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By Cassandra Effect, August 19, 2009 10:20 am

The White House thinks it is necessary to debunk the so called “myth” of the Indian Health Services in their latest blog post (HERE). 

 Strangely enough, the more they try to explain how the two are different, the more they start to sound the same…..

Take a look at the mission of the IHS  from their website and then delete the words Indians and Alaskan Natives…..it sure sounds like Obama Care to me! (brackets and strikeouts mine)

The Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The provision of health services to members of federally-recognized tribes grew out of the special government-to-government relationship between the federal government and Indian tribes. This relationship, established in 1787, is based on Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, and has been given form and substance by numerous treaties, laws, Supreme Court decisions, and Executive Orders. The IHS is the principal federal health care provider and health advocate for [AMERICAN] Indian people, and its goal is to raise their health status to the highest possible level. The IHS provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately [ALL AMERICANS ] 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives who belong to 562 federally recognized tribes in 35 states.

 Now on the the White House “Mythbusting”

“First, the IHS system is not an insurance plan.  And comparing the two is like comparing apples to oranges.  IHS provides comprehensive health care services to approximately 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives living on or near reservations in 35 states.  Some of these health services include doctor visits and check-ups, dental and vision care, diabetes prevention and treatment, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and home health care.  IHS also helps construct hospitals and clinics and provides safe drinking water and sanitation facilities to American Indians and Alaska Natives.  Health insurance, by contrast, provides individuals a guarantee to a defined set of benefits for a price.  While the IHS accepts insurance payments for care it provides, it is not an insurance plan. 

So let me get this straight…..we’re not supposed to be freaking out over Obamacare because it is “only” an insurance plan and NOT comprehensive health care?    Indian Health Services covers its members from cradle to grave  – all services including building the medical facilities that normally private enterprise would construct.  And how exactly is that working out?  And a public option that would crowd out private competitors would result in what….the government having to step in to provide these very things!  We have seen the future and it is IHS!  Note the government spending is now considered an “investment.”  Last I checked an investment of money resulted in something that accrued a financial benefit.  Health care is an expense – not an investment.  Just like food, clothing and fuel.  I don’t invest in a tank of gas.  I buy a tank full and then enjoy the utility of that fuel enabling me to drive my car around town.  Its not an investment in my business!

Second, national health reform will not dismantle IHS.  American Indians and Alaska Natives will continue to have access to their Indian health service facilities.

We that’s a relief.

And third, while Indian health has been is historically underfunded, several tribes have developed innovative and award winning approaches to provide health care to their communities. These sites serve as successful models for other rural and public health programs.  President Obama supports IHS which is why he proposed a 13% increase in the FY 2010 budget, and invested $590 million in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.          

Again – their example proves the point of why Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to nationalized health care.  The IHS has been historically underfunded (can you say Medicare?)  And Obama has increased their budget by 13% – which means the IHS costs will double in less than 6 years!  That’s hardly the “bending” of the cost curve that he is so focused on.  So if Dear Leader is increasing the spending on the IHS at rates that are even higher than the health care rate of inflation in the rest of the country, what do we expect from his national plans. 

Which begs the question – WHO WILL PAY?

If you prefer to get your lies in video format watch the video below….. as they say…Shame on people trying to Scare you.  Did they talk to Ezekiel Emanuel yet?  If you haven’t already, see The Health Care Chart that Will Scare YOU to DEATH

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By Cassandra Effect,

In an excellent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Whole Foods CEO, John Mackey outlines eight things we can do to improve health care:

1. Remove the legal obstacles that slow the creation of high-deductible health insurance plans and health savings accounts (HSAs).
2. Equalize the tax laws so that employer-provided health insurance and individually owned health insurance have the same tax benefits.
3. Repeal all state laws which prevent insurance companies from competing across state lines.
4. Repeal government mandates regarding what insurance companies must cover.
5. Enact tort reform to end the ruinous lawsuits that force doctors to pay insurance costs of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.
6. Make costs transparent so that consumers understand what health-care treatments cost.
7. Enact Medicare reform.
8. Finally, revise tax forms to make it easier for individuals to make a voluntary, tax-deductible donation to help the millions of people who have no insurance and aren’t covered by Medicare, Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

His closing paragraph is outstanding and focuses on liberty and personal responsibility!  Bold emphasis mine

Health-care reform is very important. Whatever reforms are enacted it is essential that they be financially responsible, and that we have the freedom to choose doctors and the health-care services that best suit our own unique set of lifestyle choices. We are all responsible for our own lives and our own health. We should take that responsibility very seriously and use our freedom to make wise lifestyle choices that will protect our health. Doing so will enrich our lives and will help create a vibrant and sustainable American society.

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By Cassandra Effect, August 16, 2009 3:39 am

Outstanding op-ed from Newt Gingrich which really hits home on the key issues on the health care debate in our country right now – that is whether will will have freedom from big brother rationing and be at the mercy of a bureaucrat for the kind  of health care we will be able to receive.  Free sounds oh so good from the politicians mouths until you wake up and can’t pay for everyone.  And then you turn to rationing without alternate choices because you have a single payer system without competition.

Read the whole op-ed HERE

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By Cassandra Effect, August 15, 2009 11:49 am

The author of The Health Care Chart that Will Scare YOU to DEATH  is an “ethicist” who goes to temple religiously but says he is a “Practicing Atheist”.  He likes his synagogues to be without a rabbi  (?) but full of “incredibly smart” people.  He claims he has no faith but lots of religion.  So being Jewish is more like a lifestyle?  Wow.  At least we have good food!

I am shocked that he can claim Judaism is not a religion of faith, but one of practice!  The most holy Jewish Prayer, the Sh’ma declares:
Hear O Isreal, the Lord is our G-D, the Lord is One

And how about Maimonides 13 Principles of Faith?

I  think I’m going to plotz!  An Atheist Ethicist advising President Obama on how to ration healthcare!

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By Cassandra Effect, August 14, 2009 3:18 pm

Two weeks after Cassanda Effect reported on The Health Care Chart that Will Scare YOU to DEATH, the main stream media has woken up to his cold calculus, and are now DEFENDING it.

Let me be clear, the issue is not about Ezekiel Emanuel as a person.  He is a respected physician, his past work clearly advocates for people dying with dignity, and he seems like a thoughtful man.

The issue we face is the notion of the GOVERNMENT developinga process on health care rationing with consequences that are deeply disturbign to anyoen who has ever dealt with a government agency.

Zeke Emanuel’s ethical approach is focused on social benefits – he is a Utilitarian, the greatest good for the greatest number.

 View a talk he gave on the ethics of stem cell research at the Aspen Institute on August 1st 2009 (two weeks ago) HERE.   Watch the video at the 45 minute mark to see his discussion on when an embryo has moral rights.

He states that you can’t understand the ethics until you understand the biology.  He acknowledges the embryo should be treated with special significance.   With respect and dignity.  But not in the same way we treat babies and adults.  

When asked if an embryo has moral rights , he tries to sidestep the issue by asking “what does my view matter”.  He is the advisor to President Obama!  That is why it matters!

He doesn’t buy the essentialist argument that the embryo in “en-souled”

“We have a gradation over time – there is not a bright line”

And there lies the issue.  Moral Relativism and Utilitarian Moral Ethics versus the Sanctity of Life.

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By Cassandra Effect, August 13, 2009 10:17 am

The White House has used the bully pulpit today, with David Axelrod sending out an email that he hopes will go viral.  Its bad enough that I get spam all day long in my email box, and that President Obama seems to be EVERYWHERE, but now I have to look forward to getting this email from dozens of people.  Way to use that bully pulpit!  The email attempts to debunk eight health care “myths” , eight reasons why we need health careinsurance reform and eight of Obama’s health care policy goals.   This is the first glimpse that Obama recognizes that a “Big Solution” will not be able to happen.  Therefore he is placing more winnable, small points on the table so he can declare victory in the Fall, and deliver on his campaign promise of Health Care Reform. Most reasonable would agree with the problems that are delineated in list of ”reasons we need health insurance reform.  The devil is in the details and the solutions.  The most publicly discussed bill, HR 3200, is a massive attempt to require government control of health care.  It is completely unacceptable to imagine such nonsense. 

No where in the email does it explain how will will pay for all of this additional  health care.  And that, my friend, should cause you great concern.

Cassandra Effect has been slowly debunking the alleged “myths” with facts of our own.  See:

Lies, Misrepresentations and Weasel Words from the White House FAQ on Health Insurance Reform, part 1

Lies, Misrepresentations and Weasel Words from the White House FAQ on Health Insurance Reform, part 2

Lies, Misrepresentations and Weasel Words from the White House FAQ on Health Insurance Reform, part 3

Dear Friend,

This is probably one of the longest emails I’ve ever sent, but it could be the most important.

Across the country we are seeing vigorous debate about health insurance reform. Unfortunately, some of the old tactics we know so well are back — even the viral emails that fly unchecked and under the radar, spreading all sorts of lies and distortions.

As President Obama said at the town hall in New Hampshire, “where we do disagree, let’s disagree over things that are real, not these wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that’s actually been proposed.”

So let’s start a chain email of our own. At the end of my email, you’ll find a lot of information about health insurance reform, distilled into 8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage, 8 common myths about reform and 8 reasons we need health insurance reform now.

Right now, someone you know probably has a question about reform that could be answered by what’s below. So what are you waiting for? Forward this email.

Thanks,
David

David Axelrod
Senior Adviser to the President

P.S. We launched www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheckthis week to knock down the rumors and lies that are floating around the internet. You can find the information below, and much more, there. For example, we’ve just added a video of Nancy-Ann DeParle from our Health Reform Office tackling a viral email head on. Check it out:

8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage

Ends Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.
Ends Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays: Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.
Ends Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care: Insurance companies must fully cover, without charge, regular checkups and tests that help you prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.
Ends Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill: Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for those who become seriously ill.
Ends Gender Discrimination: Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender.
Ends Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage: Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.
Extends Coverage for Young Adults: Children would continue to be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.
Guarantees Insurance Renewal: Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full. Insurance companies won’t be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick.
Learn more and get details: http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/health-insurance-consumer-protections/

8 common myths about health insurance reform
Reform will stop “rationing” – not increase it: It’s a myth that reform will mean a “government takeover” of health care or lead to “rationing.” To the contrary, reform will forbid many forms of rationing that are currently being used by insurance companies.
We can’t afford reform: It’s the status quo we can’t afford. It’s a myth that reform will bust the budget. To the contrary, the President has identified ways to pay for the vast majority of the up-front costs by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse within existing government health programs; ending big subsidies to insurance companies; and increasing efficiency with such steps as coordinating care and streamlining paperwork. In the long term, reform can help bring down costs that will otherwise lead to a fiscal crisis.
Reform would encourage “euthanasia”: It does not. It’s a malicious myth that reform would encourage or even require euthanasia for seniors. For seniors who want to consult with their family and physicians about end-of life decisions, reform will help to cover these voluntary, private consultations for those who want help with these personal and difficult family decisions.
Vets’ health care is safe and sound: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will affect veterans’ access to the care they get now. To the contrary, the President’s budget significantly expands coverage under the VA, extending care to 500,000 more veterans who were previously excluded. The VA Healthcare system will continue to be available for all eligible veterans.
Reform will benefit small business – not burden it: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will hurt small businesses. To the contrary, reform will ease the burdens on small businesses, provide tax credits to help them pay for employee coverage and help level the playing field with big firms who pay much less to cover their employees on average.
Your Medicare is safe, and stronger with reform: It’s myth that Health Insurance Reform would be financed by cutting Medicare benefits. To the contrary, reform will improve the long-term financial health of Medicare, ensure better coordination, eliminate waste and unnecessary subsidies to insurance companies, and help to close the Medicare “doughnut” hole to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors.
You can keep your own insurance: It’s myth that reform will force you out of your current insurance plan or force you to change doctors. To the contrary, reform will expand your choices, not eliminate them.
No, government will not do anything with your bank account: It is an absurd myth that government will be in charge of your bank accounts.  Health insurance reform will simplify administration, making it easier and more convenient for you to pay bills in a method that you choose.  Just like paying a phone bill or a utility bill, you can pay by traditional check, or by a direct electronic payment. And forms will be standardized so they will be easier to understand. The choice is up to you – and the same rules of privacy will apply as they do for all other electronic payments that people make.
Learn more and get details:
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck/faq

8 Reasons We Need Health Insurance Reform Now

Coverage Denied to Millions: A recent national survey estimated that 12.6 million non-elderly adults – 36 percent of those who tried to purchase health insurance directly from an insurance company in the individual insurance market – were in fact discriminated against because of a pre-existing condition in the previous three years or dropped from coverage when they became seriously ill. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/denied_coverage/index.html
Less Care for More Costs: With each passing year, Americans are paying more for health care coverage. Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have nearly doubled since 2000, a rate three times faster than wages. In 2008, the average premium for a family plan purchased through an employer was $12,680, nearly the annual earnings of a full-time minimum wage job.  Americans pay more than ever for health insurance, but get less coverage. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hiddencosts/index.html
Roadblocks to Care for Women: Women’s reproductive health requires more regular contact with health care providers, including yearly pap smears, mammograms, and obstetric care. Women are also more likely to report fair or poor health than men (9.5% versus 9.0%). While rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure are similar to men, women are twice as likely to suffer from headaches and are more likely to experience joint, back or neck pain. These chronic conditions often require regular and frequent treatment and follow-up care. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/women/index.html
Hard Times in the Heartland: Throughout rural America, there are nearly 50 million people who face challenges in accessing health care. The past several decades have consistently shown higher rates of poverty, mortality, uninsurance, and limited access to a primary health care provider in rural areas. With the recent economic downturn, there is potential for an increase in many of the health disparities and access concerns that are already elevated in rural communities. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hardtimes
Small Businesses Struggle to Provide Health Coverage: Nearly one-third of the uninsured – 13 million people – are employees of firms with less than 100 workers. From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell from 66% to 61%. Much of this decline stems from small business. The percentage of small businesses offering coverage dropped from 68% to 59%, while large firms held stable at 99%. About a third of such workers in firms with fewer than 50 employees obtain insurance through a spouse. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/helpbottomline
The Tragedies are Personal: Half of all personal bankruptcies are at least partly the result of medical expenses. The typical elderly couple may have to save nearly $300,000 to pay for health costs not covered by Medicare alone. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/inaction
Diminishing Access to Care: From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell from 66% to 61%. An estimated 87 million people – one in every three Americans under the age of 65 – were uninsured at some point in 2007 and 2008. More than 80% of the uninsured are in working families. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/inaction/diminishing/index.html
The Trends are Troubling: Without reform, health care costs will continue to skyrocket unabated, putting unbearable strain on families, businesses, and state and federal government budgets. Perhaps the most visible sign of the need for health care reform is the 46 million Americans currently without health insurance – projections suggest that this number will rise to about 72 million in 2040 in the absence of reform. Learn more: http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/assets/documents/CEA_Health_Care_Report.pdf

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By Cassandra Effect,

Sarah Palin strikes back (with footnotes!) after Obama dismissed Palin’s statement that his health plan would lead to rationing of care.  

Want to know what started this firestorm?  Cassandra Effect readers knew about Ezekiel Emanuel’s rationing program, the Complete Lives System last month when I reported on The Health Care Chart that Will Scare YOU to DEATH

Full text of Palin’s post below (bold emphasis mine) Source: Official Sarah Palin  facebook page.

Concerning “Death Panels”

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By Cassandra Effect, August 12, 2009 11:39 pm

The majority of the initiatives that would pay for reform will come from cutting waste, fraud, and abuse within existing government health programs; ending big subsidies to insurance companies; and increasing efficiency with such steps as coordinating care and streamlining paperwork. We want to take money that is already being spent on health care and re-allocate it toward reforms that lower costs and assure quality affordable health care for all Americans.

Ending big subsidies to insurance companies?  Is that a code word for profits?  They tell the truth when they say “We want to re-allocate.’  The problem we have is they then want to control what the money is spent on and ration your access to care as I reported two weeks ago in The Health Care Chart that Will Scare YOU to DEATH.

The cuts we are talking about involve spending that currently does not improve care for Americans. For example, we would save $177 billion in unwarranted subsidies to the insurance industry in the next ten years and put that money into actual care for people. These and other reforms will strengthen and stabilize Medicare.

Again with the “subsidies to insurance companies” - they must have poll tested people and learned that no one likes their insurance company. so they’re sticking it to them.  Even though the insurance lobby has publicly been on board with health reform for months!  They need to let the market work and the excess profits will be wrung out of the system!  The manage to avoid making mention of Medicare cuts to doctors, which intuitively will lead to reduced care for patients by docs who are less motivated to care for Medicare patients. 

But it’s not enough to stop there. Health insurance reform must also encourage the kinds of reforms we know will save money in the long run: preventive care; computerized record-keeping; and comparative effectiveness studies to expose wasteful procedures and hospitalizations and give doctors the tools to make the right treatments for you.

Again with the code words “Wasteful Procedures” = Rationing/Controlling Access to your health care.  Make no Mistake about it!

We currently spend more than $2 trillion dollars a year on health care. Health insurance reform will make a short-term investment of roughly $100 billion a year to lower costs and relieve the crushing financial burden that is eating into family budgets, forcing families into bankruptcy, making it hard for businesses to expand and grow, and preventing the government from using your tax dollars to create jobs, improve education, rebuild our infrastructure. Health insurance reform would be fully paid for over 10 years, and it would not add one penny to the deficit.

how does a “short term investment” work when you are using it to pay for peoples insurance?  Sounds like a permanent , long term program to me!  Got to love how he manages to ties it back to creating jobs and educating the children……1

And the big lie….It will not add one penny to the deficit.   That because the government doesn’t bother counting penny costs anymore It will add over one trillion of dollars! (Congressional Budget Office)

Let’s also remember that we can’t afford not to reform health care. The cost of inaction is too high. Health care spending has grown in recent years three times faster than average wages. Premiums have doubled in this decade. Out of pocket costs for people with insurance have gone up by 32 percent. Businesses are buckling under health care costs. One out of every six dollars in this country is spent on health care. Soon it will be one in five. If we do nothing, in 30 years, one third of this country’s economic output will be tied up in the health care system. Health care is the fastest-growing item in the federal budget. It is absolutely unsustainable. These costs are crushing families and businesses, keeping wages flat, stunting our economic growth, strangling our government. We have to bring costs under control now.

I love how Obama counts on the fact that most Americans do not understand the power of compounding and the Rule of 72, and the fallacy of expecting current trends to continue in a straight line in perpetuity.  He does acknowledge a truth – that health care expenses are a Federal Budget problem.  Guess who controls that budget?   Congress.  So why do we all need to suffer because they can’t do their job in managing their program costs?  Furthermore, why on earth would we expect them to be better stewards of our health care expenses than ourselves?

Cassandra Effect

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By Cassandra Effect,

The defense of the indefensible begins by the Main Stream Media (Time Magazine) defending  The Health Care Chart that Will Scare YOU to DEATH.

The attacks on Emanuel are a reminder that there is a narrow slice of Americans who not only don’t trust government but have also come to regard it as a dark conspirator in their lives. This peculiar brand of distrust helps create the conditions for fast-moving fear-mongering, especially on complex and emotionally charged topics like the life and death of the elderly and infirm. Prairie fires of that kind are hard to douse when the Administration’s own plan for health care remains vague, weeks away from being ready for a public rollout. The health-care bill that recently passed the House does not contain, as some have suggested, any provisions that would deny treatment to the elderly, infirm or disabled like Sola’s son. One provision allows doctors to be reimbursed for voluntary discussions of so-called “living wills” with patients, but does not in any way threaten to deny treatment to dying patients against their will.  The legislation anticipates saving hundreds of billions of dollars by reforming the health-care system itself, a process that would try to increase the efficiency of medical care by better connecting payments to health outcomes and discouraging doctors from unnecessary tests and procedures. The Obama Administration hopes that many of these reforms will be made in the coming years by independent panels of scientists, who will be appointed by the President and overseen by Congress.

 Somehow I don’t think Time appreciates the level of distrust across the country!  Are they not paying attention?  Senator Claire McCaskill astonished that “You Don’t Trust Me”

WE don’t trust the WEASEL WORDS ANYMORE – LET US MAKE OUR DECISIONS AND LEAVE US ALONE!

Read it all HERE

If you are one of those “distrusting of Government”  then also see:

 Newt Gingrich backs Sarah Palin and blasts Ezekiel Emanuel’s Complete Lives System

Sarah Palin denounces Ezekiel Emanuel’s Complete Lives System

Rep. Michele Bachmann speaks out against the rationing of health care

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By Cassandra Effect,

So much to tell  from the only town hall meeting that had people shout “Yes We Can!”  No boos, no jeers, no outraged Americans.?  Is it possible that thare are no Katy Abrams in New Hampshire? ( Townhall to Senator Arlen Specter: This is about the systematic dismantling of this country)

Lets the Obama obfuscations begin!

“I don’t want people thinking I just have a bunch of plants in here”

Except there was a little girl who was a PLANT -  we’ve seen this before  (Plants found in Obama’s Online Healthcare Town Hall!). 

Does he really think the American people are this stupid? Answer = Yes, because he said this whopper of a lie:

“I have not said that I was a single-payer supporter” 

Really Mr. President?  How about when you DID say you support a single payer system?

So I don’t want anybody saying somehow that I’m pulling the bait- and-switch here. I said very specifically I thought we should roll back Bush tax cuts and use them to pay for health insurance. That’s what I’m intending to do. All right? (Applause.)

Who applauds a tax increases?  I hope you don’t have any capital gains or plan on making money – because Obama WILL raise taxes on more people than those making $250,000 a year. 

Point number two: In terms of these expert health panels — well, this goes to the point about “death panels” — that’s what folks are calling them. The idea is actually pretty straightforward, which is if we’ve got a panel of experts, health experts, doctors, who can provide guidelines to doctors and patients about what procedures work best in what situations, and find ways to reduce, for example, the number of tests that people take — these aren’t going to be forced on people, but they will help guide how the delivery system works so that you are getting higher-quality care. And it turns out that oftentimes higher-quality care actually costs less.

Explain to me how the government as a single payer (Medicare, Medicaid and now a “public plan”) would not have an incredible chilling effect on peoples care by issuing recommendations to “guide how the delivery system works.”  If you are a doctor you won’t want to risk being on the outlier list for the biggest (only?) payer.  You willtow the company line to avoid being censured, or dropped as a provider.  MAKE NO MISTAKE that this is what it will come to.

Finally, there is this disturbing Q+A that PROVES THE POINT that government controlled health care means you will replace the insurance company decisions with the Government’s decision – and I hope you like the kind of service this man received, because Obama called it a good result!  Read on! (bold my emphasis)

Q Good afternoon, Mr. President. Bill Anderson from New Hampshire. In reference to what you just said — I’m presently under the New Hampshire Medicaid system and I have to take a drug called Lipitor. When I got onto this program they said, no, we’re not going to cover Lipitor — even though I’d been on that pill for probably 10 years,based on the information my doctor feels is right for me. And I had to go through two different trials of other kinds of drugs before it was finally deemed that I was able to go back on the Lipitor through the New Hampshire Medicaid system. So here it is, the Medicaid that you guys are administering and you’re telling me that it’s good — but in essence, I’m dealing with the same thing, and you’re telling me the insurance companies are doing. Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think that’s a legitimate point. I don’t know all the details, but it sounds to me like they were probably trying to have you take a generic as opposed to a brand name. Is that right? And it turned out that you did not have as good of a reaction under the generic as the brand name, and then they put you back on the brand name. Is that what happened?

Q Correct, to save money.

THE PRESIDENT: Well — right. Look, there may be — in nine out of 10 cases, the generic might work as well or better than the brand name. And we don’t want to just subsidize the drug companies if you’ve got one that works just as well as another.

The important thing about the story that you just told me was — is that once it was determined that, in fact, you needed the brand name, you were able to get the brand name. Now, I want to be absolutely clear here: There are going to be instances where if there is really strong scientific evidence that the generic and the brand name work just as well, and the brand name costs twice as much, that the taxpayer should try to get the best deal possible, as long as if it turns out that the generic doesn’t work as well, you’re able to get the brand name.

Note how it becomes the TAXPAYERS money, not YOURS!  This is the fundamental problem with  the debate – they think its THEIR MONEY when it should be yours buying your own private policy.  Once it becomes THEIR money you are SCREWED!

So the basic principle that we want to set up here is that — if you’re in private insurance, first of all, your private insurance can do whatever you want. If you’re under a government program, then it makes sense for us to make sure that we’re getting the best deal possible and not just giving drug makers or insurers more money than they should be getting. But ultimately, you’ve got to be able to get the best care based on what the doctor says.

READ THAT SENTENCE AGAIN!  ….. focus on the word ULTIMATELY.  This is a weasel word – it means EVENTUALLY.  After you file your appeals and prior authorizations and try five other drugs that don’t work but are cheaper.

And it sounds like that is eventually what happened. It may be that it wasn’t as efficient — it wasn’t as smooth as it should have been, but that result is actually a good one. And you think about all the situations where a generic actually would have worked — in fact, one of the things I want to do is to speed up generics getting introduced to the marketplace, because right now drug companies — (applause) — right now drug companies are fighting so that they can keep essentially their patents on their brand-name drugs a lot longer. And if we can make those patents a little bit shorter, generics get on the market sooner, ultimately you as consumers will save money. All right? But it was an excellent question, so thank you.

I somehow don’t think this man though that his experience dealing with side effects was a GOOD THING!  And note Obama’s enthusiasm to reduce drug patents to speed generics along.  Sounds like a great plan until the drug industry loses its profit motive and spends less on R+D to find amazing new cures.  I WANT the drug companies making money so they keep developing new medicines.

The complete text of the Obama Portsmouth town hall can be found HERE

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By Cassandra Effect, August 11, 2009 9:19 pm

 White House Health Insurance Reform FAQ #2 Isn’t health reform going to put more burdens on federal and state governments because we will be covering more people without insurance?

Controlling health spending is critical for the fiscal health of the federal government and the states. For example, health care spending today consumes 30 percent more of state and local budgets than it did 20 years ago, forcing governments to choose between cutting services and raising taxes.

They begin the FAQ with a threat to raise taxes!  No information provided as to why there is a 30% increase in the past 20 years.  Is it due to cost increases, expanded government employment, expanded benefits?  No discussion or explanation -it just IS!

And the Council of Economic Advisors recently released a sobering report on the impact of health care spending on the federal government. It found that if we do nothing by 2019,

• Health care expenditures will be 21 percent of GDP—one fifth of our economic output.
• Spending on Medicare and Medicaid will be 8 percent of GDP.
• Nineteen percent of the non-elderly population, or 54 million Americans, will be uninsured. The cost of caring for the uninsured burdens all of us. Families with insurance pay a hidden tax of $1000 to cover the cost of uncompensated care in this country.

The uninsured population now is 54 Million “Americans”.   No one seems to agree on this figure – the CBO says 31 Million – and 17% of this figure (one in six!) are illegals.  The use of the term “Americans” is disturbing!   There are certainly people without insurance, but blowing up the system for everyone else makes no sense at all.  And we pay a hidden tax?  They are asking us to now pay a non-hidden tax?  You betcha!  Remember what Obama said “”I want to cover everybody,”  all the facts at MSNBC of all places

For working Americans who rely on employer-sponsored health insurance, rising costs mean that an even greater proportion of their compensation will be in the form of health benefits rather than take-home pay. In ten years, the estimated percentage of average total worker compensation that comes in the form of health insurance will be 26 percent.

That assumes we continue to buy overly generous insurance plans.  Seriously folks – you DO NOT NEED first dollar coverage – you are PAYING for it through higher premiums.   Get a high deductible policy – $2000, $3000, even $5000.   If it was really your money to spend as you wished, what would you buy? First dollar coverage or catastrophic care insurance. 

In addition:

• Resources that are devoted to health care cannot be used to provide the other goods and services that Americans want, including education, investment, and infrastructure.

Sure sounds like “resources” means taxes.  Americans can’t have everything.

• The federal deficit will continue to rise and, if meaningful health care reform is not enacted, more painful choices about how to deal with our unsustainable fiscal situation will be unavoidable in the future.

The Deficit will continue to rise – the first very true thing here!  And yet another threat - BRING ON THE PAIN!

• That is why the President has been clear that he will not sign a health care reform bill unless it is deficit neutral and on a stable trajectory as the decade ends.

Does anyone REALLY believe this?  And why is the focus only on the first 10 years?  Is that as far as our limited ability to plan?

• We have to expand coverage and bring down costs for families as well as transform health care so that it costs less and delivers high quality in years to come. Adding more people to a broken system will only cost us more in the long run.

We HAVE to?  Does anyone really expect MORE QUALITY AT LESS PRICE?   Seriously folks – Wal Mart gives you less cost, but the quality suffers.  There is no free lunch.

Comments (2)

By Cassandra Effect,

Here is my first post in a point by point breakdown of the White House FAQs on Health Insurance Reform

FAQ #1 Rationing

Health Insurance Reform will end current forms of rationing, not expand it.

Note the use of the weasel words “CURRENT FORMS”.  This choice of words are EXACTLY why people do not trust the Federal Government.   The only forms of rationing in the private sector right now are due to money.  If you cannot afford to pay for a procedure and have no other means or programs then you self-ration due to lack of financial   resources.  both private and public (Medicaid and Medicare) alreadyIf you have insurance through a private payer, and you don’t like their service, you can walk away and go to another insurer.  Its simple – the market will compete. 

 This First, there is widespread rationing in today’s system. Right now, decisions about what doctor you can see and what treatment you can receive are made by insurance companies, which routinely deny coverage because of cost or the insurance company rules. Health reform will do away with many of those rules that result in rationing today.

Now we see the tactic – CARE IS DENIED ROUTINELY by the insurance companies.  Most people’s experience is that care is provided routinely, and insurance companies have publicly disclosed policies on medical care.   Aetna, for example, publicly lists its medical policies HERE.   These policies are neither capricious or arbitrary.  They may not pay for the latest medical advances and delay moving “experimental” procedures into accepted practices.  And you may not agree with them or like it, but in a free market you can choose not to do business with an insurer.  We all lose once we go to a government run plan or government mandated benefits that all players in a so called “exchange” must offer.  The reason is no one is accountable, and all players will have the same benefits and same rules.  You have no chance of leveraging your purchasing power when this happens.   Don’t buy into the demagoguery of the insurance companies – they’re not in business to give care away. but neither is the government.

Health Insurance Reform will prevent insurance companies from denying coverage because you have a pre-existing condition; prevent them for canceling coverage because you get sick; ban annual and lifetime limits on coverage, which often force people to pay huge sums out of pocket if they develop a serious illness; and prevent discrimination based on gender.

This will come to pass any future

With health insurance reform, we will also put treatment decisions back into the hands of doctors in consultation with their patients.

Unless we require step edits, prior authorizations or rationing of care like we do today in the Medicaid and Medicare program……

One of the reasons we spend too much on health care today is that our incentives are perverse: Doctors are paid by the procedure, rather than for quality. We want reform that rewards quality of care not quantity of procedures. Having dozens of procedures doesn’t necessarily make you better. In fact they can make you worse. Right now roughly 100,000 Americans die every year from medical errors, which, in many cases, were the result of treatments that were wrong for them. We want to reduce preventable hospital re-admissions that are frequently caused because patients are not getting the right care in the first place. We want to give doctors the ability to make the best treatment decisions for you and your family.

I’d much rather the number of procedures I need be MY DECISION rather than the governments.  It is true that there are perverse incentives.  What is more perverse is that the government “solution” to this lies not in empowering individuals to become more informed and involved about their health care purchasing, but rather to stick their big fat nose in and start telling you what is appropriate for your care.

NO THANK YOU!

Comments (1)

By Cassandra Effect, August 10, 2009 11:04 am

DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE  – the Obama team is on DEFENSE with respect to the health care debate.  Its clear that they will use the bully pulpit to diminish dissent and suggest that anyone who disagrees is lying or a nutjob,  The evidence is in – this administration wants to control you.  Rather than let the market work, they will tell you what your health care choices are and you will be at their mercy.  There is no question that health care should not be a problem waiting for a government solution – the government is the problem.

 Ask yourself …….DO YOU TRUST YOUR GOVERNMENT?

Check out this email that the White House sent out this morning (also on the White House Blog HERE)  I think it speaks for itself.   (bold is my emphasis).  I will post a rebuttal to the FAQs on a separate blog entry – it’s too much for one post…..

If you’ve tuned into the news in the past few days, it’s clear that the debate about health insurance reform has heated up as Senators and Representatives return to their home states and districts. A troubling trend has also emerged: as more people become engaged in the issue, defenders of the status quo have responded by muddying the waters with more wild rumors and scare tactics.

It’s time for a reality check.

Today the White House is rolling out a new website that focuses on what reform really means for you and your family, debunks some common myths along the way and provides you with online tools and content to share the facts with friends, family and anyone else in your social network.

The first set of videos addresses a wide scope of topics and debunks some of those common myths:

• CEA Chair Christina Romer details how health insurance reform will impact small businesses.
• Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes tackles a nasty rumor about euthanasia and clearly describes how reform helps families.
• Matt Flavin, the White House’s Director of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Policy, clears the air about Veteran’s benefits.
• Kavita Patel, M.D., a doctor serving in the White House’s Office of Public Engagement, explains that health care rationing is happening right now and how reform gives control back to patients and doctors.
• Robert Kocher, M.D., a doctor serving on the National Economic Council, debunks the myth that health insurance reform will be financed by cutting Medicare benefits.
• In a video first released last week, Linda Douglass from the White House Health Reform Office addresses fears about the end of our private insurance system and reiterates that if you like your current plan you can keep it.

There is also a handy FAQ about health insurance reform.

Moving forward, we’ll use this platform to provide you with the latest “Reality Checks” and tools to combat misinformation.

We also want to hear from you.  If you have questions about health insurance reform or suggestions on what topics we should address next, please let us know.

The road ahead will surely reveal more aggressive efforts from defenders of the status quo to confuse and scare Americans with half-truths and outright lies. We’re all too familiar with the time-tested tactics that opponents of reform have used for decades to prevent the meaningful change our health insurance system needs.

Now, with what the President calls “the best chance of reform we have ever had,” it’s time for citizens across the country get the facts about reform and work on the grassroots level to add a healthy dose of reality into the national discussion on health insurance reform.

Comments (0)

By Cassandra Effect,

What country are we living in?  Note also how the discussion has shifted from health care reform to health INSURANCE reform.  The Obama poll testers probably think that the public uproar is about the government “caring” for you (shudder).  But those same polls probably find most people annoyed at insurance companies, drug companies and anyone who makes a “profit.”  Thus the shift to find hot buttons to push on everyday Americans.    She is so out of touch with the American people it is frightening.

 Full Op-Ed at USA Today

However, it is now evident that an ugly campaign is underway not merely to misrepresent the health insurance reform legislation, but to disrupt public meetings and prevent members of Congress and constituents from conducting a civil dialogue. These tactics have included hanging in effigy one Democratic member of Congress in Maryland and protesters holding a sign displaying a tombstone with the name of another congressman in Texas, where protesters also shouted “Just say no!” drowning out those who wanted to hold a substantive discussion.

Let the facts be heard

These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views — but of the facts themselves. Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American. Drowning out the facts is how we failed at this task for decades.

Now that she has blasts dissenters, she lines up the pile of FREE Stuff she will give you.  What sane person would dare to turn down her largesse? 

• Free Electronic Medical Records, A “PUBLIC” (i.e. government run) Option
• Free Health outcomes research (so they can figure out who to deny care to? See The Health Care Chart that Will Scare YOU to DEATH)
• Free checkups and test – can’t you wait for that free whole body MRI every year? 
• More Free Drugs for Seniors by eliminating the deductible called the “notorious doughnut hole” that was created to ensure people had some skin in the game for their drug costs.  Congress created that hole because they insisted that Seniors have first dollar coverage for their drugs rather than a typical deductible and then coverage scheme that nearly all other insurance programs have.

Reform will mean affordable coverage for all Americans. Our plan’s cost-lowering measures include a public health insurance option to bring competitive pressure to bear on rapidly consolidating private insurers, research on health outcomes to better inform the decisions of patients and doctors, and electronic medical records to help doctors save money by working together. For seniors, the plan closes the notorious Medicare Part D “doughnut hole” that denies drug coverage to those with between $2,700 and $6,100 per year in prescriptions.

Reform will also mean higher-quality care by promoting preventive care so health problems can be addressed before they become crises. This, too, will save money. We’ll be a much healthier country if all patients can receive regular checkups and tests, such as mammograms and diabetes exams, without paying a dime out-of-pocket.

Read the whole disgusting piece at USATODAY – then cancel your subscription to that rag and insist on the Wall Street Journal at your next hotel stay