Yesterday, professionals in D.C. got more than a sandwich from Cosi for their lunch break. They inadvertently stumbled upon an opportunity to witness the Skullmobile,  a vehicle plastered with pro-reform signs accompanied by a giant inflatable skull attached to the roof (affectionately referred to as “Skully”). As the Skullmobile made its way through high-heel clad pedestrian and noontime traffic, Skully, with “Big Insurance Kills” stamped across its forehead, reminded all that health care reform can’t wait, despite congressional delays and compromises.

Skullmobile’s route was strategically planned around the locations of the swanky federal affairs offices of insurance companies like Cigna, United Healthcare, and America’s Health Insurance Plans. AHIP, the lobbying arm of the insurance industry as well as an enemy of comprehensive health care reform, hosted a conference last week at the Capitol Hilton where Karen Ignani refused to meet with seven individuals who had been mistreated and denied care by their insurance companies. Today, however, advocates of the public option shouted up to their high-rise offices, reminding them that insurance company greed is denying tens of thousands of Americans access to quality health care. A for-profit company has its shareholders in its best interests, which means the insurance companies’ money making agenda does not include extending care to those who need it the most.

Skully is a symbol of why we need health care reform, a reminder of the millions of people who have died as a result of inadequate coverage, denied claims, and insurance company greed. Still, the message needs to continue to be pushed hard, loud, and clear: Insurance companies get in the way of quality, affordable health care. Let’s continue to push this message and push for sustainable and affordable health care reform now.

A group calling itself Billionaires for Wealthcare engaged in a bit of political theater at the recent conference sponsored by America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). AHIP, which is the lobbying arm of the insurance industry, has been at the forefront of efforts to oppose quality, affordable health care reform with a public option.

Photo: Seattle Public Library

This is about a month old, but this gem puts recent conservative outrage about publicly financed programs that benefit all of us into a comedic perspective.

Article originally published in the San Fransisco Chronicle.

The menace of the public option

M.C. Blakeman

Of all the current assaults on our noble republic, perhaps none is more dangerous than the public option - specifically, the public library option.

For far too long, this menace has undermined the very foundations of our economy. While companies like Amazon and Barnes & Noble struggle valiantly each day to sell books, these communistic cabals known as libraries undercut the hard work of good corporate citizens by letting people read their books for free. How is the private sector supposed to compete with free? And just what does this public option give us? People can spend hours and hours in these dens of socialism without having to buy so much as a cappuccino. Furthermore, not only can anyone read books for free in the library, they can take them home, too. They get a simple card that can be used at any library in town. No checking on the previous condition of books they’ve read. No literacy test. Nothing. Yet, do these libertines of literature let you choose any book you want, anytime you want it? No. Have you ever tried to get the latest best-seller at a public library? They put you on a waiting list for that, my friend. And if you do ask these government apparatchiks a question about a book, they start talking your ear off, and pretty soon they’re telling you what to read.

Of course, if you break one of their petty rules and return a book late, you have to pay fines that mount grotesquely each day. Even if you die, your overdue fees keep piling up. Is that not a death tax? How long must the elderly live in fear of burdening their children with these unfair sanctions on their estates?

Don’t be fooled for a minute. Somebody has to pay for these “free” libraries, and I’ll tell you who it is, pal. Those good ol’ suckers, the American taxpayers, that’s who.

Have you ever wondered who’s really behind this public library option? And don’t you think it’s fishy that they mask their nefarious activities with benign-sounding names, like Friends of the Library? What’s their real agenda - and why do they have so many “volunteer” meetings, anyway?

No, my fellow Americans. We cannot wait until we’re all goose-stepped into a massive book checkout line. This assault on capitalism and our very way of life has got to end. Be subversive … burn your library card! Go out and buy a book!

Photo of Seattle Public Library courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/75905404@N00/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Originally posted at the Ellsworth County Independent/Reporter

Friday, October 23, 2009

By MATT HOLLAND

Let’s suppose you are a typical family and you’re managing your monthly budget. The average American family spends $1,100 on housing, $600 on transportation, $450 on food, and $200 on health care.

And let’s say on top of these typical expenses you’re paying $1,400 to maintain the Army tank you keep in your back yard. You don’t really need the tank. You never drive the tank. And the $16,800 you’re paying a year to maintain the tank you don’t need and never drive is sapping your family’s financial future, threatening everything from your ability to pay for your children’s college education, to meeting health care expenses, to saving for the future.

Welcome to the federal budget. This year, of the money that Congress and the president choose to spend—often called the discretionary budget—just over half, or about $693 billion, will go to the military. By comparison, $59 billion will be spent on education; $50 billion on children’s health insurance; and $8 billion on the Environmental Protection Agency. And the $693 billion on military spending doesn’t even include money spent on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Our military spending dwarfs that of Russia, which is no longer a Cold War rival. And it squashes the military budget of China, which is now a major trading partner. In fact, our military budget is equal to the combined military budgets of the next 15 countries behind us.

To be sure, unlike that tank in your back yard, a lot of this spending is necessary. We live in a dangerous era and there are those who would do us harm. And we have responsibilities to allies around the world. But to quote former President Dwight Eisenhower, the former Supreme Allied Commander of World War II: We must not pay one cent more for defense than we have to.

But what constitutes wasteful Pentagon spending? Here are some prime—and expensive—examples:

The F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet. The Air Force itself no longer favors continued production of the F-22, and both President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates oppose it. The jet was designed for defense against the old Soviet Union, but has never flown in combat. Each jet costs $339 million.

Missile defense. We’ve spent $150 billion on missile defense since former President Ronald Reagan gave his famous “Star Wars” defense speech. Technology has changed since then, and the types of systems we’ve been developing don’t work. Rather than throw good money after bad, we should invest in research to determine whether missile defense is even feasible and if so, what kinds of systems should be developed.

The C-17 cargo plane. We already have 205 C-17 cargo planes available or on order. This program was scheduled to end in 2009, but was continued after intense lobbying by Boeing, the manufacturer. Just this month, Congressional leaders authorized $2.5 billion for eight more.

This is only the tip of the iceberg—we’re spending billions and billions of dollars every year on unnecessary and obsolete weapons systems that do nothing to make our nation more secure, yet saddle generations to come with mountains of debt.

Why? Campaign largesse. The 18 lawmakers who serve on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense last year inserted more than $335 million in earmarks into the defense spending bill on behalf of their campaign contributors. Those contributors donated $1.3 million to members who sponsored their earmarks.

The good news is we now have a president and a defense secretary who are willing to stand up to unscrupulous defense contractors and those who would do their bidding. Obama and Gates have brought common sense to military spending, proposing the elimination of programs that don’t work or are obsolete and allocating resources to adapt to modern welfare.

This fresh approach will free up resources for other areas of the budget, such as health care, education, energy independence, and various urgent needs. It’s time we demand that Congress act responsibility and trim the pork from the military budget.

Matt Holland is director of TrueMajority.org, the online department of USAction.

Earlier today, more than 600 people gathered in Washington, DC to show their support for seven people from around the country who have been harmed by the insurance industry at the annual State Issues Conference of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the lobbying arm of the insurance industry. These people have bravely told their stories about denial of care and mistreatment from the insurance companies. Yesterday, the seven families sent an open letter to AHIP President Karen Ignagni, demanding a meeting with her so they could explain the harm the insurance companies have done to them and their families.

The seven brave representatives include:

• Kelly Arellanes, an AT&T worker from Arkansas, who was in a coma for three weeks after a 2004 horseback riding accident. Kelly and her husband had to pay more than $200,000 in medical bills when Kelly’s emergency surgery was not covered by UnitedHealthcare.
• Sharon Lantz, a realtor from Delaware, whose UnitedHealthcare plan forces her to pay for her cancer care “out of pocket,” requiring her to get chemotherapy medication from India (in order to afford it). Sharon cannot afford breast reconstruction.
• Courtney Jenkins-Atnip, a mother of a toddler from Tennessee, who was denied medication for Crohn’s disease by UnitedHealthcare, which had approved the same medication 12 months earlier. By the time coverage was reinstated, Courtney’s condition had deteriorated, and she was forced to undergo serious surgery and miss work for 2 months.
• Kevin Scott has a brain tumor and his MRIs, lab work, and treatment for side effects (like skin problems) are not covered through his BCBS Anthem plan, which he retains through COBRA. When Kevin got sick, he left a good job in Virginia and moved in with his retired parents in California who are trying to help pay bills that are now in the thousands and going up.
• Stephanie Beck Borden of Ohio whose parents were in an accident that left her mother dead and her father in intensive care for 5 weeks. Stephanie had to battle insurance companies constantly to get her father vital treatments for his injuries so that he could walk again.
• Georgeanne Koehler of Pennsylvania whose brother died of a heart attack in March after CIGNA and others refused to insure him because he had heart arrhythmia (an irregular heart beat).
• Ian Pearl of Florida, who was born with muscular dystrophy, suffered respiratory arrest in 1991. He went on a ventilator and saw his premiums rise to $3,736/month. In 2006, Guardian began an effort to get rid of unprofitable plans, calling the claimants “dogs” and dropping all policies like Ian’s. Ian will lose coverage for the 24-hour care that keeps him alive on Dec. 1, 2009, and his family faces $700,000/yr. in out-of-pocket costs. Ian could not travel, so his mother Susan Pearl came to DC on his behalf.

While hundreds of protesters gathered outside the conference site with signs and personalized stickers in honor of those who have been harmed by the insurance industry, the press conference inside provided a venue for the seven people harmed by the industry to tell their stories and urge Ms. Ignagni to meet with them and discuss how their claims have been tossed aside; however she could not be bothered. This should not surprise anyone: the health industry is denying necessary care for these people and millions of other Americans for the same reason AHIP is lobbying against the public health insurance option: they are driven by profits rather than the health of the customers. Contrary to their assertions, AHIP cares nothing about “working together to improve health care;” their only motive is filling their deep pockets and it’s a wonder how these people can sleep at night. As Ross wrote yesterday, the health insurance industry is on the wrong side of health care reform and are doing all they can to stop meaningful health care reform.

It was amazing to see democracy at work with hundreds of activists united by a powerful message and showing their support for victims of the insurance industry.

Today America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the lobbying arm of the insurance companies, comes to Washington, DC for a conference just as they have elevated themselves as the chief opponent of meaningful health care reform. And you can join a huge action happening tomorrow outside the AHIP conference.

We are planning to have hundreds of people from labor, community and online groups join seven people who have been harmed by the insurance industry to march in support of quality, affordable healthcare. The health insurance industry has been spending more than a million dollars a day since July, so we must show that grassroots power can overcome big lobby money to win victories that benefit people and not profits in our nation’s Capital.

As AHIP conspires to stifle reform, gut any regulation and to further profit from Americans seeking health care, you can voice your support for comprehensive health care reform with a public option on Thursday afternoon just outside their conference at the Capital Hilton. We’ll meet at the AFL-CIO headquarters at  815 16th St., NW, at 2:30 p.m. and march to the Capital Hilton. You can RSVP to attend here.

On Twitter and want to help spread the word? Tweet this:

rt @USAction In DC today? Upset w/ big insurance abuses? Rally w/ those harmed by the insurance industry! http://bit.ly/2jNLCU #p2 #hcr

Our friends over at the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) launched a new public awareness campaign yesterday entitled Being a Woman Is Not a Pre-Existing Condition aimed at educating women about health care disparities in coverage and encouraging them to contact their members of Congress to take action on these issues.

In a recent report, Still Nowhere to Turn: Insurance Companies Treat Women Like a Pre-Existing Condition, the Law Center highlighted inequalities women face in the health care system, including gender rating of premiums and being denied coverage due to preexisting conditions, such as having had a C-section and surviving domestic violence.

Quality, affordable health care for all requires meeting the needs of everyone in society and with the launch of their new campaign, the National Women’s Law Center is making sure women have a seat at the table. Check out more information at http://awomanisnotapreexistingcondition.com/.

Meet Melanie Shouse. A few years ago, Melanie was living the American dream when she transformed an old Dominos storefront into an expansion of her home business. But just as the store was opening, Melanie was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer and given months to live.

Melanie had insurance, and she went straight to the experts at Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis. Working with the world-renowned doctors there, she’s beaten the odds and stayed healthy for years. But now her insurance company, a subsidiary of WellPoint, is refusing to pay for the medication her doctors recommend.

So Melanie got mad. And last week Melanie went to WellPoint’s local office in St. Louis to confront CEO Angela Braly - who makes almost $10 million a year in salary and stock benefits, but defends dropping people like Melanie’s insurance when they get sick.

Can you back her up by signing our petition?

USAction calls on Senate Majority Leader Reid and his colleagues to make good on the promise of quality, affordable health care for all Americans, with a strong national public health insurance option.

“We are pleased that the process is moving forward and that Majority Leader Reid and his colleagues will have an opportunity to vastly improve this legislation,” USAction Program Director Alan Charney said. “The foundation of health care reform must be built upon a public health insurance option and measures to make health care more affordable.”

Charney said the legislation voted out of the Senate Finance Committee yesterday is unacceptable as a final reform bill for five reasons:

• It lets employers off the hook. The Senate should adopt the HELP Committee’s requirement that employers who have 25 or more employees should pay a reasonable share of their employees’ health coverage.
• It is unaffordable, particularly for those who do not get health insurance through their employer or are unemployed. It will require the typical family to pay thousands of dollars more each year just to maintain their coverage. The Senate should adopt the affordability credits and benefits package in the HELP bill.
• It lacks a public option. The Senate HELP bill gives consumers the choice of a public option so that they are not left at the mercy of private insurance company’s high prices and bad practices. Even worse, the Finance Committee bill requires consumers to buy insurance from private companies.
• It is not inclusive. The Senate Finance bill does not cover many immigrants and it does not fully fund reproductive health care.
• It raises revenue the wrong way. The Senate Finance bill taxes higher-cost health care benefits, which would hurt many middle-income families. Instead of this approach, the Senate should raise needed revenue to pay for quality, affordable health care by taxing the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans.

It is imperative that these changes be made in the merged bill. This will get us one step closer to quality, affordable health care for all.