Okay, here is myth #2 for your viewing pleasure!
Myth#2
People who are in the U.S. illegally would get government health care.
Fact
The page most mythmakers cite as definitive proof that illegal immigrants would get government health care is on page 50 of H.R. 3200. Page 50 states, “SEC. 152. PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION IN HEALTH CARE. (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise explicitly permitted by this Act and by subsequent regulations consistent with this Act, all health care and related services (including insurance coverage and public health activities) covered by this Act shall be provided without regard to personal characteristics extraneous to the provision of high quality health care or related services.”
The only place in the bill that mentions anything remotely related to illegal immigrants is where the bill talks about immigration status on page 132, which states “SEC. 242. AFFORDABLE CREDIT ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL. (a) DEFINITION.—(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this division, the term ‘‘affordable credit eligible individual’’ means, subject to subsection (b), an individual who is lawfully present in a State in the United States (other than as a nonimmigrant described in a subparagraph (excluding subparagraphs (K), (T), (U), and (V)) of section 101(a)(15) of the Immigration and Nationality Act). ’’ That’s it, the only place.
If you scroll down to page 143, you will find that it states “SEC. 246. NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS. Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.”
Type in “illegal immigrant” or “illegal alien” in the “find” box. Nothing will come up. Type in “undocumented aliens.” The only references are on page 7 (indicating where in the text section 246 is) and page 143. Here is the link to H.R. 3200: http://peters.house.gov/uploads/HR3200%20Full%20Text.pdf
Is it true that illegal immigrants might be able to get health insurance under health care reform? Yes, just as they do now by purchasing health insurance. It is not a new provision or even one that has been added to H.R. 3200. Here is what politifact.com had to say about it: “The best argument that we find that health reform would help illegal immigrants is that some might be able to purchase the public option — if it passes, and it might not — on the new health insurance exchange. They would purchase that at full cost… That's similar to the current system — we're not aware of any particular restrictions that stop illegal immigrants from buying private insurance now. Under health care reform, illegal immigrants would be able to buy private insurance or the public option.”
Is it true that illegal immigrants get health care in the United States? Yes it is. Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, hospitals have to treat people who are brought in for emergencies regardless of their ability to pay or immigration status.
I have a question: Would you rather illegal immigrants be able to purchase their health insurance, thereby paying money out of pocket, or would you rather not let them have this option? Without the option, we all pay because, by federal law, they are entitled to emergency room services even if they cannot pay. Hospitals can get reimbursed through Medicaid but that doesn’t mean they do get reimbursed.
Check out politifact.com, factcheck.org, kff.org, cms.hhs.gov (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), and http://www.khou.com/news/local/politics/stories/khou090827_mp_illegal-immigrants-health-care-refor.121de3a0b.html.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
"Mad as Hell Doctors"
This is a Web site for the "mad as hell doctors." The byline is "this fall, the rubber gloves meet the road."
It is a group of Oregon doctors who are heading to Washington, D.C., with their message of universal health care. They're travelling in an rv, and plan to arrive in D.C. on Sept. 30.
Hear What Some Dayton Doctors Say About Health Care Reform
Here are a clip and a newspaper article about a forum held in Centerville, Ohio, on Sept. 15, 2009, sponsored by the Dayton group of Doctors for America. They support health care reform.
http://abc.daytonsnewssource.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/wkef_vid_2858.shtml
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/area-physicians-group-gives-its-take-on-health-care-reform-300896.html
http://abc.daytonsnewssource.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/wkef_vid_2858.shtml
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/area-physicians-group-gives-its-take-on-health-care-reform-300896.html
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Dispelling the Six Most Prevalent Myths Regarding Health Care Reform, 1 Myth at a Time
So that you may disagree or agree with me with real information on your side and mine, I have provided the sources for dispelling these myths. However, I would suggest that everyone read H.R. 3200 and other sources for her/himself and stop perpetuating the misinformation. I would also suggest that people read reputable sites and not depend upon one slanted viewpoint. It adds nothing to the discourse.
Myth #1
The health care bill would set up government death panels.
Fact
This one just keeps going and going and going like the Energizer bunny, yet it's been debunked from many quarters. In section 1233 of H.R. 3200, the provision is to allow doctors to bill Medicare for their consultations with patients regarding end-of-life care and decisions. As it stands now, Medicare does not cover this. It's as simple as that. There are NO death panels (p. 424-425 of the house bill on peters.house.gov; or, scroll down to section 1233 on thomas.loc.gov). Conservative firebrand Dick Morris even stated on Sean Hannity's talk show on Fox on August 17, 2009, that there are no death panel provisions in the bill. Many sources have addressed this myth. Check out cbsnews.com, opencongress.org, aarp.org, nchc.org, mediamatters.org, abcnews.go.com, to name a few sites you can peruse to see for yourself.
Myth #1
The health care bill would set up government death panels.
Fact
This one just keeps going and going and going like the Energizer bunny, yet it's been debunked from many quarters. In section 1233 of H.R. 3200, the provision is to allow doctors to bill Medicare for their consultations with patients regarding end-of-life care and decisions. As it stands now, Medicare does not cover this. It's as simple as that. There are NO death panels (p. 424-425 of the house bill on peters.house.gov; or, scroll down to section 1233 on thomas.loc.gov). Conservative firebrand Dick Morris even stated on Sean Hannity's talk show on Fox on August 17, 2009, that there are no death panel provisions in the bill. Many sources have addressed this myth. Check out cbsnews.com, opencongress.org, aarp.org, nchc.org, mediamatters.org, abcnews.go.com, to name a few sites you can peruse to see for yourself.
Friday, September 25, 2009
A 22-Year-Old Dies in Ohio from Swine Flu--She Had No Health Insurance
I just came across this. The story is about a young woman who recently graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She caught the swine flu but had no health insurance so she put off seeing a doctor. She died.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/25/swineflu-boehner-constituent/
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/25/swineflu-boehner-constituent/
Just Had to Post This
I know in my last post I said my next one would be on Medicare recipients wanting the government out of it, but I saw this and felt compelled to post it. It just shows how out of it many of our lawmakers are. They should be ashamed.
It is Sen. Kyl of Arizona.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/25/stabenow-kyl-maternity/
It is Sen. Kyl of Arizona.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/25/stabenow-kyl-maternity/
A Word About. . .Words
I love words. I love looking up the etymology of them. I find it fascinating, so I was just thinking about a number of words that are being bandied about regarding President Obama's vision for health care reform. I really wish that people using these words understood what they mean as too many people I've heard invoking them are using them incorrectly. I would just like to provide some definitions as a public service!!
Words can be used to promote positive change, and they can also be used to control and deceive people. The words I'll be discussing are being used by some people to deceive. Let us not be sucked into their deception but rise above it by having knowledge of what these terms really mean. In explaining the terms, I'm using a number of books I have on concepts in cultural theory, concepts in sociology, and concepts in philosophy. So, let's get started!
Fascism: Protester's sign--"No Health Care Reform! President Obama is a Fascist!" When I first heard someone say this, I had a number of reactions, one of which was bemusement followed by amusement. Did you know that part of the political philosophy of the fascists was racial purity?? Think about it--Barack Obama, a biracial man, as a fascist advocating racial purity?!! Another aspect of it was its denunciation of liberalism. Interesting. Yet another aspect of fascism was its intense hatred, yes hatred, of communism. One last point about fascism that you might find interesting--social support for fascism came from the military and the middle-class. Interesting indeed! Hm, President Obama as a liberal and a fascist.
Socialism: Protester's sign--"No Health Care Reform! President Obama Advocates Socialism and He's a Fascist!" As a political theory, socialism actually has equality as its most basic ideal. Socialists believed that it was to everyone's benefit to wrest the control and means of production from the few who owned the resources, and redistribute the control and means of production for the general welfare of the population. Socialists, however, disagreed as to who should control the means of production in a socialist society. "Socialists are particularly opposed to the individualism of liberal capitalist society." (Edgar, A., & Sedgwick, P. (Eds.). (1999). Key concepts in cultural theory. London: Routledge.) Hm, so President Obama is a liberal, fascist, socialist, capitalist individualist. Very interesting.
Communism: Protester's sign--"No Health Care Reform! President Obama is a Socialist Fascist Who Advocates Communism!" Communism reflects the belief that there should be no social division of classes, no ownership of property (private), and no divisions within the labor force. Communism rejects the premise of individual liberty and rights and liberalism, and believes it is the collective conscience of a people that is important. So, President Obama is a liberal, fascist, socialist, capitalist, communist individualist. Makes one's head spin!
Now for something else to think about: Many people who are shouting out their resistance to health care reform are saying that they don't want the government to run health care because the government shouldn't be in control of things like that. It should be privately run because the government doesn't do a good job of running institutions.
One question then for these naysayers: Do you want the military to be privately run? Seems to me like the government has been doing a fairly good job of running it for a couple of hundred years.
Using today's topic as a segue, my next post will address those people who have been shouting "Keep the government out of my Medicare!"
Words can be used to promote positive change, and they can also be used to control and deceive people. The words I'll be discussing are being used by some people to deceive. Let us not be sucked into their deception but rise above it by having knowledge of what these terms really mean. In explaining the terms, I'm using a number of books I have on concepts in cultural theory, concepts in sociology, and concepts in philosophy. So, let's get started!
Fascism: Protester's sign--"No Health Care Reform! President Obama is a Fascist!" When I first heard someone say this, I had a number of reactions, one of which was bemusement followed by amusement. Did you know that part of the political philosophy of the fascists was racial purity?? Think about it--Barack Obama, a biracial man, as a fascist advocating racial purity?!! Another aspect of it was its denunciation of liberalism. Interesting. Yet another aspect of fascism was its intense hatred, yes hatred, of communism. One last point about fascism that you might find interesting--social support for fascism came from the military and the middle-class. Interesting indeed! Hm, President Obama as a liberal and a fascist.
Socialism: Protester's sign--"No Health Care Reform! President Obama Advocates Socialism and He's a Fascist!" As a political theory, socialism actually has equality as its most basic ideal. Socialists believed that it was to everyone's benefit to wrest the control and means of production from the few who owned the resources, and redistribute the control and means of production for the general welfare of the population. Socialists, however, disagreed as to who should control the means of production in a socialist society. "Socialists are particularly opposed to the individualism of liberal capitalist society." (Edgar, A., & Sedgwick, P. (Eds.). (1999). Key concepts in cultural theory. London: Routledge.) Hm, so President Obama is a liberal, fascist, socialist, capitalist individualist. Very interesting.
Communism: Protester's sign--"No Health Care Reform! President Obama is a Socialist Fascist Who Advocates Communism!" Communism reflects the belief that there should be no social division of classes, no ownership of property (private), and no divisions within the labor force. Communism rejects the premise of individual liberty and rights and liberalism, and believes it is the collective conscience of a people that is important. So, President Obama is a liberal, fascist, socialist, capitalist, communist individualist. Makes one's head spin!
Now for something else to think about: Many people who are shouting out their resistance to health care reform are saying that they don't want the government to run health care because the government shouldn't be in control of things like that. It should be privately run because the government doesn't do a good job of running institutions.
One question then for these naysayers: Do you want the military to be privately run? Seems to me like the government has been doing a fairly good job of running it for a couple of hundred years.
Using today's topic as a segue, my next post will address those people who have been shouting "Keep the government out of my Medicare!"
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Introduction to the Helthe Cearu Reform Blog
Introduction
You may be wondering what "helthe cearu" means. I have chosen to write my Business Organizations course blog on health care reform in the United States. It seemed a bit boring to just title it "Health Care Reform," so I looked up the etymology of the words health and care. The words "helthe" and "cearu" are Middle English and Old English respectively. Interestingly, helthe is derived from the word "whole."
Why Health Care Reform
I chose this topic as it is front and center in public discourse in our country. We all need health care, and we have all benefitted from it. Having access to health care affects us all in one way or another. It also affects businesses, from sole proprietorships to multi-national corporations.
A number of years ago, I took two college courses that had a profound affect on my outlook on capitalism and general economics. One of these was a social philosophy course, Social Justice and Economic Distribution. Probably the most salient point I took away from this course was how equal access to quality education and health care were of paramount importance to having a productive society. The other course was a graduate course in economics that combined micro- and macroeconomics. I basically came away from this course with the same message as the social philosophy course.
What is startling to me about these two courses and the way in which they were taught is that the instructors could not have been more different. Not surprisingly, the social philosophy professor was an avowed Marxist. The economics professor was a conservative South Carolinian, but his message was the same as the Marxist's. The message that an educated and healthy society is a productive society has stayed with me all these years.
My Experiences with Health Care
I have had a couple of experiences that make me somewhat wary of for-profit health care businesses. In the late 1980s, I worked for a health maintenance organization in California (which shall remain nameless), in the accounts receivable department. I maintained many accounts for large and small companies in the Los Angeles area. I knew how much each company paid per employee per premium, and I knew exactly how much coverage each company bought for their employees. I also knew how much each employee had to pay for her health coverage. In thinking about all of this, I was struck by how different each policy was. The larger companies usually paid less per premium than the smaller companies. In this mix, I also was privy to how much it cost my company for each policy, and the company was making a nice profit.
While working for this same company, I was horrified to learn that the people making the initial decisions as to approval/denial of a procedure had no medical experience. Let me repeat that--the people making the initial determination of approval or denial of a medical procedure had no medical training. These front-line clerks made more money than those of us in receivables, and we all planned to eventually move into these positions as they became available.
Another rather unsettling job I had was as an account supervisor for a supposedly non-profit pharmaceutical development center affiliated with a medical college. Again, I will not reveal the name of this outfit. The center made clinical trial drugs for major pharmaceutical companies. As the account supervisor, I knew how much money it cost us to develop these drugs, and I knew how much we billed the drug companies. When I questioned my boss about the discrepancy between these two matters, he told me that because drug companies made such a profit, it was no big deal to charge them what we did. I had more of a conscience than he did, but I was also concerned about compliance issues--we were non-profit after all.
A different experience of mine has to do with utilizing the VA health care system. I am a veteran, and I have used the VA extensively, both in California and now in Ohio. Once the VA changed to a managed care model, I have had nothing but praise for the care I have received. I have never had my care rationed at the VA, and though it is a gargantuan system, I have been more than satisfied with the way in which it has been run.
So, this is my introduction to my blog. I will be posting items from a myriad of Web sites, conservative and liberal and non-partisan.
You may be wondering what "helthe cearu" means. I have chosen to write my Business Organizations course blog on health care reform in the United States. It seemed a bit boring to just title it "Health Care Reform," so I looked up the etymology of the words health and care. The words "helthe" and "cearu" are Middle English and Old English respectively. Interestingly, helthe is derived from the word "whole."
Why Health Care Reform
I chose this topic as it is front and center in public discourse in our country. We all need health care, and we have all benefitted from it. Having access to health care affects us all in one way or another. It also affects businesses, from sole proprietorships to multi-national corporations.
A number of years ago, I took two college courses that had a profound affect on my outlook on capitalism and general economics. One of these was a social philosophy course, Social Justice and Economic Distribution. Probably the most salient point I took away from this course was how equal access to quality education and health care were of paramount importance to having a productive society. The other course was a graduate course in economics that combined micro- and macroeconomics. I basically came away from this course with the same message as the social philosophy course.
What is startling to me about these two courses and the way in which they were taught is that the instructors could not have been more different. Not surprisingly, the social philosophy professor was an avowed Marxist. The economics professor was a conservative South Carolinian, but his message was the same as the Marxist's. The message that an educated and healthy society is a productive society has stayed with me all these years.
My Experiences with Health Care
I have had a couple of experiences that make me somewhat wary of for-profit health care businesses. In the late 1980s, I worked for a health maintenance organization in California (which shall remain nameless), in the accounts receivable department. I maintained many accounts for large and small companies in the Los Angeles area. I knew how much each company paid per employee per premium, and I knew exactly how much coverage each company bought for their employees. I also knew how much each employee had to pay for her health coverage. In thinking about all of this, I was struck by how different each policy was. The larger companies usually paid less per premium than the smaller companies. In this mix, I also was privy to how much it cost my company for each policy, and the company was making a nice profit.
While working for this same company, I was horrified to learn that the people making the initial decisions as to approval/denial of a procedure had no medical experience. Let me repeat that--the people making the initial determination of approval or denial of a medical procedure had no medical training. These front-line clerks made more money than those of us in receivables, and we all planned to eventually move into these positions as they became available.
Another rather unsettling job I had was as an account supervisor for a supposedly non-profit pharmaceutical development center affiliated with a medical college. Again, I will not reveal the name of this outfit. The center made clinical trial drugs for major pharmaceutical companies. As the account supervisor, I knew how much money it cost us to develop these drugs, and I knew how much we billed the drug companies. When I questioned my boss about the discrepancy between these two matters, he told me that because drug companies made such a profit, it was no big deal to charge them what we did. I had more of a conscience than he did, but I was also concerned about compliance issues--we were non-profit after all.
A different experience of mine has to do with utilizing the VA health care system. I am a veteran, and I have used the VA extensively, both in California and now in Ohio. Once the VA changed to a managed care model, I have had nothing but praise for the care I have received. I have never had my care rationed at the VA, and though it is a gargantuan system, I have been more than satisfied with the way in which it has been run.
So, this is my introduction to my blog. I will be posting items from a myriad of Web sites, conservative and liberal and non-partisan.
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