At its one year anniversary the Obama health care law is shrinking while the health care crisis grows. Americans who lack any health coverage still exceeds 50 million, over 45,000 deaths occur annually due to lack of health insurance, and 40 million Americans, including over 10 million children, are underinsured.
Premiums are rising and coverage is shrinking a new norm is taking hold in America: 'Unaffordable underinsurance.' This month, the number of waivers granted to the Obama health law broke 1,000 protecting inadequate insurance plans. The expansion of health insurance to the uninsured is becoming a mirage. The Obama administration has told states they could reduce the number of people covered by Medicaid as well as reduce the services provided. And, the centerpiece of the law is under court challenge - the mandate is the first time ever the federal government has forced Americans to buy a corporate product, private health insurance - is heading to a close Supreme Court decision.
Rep. Weiner sinks meat hooks into health-care law’s attackers
By Dana Milbank, Wednesday, March 23, 8:25 PM
Democrats would be better off if more of them acted like Weiners.
As the first anniversary of the health-care law approached this week, many Democratic lawmakers went to ground, leaving unanswered Republican accusations that the legislation is socialist, unconstitutional, bankrupting the country, destroying the medical system and generally bringing about the apocalypse. But not Anthony Weiner.
The Economist
Health care
A not very happy birthday
What will become of Barack Obama’s health reforms?
Articles of Interest
These articles highlight many of the health care related stories in the news–ranging from single-payer op-eds by PNHP members to reports by newspapers on corporate health care.
http://www.pnhp.org/news/articles-of-interest
LePage to Department of Labor:
Universal health care bill in Vermont passes, 89-47
By Anne Galloway
Vtdigger.org, March 24, 2011
You can call it Frank. You can call it Fred. But don’t call it a single-payer health care system. That was the message Rep. Mark Larson, D-Burlington, delivered to lawmakers in the House Appropriations Committee last week and during the House floor debate on Vermont’s latest effort to reform its health care system. The euphemism single-payer was struck from the bill in an amendment to make the legislation more palatable to Republicans, sources say. The bill passed 89-47 after eight hours of debate, speeches, amendments and roll call votes. The legislation now goes to the state Senate.
Vtdigger.org, March 24, 2011
You can call it Frank. You can call it Fred. But don’t call it a single-payer health care system. That was the message Rep. Mark Larson, D-Burlington, delivered to lawmakers in the House Appropriations Committee last week and during the House floor debate on Vermont’s latest effort to reform its health care system. The euphemism single-payer was struck from the bill in an amendment to make the legislation more palatable to Republicans, sources say. The bill passed 89-47 after eight hours of debate, speeches, amendments and roll call votes. The legislation now goes to the state Senate.
I'm including the following stories to give followers of this blog a taste of the political environment we're now facing in Maine. Governor LePage adds to his motormouth-of-the-week series of gaffs, adding to his comments that President Obama can go to hell, the NAACP can "kiss my butt", and that his opposition to regulating BPA in plastic consumer products is OK because it's no big deal if a few "women grow little beards". Stay tuned, I'm sure there's more to come!
LePage to Department of Labor:
Lobby mural must go
Coaxed by 'A Secret Admirer,' the governor orders the removal of artwork depicting the state's labor history – and finds himself again at the center of controversy.
MaineToday Media State House Writer
AUGUSTA - Labor leaders and the state's biggest Latino group expressed outrage Wednesday at Gov. Paul LePage's decision to remove a mural depicting workers from the Department of Labor's headquarters and rename conference rooms in the building.
Scrubbing Labor’s History
In his nightmarish, futuristic novel “1984,” George Orwell foresaw how those who would control us first control media, language and history. The novel’s protagonist, Winston Smith, works at the ironically named Ministry of Truth, rewriting records and altering photos to make the past conform with the ruling party’s current views. Original documents that conflict with new political realities are sent down a “memory hole” to an incinerator.
Reading “1984” is required to understand what’s happening at the state Department of Labor headquarters in Augusta. Some of the department’s symbols — a mural, the names of conference rooms — are being sent down the memory hole by the LePage administration.
Bill Nemitz: Latest LePage order a piece of workBack in November, long before he decided to hide from the media behind his own weekly television show, Gov. Paul LePage sat down along with his wife, Ann, to chat with WCSH-TV's Bill Green. The following website should be visited frequently. It's updated daily: http://www.pnhp.org/news/articles-of-interest |
No comments:
Post a Comment