« August 2009 | Main | October 2009 »
September 30, 2009
Money, Morality and Ethics
Health care reform involves much more than money. It involves intense personal feelings about the kind of our society we want. These feelings too often go unspoken, even unappreciated, making intelligent discourse impossible.
Below are key principles taken from public health care debates. All are important to a few of us, and some to all of us. But we can't have it all - any one is achievable, but not every one. It's a tough choice.
Continue reading "Money, Morality and Ethics"
Posted by doctormatt at 11:31 PM | Comments (0)
Video - Robert Reich on What is the Public Option?
Posted by doctormatt at 10:56 PM | Comments (0)
Video - Michael Moore on need for Single Payer / Public Option
Posted by doctormatt at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)
The Public Option is Popular, Moral and Inexpensive, Therefore it Must Die
Continue reading "The Public Option is Popular, Moral and Inexpensive, Therefore it Must Die "
Posted by doctormatt at 8:29 AM
September 27, 2009
Bill Maher - Commentary
We have a pretty good idea of the Republican plan for the next three years: Don't let Obama do anything. What kills me is that that's the Democrats' plan, too.
Posted by doctormatt at 8:26 AM | Comments (0)
September 26, 2009
Video - Satire - Insurance executives are the real victims
Posted by doctormatt at 10:44 PM | Comments (0)
Video - Kucinich chairs subcommittee - C-SPAN - Influence of private insurance companies
Posted by doctormatt at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)
Simple arithmetic - From Kaiser Family Foundation
Simple arithmetic - From Kaiser Family Foundation
The 5% increase we found in premiums is moderate by long-term historical standards. For example, two different times during the last decade premiums increased by 13% a year, in 2002 and 2003. This year's increase continues a multi-year period of relative moderation in premium increases. Still, over the last ten years premiums have increased by 131%, while wages have grown 38% and inflation has grown 28%. Consider this: If people (and businesses) are as concerned as they are now about rising health care costs in a period when they are actually moderating, how much more concerned will they be when rates of increase return to historic averages?
Let's do some very simple arithmetic. Start with a fairly conservative assumption: If we assume that premium increases over the next ten years will average what they did over the last five (about 6.1% per year), the average premium for a family policy in 2019 will be $24,180. That's a big number. On the other hand, if we assume increases revert to the average of the last ten years--an average annual increase of about 8.7% and a very plausible scenario--premiums in 2019 will average a whopping $30,803, a very scary number...
Continue reading "Simple arithmetic - From Kaiser Family Foundation"
Posted by doctormatt at 10:20 PM | Comments (0)
Health care as a human rights issue
Health care as a human rights issue
Posted by doctormatt at 8:13 PM
September 23, 2009
Video - Mad as hell doctors on the Ed show MSNBC
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Posted by doctormatt at 1:21 PM
Animation - Video - Why single payer is needed
Posted by doctormatt at 1:08 PM
September 22, 2009
Video - Mad as hell doctors
Posted by doctormatt at 6:32 PM
Video - Dr. Paul Song on Larry King
Posted by doctormatt at 2:17 AM
Physicians for National Health Program on Democracy Now
Physicians for National Health Program on Democracy Now
Continue reading "Physicians for National Health Program on Democracy Now"
Posted by doctormatt at 2:05 AM
Video - Why the Mass. model does not work
Posted by doctormatt at 12:59 AM | Comments (0)
The inevitability of an American single-payer health system
The inevitability of an American single-payer health system
Continue reading "The inevitability of an American single-payer health system"
Posted by doctormatt at 12:45 AM | Comments (0)
The Health Care Deceit
The Health Care Deceit by Paul Craig Roberts
Continue reading "The Health Care Deceit "
Posted by doctormatt at 12:40 AM | Comments (0)
New York TImes trashes single payer
New York TImes trashes single payer
Continue reading "New York TImes trashes single payer"
Posted by doctormatt at 12:35 AM | Comments (0)
George McGovern on Medicare for all
George McGovern on Medicare for all.
Posted by doctormatt at 12:32 AM
September 20, 2009
We can secure Medicare for All, once states begin to pass their own single-payer bills.
We remain committed to a robust public option that:
* Enacts concurrently with other significant expansions of coverage and must not be conditioned on private industry actions.
* Consists of one entity, operated by the federal government, which sets policies and bears the risk for paying medical claims to keep administrative costs low and provide a higher standard of care.
* Be made available to all individuals and employers across the nation without limitation.
* Allows patients to have access to their choice of doctors and other providers that meet defined participation standards, similar to the traditional Medicare model, promotes the medical home model and eliminates lifetime caps on benefits.
* Has the ability to structure the provider rates to promote quality care, primary care, prevention, chronic care management and good public health.
* Utilizes the existing infrastructure of successful public programs, such as Medicare, in order to maintain transparency and consumer protections for administering processes, including payment systems, claims and appeals.
* Establishes or negotiates rates with pharmaceutical companies, durable medical equipment providers and other providers to achieve the lowest prices for consumers.
* Receives a level of subsidy and support that is no less than that received by private plans.
* Ensures premiums are priced at the lowest levels possible, not tied to the rates of private insurance plans.
Posted by doctormatt at 10:00 PM
September 18, 2009
Videos - Great single payer ads from the past
Posted by doctormatt at 11:58 PM | Comments (0)
Study links 45,000 annual U.S. deaths to lack of insurance
Nearly 45,000 people die in the United States each year -- one every 12 minutes -- in large part because they lack health insurance and can not get good care, Harvard Medical School researchers found in an analysis released on Thursday.
"We're losing more Americans every day because of inaction ... than drunk driving and homicide combined," Dr. David Himmelstein, a co-author of the study and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard, said in an interview with Reuters.
Overall, researchers said American adults age 64 and younger who lack health insurance have a 40 percent higher risk of death than those who have coverage.
Continue reading "Study links 45,000 annual U.S. deaths to lack of insurance"
Posted by doctormatt at 1:47 AM
Teen birth rates highest in most religious states may be due to communities frowning on contraception, researchers say
Posted by doctormatt at 1:39 AM
Why is Universal Health Care "Un-American"?
I can't believe I am standing today in a Christian church defending the proposition that we should lessen the suffering of those who cannot afford health care in an economic system that often treats the poor as prey for the rich. I cannot believe there are Christians around this nation who are shouting that message down and waving guns in the air because they don't want to hear it.
But I learned along time ago that churches are strange places; charity is fine, but speaking of justice is heresy in many churches. The late Brazilian bishop Dom Hélder Câmara said it well: "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist." Too often today in the United States, if you talk about helping the poor, they call you Christian, but if you actually try to do something to help the poor, they call you a socialist.
Full editorial by Rev. Jim Rigby here
Posted by doctormatt at 1:21 AM
Why Obama Needed Single Payer on the Table
By Vincente Navarro M.D., Ph.D.
I don't doubt that President Obama, a decent man, wants to provide universal health care to all citizens of this country. But his judgment in developing his strategy to reach that goal is profoundly flawed, and, as mentioned above, it may cost him the presidency - an outcome that would be extremely negative for the country. He should have called for a major mobilization against the medical-industrial complex, to ensure that everyone has the same benefits that their representatives in Congress have, broadening and improving Medicare for all. The emphasis of his strategy should have been on improving health benefits coverage for everyone, including those who are currently uncovered. And to achieve this goal - which the majority of the population supports - he should have stressed the need for government to ensure that this extension of benefits to everyone will occur.
That he has not chosen this strategy touches on the essence of U.S. democracy. The enormous power of the insurance and pharmaceutical industries corrupts the nature of our democracy and shapes the frontiers of what is possible in the U.S. Given this reality, it seems to me that the role of the left is to initiate a program of social political agitation and rebellion (I applaud the health professionals who disrupted the meetings of the Senate Finance Committee), following the tactics of the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War movements of the 1960s and 1970s. It is wrong to expect and hope that the Obama administration will change. Without pressure and agitation, not much will be done.
Read the full article here:
Why Obama Needed Single Payer on the Table
Posted by doctormatt at 1:09 AM
Rep. Weiner on the Public Plan
By Rep. Anthony Weiner
It seems that big legislation isn't complete until it develops a collection of catchphrases. ("Shovel ready," everyone? "Cash for clunkers," perhaps?) The effort to tackle the long list of failings of our health care system and the way we pay for it has been no exception. This time, we are arguing over the so-called public option.
The phrase has become something of a Rorschach test for lobbyists, commentators and legislators. To the president and to bill writers in Congress, the public option has come to mean that a government-run plan is the only way to truly keep private insurance companies honest, by guaranteeing that at least one provider is focused on something more than the bottom line.
To insurance company lobbyists and -- from the sound of it -- nearly every Republican, the public option is more a confirmation of their fear that the Obama administration is out to nationalize another industry. They argue that the public option would soon become the only option because it would have too many advantages in the marketplace.
Without acknowledging it, both sides seem to agree with the argument for a single-payer system. But instead of having a debate about its value, both sides have turned the idea into an odd punching bag. The right uses the term "single-payer" to condemn the White House approach, while the White House -- and my colleagues in the House and Senate -- quickly decry the scurrilous charge and concoct legislative language to make their public option look less, well, public.
By conceding that the public option would have less overhead, be more efficient and have the freedom to focus on health care rather than profits, opponents of the public option are in fact arguing for it. Isn't complaining about the marketplace "advantage" of the public plan just another way of saying that people are going to want it?
Continue reading "Rep. Weiner on the Public Plan"
Posted by doctormatt at 1:03 AM
Video - Weiner on MSNBC
Posted by doctormatt at 12:41 AM | Comments (0)
September 17, 2009
Video - How do we get the most health and least suffering from our health care dollars?
Why a Public Plan is not the answer:
Posted by doctormatt at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
What is single payer health care?
Single-payer is a term used to describe a type of financing system. It refers to one entity acting as administrator, or "payer." In the case of healthcare, a single-payer system would be setup such that one entity--a government run organization--would collect all healthcare fees, and pay out all healthcare costs.
In the current US system, there are literally tens of thousands of different healthcare organizations--HMOs, billing agencies, etc. By having so many different payers of healthcare fees, there is an enormous amount of administrative waste generated in the system. (Just imagine how complex billing must be in a doctor's office, when each insurance company requires a different form to be completed, has a different billing system, different billing contacts and phone numbers--it's very confusing.)
In a single-payer system, all hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare providers would bill one entity for their services. This alone reduces administrative waste greatly, and saves money, which can be used to provide care and insurance to those who currently don't have it.
Access and Benefits
All Americans would receive comprehensive medical benefits under single-payer. Coverage would include all medically necessary services, including rehabilitative, long-term, and home care; mental healthcare, prescription drugs, and medical supplies; and preventive and public health measures.
Care would be based on need, not on ability to pay.
Continue reading "What is single payer health care?"
Posted by doctormatt at 11:56 PM | Comments (0)
Video - Rep. Tony Weiner on a Single Payor and Baucus bill
Weiner on Baucus bill -
Posted by doctormatt at 11:39 PM | Comments (0)
Video - Health, Money and Fear courtesy of MadAsHellDoctors.com
Very informative documentary from people who care - Doctors.
Produced by an emergency physician (Paul Hochfeld), "Health, Money and Fear" answers three questions about our broken health care non-system. Why does is cost so much? What does it say about us? What can we do about it?
While Congress is more focused on the symptom, lack of Universal Coverage, they are ignoring the underlying problem. COST. Unless they address the perverse incentives that drive up cost, the "reform" we are going to get will be more government subsidies so the insurance industry can continue to thrive being central to a dysfunctional health care system that is better at producing profits than health.
The elements of the solution must address the elements of the problem: technology, the fear of liability, mass marketing of prescription drugs, the profit motive, chaos in medical records, unrealistic expectatiions, and the multitude of insurance companies that add substantially to cost without contributing anything to health.
Video - Health, Money and Fear hosted at BlipTV
Health, Money and Fear hosted at OurAilingHealthCare.com
Another copy of the video, hosted by YouTube follows:
From the White House web site on the issue of health care:
Comprehensive health care reform can no longer wait. Rapidly escalating health care costs are crushing family, business, and government budgets. Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have doubled in the last 9 years, a rate 3 times faster than cumulative wage increases. This forces families to sit around the kitchen table to make impossible choices between paying rent or paying health premiums. Given all that we spend on health care, American families should not be presented with that choice. The United States spent approximately $2.2 trillion on health care in 2007, or $7,421 per person - nearly twice the average of other developed nations. Americans spend more on health care than on housing or food. If rapid health cost growth persists, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that by 2025, one out of every four dollars in our national economy will be tied up in the health system. This growing burden will limit other investments and priorities that are needed to grow our economy. Rising health care costs also affect our economic competitiveness in the global economy, as American companies compete against companies in other countries that have dramatically lower health care costs.
The President has vowed that the health reform process will be different in his Administration - an open, inclusive, and transparent process where all ideas are encouraged and all parties work together to find a solution to the health care crisis. Working together with members of Congress, doctors and hospitals, businesses and unions, and other key health care stakeholders, the President is committed to making sure we finally enact comprehensive health care reform.
The Administration believes that comprehensive health reform should:
* Reduce long-term growth of health care costs for businesses and government
* Protect families from bankruptcy or debt because of health care costs
* Guarantee choice of doctors and health plans
* Invest in prevention and wellness
* Improve patient safety and quality of care
* Assure affordable, quality health coverage for all Americans
* Maintain coverage when you change or lose your job
* End barriers to coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions
Posted by doctormatt at 10:22 PM | Comments (0)
September 5, 2009
Look what came out of my vagina!
Posted by doctormatt at 8:46 PM
Tiny Nibbles
Posted by doctormatt at 8:42 PM
Oddball Films - Erotic, Eclectic and Unusual
Oddball Films - Erotic, Eclectic and Unusual
Posted by doctormatt at 8:18 PM
Video - John Bedini - Energy from the vacuum - part 12
Posted by doctormatt at 6:53 PM | Comments (0)
Videos I've produced / participated in
Posted by doctormatt at 1:33 PM
September 3, 2009
The Curious Association Of The G-Spot And The Upper Palate
Posted by doctormatt at 10:52 PM | Comments (0)
The Public Option is Popular, Moral and Inexpensive, Therefore it Must Die
Posted by doctormatt at 10:34 PM
So We Can't Have Single Payer for Health Care, But How About Single Payer for Education?
Posted by doctormatt at 10:24 PM
September 2, 2009
"Go Topless Day a big success"
I think the organizers have the right idea.
On August 26, 1920, following a 72-year struggle, the U.S. Constitution was amended to grant women the right to vote. And in 1970, as an ongoing reminder of women's equality, Congress declared August 26 "Women's Equality Day." But even in the 21st century, women need to stand up and demand that equality in fact - not just in words. Note that in 2010, GoTopless will have a large rally nationwide in honor of the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and Women's Equality Day.
(Although the organizer Rael has written about his UFO abduction, this certainly does not diminishes the credibility of the Go Topless movement.)
Posted by doctormatt at 8:58 PM | Comments (0)
Pfizer to pay record $2.3B penalty
Announcing the penalty as a warning to all drug manufacturers, Justice Department officials said the overall settlement is the largest ever paid by a drug company for alleged violations of
federal drug rules, and the $1.2 billion criminal fine is the largest ever in any U.S. criminal case.
The total includes $1 billion in civil penalties and a $100 million criminal
forfeiture.
Continue reading "Pfizer to pay record $2.3B penalty"
Posted by doctormatt at 8:52 PM | Comments (0)