Abortion and the Baucus health care bill

In his long-anticipated plan for health care reform, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus hoped to eliminate abortion as a wedge issue.

“This is a health care bill, not an abortion bill,” Baucus, D-Mont., said. “The attempt here is to find language that just maintains the status quo.”

Maintaining the status quo, however, is a matter of perception. And that’s because there are two competing realities.

via PolitiFact | Abortion and the Baucus health care bill.

Insurance Company Must Pay $10 Million For Revoking Policy Of Teen With HIV

During the case, evidence emerged that Health Net had paid bonuses to employees to reward them based on the number of policyholders they had rescinded. The judge who awarded Bates the $9 million said in his decision: “It’s difficult to imagine a policy more reprehensible than tying bonuses to encourage the rescission of health insurance that keeps the public well and alive.”

via Insurance Company Must Pay $10 Million For Revoking Policy Of Teen With HIV.

Many Employers to Raise Cost of Health Benefits, Survey Finds

As businesses contend with rising costs, many workers face an erosion of health benefits next year, according to an annual survey released Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust.

Forty percent of employers surveyed said they are likely to increase the amount their workers pay out of pocket for doctor visits. Almost as many said they are likely to raise annual deductibles and the amount workers pay for prescription drugs.

via Many Employers to Raise Cost of Health Benefits, Survey Finds – washingtonpost.com.

Five Myths About Health Care in the Rest of the World

I’ve traveled the world from Oslo to Osaka to see how other developed democracies provide health care. Instead of dismissing these models as “socialist,” we could adapt their solutions to fix our problems. To do that, we first have to dispel a few myths about health care abroad:

via By T.R. Reid — Five Myths About Health Care in the Rest of the World – washingtonpost.com.

Joe Wilson Voted to Provide Taxpayer Money for Illegal Immigrants

To be fair, Section 1011 is just a small part of a much larger bill that contained many Republican prioripties. Still, Wilson’s protest against the current healthcare reform proposal giving coverage to illegal immigrants (which is false), is in direct contradiction to his 2003 vote. Allowing illegal immigrants to purchase unsubsidized healthcare through the Exchange that would be set up under the current proposal wouldn’t cost taxpayers a cent, and it would be a step towards fixing the problem that Section 1011 was designed to throw federal money at.

via Joe Wilson Voted to Provide Taxpayer Money for Illegal Immigrants’ Healthcare – Blog – OpenCongress.

Abortion funding next big showdown?

 

 Rachel Laser of the moderate Democratic think tank Third Way co-wrote a memo last week that sought to explain how the House bill does not use taxpayer money to fund abortions. The memo argues that abortions would be paid for with out-of-pocket premiums that would be segregated from subsidies, ensuring that taxpayer money does not pay for them. There is also no mandate that abortions be covered by private or public health plans, she wrote.

Laser said conservative pro-life groups such as the Family Research Council and the National Right to Life Committee are using the issue to kill reform.

via Abortion funding next big showdown? – Chris Frates – POLITICO.com.

President Obama Fudges Truth on Medicare

The thing about the bully pulpit is that Presidents can make the most fantastic claims and it takes days to sort the reality from the myths. So as a public service, let’s try to navigate the, er, remarkable Medicare discussion that President Obama delivered on Wednesday. It isn’t easy.

via President Obama Fudges Truth on Medicare – WSJ.com.

Senior Scare, Yet Again | FactCheck.org

The Democratic National Committee says in a TV ad that “Republicans voted to abolish Medicare.” Not true.

The ad refers to a proposal endorsed by most House Republicans as part of the alternative budget they presented earlier this year. In fact, the GOP plan actually called for:

Preserving the current Medicare program for anyone now receiving it, or within 10 years of qualifying for it.

For those now under age 55, converting Medicare to a system of private, government-approved health insurance plans purchased mostly with government payments.

The proposal is similar to one endorsed a decade ago by the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. It is controversial, to be sure: Most Democrats don’t like it, and not all Republicans do either. It’s a plan to change Medicare significantly but not to “abolish” it.

via Senior Scare, Yet Again | FactCheck.org.

Misleading GOP Health Care Claims | FactCheck.org

Republicans in Washington seem to be shifting into overdrive to keep a health system overhaul from passing Congress before the August recess. Yesterday, July 22, brought two more deceptive assaults (that we know of) on the pending bills, one from Minority Whip Eric Cantor and the other from the top GOP member of the House Immigration Subcommittee, Steve King of Iowa.

via Misleading GOP Health Care Claims | FactCheck.org.

AARP – Health Action Now! : Myths vs. Facts

There are special interest groups trying to block progress on health care reform by using myths and scare tactics. Like the notion that health care reform would ration your care, hurt Medicare or be a government takeover. Actually, these are false statements.

All of the health care reform plans currently being debated in Congress would ensure that you and your doctor are the ones making decisions about your health. The majority of working Americans will continue to receive their health care through their employer. In addition, health care reform will strengthen Medicare by eliminating billions of dollars in waste while lowering prescription drug prices.

Throughout the debate on how to fix what’s broken about our health care system, AARP pledges to help you cut through the noise and find the facts about what health care reform means for you and your family. When we see special interests using scare tactics, we’ll make sure you’re given the facts so you can make informed decisions about health care reform.

The following are some of the most common myths being spread about health care reform and the facts that prove them wrong – click here to watch a video by AARP on the myths and facts of reform.

via AARP – Health Action Now! : Myths vs. Facts.

False: Government Will Decide What Care I Get (a.k.a. they won’t give grandma a hip replacement)

Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit the Council to mandate coverage, reimbursement, or other policies for any public or private payer. … None of the reports submitted under this section or recommendations made by the Council shall be construed as mandates or clinical guidelines for payment, coverage, or treatment.

via Seven Falsehoods About Health Care | FactCheck.org.

Don’t Despair Yet, Mr. Bartlett! | Republican Leadership Council

In a recent post, former Reagan aide Bruce Bartlett has correctly noted the sad position of the Republican party these days and gives a somewhat good reason for why he is “anti-Republican.”

He notes that in the eighties, the grown-ups in the Democratic Party created the Democratic Leadership Council to try to steer the party back to the center. Bartlett then notes that there is no such counterpart in the GOP and that has allowed talk show hosts like Glenn Beck to run the party and drive away moderates and independents.

Well, he is partially correct. Talk show hosts have in some way become de facto leaders in the GOP, but unbeknownst to Mr. Bartlett there are grown-ups still in the GOP who are trying to steer the party towards the center. There are several organizations that are dedicated to this task, but they have little name recognition and are ignored by the mainstream media as well as the blogosphere.

via Don’t Despair Yet, Mr. Bartlett! | Republican Leadership Council.

National Health Care (An Affordable Alternative) | Republican Leadership Council

Proposed here is a relatively simple plan that conservative and moderate Republicans, main stream Democrats as well as Independents could all rally around. It is a plan that would tackle the health care crisis in America in a responsible and affordable manner. This plan gives coverage to all citizens, reduces overall national medical expenditures from current levels, and keeps our free market health care system intact.

via National Health Care (An Affordable Alternative) | Republican Leadership Council.

End-of-Life Counseling Allowed a Focus on Living

It has often been said that dying can be a full-time job. That was emphatically not the case with Brooke. Until her final days, she concentrated on living — a choice that end-of-life counseling helped make possible. Hospice care more than meets the standard of the Hippocratic oath: It not only does no harm — it does good; it is not about hastening death but enhancing life. If counseling about hospice services and palliative care is a beneficiary of health care reform, many Americans will be as well.

via Devin Talbott and Strobe Talbott – End-of-Life Counseling Allowed a Focus on Living – washingtonpost.com.

Why the GOP Is Gunning for Grandma

  

 

 

 

 

I do not wish to alarm older, wealthier readers, but you may find family gatherings becoming increasingly tense over the next year. Do not be surprised if your heirs try to sit you down for a “conversation.” And do not be surprised if you experience something like the following nightmare: You’re in a hospital bed, hovering in a state of partial consciousness. Beneath the mask, that surgeon has a familiar face … wait, isn’t that … Dr. Grassley? And who’s that with the syringe—Nurse Palin? At which point, if you are lucky, you will wake up in a cold sweat.

via Why the GOP Is Gunning for Grandma | Newsweek Newsweek Voices – Jacob Weisberg | Newsweek.com.

via Why the GOP Is Gunning for Grandma.

The Recession Is Over! But Not for You–Yet

 

 The Great Recession, which rolled over our financial lives like one of P.J. Keating’s giant pavers, is most likely over. Home sales, while still far below the levels of a year ago, have risen for three straight months—a first since 2004. The stock market has rallied 44 percent since March, thanks to renewed optimism and improving earnings from big companies like Goldman Sachs and Apple. In June, seven of the 10 indicators in the Conference Board Leading Economic Index pointed upward, including manufacturing hours worked and unemployment claims. Macroeconomic Advisers, the St. Louis–based consulting firm, says the economy is expanding at a 2.5 percent annual rate in the current quarter. Economic activity “will increase slightly over the remainder of 2009,” Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress.

via The Recession Is Over! But Not for You–Yet. | Newsweek Business | Newsweek.com.

McCain Campaign Investigated, Dismissed Obama Citizenship Rumors

 

 

 

 

 

 

Berg’s main problem was the one that has bedeviled the the small, but growing, number of lawyers and amateur attorneys who have filed frivolous lawsuits against President Obama on the “question” of his American citizenship. He and they have run up against the doctrine of standing, which requires plaintiffs to prove that they have been or will be harmed by the law that they’re challenging. Like the people who challenged McCain’s citizenship in 2008 and 2000, or the people who challenged Dick Cheney’s right to run for vice president because he, like George W. Bush, resided in Texas, “birther” plaintiffs have failed again and again to get their cases heard because they lack standing.

via McCain Campaign Investigated, Dismissed Obama Citizenship Rumors | The Washington Independent.

New York race blurs party lines

 

 The last time a competitive congressional special election took place in upstate New York, Republican Party officials turned to an outspoken conservative with a pugnacious streak, a legislative leader who made his reputation railing against issues such as illegal immigration.

This time around, the GOP is taking a markedly different approach.

When tasked with nominating a candidate for another competitive special election in another upstate New York district — the seat that will be vacated by Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.) — Republicans chose a candidate with softer edges: a female lawmaker who embraces gay marriage, fully supports abortion rights and has a close relationship with leading labor officials in her region.

“Now more than ever, people are looking for leadership and independence, and for people that don’t follow what the party leaders tell them to do,” Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, the GOP nominee, told POLITICO. “I’m pro-choice, and I also support gay marriage. The leadership might not like that — but the people that I’m closest to have voted for me, know me, and they’re very supportive.”

via New York race blurs party lines – Josh Kraushaar – POLITICO.com.

Lindsey Graham gives as good as he gets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In an interview with POLITICO Thursday, the South Carolina Republican defended his decision to back Sotomayor by laying out a broad critique of conservative activists who push “ideological purity” and refuse to cooperate with a Democratic Congress and White House.

“If we chase this attitude … that you have to say ‘no’ to every Democratic proposal, you can’t help the president ever, you can’t ever reach across the aisle, then I don’t want to be part of the movement because it’s a dead-end movement,” Graham said.

“I have no desire to be up here in an irrelevant status. I’m smart enough to know that this country doesn’t have a problem with conservatives. It has a problem with blind ideology. And those who are ideological-driven to a fault are never going to be able to take this party back into relevancy.”

via Lindsey Graham gives as good as he gets – Manu Raju – POLITICO.com.

RealClearPolitics – The Wilderness Years Begin

The Traditionalist-Reformer boundary line is not clearly marked. Not only do Reformers disagree with one another on many questions, but their differences push some closer to and some farther from the Traditionalists.

Frum, for example, urges conservatives to take obesity seriously as a public health problem. Ponnuru doubts that “a citizen’s weight is any of his government’s business,” since the conclusion of that argument would mean “there is no principled reason to reject compulsory calisthenics.” He chides Frum for leaving behind not just the “conservative consensus,” but “conservative habits of mind.”

Frum, conceding that all the policy options for obesity may turn out to be worse than the problem, insists on the broader point: “[W]e cannot allow ourselves to be scared away from creative thinking about new problems by ideological policemen.”

Even if it is true that conservatism rules out any ambitious policy measures to reduce obesity, Frum recently remarked, that tells us more about the limits of conservatism than the unimportance of obesity.

via RealClearPolitics – The Wilderness Years Begin.

Republicans, Let’ Play Grown-Up

Some, and they are idiots, look at Judge Sotomayor and say: attack, attack, kill. A conservative activist told the New York Times, “We need to brand her.” Another told me a fight is needed to excite the base.

Excite the base? How about excite a moderate, or interest an independent? How about gain the attention of people who aren’t already on your side?

The base is plenty excited already, as you know if you’ve ever read a comment thread on a conservative blog. Comment-thread conservatives, like their mirror-image warriors on the left (“Worst person in the woooorrrlllddd!”)

via Republicans, Let’s Play Grown-Up | Republican Leadership Council.

The GOP’ Purity Problem

So Republicans interested in self-preservation would seem wiser to heed the appeal for inclusiveness. But big-tent politics by both parties serves an interest larger than membership; it’s good for the polity as a whole. Parties that must rely on voters with a range of views will be less in thrall to ideological interest groups.

A diversity of opinion in both parties also encourages compromise and bipartisanship. Like the so-called Blue Dog Democrats, the shrinking cohort of moderate Republicans who once moved their party to the center are now less able to forge those compromises.

Obviously, inclusiveness can be pushed to the point of incoherence. In general, however, political parties that aspire only to represent true believers run the risk of marginalizing themselves even if they benefit temporarily from the politics of polarization.

via The GOP’s Purity Problem | Republican Leadership Council.

Advice to the GOP on Judge Sonia Sotomayor: rebut (nicely) and confirm?

“’When a case comes before me involving, let’s say, someone who is an immigrant — and we get an awful lot of immigration cases and naturalization cases — I can’t help but think of my own ancestors, because it wasn’t that long ago when they were in that position.’…’When I get a case about discrimination, I have to think about people in my own family who suffered discrimination because of their ethnic background or because of religion or because of gender. And I do take that into account.’— President Bush nominee Justice Samuel Alito, Confirmation hearings 2006

via THE ARENA: Advice to the GOP on Judge Sonia Sotomayor: rebut (nicely) and confirm? – Fred Barbash – POLITICO.com.

Chris Christie wins N.J. GOP gov. nomination – Michael Falcone

 

During the race, Lonegan staked out solidly conservative positions that threatened to erode some of Christie’s support among the state’s Republican voters, but Christie’s establishment backing as well as his superior fundraising helped him over the finish line.

via Chris Christie wins N.J. GOP gov. nomination – Michael Falcone – POLITICO.com.

Stealth War: Barack Obama sabotages Republicans

 

 “Boxing the Republicans into a South-dominated party is very good strategy, because the more you reduce the Republican Party, the more conservative and reactionary it will become, and thus less attractive to moderates,” said Tom Schaller, a University of Maryland-Baltimore County professor and the author of “Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South.” “The Midwest and the Northeast are the places where there are still remnants of old-line Rockefeller Republicans. And these are the places where the Democrats will build durable majorities.”

via Stealth War: Barack Obama sabotages Republicans – Charles Mahtesian – POLITICO.com.