All You Need To Know

It's 8:55pm, and I am still at work.

That should explain why I didn't get the chance to post today.

I promise I'll try harder to be clever yet informative tomorrow.

It's Official

Max Baucus sucks.*

Twice now he's said he supports the concept behind the public health insurance option but is voting against it because he doesn't see how it would get 60 votes on the floor.

Does he not know he is one of the 60?

Here is how we ended up today. Schumer:

10 Yes
13 No

Champions: Rockefeller, Bingaman, Kerry, Cantwell, Wyden, Schumer, Menendez, Stabenow, Nelson, and Carper.

Rockefeller:

8 Yes
15 No

Champions: Rockefeller, Bingaman, Kerry, Cantwell, Wyden, Schumer, Menendez, and Stabenow.


*(This very strong personal opinion reflects that of me and not that of the entire HCAN coalition - as far as I know.)

Premature Speculation

CNN's banner screams "Breaking News: Public Option Plan Fails."

Truth? The Rockefeller public health insurance option amendment lost on an 8 to 15 vote. The good guys: Rockefeller, Bingaman, Kerry, Cantwell, Wyden, Schumer, Menendez, and Stabenow. The bad guys: All the Republicans and Conrad, Lincoln, Nelson, Carper, and Baucus - who believes in the "concept" of the public health insurance option but shows such great leadership by voting against it.

Nice going, Max.

The Schumer amendment is still on the table, and Schumer is saying as I type, "We are going to keep at this and at this and at this until we succeed because we believe in it so strongly."

The 8 on Rockefeller was expected. Let's see how we do on Schumer. I'm optimistic. Again, we won't get all 13, but we could still pick up a vote or two.

Today's Rockstars

So far? Senators Rockefeller, Schumer, Cantwell, and Kerry have blown me away.

It's the first time I've been proud of this many members of Congress at the same time in a while.

Correcting The Record

As you watch Senate Finance, some information to keep in mind:

Will doctors have to take public option patients under the Rockefeller amendment?

NO. After the first two years, doctors are not required to take patients in the new public health insurance option. Truth is, doctors are never "required" to take patients, but they would have to "participate" in the public health insurance option for two years.

Are Medicare rates reasonable?

YES. According to MEDPAC (whose authority the Committee, including Senator Conrad, voted to increase), Medicare pays hospitals around the country a reasonable amount. MEDPAC says that rates cover the cost of efficient providers providing quality care.

And as to the impact of the public health insurance option in North Dakota:

CBO projections of the total public health insurance option enrollment is 6 million people after several years. That would mean about 12,500 people in North Dakota. There are now 106,000 Medicare beneficiaries in North Dakota.

And will the public option take over the system?

CBO says the public health insurance option will have 6.2 million people after 10 years.

Happy Public Health Insurance Option Amendment(s) Day

The Senate Finance Committee markup kicks off again in less than 10 minutes, and if you're interested, you can watch it on C-SPAN online. We expect votes today on the Rockefeller and Schumer public health insurance option amendments. Remember, we probably won't win the amendments, but we will get at least 7 or 8 solid votes.

And as we go into the day of media spin, the press would be smart to keep the following from Media Matters Action Network in mind:

More Americans Believe In UFOs Than Oppose A Public Option

More Americans believe in UFOs (34%) than oppose a public option (26%). The debate is over.

The Truth Is Out There

As health insurance reform makes its way through congress, it's easy to observe the partisan fighting in Washington and believe the country is deeply divided over a "public option."

Luckily, that is not the case. Americans love choices. They want the opportunity to choose to purchase a public health insurance plan.

A recent New York Times/CBS News poll found that 65% favored a public option, with only 26% opposed to it.

To put that number in perspective: a 2007 Associated Press/Ipsos poll found that 34% of Americans believe in UFOs.

It speaks volumes about the status of the health care debate among the public when it is more mainstream to believe aliens are flying around in spaceships than to oppose the public option.

The people of this country have spoken. It's time Washington listened.

Up For Discussion

I clearly think I have something to say, or I wouldn't have started writing online, but I'm always amazed when anyone asks me to share a little insight or knowledge in person. Panels and presentations tend to feel awfully formal to me, and I'm just not that suave at formality. I never know quite the right tone to take or how long I'm expected to speak, and most of the time I assume the audience is fully aware that I'd rather be interacting with them than lecturing at them.

That said, I had the chance to chat with a class at Georgetown today about health care reform and the media. I think I managed to pull it off with sufficient aplomb, but Chris Frates from Politico was there, and I definitely had more fun during the second hour when he and I got to spar a little. We have a genuine mutual respect for each other's agenda so it affords us the leeway to speak candidly about my challenges in engaging the media on health care reform and his challenges in being the media covering health care reform.

By the way, if you haven't checked it out yet, you should bookmark Chris' new Live Pulse blog. He's closely following the Senate Finance Committee markup which picks up again tomorrow, and if you're a junkie like me, he's got all the little extra somethings you need to keep you coming back for more.

Perspective

We found out this morning the public health insurance option amendment votes we expected in Senate Finance today won't come before the committee until Tuesday. Obviously, we'd love all 13 Dems to do the right thing and support a real strong national public health insurance option. But the reality is that we may lose a handful. Mike Lux:

On a committee this conservative, far more conservative than the Senate as a whole, if we only get seven votes for the public option amendments, that would have to be considered a major political victory, and a sign that the public option can definitely get a majority vote on the floor.

Of course, the traditional media won't report it that way -- anything that goes against their cast-in-iron conventional wisdom belief that the public option is dead will not be reported.

He's right. The press has already buried the public option, and no matter how much evidence they see to contradict their predetermined plot line, most refuse to accept that a public health insurance option is alive and well and popular - both in Congress and with the public.

Like I said before, the Senate Finance Committee is the outlier, and if we get the expected seven or eight votes on Tuesday, that's great news for the future of the public health insurance option.

UPDATE: Sam's got a great write up about a polling memo we sent up to the Hill yesterday. The gist: voters don't want to be forced to buy health insurance without the choice of a public option.

Take Note

On a press call just now, Senator Schumer made a prediction: The bill signed into law by the President will include a strong public health insurance option.

He's right.

The bill passed through three House committees has a public option. The HELP bill has a public option. The conservative Finance committee is out of step with the rest of Congress, and whatever happens tomorrow is not indicative of what will happen when the bills get married together.

The public option is essential. We cannot bring down costs and keep the insurance industry in check without it.

Office Spacey

I walked into my office this morning and said, "Jeez, my apartment's a mess!"

Ask me my favorite reality show this week, and I'd volunteer the Senate Finance Committee Markup on C-SPAN 3.

Think I spend too much time working?

Excellent Signage

Photo was taken at yesterday's Big Insurance: Sick of It protest in Chicago. There were 150 of them around the country. You can see more photos online here and here, and the press release with even more images plus info on our ongoing anti-insurance campaign is here.

UPDATE: In case you've been out of the country or living under a rock, the sign is a reference to Kanye West's crappy behavior at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Our Cool New Web Ad

Pretty neat, huh? Go ahead and click on it. It takes you to an HCAN anti-insurance action page.

Add It Up

Kaiser just put up a new online calculator which shows how much help you'd get paying health insurance premiums in each of the health care reform bills before Congress.

Levi's 411

When I heard about the Levi Johnston tell all in Vanity Fair earlier this month, I had no shame in admitting I wanted to read it. I was curious, but I was also really busy and never got around to buying the magazine.

Don't ask me why I thought of it again this morning, but I did, and I've waited long enough that now the entire story is online.

It's entertaining. Not at all surprising. But definitely entertaining.

Want To Hear A Joke?

C-SPAN's carrying Senate Finance opening remarks on the Baucus bill today, and the extensive Republican b.s. would be hysterical if it hadn't already been accepted by a vulnerable, disillusioned electorate and much of the press as if it held some shred of truth. Annoying.

On a lighter note, MoveOn and Will Farrell have a new video out. It's a little slow getting going, but once it does, there are some funny lines:

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Signing the Blues

Billboard going up tomorrow in North Carolina, Arkansas, and Delaware:

On the Hill and In the Field

Hi all. Happy Monday. It's obviously going to be another busy week in health care reform. Senate Finance committee members have filed more than 500 amendments to the Baucus bill, and you can read them all online here (though I don't expect you will). I do expect to have a wrap up of some of the most ridiculous Republican proposals later today or tomorrow.

And if you are out and about tomorrow and you've got some pent up frustration at your health insurance company, join in one of the more than 150 events taking place outside insurance company headquarters and offices nationwide. MoveOn has the best searchable database online for scouting out a protest near you. Like the image above says, the events are all branded "Big Insurance: Sick of It."

Friday Funny

In case you missed it, SNL explains exactly how it is Joe Wilson came to scream "You Lie" at President Obama. The opening skit's the first 5 minutes, and it's terrific (h/t Levana via HuffPo):



As an added bonus, if you click through and watch the clip on HuffPo, you can see our new online ad (also featured top left here) pop up on the top right hand side of the page.

Blank Chairs

Rep. Dennis Kucinich is heading up a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Subcommittee (h/t DF) hearing on the impact of private health insurance companies on patients' medical care right now. He and Representative Conyers and Representative Kennedy are slaughtering private health insurance company executives. Conyers is particularly fantastic - and not just because he has cited Health Care for America Now and our reports on market consolidation, big insurance profits, and CEO compensation.

The private insurance executives are doing an excellent job of shrugging their shoulders and feigning ignorance. If you take their word (or lack of word) for it, they apparently know a whole lot of nothing about anything related health insurance reform.

Premium Insight

Even Fox agrees we should be listening to Wendell:

Potter, 58, has walked away from a fancy office in Philadelphia, fat perks and paychecks, comfy rides on corporate jets, and an easy path toward a secure retirement.

He should have never gone home to Tennessee to visit his mom and dad, who'd never made this kind of loot toiling in a factory.

Potter also should not have picked up the newspaper to read about a free health fair in rural Wise, Va. And, most of all, Potter should have not driven some 50 miles through winding Appalachian roads to the Wise County Fairgrounds.

Potter told me that to this day, he has no idea why he did this in July 2007. But somehow it took all the fun out of being a "well-paid huckster" for corporate health care.

"I was expecting the kind of health fair you might see at your local mall," Potter said. "Instead, I saw hundreds of people standing in line in the rain… to be treated in animal stalls."

Apparently, Wise County is thin on infrastructure. So some folks hosed down the stalls at the fairgrounds for the arrival of Remote Area Medical, a nonprofit originally formed to care for Indians in the Amazon rain forest.

Potter met throngs of uninsured, underinsured, and insured-but-can't-afford-the-rising-deductible, who'd camped overnight.

"It was almost dehumanizing to stand in line like this," Potter said, "to get treatment in places where just a few weeks ago people were bringing their prize goats and pigs."

A couple weeks later, Potter was flying in a corporate jet. A flight attendant served him lunch on gold-rimmed china with a gold-plated fork and knife.

Now, at this point, some corporate PR hacks would complain that something wasn't cooked properly. Potter, at least, should have thought: This sure beats hanging out in those pig stalls. But instead he thought this: "Someone's insurance premiums were paying for me to travel in such luxury."

The whole story is here.

Max Misses The Mark

Yes, the Baucus bill stinks. Here's our official assessment:

The Baucus bill is a gift to the insurance industry that fails to meet the most basic promise of health care reform: a guarantee that Americans will have good health care that they can afford. The Baucus bill would give a government-subsidized monopoly to the private insurance industry to sell their most profitable plans - high-deductible insurance - without having to face competition from a public health insurer.

Under the Baucus bill, employers would have no responsibility to help pay for their workers’ coverage and would be given incentives to have workers pay more for barebones insurance. Americans who don’t get health benefits through work would still not be able to get good, affordable coverage.

We urge Senators on the Finance Committee to replace the Baucus plan with legislation that will do what the Senate HELP Committee and three House committees have done: guarantee that Americans have good health insurance that they can afford with the choice of a strong national public health insurance option.

In other reform-related news, the image up top is the second ad in our new print campaign.

Listen To This Man

I cannot get enough of Wendell Potter. Here he is testifying before Congress today about the Baucus bill:

"It's hard to imagine how insurance companies could write legislation that would benefit them more."

ER um Yeah

So guess who spent the morning in the emergency room. Yup. Nice, right? This whole bronchial cough thing finally caught up to me, and I couldn't get a full breath. A smart coworker who saw me wheezing in the morning meeting insisted I take myself to the ER. Good thing I did. I was in bad shape by the time I got there.

They do think it's bronchial from last week's bout with Bacon Flu. They gave me an albuterol mist treatment, rechecked my lungs, and sent me off with an inhaler and some meds. I'm still going to see the allergist tomorrow just to rule that out, but it takes a lot to get me to cave and seek emergency help. I'm more likely to work through the discomfort and wish it away. Too much to do. But this one got bad enough that I finally backed down.

Oh don't you worry. I'm still a tough cookie. I just reveal a glimpse of the soft chewy center from time to time.

Ok, back to the business at hand. We launched a new national ad campaign today. Here's the first TV ad:



The image up top to the left is the first of three print ads. There's an online ad too. The landing page for that is here.

Look Who Got A Dog

I can't tell if this is the same guy or not, but I think it is.

Got Humor?

Satire hit the streets this weekend alongside the clearly clueless tea party protesters. The video is pretty entertaining.

You can download the sign to the left and more from the Billionaires for Wealthcare website.

As Promised

UPDATE: Here's the clip:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Better Know a Lobby - Health Care for America Now
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Protests

Richard taped a segment for The Colbert Report at the end of July, and I said I would let you know when it was scheduled to air. The show just called. They are back from hiatus, and tonight's the night.

Tune in. 11:30pm EST on Comedy Central.

Back in Action

I didn't make a big deal of it last week, but I was out of commission from about Wednesday on. I caught something going around (which I lovingly referred to as Bacon Flu), and it knocked me on my ass. I'm doing much better now, but I'm starting to wonder if there's not an allergy component mixed in. A couple of residual symptoms are steering me towards that conclusion.

Anyway, three things I want to bring to your attention this morning. First off, take a look at the comments exchange in my previous post. It will shed a little light on the debate over the public option if you're curious. Second, Kristof's opinion piece from yesterday is a must read. And third, this write just popped up online regarding the battle we're fighting against bad ads. National Journal:

Still, the frustration of liberal groups over misleading messages -- and the media's role in disseminating them -- is palpable. "Part of the problem within this debate has been the mass spread of disinformation," said Jacki Schechner, communications director of Health Care for America Now. "And part of the reason for this is that these ads are not being pulled from the air. It's quite extraordinary what they can get away with."

I'll have more for you a little later, but for now... Happy Monday.

HR 3200 101

I just sent the following chart out to press. It's what health care reform really looks like under H.R. 3200. Can you find the public health insurance option? Take a look at where it is and then note how ridiculous the notion is that it would somehow drive private insurance companies out of business. Click here to see the full press release and download the chart. You're welcome to post it and/or pass it around.

Post Game Wrap-Up

I know this is starting to feel a lot like a video blog lately with all the commercials I'm posting, but there's been some good stuff out there that may not be airing nationwide, and I do think the ads are worth watching. Here's the latest from Americans United:



As for my take on the speech last night - and this is my personal opinion - I thought Obama did a terrific job. He didn't say anything new. He just said it better and more clearly and all in one fell swoop. Camera cutaways of Republicans showed an old, stodgy, anxious bunch just ready to gouge their own eyes out in frustration. They got owned by a President who made it very clear he's done playing games. His use of Kennedy's letter and legacy to shame Hatch, McCain, and Grassley for their atrocious behavior lately was nothing short of brilliant. And the Republican response to the speech - lit like a bad SNL opening skit - proved once again the GOP's got nothing but tired, recycled lies and stale talking points.

Of course, the media will find a way to focus yet again on the public option, gin up controversy, and ignore the substance of the other 98% of that address. But from where I sat, I was perfectly content with what the President said, how he said it, and where we are now - set to move forward to win this thing in the next three months... if not sooner.

Once again, this is my blog and my opinion. For the official HCAN statement, go here.

Yes They Care

Rock The Vote - an HCAN partner - is up with new ads featuring Zach Braff and Donald Faison from Scrubs. Good stuff:

Pass It On

Found via Josh:

New Stuff

Well, hello. Long time no post. I've got a random selection of goodies to help kick off the week.

First, we've got a new ad up in Maine. It's called "Insured," and it's good. Take a look:



The ad is part of a huge week-long blitz which includes TV, radio, online, and print ads and grassroots activities like press conferences and door-to-door canvasses and editorial board meetings. There is also an online petition you can sign here.

In the realm of less political more personal, I've posted a new blogger profile photo. I figured it was time to update since the old one was embarrassingly old.

And finally, the next couple of days are going to be all about three things:

1. What's the President going to say?
2. What the President says
3. What do we have to say about the President's speech?

Should be interesting.

Holidays and Birthdays

I don't think it could feel more like a holiday weekend around here right now than it already does. Most of us are still in the office and still at least pretending to be working. But it's much quieter than normal. Almost eerie. Very calm before the storm.

Next week will be a big one - what with the President's speech and all.

Since I have no intention of checking in online for the next 24 hours, I'm going to take this opportunity to wish my friend Marie a very happy birthday even though it's not until tomorrow. She's a proud vegetarian - hence the image. She's also my partner in crime, and at this evening's soiree, I plan to help her maintain the standard of adult beverage consumption to which we've grown accustomed.

Have a great weekend.

What Brown Can Do For You

Brian at TPMDC posted the following yesterday evening so in case you missed it, here's Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) going to bat for real health care reform:

"The most important thing is the public option," Brown said. "I don't know for sure if I would support it with out a public option but it would be hard to get there.... We're not going through this to write some namby pamby bill so we can check a box and say we did health care reform."

(...)

"If the insurance companies are satisfied with this bill it's not a good bill," Brown said. "It's clear that if the major interest groups line up for this bill it's not doing what it's supposed to go."

Amen

I've been saying this for weeks. Thank G-d E.J. finally says it in The Washington Post:

There is an overwhelming case that the electronic media went out of their way to cover the noise and ignored the calmer (and from television's point of view "boring") encounters between elected representatives and their constituents.

It's also clear that the anger that got so much attention largely reflects a fringe right-wing view opposed to all sorts of government programs most Americans support. Much as the far left of the antiwar movement commanded wide coverage during the Vietnam years, so now are extremists on the right hogging the media stage -- with the media's complicity.

Read the whole thing here. It's great.

It's Time

It's becoming a bad habit - this whole forgetting to post thing. Technically, I've got 19 minutes left in the day so I'll point you to this little piece from TPMDC. Here's Richard on what President Obama should do Wednesday night:

"A lot of people will be disappointed if he doesn't continue to show his commitment [to the public option], but hopefully he will," Kirsch tells me.

His remarks indicate that if the President does not at least continue to articulate his personal preference for a public option, he'll be crossing a line.

"You win by rallying your supporters and convincing the middle," Kirsch says. "You don't win by disappointing your supporters and confusing the middle."

On a lighter note, who else is kind of embarrassingly excited to read the upcoming Levi Johnston tell all in Vanity Fair?

If I Do Say So Myself

This could be one of my all time favorite quotes (of mine). AP (emphases mine):

Liberal groups have held hundreds of events in a bid to show that a robust overhaul is more popular than August's news reports would suggest.

"The message they'll be hearing coming back to Washington will be very different than what they heard when August started," said Jacki Schechner of Health Care for America Now. One idea her group will stress, she said, is that the politically smart vote, even in toss-up districts, will support widespread changes meant to expand health insurance coverage and options.

Nervous Democratic lawmakers need to be told, "you got elected to do something," she said. "And you might get re-elected if you actually do something."

Caught In the Act

Right wing websites are all riled up over this new video of an HCAN organizer...*gasp*... organizing! Hear such controversial phrases as "Be civil" and "The whole idea is to deflect and not confront."



What do you think blew John's covert community organizing cover? Was it his walking the line, his handing out information about health care reform, or his carrying a roll of HCAN stickers?

Must have been the stickers.