politics can be made to go away with a wave of his hand; that he can simply bring everyone in this often bipolar country together for a chorus of Kumbaya, which all of us who have ever had a brush with the wingnuts knows is pretty much impossible. But if he's going to keep the moderates on his side -- and make no mistake; we need them on our side -- he has to at least look like he's including Republicans in the process, even if they choose to bite his hand.

 

Believe me, my son sits in a tent in Kandahar as I write this. He joined the Army because he felt as if the only way he could pay for college would have been that way, or to leave college with a six-figure debt. I truly wish the president could snap his fingers and all of our bad neocon dreams will go away immediately.But that's not how life works. A lot of things about the neocon view of things have seeped into the culture, and it will take a phenomenal amount of work to reverse them.

 

I hereby beg progressives to have patience. President Obama hasn't abandoned his principles; at all; if anything, he's done just the opposite. He's living by them, and the end result of his presidency will be something pretty special. Don't let your ADD get the best of you; it's better to do something right than to do something fast.

Health Insurance Around the World: Just the Facts, Man...

There has been so much misinformation about how health care systems work around the world, I felt that it was time to explain the basics with regard to some of the other health care systems out there.

 

The wingnuts like to throw around the word "socialism," and characterize all universal health care systems as such, but as you will see, it's simply incorrect. By the same token, some on the left insinuate that all countries that provide universal health care do so with a single-payer system, which is also not true.

 

The purpose of this column is simply to provide information and clear up misconceptions, not to advocate for one particular system over another. All of these systems have a strong public component, but few have a single-payer system. Most have a strong private insurance component, but – and this is an important distinction to be made with regard to our internal health insurance debate -- none include a profit component.

 

For the most part, the intent of this post is to allow you to make up your own mind.  But I will say this; every single system below recognizes one basic fact that our system does not.  Health care is a basic human right that all humans are entitled to. In every single country mentioned below, the people have ascribed to the government a duty to make sure everyone is covered and all bills are paid. Good basic health care is seen as an investment in society; an investment that pays off in the long run, because a healthy, productive society needs healthy productive participants.

 

Now, read and learn.

Take the Country Back from the Right Wing Racists

You know, I have to be honest here. I really can't imagine most of the loudest members of the Republican right wing fart machine, like Beck, Limbaugh or Hannity, lynching a black man.  It's unlikely someone like  Tom Tancredo or Representative Joe Wilson (not to be confused with Valerie Plame's husband, of course) would ever run their cars over a group of undocumented immigrants selling oranges on Santa Monica Boulevard. In other words, on the racism scale, they're not at the top. I guess that's a good thing. They're definitely not mass murderers. But has our society become so coarse that not being a mass murderer is a badge of honor?

 

But while I can't imagine Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity or any of the rest of the gang of right wing idiots polluting our media actually burning a cross on the front lawn of the White House, I have no doubt that, if they were walking down Pennsylvania Avenue and saw one already burning, they’d be more inclined to toast a marshmallow or grill a steak than to actually call the police or fire departments. Careful guys, you shouldn’t eat food cooked over a gasoline fire.

Why the Baucus Plan is Dead, Why Co-Ops Won’t Work, and Why You Should Be Happy About It.

As anyone could have predicted weeks ago, the "alternative bill" Max Baucus has presented is a complete and utter joke.  But don't be mad, progressives. Be happy. Before this piece of crap appeared, there was all sorts of speculation about what an alternative might be. Talk of “co-ops” actually sounded like a feasible idea to a lot of people. Now, however, they can see them and read about them, and now, we can demonstrate that the alternative Blue Dog plan is, well, a dog. If we play this right, we can make a strong reform plan with a robust public option a reality.

First of all, it looks like Baucus wrote the damn thing over a weekend. I’m not sure if he drinks. The markup paraphrases current law, and recommends changes to that law. It seems kind of strange that he’s been making so much noise for so long, and ends up creating something so basic. And frankly, he has to be high if he thinks most of this crap will fly. In fact, he had to be giggling to himself at the mere prospect that Republican Senators would climb on board. If he truly thinks this is a “compromise” that Senate Republicans will go for, he’s delusional. His legislative aides must have been asking "Are you high?" repeatedly as they were reading the drafts.

Most of the provisions in this markup mimic HR 3200 and the other bills out there, which means there's little revolutionary about this garbage. But many of the additional provisions are laughable. It is such a pander to health insurance companies, it makes me I've rarely seen such a wink and a smile to a major industry. Most politicians at least attempt to make their kowtow a little subtler.

I actually find it hard to believe that an experienced politician like Max Baucus actually believes his own BS. He has to know this simply won't fly, and his ham-handed approach to "compromise" virtually guarantees its failure.

Here are some of the highlights. Here's the Baucus Markup, if you'd like to read along:

 

UPDATED!! Finally, ACORN Takes on the Fox News and the Right Wing Fart Machine

I really don't understand why they waited so long. I've been rooting for them to fight back for well over a year.  But finally, The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, better known as ACORN (I'm sure you've heard of them by now), has started to fight back against Fox News and the far right's smear campaign. They may sue them, and could possibly even bring criminal charges.

 

The right wing fart machine's demonization of ACORN has been absolutely unfair, and if defamation laws in this country weren't so pro-defamer, they would have been called out a long time ago.  Look at the number of times ACORN was mentioned in my Deconstruction of right wing health care lies for a hint. And let me assure you, ACORN has nothing to do with health care, although they might point you to a clinic, if you ask. They're nice people. 

How to Argue With a Right Winger: First in a Series

Okay, in the interest of the relative sanity of the populous, I should probably start by advising you to never argue with a right winger in a one-on-one, face-to-face situation.  It's better to preserve the brain cells, and just shake your head and walk away muttering.  (But make sure you mutter, because the muttering drives them batshit.) The only reason to even counter a right winger on anything would be to influence  any  reasonable people who might be lurking nearby, and might possibly be influenced by the  right winger's diatribe in some small way.

Let me be clear; I'm only talking about right wingers, not conservatives.  If you're wondering what the difference is, you're drinking the Kool-Aid, friends, and you have to stop.  Conservatives actually use facts to develop arguments that run counter to ours, and they're our loyal opposition, not the enemy. It is possible to for two people to see the same set of facts and come away with different points of view. Right wingers, however, approach every issue with a preconceived notion, and look for any information possible to support that notion.  That's why almost everything you hear coming from right wing media is a lie; they're feeding the piranhas, as it were. 

The Absurdity of Preserving Profit in the Health Insurance Industry

You know, one component of the health insurance reform debate that has always puzzled me is this notion that somehow health insurance companies are entitled to make a profit for using your money to pay for your health care.  It's truly one of the strangest concepts I've ever heard of, and I think it's time we put that notion to rest, once and for all.

 

Did you know we're the only industrialized nation on the planet whose health care financing system is controlled by a for-profit health insurance industry? Yeah, that's right; and we're also the only industrialized nation in which health care makes up significantly more than 10% of its GDP (Health care accounts for  nearly 17% of our GDP), even though we're also the only country that doesn't cover virtually anyone living within its borders legally. (Fully one-fifth of our population has no coverage, or access to health care.)  Coincidence? Not even a little. If you think about what for-profit insurance companies do to maximize their profits, it actually makes perfect sense that our system is screwed. Health insurance, even when it works, doesn't actually provide a marketable service. Essentially, they take money from a bunch of people, who give it to them in good faith to pay for any health problems that might arise but they alone seem to decide what is necessary and what is not. And whatever they don't spend, they get to keep.

 

How is that fair? More importantly, I'd like for some wingnut to explain to me how that meets any sort of rational "free market" capitalistic model.

Be Proud! America's #37! Yay!

Here's an interesting song about what it's like to have the (37th) greatest health care system in the world!

Me vs. Coulter -- Kicking the Ultimate RW Liar's ASS on Health Insurance Parts 3 & 4

Okay, I've been neglecting my Coulter-thrashing duties, so I'm forced to combine two of her crap-laced columns into one. Sue me. Better yet, I almost wish she would.

 

As a nasty liar, this woman(?) is world-class. She has made a really good living telling the wingnuts what they want to hear, and mocking them every chance she gets. If you think she actually believes this crap, think again. She just has no scruples. If there was money in being a liberal, she'd switch sides in a heartbeat. But believe me, I can attest, there is no money in being a liberal, so we won't see her joining our side any time soon. Thank goodness, because I have to be honest; I couldn't follow someone on our side who was so nasty.

 

Just once, I would love to see the far right come up with a lie that we liberals actually tell. Just one. This column encompasses both the third and fourth parts in her series, and she hasn't gotten one right yet. Strange, but if I wanted to, I could easily come up with some lies told by liberals in this debate, which indicates that she's not really trying.  Surprised?

 

Okay, on with the show… as always, my comments are in Red...

Today is September 11. Now Bring Our Kids Home!

Today is September 11. And if one more person reminds me to remember the goddamn date, I think I'll go nuts. And not because we should forget what happened, and forget the innocent people who were lost to us on September 11, 2001, but because we seem to forget about everything every other day of the year.

 

This column is going to be a bit more personal than most, for reasons that will be clear as I continue this. For that, I ask that you bear with me and forgive me.

 

This was my son, back in September 2001. He was in sixth grade, and he was 11 years old. I am the only parent he ever had, who was of any consequence in his life.

 

That same month, a group of religious nuts hijacked planes and flew them into the two tallest buildings on New York City, which caused them to collapse (and I'm warning the conspiracy nuts out there; I will block you if you even attempt to bring that bullshit into this discussion!), killing thousands of people who were just working for a living, and didn't deserve to die.

 

The people who died in that tragedy should be remembered, and their families deserve our condolences. But what about the aftermath? When do we remember who and what we represent as a nation, and start moving forward? And if you don't understand what I mean, then you're part of the problem.

Thank You, Mr. President: The Public Option is Alive and Well

If I was more arrogant and self-absorbed, I might think President Obama is reading this blog.  Just about everything I asked for in my open letter was covered in his speech. And make no mistake; President Obama even made the best case for a public option that I've seen so far.

I know there's a lot of consternation on the part of many progressives about the speech last night. I've seen and heard more hand-wringing in the hours since this speech ended than I could ever have imagined. I even heard an argument that the current reform would "preserve the private insurance system intact," and simply give them 31 million extra customers, which is simply not true. For-profit health insurers don't make money through volume. They make money by NOT covering those who might cost them money, and by NOT covering as many procedures as they can get away with. If 31 million extra customers would make them more money, ask yourself the obvious question;

Why aren't the covering those 31 million customers now? And if those 31 million customers will represent such an incredible windfall, then why are insurance companies fighting reform tooth and nail?

A lot of the trepidation on the part of some progressives is somewhat misplaced. There was a full-blown endorsement of the public option in last night's speech, and an acknowledgment,from a very popular sitting president, that nothing less than full health insurance coverage will be acceptable. He not only insisted that access to health care is a right, but that everyone had a responsibility to buy coverage. Imagine a democracy in which rights and responsibilities are both important. Dare we dream?

An Open Letter to My President on Health Insurance Reform

(I will be on the Nicole Sandler Show to discuss President Obama's speech on health insurance reform tonight at 12 ET/9 PT http://airamerica.com/nights. Please check it out...)

Dear Mr. President:

 

Have you noticed that every time you're absent from the scene for even a short time, like taking a week of vacation, the health insurance reform debate gets out of hand, and more than a little nuts? There's a very good reason for this, you know; it's because this country needs leadership. We haven't had that for a while, and we're in deep trouble right now because of that. But you know that; it's why you ran for president in the first place.

 

I know what you're trying to do with the public. You're trying to get people fired up to participate in the system,  throwing out trial balloons designed to activate certain groups. Unfortunately, that doesn't work as well as you might think. If you want to find out what people want from you, ask them. If you want people to get behind you, then show leadership. If you show strong leadership on any issue, the people will get behind you and tell you how they want you to proceed.

Let's Be Careful Out There: Don't Blow Reform, Progressives...

As anyone who has read this blog knows, I am a huge proponent of the inclusion of a public insurance option in any health reform moving through Congress.  I keep wracking my brain, and I simply cannot figure out how to keep the private insurance companies in the game without a government option to keep the risk manageable. In a perfect world, I'd love to see a single-payer government plan, but we can't honestly afford the transition at this point, so a "perfect world" will have to wait. In the meantime, a government  health insurance option is a necessity. But we cannot afford an obsession.

 

I was around in 1994, and let me assure you; Harry and Louise didn't kill the Clinton health care plan, progressives did.

 

Yes, folks; the reason we are no closer to a universal health plan now than we were in 1994 is because of US. And I'm starting to see signs that it might be happening again.  I'm starting to get nervous again, for the first time since this process began.We simply cannot blow it this time.

A Proposal for a New Fairness Doctrine

Washington, DC could very well be the most liberal metropolitan area in the country. More than 7 million people live in the Baltimore/Washington twin markets, and liberals dominate nearly every area of life. The city itself hasn't elected a Republican to anything  almost since Lincoln was president, the Maryland suburbs are dominated by Democrats, and the northern part of Virginia is referred to in negative terms because of its penchant to vote the opposite of the southern part of the state.

 

In other words, the Washington DC metropolitan area is probably the largest population of liberals in the entire country.

 

The Baltimore/Washington radio markets feature seven news-talk radio stations. Six of the stations feature political or news-based talk for 21 hours or more per weekday. The other two only feature news-talk for about 5-6 hours per day. Now, for the purposes of this column, let's only talk about the hours between 6 AM and Midnight.  I will also not include programs by Dr. Laura, Dr. Joy Brown or Dr Dean Edell, or any straight news or talk programs that aren't topical. I have also left out "hot talk," sports talk and basic informational programming. I am only concerned with programs in which commentary and analysis of the news are expressed.

On Health Insurance Reform, We're Right, They're Wrong. Period.

There is one underlying question in the debate over health insurance reform that is being forgotten as we all scream at each other, make demands of our politicians, and collectively whine when they don't react exactly the way we think they should to the rancor in this debate.

 

That question is, "What kind of society do we as Americans want?"

 

Let me start with a few stories to think about. These are all absolutely true; they either happened to me, or people I know, or they were related to me by friends whose word I trust. For privacy's sake, I'm not using names or identifying them in any way. But as you read these, ask yourself; is this what America is all about? Is this what we mean when we tell anyone who wants to hear it that we live in a FREE country? Is this really the society the Founders were looking to build when they fought a revolution against a tyrannical regime and then crafted the Constitution?