Health care reform moving forward
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-9th, of Evanston delivered a strong message Sunday to people who believe the opportunity for meaningful health care reform in the nation has come and gone.
“There are many who are signaling the death knell for health reform,” Schakowsky told about 100 people attending a forum on health care at Skokie’s Temple Beth Israel. “That is not the real situation in the Congress. We still have an overwhelming majority in the House and an overwhelming majority in the Senate.”
Drew Klein of Skokie, a small business owner, asks a question Sunday about federal health care reform legislation during one-on-one session with U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky at Temple Beth Israel.
In fact, Schakowsky laid out a scenario that she said could result in health care reform even with the Democrats no longer carrying a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.
The surprise election of Republican Scott Brown to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat held for decades by the late Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy has left the Democrats one short of that protection. But Schakowsky said the House and Senate could sign off on the Senate’s more compromised health care legislation and then make changes mostly through the “reconciliation” process.
Adding unique components from the House bill through reconciliation and other measures would require only 51 Senate votes.
Both the House and Senate bills provide changes to the current health care system, including doing away with denial of insurance based on pre-existing conditions. But the House bill is considered more progressive because among other things it includes a public option, covers more people and closes the “Medicare Donut Hole,” which forces seniors to pay for drug costs for the remainder of the year when their coverage runs out.
“It seems like every important vote takes 60 votes in order to pass,” Schakowsky said. “I want you to think for a minute how undemocratic that really is.”
Some Democratic senators, however, such as Evan Bayh of Indiana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, have balked at reconciliation.
“It would destroy the opportunity, if there is one, for any bipartisan cooperation the rest of this year on anything else,” Bayh recently said.
Schakowsky didn’t mention these senators by name Sunday, but she offered a message for them, too.
“When Democrats talk about using the process of reconciliation, which translates into 51 votes, we are really talking about majority rule. And I think we’re really talking about the democratic way to do things,” she said, noting that Republicans have used the process to push through key legislation in the past.
“I know some of the Democrats in the Senate have said, ‘It’s trickery and we can’t jam things through,’” Schakowsky said. “I say ‘Shame on us if we don’t use the rules that have been in place since the beginning of our country and the principle of majority rule to finally get health care to all Americans.’”
The congresswoman has consistently supported significant health care reform — first a single-payer plan and then a public option when President Barack Obama never pushed for the former.
“The reason we need to move forward is because there’s a crisis out there,” Schakowsky said. “There’s a reality out there especially when people who lose their jobs most of the time lose their health insurance.”
At least 40 million Americans currently lack health insurance. Many people with pre-existing conditions find it difficult to find insurance. Others can’t afford their prescription drugs.
“We can’t just say, ‘Never mind,’ because there’s a political controversy,” Schakowsky said. “This is central to our economy. We spend twice as much nearly as every other country on health care. And it’s only going to get worse.”
Sunday’s forum was calmer than when Schakowsky appeared in August at Niles West High School to discuss health care reform. At that time, opponents were mobilizing against health care legislation and disrupting similar forums nationwide. About 1,800 people showed up to the forum in the summer.
Even with a smaller crowd this time, some in the audience were feisty and challenged the congresswoman and her party.
“My wife and I and many of our Jewish friends have been lifelong Democrats,” said one older adults at Sunday’s gathering. “We hate Republicans’ views on social issues and guns and the refusal to raise taxes. But we’re thinking of voting Republican now.”
One reason for his change, he said, is because Democrats plan to cut Medicare.
Picking up on this criticism, a small business owner who provides health insurance to six employees called Medicare “an elaborate Ponzi scheme.” He insisted that Medicare is going broke, saved only because of employee taxes that are matched by employers.
But Schakowsky offered a very different perspective on Medicare, denying there would be any significant benefit cuts.
“Medicare is the most efficient medical insurance plan in the United States,” she said, acknowledging, though, that some waste, fraud and abuse need to be addressed.
The overhead for Medicare is 3 percent, she said, while the average overhead for insurance companies is 25 percent.
“No one can say that Medicare has not been a successful program for the elderly and the disabled in the United States,” she said.
Some audience members also raised concerns about the cost of significant health care reform. Schakowsky repeated Obama’s pledge that a new health care system will not cost more than $900 billion over 10 years or $90 billion a year.
“Compare that to what we’re spending on these wars or on the tax cuts that were given to the wealthiest Americans,” she said. “Compare that to a system where all Americans have access to health care.
“This is a bargain. The defense budget alone is over $400 billion every year.”
For Schakowsky, the imperative to make significant health care system changes is reflected in the hardships people suffer every day. She recounted how some insurance companies have considered pregnancy a pre-existing condition in order to deny coverage. She told about a woman who needed serious surgery to treat cancer and was initially denied coverage because she did not reveal a pre-existing condition from years earlier: acne.
Skokie resident Lisa Lipin had her own hardship story to share. Her asthmatic 15-year-old son has monthly prescription costs of $500. A new inhaler he’s using cost $198, she said.
“The same inhaler in Canada, which I can’t order for him because it’s a newer drug, is $2,” Lipin said. “That’s how much people in Canada pay. It’s absolutely crazy.”
Sunday’s forum drew people from both the synagogue and the larger community.
Smoot Carter III, chief of staff for the campaign of Republican Joel Pollak, who will take on Schakowsky in November, quietly attended the event.
“We believe the Scott Brown decision was decided because of people’s reaction to health care,” he said after the forum ended. “Both Democrats and independents in Massachusetts decided to vote for a Republican because of this health care plan. We believe the same thing can happen here.”
Schakowsky said many misinterpret the results of the recent election out east.
“In Massachusetts, a lot of the people who voted for Brown did so not because they thought the Obama administration went too far,” Schakowsky said. “It was that we didn’t go far enough to solve the problems.
“We get that.”
Tags: democratic way, Medicare Donut Hole, Skokie's Temple Beth Israel, treat cancer, “Ted” Kennedy
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I found your blog post while searching Google. Very relevant especially as this is not an issue which a lot of peaople know that well…
A LINE IN THE SAND – From jacksmith – WorkingClass
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/01/30/debbie-wasserman-schultz-senators-lied-about-supporting-public-option/
Call your representatives and demand an answer. Do you or don’t you support a public option. Do you or don’t support democratic MAJORITY RULE! We DEMAND! to know.
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/01/21/fixing-health-reform-through-the-reconciliation-sidecar-13-improvements-6-ways-to-save-money-4-important-benefits/
YOU! are dying and suffering needlessly every day http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/27055
http://firedoglake.com/2010/01/21/ma-voters-seek-more-and-faster-change-economy-jobs-top-concern-taxing-health-insurance-very-unpopular-poll-says/
My Fellow Americans and People Of The World
A strong Government-run MEDICARE like Public Option is STILL! CRITICAL!
We have had a long hard struggle to find out what would be the BEST! that this congress and the Whitehouse could do to fix our highly dangerous, poor quality, most costly, and MOST! disgraceful healthcare delivery system in the world. It is clear that congress can do much more for the American people than what is proposed so far.
It is clear that congress can pass a strong GOVERNMENT-run public option CHOICE. Available to everyone on day one. Expand Medicare and not levy any new taxes on workers healthcare benefits and plans. LET THIS BE YOUR LINE IN THE SAND!
Lastly, there can be NO! INDIVIDUAL MANDATES without a strong Government-run MEDICARE like Public Option CHOICE. Or the American people WILL! and SHOULD! revolt with an all out CIVIL WAR against congress and this Government.
House and Senate progressives and the tri-caucuses should aggressively push for the inclusion of a strong Public Option, Medicare expansion, and no new taxes on workers healthcare benefits and plans. If the obstructionist kill meaningful healthcare reform, then you should kill this bill. Because it will be far worse than the healthcare disaster we have now. It’s failure will be on the obstructionist heads. And they will be punished and replaced.
WITHOUT A PUBLIC OPTION CHOICE, THIS BILL WILL KILL FAR MORE AMERICANS THAN IT WILL SAVE.
What is proposed in the Senate bill is the worst case scenario for health-care reform. It would shift trillions of taxpayer, public and private dollars into the hands of the private insurance industry (The single most costly, deadly and dangerous product sold in America). And it would compel by law millions of Americans to financially support this oxymoronic criminal enterprise. You cant have a individual MANDATE WITHOUT A STRONG PUBLIC OPTION CHOICE!
You will have NO! realistic way of controlling cost and quality. Cost will continue soaring through the roof bleeding the American people dry, and KILLing our economy. And our quality of healthcare will continue to decline below our current ranking of “WORST! quality of healthcare delivery in the developed World”.
From the very start, the American people have been crystal clear about what they wanted. They wanted a humane single payer system like the rest of the developed world has (HR676). Or at least a humane strong GOVERNMENT-run public option CHOICE!! This is what the American people gave the democrats control of the house, control of the senate, and control of the Whitehouse to do.
Those of you that can, should prepare now to remove every member of congress that fails to support YOUR healthcare reform with a strong Public Option, Medicare expansion, and no new taxes on workers healthcare benefits and plans. Run against them in teams if you have to. But take them out. And replace them with a strong single payer or PRO PUBLIC OPTION CHOICE candidate.
Now! is the time to bring maximum pressure on your members of congress. Contact your representatives and spread the word.
The Public Option http://tinyurl.com/yfftf76
H1N1 IS A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION!
I have to tell you now that the H1N1 virus is a man-made WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION! and TERROR! It is a WEAPONIZED version of a flu virus. It has swept the planet infecting millions. And causing a global pandemic that has killed tens of thousands, and injured millions.
The H1N1 virus is the product of the DISGRACEFUL, GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX! It was released in the U.S. in Texas in early January of last year, but not recognized until around April 2009 in California. The reason I know this is because when it came to America, it came to see me FIRST! How sweet…
This was around the time the MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX! assaulted the Whitehouse with all their devils deals to cripple and weaken YOUR! healthcare reform. Especially your right to have a single payer system like HR676 (Medicare For All) which most of you wanted.
They don’t even want you to have your HUGE!!! compromise position of a strong government-run MEDICARE like Public Option CHOICE. To compete with their DISGRACEFUL, GREED DRIVEN, MURDEROUS, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT PRODUCT (The single most costly, deadly and dangerous product sold in America).
They also wanted to take away your rights to have your government meet it’s responsibility to use it’s full power to regulate, negotiate, and control drug cost, healthcare cost and quality. Something every other civilized country in the developed World has done for it’s people. Their Greed! moral degeneracy and lack of patriotism knows no bounds.
Many of you will remember that before we knew about H1N1. I posted a open message to the President and Congress warning them to be vigilant about their health, and cautious about any medical advice they received. As I said then “they will not hesitate to try and hurt you”.
The U.S. and the World have been under a BIOLOGICAL TERROR ATTACK! for over a year now. It is CRITICAL that We The People Of The United States take away control of our healthcare system from the GREED DRIVEN MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX!
For our own National security, and the security of the world.
A Strong, government-run, MEDICARE like Public Option CHOICE. Available to everyone on day one, with the full unfettered power of the federal government to regulate, negotiate, and control cost and quality. Would be the most workable way to deal with this global crisis at this time. Including patent suspensions as needed for national security or the greater good.
As an American I invite the peoples of the World to help us fix our healthcare crisis. And bring pressure on our government to meet it’s responsibility to protect global security by controlling, and removing the corrupting influence of GREED and the PRIVATE FOR PROFIT motivations from healthcare in the U.S. and around the World.
I call on the governments of the World and the global intelligence community to track down these MASS MURDERERS, and bring them to justice. CONNECT THE DOTS! And be vigilant that they don’t slip in another viral strain on you under the cloak of H1N1 sequestration.
Further, the proposed patent protection on biologic’s must be stripped from the US bill. And greatly shorten/restricted, or abolished completely. This is a grave danger to humanity and global security.
I think President Obama is doing the best he can at playing the disastrous deck of cards he inherited from the previous administration. And I think he is doing an excellent job. But the wolves and devils of the medical industrial complex! are trying to exploit, and take advantage of his good heart, and desperate desire to help suffering Americans. But we must be strong and insist that healthcare reform be done right for the American people. Or everyone loose’s.
This is all I can say in a message post. I’ll try to find a way to tell you more later.
God Bless You My Fellow Human Beings
jacksmith – Working Class
p.s. The so-called nominal H1N1 virus is designed in such a way as to make it more lethal to children and young adults. The medical community must be more vigilant of secondary bacterial infections in the young caused by H1N1. And remember, a viral infection is also a transfer of genetic code to you. Think about it, and be vigilant.
How did you make this template? I got a blog as well and my template looks kinda bad so people don’t stay on my blog very long :/.