…is the House health reform bill still better than nothing?
I say no, but I’m willing to be shouted down. No, not shouted down, but I’m willing to hear that I’m wrong — except you must present your cogent arguments with handouts and hand puppets.
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Dating Jesus 
I read her article and she has some good ideas. I agree with her conclusion. Even if the Stupak Amendment fails the rest of the bill is still bad legislation.
Sarah K. Weinberg, MD, at the PNHP Blog responds to that question raised at The New Republic.
“I think instead that the insurers’ opposition has been just fierce enough to get them a public option small enough to drown in a bathtub – success beyond their wildest dreams. Because when this public option fails, they (and the Republicans) will say: “See – single-payer health reform doesn’t work!”
Hacker and Archer (and other apologists for HR 3962) are letting their wishful thinking get the better of their common sense. Enough already!”
Goog link there, Leftover, and thank you for that.
This entry at emptywheel seems to suggest the language found in C-14 has survived the House vote. I haven’t been able to verify that, but it’s discouraging.
Well, hell.
As the bill out of the House stands, no, its not good enough. I am sick about it and can only pray (and be reimbursed) that it gets a makeover!! And thanks, Leftover for the links and research.
I don’t think just a small DJ correspondent’s check is sufficient for Leftover’s work. Maybe some scones?
It seems Women’s Rights, having strayed too close to the border separating Neoconservative Right from Neoliberal Wherever, have disappeared into the Wilderness of Healthcare Reform. Reports indicate they are being held at a place known as Pelosi’s Farm by rogue officials lead by one Stupak.
The President, having voiced his concern over the fate of Women’s Rights, has called out The Cavalry.
Can Wild Bill arrive in time to save Women’s Rights from a fate worse than death at the hand of the Stupak Rogues?
Can Wild Bill rescue all the hostages held in the Wilderness of Healthcare Reform, or will he be forced to sacrifice to achieve Victory over the Stupak Rogues?
Can Wild Bill get through lunch without staining his tie with mustard?
Tune in next time for:
Happy Trails!
“Wild Bill Takes a Lunch”
Yep. A correspondent’s check is not nearly enough.
I’m not happy with the House bill but then I was reminded that “we’ve got to do something and fast” when I picked up my mail. My Ob-Gyn physician group sent letters to their patients asking that we write to Aetna because they plan to drop our city’s largest hospital from coverage AND drop any doctor affiliated with that hospital. I had my two children there and wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere else. Imagine a person who is 6 mos into their pregnancy who is now forced to find another doctor because of this?
Something must be done. Aetna is a bully! I lost my original GP thanks to Aetna. I wonder if this plan would do anything to affect situations like this.
It’s probably somewhere in the nearly 2,000 pages — but then again, as Leftover has proven, it might not be.
Aetna probably has more insight as to whats coming down the slippery legislative slope than us.
They may be responding to anticipated legislation requiring them not to drop the hospital or OBGYN’s. What’s the reasoning behind cancellation, if they gave one?
Try contacting a healthcare reporter in the local media and see is they are aware of the action. Ask them if it’s an isolated occurrence or more widespread. Get your friends to call, too.
I hope the OBGYN’s and the hospital have a lawyer. In other areas, emergency court action has stalled such action.
You might try local chapters of Planned Parenthood, NARAL, or NOW to make them aware. (They are recently reinvigorated in the debate.)
Check with PNHP or Mobilization For Healthcare to see if there’s a local network in your area and to make them aware of what’s going on.
Contact any local, state, or national elected official and let them know you’re pissed.
Anything that could get a national spotlight on Aetna’s action might help. One thing insurance companies hate more than a public option is bad PR.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing in the new legislation which does anything to reduce or eliminate the dominance of private industry in our national healthcare system. In fact, more than one analysis I’ve read state the legislation does nothing but further entrench and solidify private industry control over healthcare choices.
This is bad legislation. Top to bottom. Except for insurance companies.
For what it’s worth, I have taken it upon myself to contact a few local newspaper reporters about this.
Thanks, leftover. I got the letter directly from my doctor’s office and they reference a letter that Aetna must have sent out to their hostages…I mean clients. Fortunately, I am no longer with Aetna since our coverage changed with a job change about 6 mos ago. So, I didn’t get that Aetna letter. However, I do plan to voice my opinion on this since Aetna is a major provider and our city’s best hospital, Hartford Hospital, could be severely impacted.
According to the letter, I’ll write to:
Jeff Emerson
Head of Healthcare Management
Aetna, Inc.
151 Farmington Avenue, RC5A
Hartford, CT 06156
or
emersonjd@aetna.com
(in case anyone else wants to write)
It’s really disappointing to hear that the currently proposed legislation will do nothing to improve these situations.
Thanks for the email and snail-mail address, Jac.
Thanks, dj!!
A view of the Christian perspective on the vote in the House Can be found at Salon:
When Congress sells out women.
Frances Kissling, of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, met before the vote with Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-3), who she describes as …”a pro-choice Catholic, … deeply committed to abortion choice as a matter of social justice, but [understanding] how important even a flawed reform bill would be to providing healthcare for low-income working people.”
DeLauro voted “No” on the Stupak Amendment but voted “Yes” on passage of the bill.
I am only one voice, and I can’t claim to speak for any group. But I’m a low income worker. One who could possibly benefit from immediate passage of the bill. If she would have asked me, I would have told her “no, don’t pass it.” The sacrifices are just too great. Even if it was just women getting screwed and not women, children (SCHIP) and old folks, the cost would still be too great.
I can’t honestly think of anybody in my position who would think otherwise. I find it disheartening to think a politician, Democrat and a woman, would believe poor folk would be willing to make that kind of sacrifice. My observations support the view poor folk are much stronger than that.
Defeat is not victory.
Bad legislation is worse than no legislation.
While I generally support DeLauro (she’s a good egg, as we say here in the biz) this was bone-headed. And I appreciate your perspective.
Jac, I work for a College and Aetna is the health insurance for staff and faculty. Aetna is in negotiations with the largest hospital in this capital city and the outcome may be that it will deny the use of the hospital to Aetna subscribers.
My husband carries our insurance but I am sick about this for my coworkers. Americans have become hostages to thugs.
That’s just crappy. Seriously.
Aetna, along with Cigna and Humana, have enjoyed double digit profit increases in the third quarter, (Aetna’s was 18%).
Besides the resources I mentioned in response to Jac, above, you might try contacting Michael Moore’s friend Donna Smith through her blogsite. She has connections in the media. She might be interested.
I haven’t seen anything in the news on Aetna but profit reports.
Excellent idea, Leftover. You’re a fount of blessings, you are.
“Humana”
There’s a joke in one word.
A very sad joke, yes?
According to the letter from my doc’s office, Aetna has claimed that they “will no longer cover services at Hartford Hospital or from Hartford Hospital doctors as of January 1, 2010.”
I’m thinking that this would not only affect Aetna subscribers, but all Hartford Hospital patients. Aetna is a major health insurance provider and so I wonder what it would do to the hospital to take away Aetna patient business? I suppose these negotiations are messy, but I can’t see any good in trying to put that hospital out of business.
It sounds that way, doesn’t it, that this will affect all patients.
I’ve buzzed a couple of acquaintances on the subject. They’re in the industry and might be able to ferret out some information. The question asked first was: Are the hospitals involved “for-profit” enterprises?
“Does it matter?” says I.
“Possibly,” was the response, and we left it there.
Do check back. You are rapidly becoming our Head Correspondent, with commiserate pay, of course.
Just got this note from a friend on the left coast:
In all this healthcare mess being played out before our eyes, the best book I have read is T. R. Reid’s “The Healing of America.” In it he compares the health care systems of the major industrial countries, and not to our advantage.
Tonight PBS is presenting two Frontline shows, one based on his work for this book and the other a look at the US “system.” Reid is also interviewed. The comparative one is on at 9 here [Pacific time], the other at 10 immediately following. If you cannot watch them, they are available online at the Frontline site. I hope you can see them one way or another, for Reid’s work is very clarifying.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/?utm_campaign=homepage&utm_medium=bigimage&utm_source=bigimage
Thank you very much for this, Sister Cynical. I’m going to be watching for Luzer on “The Good Wife,” but I appreciate I can watch this online.
My grandmother had the first hip replacement surgery in Hartford, at that hospital. Must have been in the late 1960s.
She passed away in 1996 at age 98. So, they must have done a good job.
Wonder if I should go in and have my hip replaced, just as a hedge toward a long life…
Wouldn’t be surprised if Hartford Hospital sues Aetna for loss of business.
Oh, interesting…
Jac I forget that we’re in the same city! Yup its Hartford Hospital that is going to take the hit along with its patients. From the info I’m getting here on Campus they are still negotiating. Stinks!!!
I sent the address and info out to some other CT people, and one responded “I got a letter from Aetna stating just that. Not sure if I still have the letter or not but they will no longer be covering Hartford Hospital and its affiliates which I know include Windham Hospital for one.”
Great!
I just sent an email to Jeff Emerson. I hope he get’s lots of complaints and I really hope they change their mind. I mentioned that we are in the midst of choosing our health insurance option for the next year and with this decision we will not be choosing Aetna.
Rock on!
So where does that leave people in CT, I wonder?
I already received a response and they said that Hartford Healthcare (incl Hartford Hospital, Midstate Hospital and Windham Hospital) is seeking a 30% increase over 2 years and they can’t accept that so they are dropping them.
My guess is that there is another side to the story. The sad thing is, the patients will suffer.
This stinks.
I’m feeling less and less like the patients get considered much in any of this.
Another colleague pointed me to a Courant story about Aetna, from Oct. 22:
http://www.courant.com/health/hc-hartford-hospital-aetna-1022.artoct22,0,7337963.story
Commiserate pay, eh? Does that mean tears and sighs?
I couldn’t find that article. What kind of journalist have I turned out to be (don’t answer that). I’ve been funneling emails to a colleague all day and now I think I know why he’s been ignoring me.
Since that article was written, Aetna has told subscribers that coverage will end 1/1 and that patients should find alternatives. It doesn’t sound like they are interested in negotiating… unless notification of the subscribers is just part of the negotiating game. Not nice.
Ah, well, they have the cards. That’s just wrong. I’m not done emailing.
So it’s not a pullout but a breakdown in contract negotiations between the parties.
Most states have some sort of official, commissioner or comptroller, who oversees the action of private insurers within the state. Policy holders concerned about the future of their healthcare choices could contact that office for more information. That happened at my last employer. Blue Cross cancelled after failed negotiations, and some problems adhering to state requirements regarding administration.
The state required Blue Cross to maintain coverage (at then) current policy rates and set some limits on what the hospital could charge, until another insurer could be found. I was hired just as the first signup for the new insurer was taking place.
The new insurer was more expensive, especially for the employer, but provided greater choice, more tiers, that better met the needs of a very diverse workforce.
But once they’ve said they’re pulling out, can negotiations continue, I wonder? We are the Insurance Capital of the World (or we used to be).
I think it depends on state law, the characteristics of the parties, (profit vs. non-profit for example), any federal regulations, etc.
Negotiations between providers and carriers is contentious in good economies. Present economic conditions, and political climate, tend to exacerbate issues, especially between for-profit institutions.
For-profit institutions aren’t going to be able to explain themselves very well, come Judgment Day, I think.
I throw this Gallup poll in the mix
http://www.gallup.com/poll/124202/No-Clear-Mandate-Americans-Healthcare-Reform.aspx
Ooh, interesting. Thanks, Bro. David.