How is this Affordable Health Care?

Reagan was elected in the early '80's when I was coming of age. When I was working for a pizza franchise back then I has free medical, hospitalization, vision, dental, disability and life insurance. This job I had was above the minimum wage but, I was by no means rich. In fact all full time positions I held came with these benefits. Those were the times of high interest rates so I suspect the premiums paid by my employers were then fairly low and the insurance companies were investing the premiums with great returns and able to pay claims easily. I guess the population then was much younger overall so less expensive to give care.

The '90's, as I swung into full career mode, health care changed a little. Co-pays, much higher deductibles and co-pays for prescriptions were appearing. I work for a small research lab and the owners were beginning to feel the strain of higher premiums. Folks in our small workforce were having the normal life things going on: having kids, the beginning of relatively normal chronic ailments, mostly things that folks that are approaching middle age have. The owners of this business prided themselves by providing health care for free to us, but, it really staring to cut into their bottom line.

That was when I began to really notice the creeping health care crisis. Hillary Care was killed and problems of folks getting coverage really started gathering steam.

In the late '90's I was self employed. I bought a "catastrophic" health plan. I was in great health at the time, so I figured that was all I needed. Boy, it was real expensive. $200.00 a month got me a $5000.00 deductible to pay for the hospital. That was all I got. No doctor visits, no prescription, no primary care.

I don't really have to go much more into time to demonstrate how costs for health have just skyrocketed in to the stratosphere. For the past 9 years or so I know a lot of folks that have not received any real raises because their employers want to keep high quality health care for their employees. So many have lost jobs and lost employer coverage. Those who can afford it face uncertainty in the health care market that what they buy from these health insurers will actually cover them.

I posted a while back why the Senate Bill was a real bad deal for the middle class. I used Nate Silver's graph of a family of four's cost under this plan. Nate Silver argued that this was such a better deal for these folks. Good Lord. He exposed himself as an out of touch member of the elite. Dang. (And I actually wanted him to be my boyfriend. I think smart is real sexy. Oh, well. Sigh.)Nate actually thought that a family cutting back on luxuries could make it. Got news for you, Nate, a family of 4 on $54,000 a year HAS NO LUXURIES. OK? You can return to Versailles with the other out of touch librul elites, now, and have this absurd conversation with your other friends. You are not helping, sorry. Your arguments are getting in the way.

Marcy Wheeler spells this out for the ones who don't get the point that the Senate Bill helps only the health providers and really screws the middle class. All this brings a real moral dilemma to bear, because, there is a lot in the bill that will help the extremely poor. No wonder there is such fierce arguments regarding all of this.

The fix is in. This is a "bail out" for health insurers , no doubt. I hope those elected in Congress up for re-election next year enjoy the dollars they earned by screwing us.

Oh, BTW, a few blogs posted this link to see how different folks will come out under the senate and the house plans. Worth looking into........

Taking Time this Season

I have been enjoying the season and taking more time with the folks and relaxing a bit. I have all kinds of ideas for posting in the coming new year. Also, I have gotten out my blogger handbooks to learn more and add some bells and whistles and really learn more (pretty much for my own satisfaction.)

I will be heading down to the "Forgotten Coast" around Apalachicola, FL for the New Year's holiday. Hope to talk to the folks at the "river Keeper" group to get an idea how the Chattahoochee/Flint Tri-state water wars are playing down there.

I feel asleep so early last night I am up so I brewed some coffee and hopefully can write a few posts before my departure.

He Heard Exactly What We Heard On Meet the Press

I hit this link on Crooks and Liars and this was so funny......

This was exactly what I heard. I said I don't watch the Sunday shows because there is the internet...

So funny!

Poll Numbers on the Public Option and Mandates

It has really been a long week. The Senate bill on health care is nonsense.

Daddylonglegs told me last night that so far most of my postings had a snarky "Paula Dean" tone to them, but, when I got on the Senate bill I switched to a "Molly Ivens on a quart of tequila" tone. Fair enough.

Here are some poll numbers at DemocracyforAmerica.com. These numbers really paint the picture of how every imaginable demographic's opinion on the public option and mandates. Down here in the Deep South...... well they are tripping out in the most willfully ignorant way. It is pretty clear the for the most of the country mandates and no public option are not popular right now.

I am going to watch "Meet the Press" this morning. I usually don't watch the Sunday shows because I get so annoyed and there is plenty of "post game" analysis on the internet.

Update: Howard Dean was awesome on Meet the Press! Run (again), Howard, run! Markos, too.

Kill the Bill: Outrage on the Left

The healthcare debate is exploding with outrage.

Taylor Marsh has a post that expressing outrage at the mandates for health care but no public exchange or option basically giving the Health Insurance Industry the monopoly. A video is included of Dylan Ratigan smacking down Rep. Wasserman-Schultz after she avoids any explanation why health insurance stocks are rising rapidly. Ratigan says it pretty plainly the fix is in and she is supporting it.

Marcy Wheeler has a post that the mandates for health care are "Neo - Feudalism." She suggests if this becomes law the health corporations will have an even stronger grip on our govermment just like the miltary contractors. Marcy's post pretty much sums it up: if this passes we will have no power to fix it.

Please check these posts out!

Joe Klien: Idiot

Dear Joe:

I know you are well insured, That is a fact. And I feel you missed your calling as a sports reporter. It is easy for you to say...... I read your post.

I am having a hard time here. What part of "moral" are you saying? I am not getting this. What you say?
It is my "moral" obligation to give to a for profit organization by gubmit mandate?? YOU ARE AN IDIOT.

The moral responsibility of individuals to buy in seems obvious as well: If you're 25 and healthy, and intentionally uninsured, you're asking the rest of us to pay your way when you have an accident and turn up in a hospital emergency room. Furthermore, if you're 25 and healthy, you won't always be. Someday you'll be 80 and frail--and you'll be looking to younger, healthier people to expand the pool and keep premium costs relatively low.

Hey, Dude, the plan does not involve any collective, gubmit program that can make that possible health "CARE" affordable that the people that need it the most..... We can't afford it now ..............

I hate you..... YUK

A Graphic Representation by Nate Silver Why the Senate Bill is a Shit Sandwich

This is graphic on how better a family of 4 with an income of $54,000.00 is going to be "less fucked" by if the Senate version of  "Health Insurance Reform" (not HCR) becomes policy. This family will be mandated to give up around 9.5% of their income to health care policy.

I just don't think any family of 4 that has an income of $54,000.00 could shell out that much. And I mean that is $500.00 dollars a month. That's a lot of money for a family.

I think the twenty questions, Nate, are moot.

This family is fucked, less fucked, but, STILL FUCKED by change you can believe in.