Air Health Care Day 2

Landed safely in city number three about 20 minutes ago. I've now logged 3 completed flights, 1 cancelled flight, 2 rescheduled flights, and 2 rentals cars - both little Mazdas - in less than 36 hours of travel. The last flight was a tad sketchy. When was the last time you were on a plane that did not have the "an oxygen mask will drop from the ceiling" feature? Instead, the flight attendant announced that should we experience a drop in cabin pressure, her fellow flight attendants would distribute oxygen.

That was reassuring.

Air Health Care

Right now I'm in the midst of a whirlwind business trip. When all's done and done, I will have taken 5 flights in 48 hours.

Back at home, however, my letter to The Hill about Rick Scott has been posted. Here it is in all its glory ("Health care" was 2 words in my submission btw):

Tainted healthcare executive makes discredited arguments
By Jacki Schechner, national communications director, Health Care for America Now
Posted: 05/05/09 06:23 PM [ET]

(Regarding letter to the editor “Healthcare reform in reality is dreadful ‘stealthcare’ plan,” April 23.) At some point in the healthcare reform debate, men like Rick Scott will have to get real.

Scott uses stale, already-discredited talking points to argue against modernizing our healthcare system, against arming our doctors with the best possible information to administer the best possible medical care, and against letting us have the choice between private and public health insurance plans so we are no longer at the mercy of greedy, profit-driven private health insurers who put shareholders and CEO salaries before people’s health.

Anyone who has ever had to try to get medical files sent from one doctor’s office to another or had to recall medical history details in an emergency knows how valuable it will be to have this information computerized. Healthcare providers explain time and time again the importance of comparative effectiveness research and how it’s essential to figuring out which medications and treatments will work best for their patients irrespective of cost, and yet men like Scott insist on screaming “rationed health care!” and “socialized medicine!”

President Obama, the Democratic leadership in Congress and a majority of the public supports choice — keep your private health insurance or join a new public health insurance plan — and still opponents cry conspiracy and warn of some nefarious plot to secretly trick everyone into some fabricated, bogeyman healthcare system that exists only in their wildest imaginations.

In what is perhaps the most outrageous claim of Rick Scott’s latest diatribe, the former hospital chain CEO who was forced to resign just before his company paid out $1.7 billion in penalties and fines — the largest in U.S. history — for defrauding the government, making illegal deals, filing false data, granting kickbacks to doctors, and overbilling Medicare — accuses Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) of wanting to “cook the books” to pay for healthcare reform. Just because Scott ran a corporation that believed in making money at the expense of honesty and good healthcare does not mean anyone else believes that’s a justifiable strategy.

Men like Scott should step aside and let us get back to discussing real details of reform that will help us finally achieve a guarantee of quality, affordable healthcare for all in 2009.

Washington

Gym Math

If you've ever taken a class, you know exactly what I'm talking about:

"Ok. 8 more. 8...7...6...5....4...

6 more! 8...7....6...5...4....

I can't hear you. 8...7....6... I lost count.

8...7....6...."

Related: Weight Gain

Senator Schumer: Rock Star

Chuck Schumer kicked ass today talking about giving everyone the choice of a public health insurance plan during the Senate Finance Committee Roundtable Discussion on "Expanding Health Care Coverage." The panel was heavily weighted in favor of those opposed to giving us a choice, and while insurance industry folks and their conservative friends went on and on about 'we can do it ourselves' and 'unfair competition,' Schumer made it abundantly clear he ain't buying the sob story.

Our NY State partners have already thanked him publicly. As soon as I can get a video or transcript up, I'll post it here. But I assure you, he's right on the money.

UPDATE: Here's an unofficial transcript until I can get an official one:

"You don't want a public plan to have an unfair advantage, I agree. But just as bad as a public plan with an unfair advantage is a proposal with no public plan at all. And I know my college from Kansas (Sen. Roberts) said people don't want the government involved; well let me tell you, they have problems with the government sometimes but they have a lot more problems with private insurance companies. And the bottom line is you need somebody who is not a private insurance company to be in the mix. And there are many of us who feel very strongly about that. We want to work with you, and I appreciate Ms. Ignagni's comments to try to see that the playing field is level, because I don't think the public plan should have an unfair advantage. But it would be giving all of you in the insurance industry an unfair advantage not to have a public plan, particularly give the fast that in so many states we do not have real competition."

Itchy yet?

Sorry. I can't get behind this. When you lie down with dogs...

Karen's with AHIP - the health insurance lobby. Recognize the spin?

MarinCA asks: Do your organizations support a public plan option? Why or why not?

Karen_Ignagni: We proposed an aggressive series of market reforms to ensure that all Americans have coverage, no one falls through the cracks, and no one is discriminated against due to their health status.

Ron_Pollack: Families USA does support a public plan option. We believe that this creates options for families; helps to create a benchmark for costs; and provides opportunities for securing important data that will help the overall health care system.

Karen_Ignagni: We have also proposed aggressive regulation, transparency requirements, and measures to ensure that patients are protected. If all of this is accomplished then the question is why is a government-run plan needed?

Why? Because you have had more than 15 years to make things better, and you've done nothing but make health care in this country more expensive and less accessible. Now all of a sudden you want us to let you be in charge of crafting reform? No thanks.

Avon Crawling

The Avon Walk came to DC this weekend, and I ran into a whole slew of women who had braved the soggy elements to trek somewhere between 26 and 39 miles over the course of the past couple of days.

Almost everyone was limping and/or functioning at a very very slow pace, but I didn't hear a single complaint. In fact, their dedication made me wish I'd done the walk too - lousy weather and all.

Mother May 1

My mom's on her way to town today, and I'm totally excited. It's been way too long since I've seen her. I'm just hoping the weather holds out long enough to be able to actually do stuff outdoors.

In other news, work's slightly less ridiculous today than it's been the rest of the week (only slightly), but I suspect that's just because it's Friday.

In case you missed it, take a look at FactCheck.org's slaughter of Rick Scott's latest ad. Trust me when I tell you the Rick Scott backlash is only just beginning. You'll have to stay tuned for more.

And with that, I'm officially excusing myself from the Interwebs (at least the blog part of it) for the weekend. Have a good one, and I'll see you back here Monday.