Weakend

I'm beat.

Truly knackered.

But in the immortal words of Polexia Aphrodisia...It's all happening!

Happy Birthday

I love you

xoxoxo








UPDATE: Birthday flowers have been delivered

HCAN on TeeVee

Richard braved the lion's den that is Fox News to comment on the President's health care town hall appearance in Green Bay today. Here's the clip:

Nice Work

Senator Rockefeller has crafted the framework for a strong public health insurance option. It's excellent.

Rockefeller’s Legislation Will:

* Offer a “Consumer Choice Health Plan” as an option alongside private insurance. By bringing a competitive public plan option to the table, private insurance companies will be driven to provide Americans with better value for their health care at a better price, in contrast to the current private insurance framework, which is focused on avoiding risk and increasing their profits.


* Establish America’s Health Insurance Trust as a “good housekeeping seal of approval” to give consumers a voice in health insurance oversight. This nonprofit, consumer-driven organization will evaluate and give ratings to all health insurance products offered through the national health insurance exchange – based on factors such as affordability, adequacy, transparency, consumer satisfaction, provider satisfaction, and quality.

The background document is here. A one-page summary is here.

Who's Getting Through

Someone asked me yesterday whose message on health care reform was getting through to the masses. My answer? Fox.

Take a look at the latest ratings numbers for evening cable news programs, courtesy of TVNewser. This is the coveted 24-54 demo for Monday June 8th:



As long as this crap passes for "fair and balanced news," we've got our hands full.

Please Just Stop

Tweet is a dumb word. It sounds even dumber in news stories (emphasis mine):

Sen. John McCain, who shared last year's Republican presidential ticket with Palin, greeted his former running mate as she made her way to her table. Soon after, the former GOP presidential nominee tweeted: "Great to see Sarah and Todd at the dinner tonight -- nice reunion!"

First Grassley. Now McCain. Don't Senators have better things to do?

Public (health insurance) Plan Primer

If you read one thing about the public health insurance option this week (so far), make it this 101 by Ezra:

...Enter the public insurance option. It doesn't replace the insurance individuals already rely on. But it provides an alternative. It lets them make the decision. It's the health care equivalent of being pro-choice. And it thus serves two purposes. The first is to act as a public insurer. To use market share to bargain down the prices of services, much as Medicare does. To lower administrative costs. To operate outside the need for profit, and quarterly results...The second is to apply competitive pressure to the rest of the insurance industry. If the public plan is ruthlessly lowering its administrative costs and garnering a reputation for decent, good-faith service, it will take market share from the private insurers. The private insurers will have to respond in kind to retain their customers. If they fail to adapt, the system could become something resembling a single-payer structure.

But that's not the most likely outcome. Rather, the theory here is simple: If you can't replace them, convert them. If the public plan works, then private insurance will work better as well. In this telling, the simple existence of the public plan forces a more honest insurance market: Private insurers need to offer premiums closer to their marginal cost, and they have to cut administrative costs, and they have to work on their reputation for cruelty and capriciousness. The existence of another option changes the market. Individuals will have access to private insurers, but they'll no longer be stuck with them.

Read the whole thing, and then seriously consider emailing it around to anyone who hates that their insurance premiums go up all the time for no reason, anyone who's been denied a medication or treatment for no reason, or anyone who stays in a job they hate just for the health insurance.

This isn't about politics. It's about profit. Insurance companies and the Members of Congress they bankroll with campaign contributions are fighting tooth and nail against something that will make your life better. Plain and simple. Remember, Members of Congress don't have to navigate the insurance market. They don't have to worry about getting sick, seeing a doctor, or being refused coverage because of arbitrarily defined pre-existing conditions. Their health care needs are subsidized. You take care of them. Is it too much to ask them to finally take care of you?