Campaign for an American Scam

One of the most frustrating aspects of the health care reform landscape right now is the health insurance lobby's efforts to set themselves up as the good guys in advance of the upcoming fight for real change that puts people's health before insurance company profits.

See, we've got a fundamental problem.

Health insurance is NOT health care. And health insurance companies are just that: companies. They exist to make money and do so by hedging their bets and then fudging the rules when it looks like the endgame may not pan out in their favor.

So any assumption that AHIP or any of its cohorts intend to come to the table with a solution that concedes even an ounce of profit for the sake of the public good is lunacy.

With all that said, we shouldn't just be skeptical right now. We should be completely dismissive. AHIP keeps putting out statements and sending out email applauding President Obama and Congressional movement on health care reform-related activity. Why? Because they want you to think they're on your side. That way, when it gets ugly, you're more inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.

It's sneaky and dishonest, and the best we can be doing right now is calling them out on their bullsh*t at every turn. Like this:

AHIP Congratulates Senate on Passage of SCHIP

"Strengthening the health care safety net is an essential component of comprehensive health care reform. Today the Senate took a critical step forward by voting to help ensure that no child falls through the cracks of our health care system. This legislation gives children access to essential health care services and eases the burden on working families who are struggling during the slowing economy. Policymakers should build on this momentum and pursue health care reform that gives every American access to high-quality, affordable health care coverage."

Strengthening the health care safety net has been a central component of the comprehensive health care reform proposals AHIP began releasing in November 2006. For several years, AHIP has collaborated with a broad coalition of stakeholders in support of SCHIP reauthorization.

First off, SCHIP still leaves some 6 million children without health care coverage so saying "no child" is falling through the cracks is ridiculous. And second, if your platform is solid and reinforced, why do you need to strengthen the safety net? Think about it. The net catches what falls. If nothing's falling because the system actually works, then you can scrap the net altogether.

Oh, and if AHIP's been releasing comprehensive reform proposals since November 2006, how can they say their so-called "listening tour" was ever anything more than going through the motions? Nothing's changed because nothing was ever going to change.

Forget having to read between the lines. With AHIP, if you just read the lines, it's not tough to figure out where they're truly coming from.

That's a Wrap

What a week! I am looking forward to some much-needed veg and recoup time.

A handful of random nuggets:

Lesson 1: If you have direct debit for anything, double check your account one in a while. My gym charged me $12 for two tanning sessions on Monday. Besides being a native Floridian and having an inherent distaste for the concept of fake baking, there is a very good reason why I don't tan anymore. I explained this to the gym rep who asked if I was positive I didn't charge tanning to my account. There is very little in this world I could be more sure of.

Lesson 2: CHIP is good for kids, but real, comprehensive health care reform is going to be so much better. Read this joint OpEd from the President of the Children's Defense Fund and my boss here at HCAN.

Lesson 3: There is no shortage of health care horror stories. A woman called this week and told me about when she had her gall bladder removed. The hospital billed her $35,000, including $80 for a disposable hospital gown. Here's the kicker: It wasn't $80 for her hospital gown. It was $80 for the gown the doctor wore during her surgery.

In other news and notes, Jason spent the last couple of days at the Families USA conference here in DC. His round-up is worth reading.

And before I duck out for the evening, the poem of the week's been updated, and you'll be able to read John's column here on Sunday. I can tell you he's decided to go for the Super Bowl theme. That's what you get with a poet who loves football. Where there's a will, there's a way.

Have a great weekend.

Poll Position

The first write is online about the poll results we released today. From Greg Sargent:

Celinda Lake’s Dem polling outfit, Lake Research, just conducted a new poll of 800 likely voters that, according to the firm, finds that the public strongly supports having the choice of a public health insurance plan and strongly rejects the insurance industry’s most cutting attacks on the idea.

(...)

62% of voters believe a public health insurance plan will spend less on profits and administration and force private insurers to compete while only 28% of voters believe the attack that a public health insurance plan would be a “big, government bureaucracy.” 60% believe that if private insurers are really more efficient than government, then they won’t have any trouble competing with a public health insurance plan. Only 23% believe a public health insurance plan would have an unfair advantage over private plans.

Here's the link to our full press release. And here are the percentages of people who support having the choice of a private or public health insurance plan:

Well Hi There

I made a failed attempt at mobile posting last night on my way home so as not to miss a day here, but somehow the "post" button on my berry was nowhere to be found once I'd completed my entry, and now the note's lost somewhere in the land of mysterious postings past.

As for today, I'll have some interesting health care reform news to share a little later. We're releasing the results of a new poll, and if you remember where public sentiment allegedly lay back in 1993/1994, you may be surprised by where we are now.

Until then...Happy Thursday.

Late Lunch Break

It's so late that it's now past dinner. I started this post in a self-imposed quick lunch break at 3pm, but something came up, I got distracted, and it's now after 9pm.

Posting's been lighter than usual here simply because work's been so heavy. But because we're fighting for comprehensive health care reform this year, I can't complain. Busy's a good thing.

That said, the blog will probably continue to suffer a touch, but I will do my best to keep it updated at least once or twice a day.

Today's contribution comes from last night's meal. There's a fast food chain in Miami called Chicken Kitchen that makes a mustard curry sauce that is nothing short of fabulous. We used to visit the original Chicken Kitchen back in the early 90's, but since then, the restaurant's popped up in spots all across South Florida. I introduced John to the mustard curry sauce over Thanksgiving break, and since then, he has taken it upon himself to recreate the magic. He found others online equally intrigued, and here's the recipe he's used:

2 tbsp Light Mayonnaise
1 tsp Yellow Mustard
1/2 tsp Curry Powder
2 tbsp water

Stir vigorously until water is well mixed into the mayo-mustard-curry mix. Add more or less water, depending on how "runny" you want the sauce to be. Curry is to taste!

I can attest to the fact that it tastes just like the real thing.

Venomous COBRA

We all know COBRA is unaffordable. If you lose your job, how can you afford to pay more for health insurance?

You can't. And the WSJ's got a write out today explaining just how few people take advantage of COBRA:

Fewer than one in 10 jobless workers extends their former employer's medical coverage, a new study has found.

An analysis by the Commonwealth Fund finds that while two-thirds of working adults would qualify to extend health-insurance coverage under a federal law after losing a job, only 9% of the unemployed do so.

Workers are guaranteed the right to extend their medical benefits for a limited period under a federal law called Cobra, short for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. The law generally covers group health plans of private and government employers with 20 or more workers, according to the Labor Department.

The Commonwealth Fund analysis, based on 2007 health-insurance survey data, found that most workers can't afford to pay for Cobra coverage. It costs an average $13,000 a year for a family, compared with the average annual worker contribution of $3,200 for family coverage while employed.

That is because the employer usually is picking up three-quarters of the cost of health insurance. Under Cobra, employees must pay the total cost, plus a 2% administrative fee.

"In other words, you have to pay an extra $10,000 because you have lost the amount your employer was contributing to the coverage, and people who are newly unemployed find it very hard to afford," said Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that supports health-care research.

I've been there. It's the final straw that pushed me into fighting for reform. When I lost my job, I had severance for a while, and then COBRA kicked in. It was more than $400/month. That's a lot of money when you have no money coming in.

Making Good

I realize I dropped the ball on the usual Friday links to the poem of the week and John's Sunday column so I'm playing catch up now. If you enjoyed the Inaugural poem on Tuesday, you'll want to check in on what John put together for tomorrow.

Have a good weekend.