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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,

The Mouth of SauronRobert Gibbs does what he does best,  lies, in yesterday’s press briefing.  

This administration has studied Joseph Goebbels well:

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

And reporter Jake Tapper nails the whole health care issue in his question:

Jake Tapper:

Q A couple questions. I don’t know if you think it’s unfair to say, but it occurs to me that if the President finds himself at a town hall meeting telling the American people that he does not want to set up a panel to kill their grandparents, that perhaps there, at some point, the President has lost control of the message. And I’m wondering if you — if what you’ve seen in the last few weeks is one of the reasons why it was so important to the President earlier this year to pass health care reform in the House and Senate before the August recess. Is everything that’s going on right now what you feared would happen?

The Lies from Robert Gibbs

Q Who decides which of the many applicants for tickets to the town halls is actually chosen?

MR. GIBBS: Randomly by computer.

Q Totally random?

MR. GIBBS: Yes.

Q What about who gets a question?

MR. GIBBS: The President asks people to raise their hands and picks on them.

Q Robert, what do you think accounts for the stark difference in the scenes, though? I mean, we saw — people were very polite with the President yesterday. They are, shall we say, less than polite with some lawmakers you saw –

Maybe Mr. Gibbs never saw THIS VIDEO FROM THE LOCAL TV NEWS CHANNEL.   Watch it and look at all the buses in the video and Organzing Health Care signs.   as the report said about the people in the buses – Surely they will go through strict security – maybe to make sure they were agreeable and properly medicated?!!!!  And there certainly were no plants in the audience this time (unlike the plants in the Annadale town hall, right?

More lies misspoken words from Obama.  Its amazing how hard it is to get the truth out of your mouth every day, isn’t it!

Q I want to go back to the earlier question about the AARP. What he actually said was “AARP would not be endorsing a bill if it was undermining Medicare.” What exactly — how did he — can you explain to me how he misspoke and what he meant to say?

MR. GIBBS: I think, again, what he’s conflating is, one — and I think if you ask AARP this — they have been supportive of comprehensive health care reform for a long time. They have not, as they said, endorsed a specific piece of legislation. They are supportive of health care reform and they are supportive of an agreement that the Finance Committee and pharmaceutical manufacturers have entered into that the White House agrees with that would use $80 billion to partially fill with reduced-price prescription drugs 50 percent of the doughnut hole that seniors fall into at a certain level as part of Medicare Part D, as well as some of that additional money for savings in comprehensive health care reform.

Q But he left the impression, twice, to anyone, at least to me, sitting in the town hall meeting that Medicare — that AARP supported this and he needed it to rebut the questions about Medicare benefits would be cut. So is he going to not do that in future town halls?

MR. GIBBS: Well, the President is going to continue to say the bill doesn’t cut Medicare benefits. I think, again, the President was talking about the agreement structured with the Finance Committee and the pharmaceutical manufacturers.

More lies about the nature of the People Protesting for their FREEDOM. 

MR. GIBBS: Some lawmakers.

Q Some lawmakers, but –

MR. GIBBS: I don’t know that — I’ll be honest with you, Sheryl, I don’t know how many town hall meetings you’ve been to over the summer –

Q I haven’t been to that many, but I’ve watched the clips of a fair number of them.

MR. GIBBS: Right. But let’s just address that for a second. You’ve watched clips put up about certain segments of certain town halls in order to demonstrate the consternation –

Q I’ve watched enough clips to know that President didn’t get that kind of treatment that some lawmakers got –

MR. GIBBS: No, no, I understand.

Q — and I’m just wondering do you think –

MR. GIBBS: I’m just asking you to compare that to all the town halls that you’ve been to over the summer.

Q But aside from that, the President didn’t get that kind of treatment. And I’m wondering, do you think is it just that people are more polite when it comes to talking to the President? Is it something in your — in the way folks are allowed into your meetings, or what’s the difference?

MR. GIBBS: Again, I think, again, I’m sensing your disappointment that he didn’t get yelled at.

Q No, I’m not disappointed, I’m just wondering what the explanation is for it.

MR. GIBBS: I think people wanted to — I think what the — I can’t speak to what — again, I don’t want to speak to what other town hall meetings because I only go to the President’s. It’s hard for me to — I doubt we’re seeing a representative sample of any series of town hall meetings, despite the food fight on cable every day.

But my sense is that people wanted to take the opportunity to find out from the President — to have him answer their questions about why he’s doing what he’s doing, and the concerns they may have on the legislation. That’s why when he asked, let’s take some questions from those directly that have some concerns, at that point I think — do you want to take that opportunity to have a discussion with the President of the United States about what he wants to see on health care reform? I think most people took that opportunity as something that was positive. I think it was a good conversation. I think the President thought it was a very productive conversation about the issues that we were dealing with.

And as Jake said, we — the President went out of his way to bring up, in fact, some of the misinformation that churns out there in order to address it, because I think obviously he understands he has a pulpit that is large enough to deal with some of the misinformation that some people might not ordinarily ask or inquire about because they’ve read it somewhere and they just assume that it’s true, even if it’s not.

Well – we can at least agree the President brought up some misinformation.  That’s for sure.

Cassandra Effect

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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, 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.

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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!