Bless This Mess

As I've mentioned before, someone's been signing me up for random conservative and religious distribution lists. I've managed to unsubscribe from almost all of them, but there's one that's growing on me. Once a week - usually on Saturday evenings - I get something from AmazinglyBlessed.com.

It's a Christian site of some sort, but sometimes the email blessings are just cute feel-good stories. Tonight's was a list of Words of Wisdom. Here are the ones I liked:

1. G-d wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

2. Dear G-d: I have a problem. Sometimes, it's me.

3. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

4. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.

5. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. Faith is the ability to not panic.

8. Laugh every day, it's like inner jogging.

11. The most important things in our homes are the people.

14. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.

15. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

-Author Unknown

I Got Nothing

I'm too beat to work out something witty and creative so I give you Emmy's dramatic interpretation of my mood.

Have a good weekend. Catch you back here Monday.

On Reform

Here's HCAN's official statement on the SOTU:

“President Obama laid to rest tonight any doubt that he intends to keep working to get health care reform done. Now it‘s up to Congress to finish the job it started and finish it right. Congress cannot allow the insurance industry’s greed and political scare tactics to stand in the way of delivering on the promise of health security to every American now.”

And here's video of our protest outside the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Tuesday. It's a stark reminder of the personal toll our health crisis takes on people's everyday lives and should be required viewing for each and every member of Congress even considering not finishing now:

Everything Is Old News Again

I've got CNN on in the background in my office, and the open (the opening video/voiceover sequence) to Rick Sanchez' new(ish) show is EXACTLY the same as the intros he used to record as the main anchor at WSVN 7 (the Fox affiliate) in Miami when I worked there 13 years ago. WSVN is credited with being the station that pioneered the tabloid-style, fast-paced video and graphics we're accustomed to seeing more often than not in TV news today.

As I read stories like this about CNN revamping and retooling, I can't help but note that it's blatantly obvious to those of us who know TV well that CNN is not just chasing Fox but trying to be Fox...

...in a ridiculous, old school, been there done that sort of way.

It's Personal

Stacie Ritter brought her 4 children to DC today to speak out in front of the Chamber. She's has been a tremendous advocate for reform, and we are lucky to have her be so brave and so outspoken. She and her twins are going to be on Dylan Ratigan's show on MSNBC at 4:30pm today. While we were chatting before they all left for the studio, Stacie's other daughter Abigail made this sign:



It was supposed to be "Stop CIGNA," but it reads "Stop! Singa." She's so adorable that it's close enough for me.

UPDATE: Apparently, the Singa is actually something important. I did not know this. I assure you Abigail didn't either. She does, however, know what CIGNA is. She's 6. How sad is that?

Here's Stacie's story in case you are not yet familiar:

Stacie Ritter, 36, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania is the mother of twin daughters, now 11, who were diagnosed with leukemia when they were four. Both girls needed stem cell transplants and other cancer treatments. The twins survived, but the glands controlling their growth were damaged. Doctors recommended that they receive daily growth-hormone injections. But Stacie’s husband’s company had switched to CIGNA for health insurance, and CIGNA refused to cover the hormone shots. With $30,000 in medical debt, a mortgage, her husband’s brief unemployment and food costs, the family of six filed for bankruptcy in 2003. The twins now get their growth hormone drug free from Eli Lilly. But the family still pays about $2,500 a year in premiums to CIGNA, plus a $650 co-pay for an annual cancer survivorship visit.

Protest Photos

Hundreds turned out to stand with the insurance abuse survivors:



The crowd marched while a handful of activists blocked the main entrance:



One creative sign:

Tag. We're It.

We've wrapped the HuffPo in our ad today. Go take a look. Then click on the ad and sign up to tell the President and Congress to keep going and get reform done right:

Monday Funny

I ripped this from Chez and it's already been seen 10,815,882 times, but it's new to me and hysterical so enjoy:

Do Something

If you're in the DC area, care about health care reform, and want to send the message to Congress that it's got to get done now and it's got to get done right, join us tomorrow at noon. Here's the scoop:

Insurance Abuse Survivors to Protest 
in Run Up to State of the Union

Health Care Reform Supporters to Protest at U.S. Chamber of Commerce to Show What's At Stake, Risk Arrest, and Demand Congress Finish Reform Right

Washington, DC - On Tuesday January 26th at noon, more than a dozen families victimized by health insurance abuse will join health care reform supporters for a protest at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce building. Many of the survivors of insurance abuse will be joined by organizational leaders in risking arrest at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce building to show their disgust with the Chamber's extensive efforts to fight comprehensive health care reform, including its laundering tens of millions of dollars for the health insurance industry. The DC protest, on the day before the State of the Union address Wednesday night, will urge the President and Congressional leaders to continue their fight for health reform that will guarantee good coverage to all.

More than a dozen families from around the country are coming to DC to tell their stories of denied care and atrocious mistreatment by the private health insurance industry. They will press Congress to stand with them no matter the unlimited spending by big corporations and special interests.

As the President prepares his address and Congressional leaders weigh how to fulfill their commitment to fix our broken health care system, the families and the pro-reform community will call on their elected officials to reaffirm their support for doing what's best for people's health care needs, standing up to special interests and corporate lobbyists, finishing comprehensive health care reform now, and finishing it right.

WHEN: Tuesday January 26th at 12pm



WHERE: Begin at Lafayette Square Farragut Square at H Street btwn 15th and 17th NW. Protesters march to 1615 H Street NW and speak at Connecticut Ave entrance to U.S. Chamber building.

Man Up

I'll write more in a bit when I have a couple of spare moments, but in the meantime, this gets the point across:

Blatantly Obvious

Couple of random thoughts about two high profile men this am.

First, didn't we know this already?

John Edwards Admits Paternity of Rielle Hunter's Child, Quinn

It's all over the news today as if it's, um, news. I thought we'd already been there done that. Or maybe I merely assumed that because there's been an unrelenting preponderance of evidence all along, the case was closed. My bad. I guess he had to say it to seal it.

Second, I missed Scott Brown's wildly inappropriate comments about his daughters during his acceptance speech Tuesday night. In case you did too, here's the cringe-worthy moment caught on camera:



That's not just an embarrassing dad. That's a man who's got little respect for women. Thanks, Massachusetts. We owe you one.

Reaction Pickup Roundup

FOXNews: Brown Win Forces Democrats to Re-Evaluate Health Care Reform Game Plan

FOXNews again: Excuses, Excuses: Democrats Dig Deep to Explain Loss in Massachusetts

Politico: Liberal spin - Live Pulse - POLITICO.com

Politico again and Pittsburgh Post Gazette: The fallout: Democrats rethinking health care bill

Salon: Democrats search for solutions after Republican Scott Brown wins ...

NYT: Liberal Groups Urge Passage of Health Care Bill

Atlantic Online: The Post-Coakley Panic Of 2010

U.S. News and World Report: Activist: Scott Brown Victory Not a Referendum on Healthcare

After last night’s election, progressives and healthcare reform advocates are understandably discouraged. But they say the last thing Democrats should do right now is back down on healthcare.

“To interpret this as a national referendum on healthcare would be a mistake,” says Richard Kirsch, national director of Health Care for America Now, the largest reform advocacy group. “What the Congress needs to understand is that people expect Democrats and people in government to get something done. Using this as an excuse not to do healthcare would be totally self-defeating.”

Mass Effect

It's not that I don't have an opinion or that I'm not paying attention.

It's just that I'm not going to be able to say anything about the Massachusetts special election until results are in and HCAN has made its official statement public.

When that happens, I will post it here.

UPDATE: Statement's up.

Sticky Situation

Hope you had a good long weekend. I did. With the exception of sitting in a cab that had gum strewn across the back seat. Know what happens when you unknowingly lean back against it? You bring it home on the back of your new jacket.

But I have discovered that WD-40 is the key to removing gum. It helps that the jacket is black, and the outside is more nylon than fabric. But should you encounter such an incident at some point, there's your solution.

You're Welcome

Sorry I flaked yesterday. I don't have a good excuse, but I'm totally making it up to you this morning with the following parody of Jersey Shore. Yes, the show is absolutely ridiculous, but I'm having trouble not watching. I haven't seen last night's doubleheader yet, but I'm guessing there was drinking, dancing, and maybe a fight:

Oh Snap!

A friend just put a photo of me on Facebook from last weekend. Apparently, I snap when I dance. I am not sure when I picked up that ultracool move, but now that I've seen what it looks like, I am going to have to seriously reconsider.

UPDATE: Apparently this is news to no one but me, and yet no one felt the need to tell me. For the record, I'm also now seriously reconsidering my choice in friends.

Christmas Just Came Again

We long suspected AHIP was funneling money to the Chamber while standing up and claiming to be all in favor of reform. We just didn't have proof. Thank you, Peter Stone, for digging up the proof. National Journal:

Just as dealings with the Obama administration and congressional Democrats soured last summer, six of the nation's biggest health insurers began quietly pumping big money into third-party television ads aimed at killing or significantly modifying the major health reform bills moving through Congress.

That money, between $10 million and $20 million, came from Aetna, Cigna, Humana, Kaiser Foundation Health Plans, UnitedHealth Group and Wellpoint, according to two health care lobbyists familiar with the transactions. The companies are all members of the powerful trade group America's Health Insurance Plans.

The funds were solicited by AHIP and funneled to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to help underwrite tens of millions of dollars of television ads by two business coalitions set up and subsidized by the chamber. Each insurer kicked in at least $1 million and some gave multi-million dollar donations.

"There's no question that AHIP has quietly solicited monies from their members which were funneled over to the chamber for their ads," said a source. The total donated by the health insurers, according to one estimate, was as much as one quarter of the chamber's total healthcare advertising budget.

Read the whole article. Here's our statement in response:

“AHIP has paid lip service to reform while paying the Chamber to oppose it. Insurers rigged and gamed the political system the same way they do with people’s health insurance claims and medical care.

We’ve assumed all along the insurance industry was secretly funding the Chamber of Commerce’s vicious campaign against reform. The National Journal article exposes AHIP and its member companies for what they are – corporate machines that care about profits, not people.

We demand the Chamber of Commerce reveal exactly how much money it has received from the insurance industry to kill reform, and we demand AHIP and the insurance companies reveal how much money they are funneling into other front groups besides the Chamber.

Every time we see an ad against reform, Americans should ask which insurance company paid for it. And going forward, we should now always be asking, ‘When the Chamber of Commerce talks, who’s paying?’

If the National Journal found evidence of $20 million, imagine how much more of our overpriced premiums have been used to pay for deceitful ads to protect insurance profits.

We simply cannot trust the health insurance industry to act in anyone’s best interest but its own.”

Funny and then Not So Much

My friend Jenny has a very clever post up today called 10 Resolutions I Can Actually Keep. An excerpt:

2. Gain Weight

I will add carbs to my diet with reckless abandon. I will start each meal with a generous helping of bread and rolls onto which I will spread an obnoxious amount of butter. I will stuff food into my mouth with such fervor it will make other eaters uncomfortable to watch. I vow to eat everything a la mode, including ice cream.

3. Workout Less

This will actually take serious effort. The only thing harder would be to shower less. If I need the proverbial cup of sugar, I will drive to my neighbor’s garage and beep until she comes out and hands it to me. I will take elevators in two-story buildings. Lastly, I will drop my membership to the gym and use the money I save to buy more carbs.

And then in the "less than humorous" column, there's last night's 60 Minutes piece detailing the disastrous VP candidate that was Sarah Palin. It's nothing you didn't already know and/or suspect, but it's infuriating nonetheless. Sullivan has a good wrap. Here's the video:

Random

This could be one of those things that's been bumping around online for a while, but Levana just sent it to me so as far as I'm concerned, it's newish enough to post:

How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you

I could be in trouble.

Can You Hear Me Now?

You sure can. I'm doing my usual Jeff Santos Show spot in about 2 minutes. Click on the live link here (or the podcast link after the show).

Cold and Colder

Emmy's battling the draft while I fend off whatever bug's been making the rounds.

I'm officially declaring today Couch and Nap Day.

Well...Not So Much

I was trying to figure out what to update with today and decided I should probably toss in a little health care news before the weekend.

Yesterday, we held a press call to talk about the Senate bill's "wellness" loophole. Jason at our blog has a good breakdown:

The Senate bill has a gaping loophole in it that could negate a central promise of health reform - that insurers can no longer charge more because you are sick.

The loophole comes in the form of an expansion to so-called "workplace wellness programs" that are supposed to reward employees for healthy habits. In practice, however, it could allow insurers to charge thousands of dollars more because, for example, a person is sick or overweight or has high cholesterol.

In other words (from the press release):

Right now, workers who do not participate in wellness programs can pay up to 20 percent more than those who do. The loophole would raise that threshold to as much as 50 percent – essentially penalizing people who may be sicker and perpetuating the practice of medical underwriting that the insurance industry had pledged to abandon. The loophole would allow insurers to continue to game the system to increase their profits.

Sue Nelson from the American Heart Association:

“Although described as 'incentives' this practice allows employers to raise costs across the board for everyone and then lower them selectively for those who meet certain health targets. So incentives quickly become penalties for those who cannot meet the targets.”

Richard:

“We shouldn’t be punishing people who have chronic health conditions or who have to run home from work to take care of their families and can’t go to the gym or can’t afford a gym membership. We should be encouraging people to participate in wellness programs, not charging people thousands of dollars more because they don’t look like a Hollywood star.”

We got some good press pick-up on the issue and the call. A few examples:

AP: Advocacy groups raise concerns on health bill

NASDAQ: Groups Say Senate Health Bill Wellness Incentives Are Unfair

MarketWatch: Experts: Critical loophole in Senate health bill

Politico: Progressive, patient groups decry loophole benefiting insurers

Reuters: Healthy lifestyle discount or insurance loophole?

Washington Independent: Health Advocates: Senate Plan Encourages Discrimination

Quote of the Day

We were discussing something in our morning staff meeting today that led to the following exchange:

Coworker #1: Isn't there a book about that? Something like Smart People Who Do Dumb Things?

Coworker #2: Yeah. It's called Everyone Poops.

(This will be even funnier to anyone who's walked past the Kramerbooks window display in Dupont in the past year or so.)

Gender Grating

Anne Kornblut on Morning Joe talking about her new book, gender considerations in the 2008 election, and decisions facing the Clinton campaign:

"How much should she run as a tough woman? How much should she run as a woman woman?"

I'll give Anne the benefit of the doubt and say she didn't mean to be a complete dolt, but if she believes being tough makes you less of a woman, then she needs to get a clue.

I know she probably meant something less offensive, but if she's going to be on TV pimping her book on gender and politics, she needs to choose her words more wisely, or she's going to piss off a lot of tough women.

Speaking of ridiculous females, I watched the premiere of The Bachelor the other night at the urging of a friend who insists it is the guiltiest of guilty pleasures. We met the women about 15 minutes into the show, and I was immediately embarrassed to be a woman. The guy was kind of a tool too, but that was secondary to the pathetic display of desperation on behalf of the women claiming to be looking for love.

What they need to be looking for is a good therapist and a little more self-respect.

Finish Reform Right

We're up on the air with a new TV ad today called "Marathon" (which is definitely what this process has felt like for some of us lately):



Along with the ad, we've also launched a new Finish Reform Right online campaign, complete with a whole new website called - wait for it - FinishReformRight.com.

Click through and sign on to our letter to the President and Congressional leadership asking that they address some critical issues like making health care truly affordable, eliminating the excise tax, demanding employer responsibility, and holding insurance companies accountable through strict regulation and a public health insurance option.

Also, the website's featuring a story an hour from 9am today until 9am tomorrow spotlighting people who have been fighting for reform or have been affected by the seriously broken system we've got now. You can find those stories here.

Hear You Go

Jeff Santos and I chat about health care reform on his radio show every Monday morning around the same time. Click here for this morning's segment. There's no time stamp so just slide the bar about a 1/4 inch past the halfway mark.

Say No More

How many times do reporters have to write the same story over and over again before those fighting against real reform get it? AP covered the latest Remote Area Medical expedition, and here's the part that kills me:

Over 1 1/2 days, 701 patients have come through RAM's doors.

Its dentists have extracted 852 teeth and filled 234 others; 345 pairs of eyes have been tested; 87 people have been examined by a medical doctor.

If RAM was going to send out a bill, it would total $138,370.

What do you think insurance companies would charge for the same amount of medical attention?

image courtesy Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times / August 11, 2009

It's Too Easy

CNN serves up a softball:



Can we get a second opinion?

And So It Continues

I'm pretty pleased with my first quote of the year. Politico:

“Not only have they proven that they’re the party of not getting anything done, but now they want to prove that they are the party of undoing anything that gets done,” said Jacki Schechner, spokeswoman for the progressive coalition Health Care for America Now.

And as a side note to whomever has decided the way to get back at me for trying to get you better health care is to use my email address to sign up for conservative digests and religious newsletters: I know how to unsubscribe. And I now have your IP address. So thanks for playing.

Happy New Year

More to come later, but I just wanted to make sure I said "hi" this morning.

Happy 2010.