WHY WE REFORM
As the drama of the health care reform bill enters its final act, presumably on its way to passage, in Friday’s NY Times Paul Krugman reminds us why reform, imperfect though it may be, is so crucial.
…As it happens, Reuters published an investigative report this week that powerfully illustrates the vileness of our current system. The report concerns the insurer Fortis, now part of Assurant Health, which turns out to have had a systematic policy of revoking its clients’ policies when they got sick. In particular, according to the Reuters report, it targeted every single policyholder who contracted H.I.V., looking for any excuse, no matter how flimsy, for cancellation. In the case that brought all this to light, Assurant Health used an obviously misdated handwritten note by a nurse, who wrote “2001” instead of “2002,” to claim that the infection was a pre-existing condition that the client had failed to declare, and revoked his policy.
This was illegal, and the company must have known it: the South Carolina Supreme Court, after upholding a decision granting large damages to the wronged policyholder, concluded that the company had been systematically concealing its actions when withdrawing coverage, not just in this case, but across the board.
But this is much more than a law enforcement issue. For one thing, it’s an example those who castigate President Obama for “demonizing” insurance companies should consider. The truth, widely documented, is that behavior like Assurant Health’s is widespread for a simple reason: it pays.
SENATE VOTES TO SHRINK CRACK/POWDER DISPARITY
Finally. Finally. Finally.
The AP reports:
Legislation approved by the Senate on Wednesday would significantly reduce the disparity in sentences handed out to those convicted of crack and powder cocaine charges.
Currently, a person convicted of crack cocaine possession gets the same mandatory jail time as someone with 100 times the same quantity of powder cocaine. That 100-1 ratio has been particularly hard on the black community, where convictions on federal crack laws are more prevalent.
Under the measure, approved by a voice vote, the ratio would be reduced to 18-1.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who worked out the legislation with Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, said he had initially wanted a straight 1-to-1 ratio, but that the final product was a good bipartisan compromise.
“If this bill is enacted into law, it will immediately ensure that every year, thousands of people are treated more fairly in our criminal justice system,” he said.
He said the bill also would mark the first time since 1970 that Congress has repealed a mandatory minimum sentence.
A similar bill is pending in the House.
LA’s HOMELESS OBJECT TO HOUSING CRACKDOWN
USC grad student, LeTania Kirkland (who is also my former student), takes a look at new LA County Housing Authority regulations that will affect affordable housing in the city in ways that worry homeless advocates—in particular the fact that anyone with a drug conviction is not eligible for housing help for five years.
This semester, Kirkland has been looking into some of the issues surrounding public housing this semester, a topic that is all but ignored by most of the rest of the city’s press.
The Los Angeles County Housing Authority is proposing new regulations that it says will improve the conditions of affordable housing, but some advocacy groups fear they will undermine efforts to house the city’s homeless.
One rule would only allow tenants to miss one housing inspection appointment or deadline to show their financial need for low-income Section 8 housing. If the appointment is missed for good cause, such as an illness, a one-time counseling session would be allowed. If participants miss a second appointment, they would be permanently removed from the program.
The second change involves what is called the “look-back period.” Currently, anyone with a violent or drug-related conviction within the last three years is ineligible for Section 8 housing. The Housing Authority wants to extend that period to five years.
$200,000 FOR INFO ON HEMET GANG COPS ATTACKS
To date, there have been three chillingly brazen and potentially deadly attacks on the Hemet/Riverside gang task force. Now various agencies have contributed to a $200,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest for the crimes, and AG Jerry Brown has put out a statement asking for the public’s help in finding the attacks’ perpetrators.
Law enforcement officials have suggested that someone, or several someones. from the Vagos Biker gang may be involved in the attack.
Whoever they are, may they be caught soon.
The FBI, The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and the city of Hemet have all now chipped in to increase the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for recent attacks against the Riverside County Gang Task Force to $200,000.
There have been three known attacks against the law enforcement agency at its Hemet office, since December 2009.
“Riverside County District Attorney, Rod Pacheco, has asked that a state reward be offered, in supplement to an existing reward, to encourage individuals with information about these attacks to contact law enforcement,” Gov. Schwarzenegger said in the announcement of the award…
Thanks to this blog I learned that Father Boyle was more effective than all of law enforcement in stopping gangs. I say give the reward money to Father Boyle and let him preach and convert the poor mis-understood victims of society who are labeled as Vagos.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_W_raid18.38d4c73.html
I just want to say how much I love the drawn on pictures that you make Celeste.
How dare you draw on Glenn Beck!!
Krugman is an idiot. Draw on him.
Hard to pay attention to much besides health care right now. Here’s hoping!
Medical Insurance Companies, scheming and scamming, revoking policies of people who are sick, or older, or that some chart says might get sick, surprise, surprise.
Could this aberrant behavior be because they are “for profit” corporations and are oblivious to suffering, unless it’s a bottom line malady?
These Insurance corporations and HMO’s have whole departments dedicated to fucking the clients if it means maximizing profits. I always wonder how people who work at this profession of screwing the sick, scared, and helpless out of getting medical care sleep at night.
I have more respect for a pimp or a hooker; at least they usually provide the service they are paid for.
That’s why every civilized country in the world provides some kind of universal health care, medical care shouldn’t be just about the bottom line.
Who Was Paul Krugman?
The Health Care Lies of Paul Krugman
Meet The Krugman Truth Squad
If you look closely you’ll see that Glenn Beck is holding a hammer and sickle because, at the time the photo was snapped from the TV, he had just compared social justice to communism and cancer.
And then, after those gentle views, he said what he REALLY thought about people who talked about social justice.
Okay, to be fair, he didn’t say straight out that people like me were in league with Satan or damned to hell for all eternity, he just said that if a church said it would discuss social justice or had sponsored programs it described with the words “social justice,” that one should “turn around and RUN the opposite direction.”
I think this graphic is actually the perfect one to use on a regular basis here at Witness LA so that anyone who feels as dear Glenn does can have plenty of warning and thus not endanger his/her immortal soul by proximity with us evil doers.
I do, however, pray for him and them.
(And, no, I’m not kidding.)
It wasn’t “this blog” that said Father Boyle has done more to stop gangs than all police put together, “WTF”, it was me. Do you disagree with that? If so, based on what?
Far as health care goes..like all corporations today, they’ve been inherited by the generation x, wall street reagan era yuppies and it’s all about cutting costs. The generations before them were greedy, too, but they also had a sense of civic responsibility. That’s gone in the corporate world. People still have the delusional image of the business world being these old guys sitting in a conference room with 50 foot walls. Watch Michael Moore’s capitalism and look at all of those guys coming out of that bank conference meeting that Michael starts talking shit to. They’re in their 30s and 40s. They look like a bunch of frat guys on their way to the watering hole. That’s who’s running the country right now.
Be sure to click on Woody’s links in his comment about Paul Krugman, at least, everyone, to see that his source is a neo conservative documentary film production company.
I pray for Glen Beck. (I’m definitely kidding)
Rob Thomas thinks that Michael Moore is a conservative.
What?
R.T.,
It’s March, the windiest month of the year, I suggest you visit “Flat Top†in Lincoln Heights, Elysian Park, Belvedere Park, the LA River bottom, City Terrace, Elephant Hill in El Sereno, they are all great places to fly kites.
You can have kite fights, do loop de loops, scare the hawks, see how high the kite will fly when all the string comes off the stick, you can do all kinds of tricky shit with a kite.
Kite flying is one of the best ways to spend your time or time with your kids. You can enjoy the fresh air at this time of the year, when the grass is green and the wind blows the smog away and the views are spectacular.
R.T.,listen up! Go Fly a Kite!
http://flykites.org/
The kite idea is brilliant, Conchita. I mean for anyone. I’m going to make sure I go somewhere in the next few days and at least watch.
Thanks for the idea AND the locations.
When I got out of the service in the mid-70’s I lived at home, went to college full-time and worked part-time. If the government had told me that I had to have health insurance I would have have asked why and fought it as hard as I could. I was in great shape and I don’t think I even saw a doctor until I took my medical to enter law enforcement three years later.
Where there should be sanctions, jail time and the revolking of a health care providers ability to do business here when there are violations of their coverage, to force anyone to buy insurance, especially people like me in the mid-70’s, is absurd. You could even have those who don’t want to be insured sign a waiver to accept liability for any health related bill they incur.
Our focus should be on jobs, not health care, and there’s a whole list of things we could do to fix that problem that we’re not doing because lawyers rule this country, especially those who become crooked politicians.
This is pretty monstrous: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/health/policy/19arizona.html
Your welcome Celeste! That is in a roundabout way. It seems our internet troll aka Conchita has been “using” my post yesterday at LA Eastside, “GO FLY A KITE”.
Trolls will be trolls and this one is infatuated with me! I’m flattered but feel sorry for her and her condition.
It’s ok though I really think flying kites is a good way to get some fresh air without polluting the air, and it’s cheap too
Thanks to both the kite flyers for their great inspiration.
I didn’t realize D.Q. is the only person who flies kites.
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/03/will-march-winds-will-soar-hey-kid-go-fly-kite-day
http://www.goflyakite.com/flyingwonders.html
Sure Fire, not too many people need health care in their 20s. It’s mainly for old people and children. We have all been children at one time and will be old if we live that long. You have no idea what life will be like when you get old. You think all old people who are by themselves chose that fate? It’s like burn victims. You think you’d just run for it, a flame could never catch you. But isn’t that what they tried to do? Infernos move faster than people think. None of them stuck their head into a burning log. Some of them were trapped in a car, and it just happened in a split second. I look at old people being impoverished and alone the same way. Most of them didn’t choose it. They’re there. 10 years ago we used to have recreational centers for seniors, many of them had shuttle buses once a week to take them to the doctor, grocery store, etc. A lot of them stopped receiving funding. See all of these scooter commercials now? “your medicare will pay for it!”. We’re talking away the senior centers and replacing them with little individual people movers, that don’t do a hell of a lot for you when it’s raining. We’re both going to be old, Sure Fire, and neither of us knows if we’ll be blessed with a large family, or all alone in some Motel waiting for whatever’s left of SS and a pension to show up once a month. CAll it socialism all you want to. I don’t give a fuck. Give me my brown beret, or whatever. Anything that takes care of people in these situations, ESPECIALLY veterans like yourself and my grandfather when he was alive, I’m for it.
What else you willing to let the goverment force you to buy if you don’t feel you need it Rob? Where else are you going to let them intrude upon in your life? Myself and 2 friends debated this tonight. I’ve said I’ve worked in the psych field and I have. I know there are people that the government needs to take care of, some old, some young and some my age or yours. Some through accidents, some through birth defects and some through tragedies that scarred them. I don’t have a problem with that at all.
But what this plan should have done was simply address the failings of the insurance industry and attempt to fix them, not decide for any individual of sound mind what they have to buy. A woman friend of mine is 35 and has not had health insurance for 12 years. She pays for her own medical needs and figures she’s saved over $75,000 on out of pocket premiums by rolling the dice and winning.
She said since she knows things will be changing for her soon, as she ages and her profession changes (she’ll be going into the nursing field and with being around disease feels being insured is wise) she’ll be getting insured. To be forced to either by insurance or be penalized for not doing so is simply wrong.
Our idiot president and idiot politicians that follow him should be concentrating first on the unemployment problem, before any other issue and make health reform actual reform which to me means 1) Not allowing insurers to refuse pre-existing conditions (though the cost would have to be more) 2) Not allow insurers to boot someone from coverage due to illness 3) tort reform 4) put a cap on how much insurance rates can go up in a year and truly go after those insurers that violate the rules.
As for the un-insured, well I’ll write on that later it’s a bit more of a challenge. This is still America last I looked and this “change” all the idiots thought they were voting for when they elected this idiot wasn’t the kind this plan gives people, the polls show that loud and clear.
Look at that Rob, we can debate without calling names what a shocker.
I would like to point out that there’s absolutely no hypocrisy or rank stupidity for a government employee who worked in an essential public service sector which everyone is forced to participate in, everyone is covered by and which is paid for via forced collection of taxes to argue against a policy of universal health coverage. You know, if I’m young, schooled in martial arts and own a gun and I live in a relatively low-crime neighborhood, why the fuck should I be forced by the government to pay for the police ? Why can’t I just take my chances, sign a form assuming responsibility for my own protection and deduct a chunk from my tax bill ? This is America and nobody should be able to force coverage and taxation for the police, fire department, garbage collection, auto insurance or a public water supply down my throat.
(Actually this isn’t even worth “debating” – the empirical evidence from the real world overwhelming supports universal health insurance systems on both cost and medical effectiveness. Only extremely low-information types or “psuedo-libertarians” – a term I use because nobody really believes that shit except selectively and self-servingly – make these bullshit arguments like the above.)
Why are people in Los Angeles and other cities are waiting in line to opt out of the government run public schools.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-kansas-city20-2010mar20,0,7526444.story
surefire’s comment is a reminder of how unhinged our politics are from reality. Look at his requirements and you can see that he basically supports Obama’s plan.
Requirement #1 and #2 are actually in the plan. Those two features work best with mandated coverage (otherwise people will wait until they are sick to get insurance). Surefire’s waiver idea tries to get around that, but then you have to get into what counts as sick enough to reject and who makes that decision (the insurance companies? Won’t they reject anybody with even the slightest problem?) And, when one of those insurance-less gamblers does does get seriously sick, even if they have signed a waiver, we aren’t just going to let them die. So the taxpayer will end up footing the bill for those who gambled and lost. So while there are problems with the mandate, there are also problems with a system without a mandate.
#3 – Obama actually offered tort reform to the Republicans in exchange for support and they said “no thanks”. Tort reform is still worth doing (though not nearly as important to health care costs as most Republicans claim).
As to #4, I’m pretty sure Obama just added that to the bill.
I understand that surefire doesn’t like everything about it – he clearly dislikes the mandate and understandably – but his opposition to the bill is probably misguided (given his own stated preferences) and obviously out of proportion.
I doesn’t matter if a 20-something signs a waiver that they’ll be responsible for their own health care costs. People in their 20s account for 7 percent of the entire health care bill which means their costs averaged out are 50% less than some non-existent distributed “average” by age. The reality is, of course, that no age group eats up anything close to the “average” per capita cost because the very old need health care at levels that make even a reasonably healthy person at 60 a pretty good risk to underinsure themselves for a few more years.
But let that 20-something – having signed a “waiver” – get in a serious accident or contract an unexpected illness and unless his parents are named Gates we’re all as taxpayers or folks who bought health insurance either stuck with the cost of their care transferred to us by the public or private hospital after the first few days of hospital care eat up their savings, or we dump them on the street. Unless advocates of zero-buy-into-health-insurance for young folks are willing to dump these people into the gutter once their (relatively meager in most cases) savings have been exhausted, this entire argument is a sham and an evasion of how real costs get distributed in the real world. The assumption of immortality is as bogus when you’re 19 as it is at 80. You’re just too stupid to know it.
WTF – at it’s most “socialized” the health insurance reform being enacted this week works like the school vouchers proposals that conservatives live – i.e. to help folks buy insurance from private companies that they choose via the exchanges. A conservative idea. There is NOTHING analogous to public schools in this bill.
Although there probably should be – since VA hospitals are among the highest rated health care providers both by consumers and independent agency evaluations.
This is a bill that follows very closely the GOP alternative to Hillary’s ’93 bill sponsored by such commies as Bob Dole and Chuck Grassley. The attacks on this bill are partisan/political and supremely dishonest. Some old, burned-out wretched fucks can’t deal with Obama as President. It’s not much more complicated than that – and, frankly, the Democrats were idiots to water the bill down in search of GOP support. The GOP is nothing but a gang of nihilists – “conservatism” as defined in the current toxic swamp is just an “I’m with Stupid!” tee-shirt. It’s not even conservative. Edmund Burke would be appalled by these hysterical, ridiculously dishonest morons.
that should have been “the school vouchers proposals that conservatives LOVE” not “live”, if it wasn’t obvious.
I’m also amazed at how an empty suit who was responsible for essentially the same variation on health insurance reform when he was a state governor gets applauded and welcomed at the CPAC convention, or how a guy who voted for the same system at the state level is considered a hero by anti-reform groups. This is one of the most dishonest, bizarre charades I’ve ever witnessed – and I’ve seen some pretty crazy shit coming from the Right over the years.
Sure Fire, I don’t like the language of that bill, either, that forces people to buy health care. But if the end result is free health care for those who need it, so be it. If this bill results in 25 year olds having to pay through the nose in health care when they otherwise woulnd’t even have a plan, it’s only going to hurt Obama and the Dems. I seriously doubt that’s how it’s going to work, Sure Fire. I think the forcing people to buy in thing is a means to the eventually end of getting people cheaper health care. It’s almost like the car insurance thing. You have to have it, but you can get it cheap. you don’t have to have All State. It’s not a prefect setup but for the sake of people who need health care, if there’s a mean of them getting it at an affordable price, I’m all for it. We have been living under one form or another of socialism for the duration of our lives, unless you were born before the new deal. Since you left the service in the mid ’70s, I don’t see how that’s possible. You’re younger than my dad. You don’t remember a time in America where we didn’t have entitlements. So you have no idea what life was like before then, when everyone truly was on their own. Obviously it wasn’t great, or the depression wouldn’t have happened.
Expansion of the pool means that insurance costs over one’s lifetime will be cheaper – assuming that some modest regulations are in place, which seem to be in this bill. And, like any program, the bill can be fixed to make it work better. This is pretty simple stuff. Hysterics are not in order.
Alternatively, there’s a Depends sale at Walgreen’s right now for those who are crapping their pants over the dreaded Obama’s socialist/fascist/Islamist take-over of the entire economy. Some might even consider an extra pair to wear on their head.
WTF, has there been a poll yet that determined the majority of Americans are flat out against government having a role in health care? The only polls I’ve seen use wording like, “are you satisfied with Obama’s plan”, etc. Very ambiguous. And, if there is such a poll, is it by a trusted pollster? No foxnews viewer polls. I haven’t seen one yet. ANd, Obama was talking about his health care plan all throughout his campaign, where McCain was against it. You have to believe if the majority of Americans were against government playing a role in health care, Obama wouldn’t have won by as much as he did. I just haven’t seen the data yet that would clearly demonstrate that most Americans want government entirely out of health care. I’ve only seen people against Obama’s plan using polls with ambiguous wording to attempt to make that case.
#29 were in reference to Mitt Romney and Scott Brown, if it wasn’t obvious. Both supported exactly this kind of government intervention in the private insurance market, mandates, etc. To make the argument that it was only the state government doesn’t cut shit IMHO. That’s like saying that Arnold taking a $ from my pay is entirely different than the IRS taking it. Or that the state of California requiring me to buy insurance to drive my car (despite the fact that I have a proven record of being one of the safest drivers on the road) is less “oppressive” or “unfair” than if it were the Dept. of Transportation. Bullshit.
Rob – since Medicare is one of the most popular government programs, I don’t think that there is even a significant minority who “want the government out of health care.”
When the bill is broken down into components in polling, it is very popular. The nihilistic and dishonest demagogy of the Right gets reflected in the polling because people watch snippets of news and don’t read bills or extensive analysis of bills. There is also a lot of dissatisfaction among liberals with this bill, which also gets reflected in negative polling on this particular legislation and the “process”, which has actually been more transparent than almost any I can remember. What is unprecedented is the partisan dishonesty and lock-step party discipline which has even the last couple of “moderates” in the GOP scared to break ranks with the crazies and hyper-partisan pricks.
I’m looking forward to November. The Dems have a great story to tell in the coming election. They’ll lose a few seats, but the GOP will emerge as the party that is struggling to survive and maintain some relevance for the future. Any losses will be recouped in 2012, an election I absolutely can’t wait for. It’s going to be great. The GOP primary in-fighting generated by TeaBaggers and wingnuts is also great IMHO. Although I have a lot of criticisms of the Democrats, they’ve got a great shot at turning around the wimpiness they’ve shown during this process and kicking GOP ass. Great time to be a Dem if the Prez continues to show leadership as he has in the last few weeks. GOPers are in a death spiral that will have a few ups and downs, but basically it’s Dead Men Walking. They’ve got nuthin’.
R.T.
Does this health care bill represent the “rising tide of fascism in this country of ours”, in which “your fighting the good fight against?
Unfortunately, I’m not surprised with insurance companies revoking coverage for ill patients. What does surprise me, however, is how often they get away with it.
My first point is in the plan but in such a way it doesn’t matter Mavis. By the way, I’m not sure if this plan covers illegals or not but think that they won’t be going to hospitals and er’s and having us foot the bill like now? Is there some type of cost savings in this bill regarding the free treatment they get now.
You know sometimes the easiest answer is right in front of your face. If the IRS and bill collectors of all types, the D.A.’s office and even the dmv can make your life fucking an “E” ticket ride for not paying some type of tax, bill, child support or whatever why should health care providers not be able to garnish the wages of those who abuse our health care system?
Reg, you come up with far fetched mentally challenge whacked out head up ass scenarios because that’s all a gutless mother fucking bitch like you has.
Depends is something you probably have on right now old man and probably helping you while you start foaming at the mouth and peeing your pants over my comments.
“that’s all a gutless mother fucking bitch like you has”
Wow ! And what do you have there little man with big badge ?
You’re remarkably transparent and unimpressive, even as resentment-driven assholes go.
Never needed a badge to back up my talk Reg, not ever, that’s the mistake little asswipes like you constantly make when talking to cops. The badge is the symbol of authority to convince people to comply in the correct manner, the man or woman wearing it better be able to step up wnen people don’t care about that symbol.
You think a badge ever stopped some asshole who truly wanted to step up, please Reg you’re from fucking Oakland, act like it.
I said you wouldn’t last in my playground and that’s still 100% fact old man, not on your best day ever. This from the guy too afraid to tell me what he did for a living, dream on.
“my playground” – never left it, did you ?
“too afraid to tell me what he did for a living” – that’s the dumbest, weakest shit I’ve ever read. I talk about my work when it’s relevant, not because some crud-encrusted internet troll is on a tear. You’ve gotten more attention from me than you could ever possibly deserve. Frankly, I’m an idiot for replying to your lame-ass crap. You’re a broken record, a liar and a bore.
You put on quite a little show. I’m sure the kiddies were very impressed on your playground. A lot of noise about how you “step up”, but all I see is an angry little weasel who is better at stepping in it than stepping up. I’m sure it was a lot different on your playground. The good old days…
One more thing – thanks to you and your boys for making that big dent in the drug trade. Great job. The taxpayers are forever grateful. It’s working…
True colors Reg right, ” thanks to you and your boys for making that big dent in the drug trade”, the old blame game huh boy? Yeah, we’ve done nothing, me especially but a cop hating geriatric fuck like you has done what Reg? Shooting off your mouth is easy and again you avoid what work you did, what a weakling.
You’re the guy who wanted to execute a guy wishing the cop would look the other way. Now convince everyone you’re made of something other than hot air.
Bottom line is you’re a lying mother-fucking limp wristed bitch who isn’t half the man of any cop. Being envious of people like me is understandable when I consider what you must be like, old and waiting for the grim reaper must be tough.
He’ll probably toss you back though Reg, you sound undersized to me.
Annoyed source, a round about way to getting at it? Dont throw pearls to swine,
here is the parallel viewpoint
“This kind of levels the playing field,” said Leo Kay, spokesman for the California Air Resources Control Board. “In California weve set pretty tough air pollution standards for a long time now and this brings the rest of the country to the same level.” More than 300 counties – mainly in southern California, the Northeast and Gulf Coast – already violate the current, looser requirements adopted two years ago by the Bush administration.