Health Care: Feel the Fraudulence

Krugman debunks the GOP lies about the health care costs.

Rep. Weiner Offers Amendment Requiring Repeal of Health Care Reform to Be Paid For

When Insurers Put Profits Before People

NYTimes.com: How an insurance company let a teenager die, then spared no expense to save itself.

More Small Businesses Offering Health Care To Employees Thanks To 'Obamacare'

From Forbes we learn:

"The first statistics are coming in and, to the surprise of a great many, Obamacare might just be working to bring health care to working Americans precisely as promised.

The major health insurance companies around the country are reporting a significant increase in small businesses offering health care benefits to their employees.

Why?

Because the tax cut created in the new health care reform law providing small businesses with an incentive to give health benefits to employees is working."

Will Vermont’s Babies Have a Better Chance?

A Little Good News: "As Peter Shumlin was officially sworn in as governor of Vermont, there was and is great hope that at least in one state we may see passage and implementation of a truly universal, single-payer healthcare system."

Death by Budget Cuts: Arizona Governor Slashes Funding for Transplant Program

From Change.org:

For transplant patients in Arizona, the warnings about death panels and health care rationing have come true, but they have nothing to do with health care reform. Instead, a Republican Governor and her allies are standing in the way of patient care, declining requests to reinstate funding for a critical, life-saving program.
Facing state budget problems, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer slashed funding for the state's Medicaid program that covered organ transplants. As a result some patients that were covered by the state and waiting for a transplant were cut from the program effective October 1st, leading to what some doctors are calling "death by budget cuts."

[...]

The $1.4 million cut has had a dramatic impact on the lives of the patients and their families, but it could've been avoided. According to the Sentinel, projects that were funded include a $20 million renovation to a roof of the Arizone Veterans Memorial Coliseum and a $2 million grant for algae research.
Budget cuts have to come from somewhere, but cutting funding from a program that is integral in saving lives and preventing death? Tell Governor Brewer that her cuts to the transplant program were unconscionable and that she should immediately reinstate the $1.4 million in funding.

New CBO Analysis: GOP’s Push For Health Law Repeal Would Increase Deficit By $230 Billion Over 10 Years

From Think Progress we learn some more about what repealing the Affordable Care Act would cost us:

– 32 million Americans will lose coverage compared to current law: “Under H.R. 2, about 32 million fewer nonelderly people would have health insurance in 2019, leaving a total of about 54 million nonelderly people uninsured. The share of legal nonelderly residents with insurance coverage in 2019 would be about 83 percent, compared with a projected share of 94 percent under current law (and 83 percent currently).” (p. 8-9)

– Increases deficit by $230 billion over 10 years: “Consequently, over the 2012–2021 period, the effect of H.R. 2 on federal deficits as a result of changes in direct spending and revenues is likely to be an increase in the vicinity of $230 billion, plus or minus the effects of technical and economic changes to CBO’s and JCT’s projections for that period.” (p. 5)

– Huge deficit increases over next decade: “Correspondingly, CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 2 would increase federal deficits in the decade after 2019 by an amount that is in a broad range around one-half percent of GDP, plus or minus the effects of technical and economic changes that CBO and JCT will include in the forthcoming estimate. For the decade beginning after 2021, the effect of H.R. 2 on federal deficits as a share of the economy would probably be somewhat larger.” (p. 7)

– Individuals would pay more for health insurance: “Although premiums in the individual market would be lower, on average, under H.R. 2 than under current law, many people would end up paying more for health insurance— because under current law, the majority of enrollees purchasing coverage in that market would receive subsidies via the insurance exchanges, and H.R. 2 would eliminate those subsidies.” (p. 9-10)

– Average health care benefits would be worse: “In particular, if H.R. 2 was enacted… the average insurance policy in this market would cover a smaller share of enrollees’ costs for health care and a slightly narrower range of benefits.” (p.9)

– Premiums for employer-sponsored insurance would increase: “Premiums for employment-based coverage obtained through large employers would be slightly higher under H.R. 2 than under current law, reflecting the net impact of many relatively small changes.” (p. 10)

Woolsey introduces ‘Public Option Deficit Reduction Act’

Raw Story:

"On Wednesday, the first day of the 112th Congress, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) introduced a measure to establish a robust public health insurance option as a supplement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The California congresswoman argued the measure would lower insurance costs and address deficit concerns, pointing to a Congressional Budget Office report saying it would cut the deficit by $68 billion."

While the provision -- controversial in Congress but popular among the public -- is extremely unlikely to gain any traction in the Republican-controlled House, it serves to illustrate flaws in GOP's budget-related arguments regarding repeal of the health care law.
Republicans have argued that the health reform law would explode the deficit, but the CBO has said it would do the opposite. The nonpartisan scorekeeper has also said repealing the measure would add $143 billion to the deficit.

A copy of the 17-page bill was provided to Raw Story [.pdf].

What Republicans want to repeal....

Way to go Debbie.....

From Think Progress:

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: The Republicans will take away a 50 percent cut in brand name drugs that seniors got…it will mean that children and in a few years everyone will be dropped or be denied coverage for the pre-existing condition that they might have. It will mean that young adults will no longer be able to stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 26. …. What we’re going to do is put insurance companies and profit-driven decision making back in the driver’s seat, instead of decision making between doctors and their patients.
PRICE: That’s the kind of policy that was rejected on November 2nd.
WASSSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Really? Really? You think that people want insurance companies, Tom. You think that Americans want insurance companies to make decisions about whether or not they get coverage for a pre-existing condition? That is absolutely not what November 2nd was about.

Will Republicans Be Able To Defund Health Reform?

Wonk Room::

"These so-called “mandatory” or “entitlement” programs are permanent and have permanent funding authority. Furthermore, the Department of Health and Human Services has the ability to fund related provisions without seeking additional appropriations from Congress."

Patch Adams, M.D. - Transform 2010 - Mayo Clinic

YouTube - Patch Adams, M.D:

Huckabee aligns with scam artist on ‘Repeal it Now’ anti-health care reform campaign

Florida Independent: "Think Progress has discovered that recent television commercials featuring Florida resident and former Gov. Mike Huckabee rallying viewers to sign a repeal petition against Obama’s health care reform measures are part of a campaign managed by 949 Media Group, a firm run by a notorious scam artist known for bilking struggling homeowners seeking to renegotiate their mortgages.

According to a representative from Restore America’s Voice, a PAC headed by a friend of Huckabee’s, Derek Oberholtzer has been the man behind the group’s campaign since it formed in October."

Incoming Republicans Threaten to Unravel Healthcare Reform ASAP

AlterNet:

"With the 112th Congress set to convene on Wednesday, the new Republican House majority has come out swinging, threatening to un-do key Obama administration victories -- namely healthcare reform -- as soon as possible."

56% of Americans Support the Affordable Healthcare Act. 13% of those, think it should do even more.

The Washington Monthly: "The more important element is that the conventional wisdom, driven in large part by Republican talking points, is deeply flawed. We've been told repeatedly that Americans just don't like the Affordable Care Act because they consider it excessive government overreach and some kind of liberal boondoggle.

But for months we've seen results like those from the CNN poll -- opponents of the health care law don't all agree with the conservative Republican line. On the contrary, only 37% of the country actually endorses the right's line and sees the Affordable Care Act as being 'too liberal.'

So, when you see the top-line results and see that 54% oppose the law, this is not to say that 54% have bought into the right-wing demagoguery and think Republican criticisms have merit. On the contrary, one could look at the same results and say that a 56% majority either support the law or want it to be even more ambitious in a liberal direction.

When Republicans try to gut the Affordable Care Act next year, insisting that the country is with them, it's worth remembering a pesky detail: they're wrong."

Speaker Nancy Pelosi Speaks About Health Reform Before Vote

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