Universal Health care one step closer.

GOOD MORNING FLINT!
10/14/09
By Terrry Bankert a Flint Divorce Attorney Lawyer sharing his opinion with you.

CHANGE HEALTH CARE TO SAVE OURSELVES

Obama has called revamping the nation's $2.6 trillion health care system his top priority, and five separate committees in Congress have passed versions of the bill — advancing his goals further than any health care legislation in more than a generation. [u] The world is watching our winner of the nobel peace prize. He must succeed! We must succeed!

Our President has avoided open warfare with the republicans on Health care. For this alone he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

A REGULATED MONOPOLY WITH PAID LOBBYIST IS TRYING TO STEAL UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE.

But attacks on the leading Democratic reform plan this week by the insurance lobby left little doubt that two of the most powerful institutions involved in the debate -- the White House and America's insurance companies -- have abandoned any real hope of forging a compromise. What was a tenuous truce has turned quickly into an all-out battle, with both sides ratcheting up the hostilities and their rhetoric. [WP] These corporations are stopping bipartisan cooperation. Just who do they own?
　
HISTORY CALLS ...SNOWE GETS IT RIGHT

"When history calls, history calls," Snowe said, ending months of speculation about her position on the bill. "The consequences of inaction dictate the urgency of Congress." [u] Well said.

SOME SAY THE BILL IS NOT ENOUGH

The bad news was the bill itself - a small step forward, but too skimpily funded to make the kind of difference that the public is counting on.[b] A journey begins with one step.

ITS ONLY MADE IT OUT OF COMMITTEE NEXT COMES THE FLOOR DEBATE.

Lawmakers turned their attention to the next critical step for health care legislation — floor debate — after a key Senate committee Tuesday advanced an $829 billion measure that would affect health insurance for millions of Americans[u] Legislative change in a democracy is a messy thing, but much better than the alternative.

The biggest hurdle: satisfying centrists wary of a government-run public insurance option without losing liberals who insist on one.[ws] Infected change always comes from a coalition. Its better than none at all.

PASSAGES

As the last of five congressional committees completed work Tuesday on a health-care reform package, lawmakers braced for a debate before the full House and Senate about whether Americans are ready to embrace the far-reaching changes necessary to extend coverage to millions of Americans. [w] Time is of the essance, people are dying in the street.

THERE IS ONE GOOD REPUBLICAN IN AMERICA, EVERY AMERICAN COULD GET HEALTH CARE.

With the backing of a lone Republican, the Senate Finance Committee voted 14 to 9 to approve legislation that would, for the first time, require every American to have health insurance. [w]

THE DEMOCRATS WITH SNOWE ARE ABOUT TO GIVE 29 MILLION AMERICANS HEALTH CARE.

The proposal, which the Senate Finance Committee approved 14-9, would expand insurance coverage to 29 million people who wouldn't otherwise have it by requiring nearly everyone to buy a policy and offering subsidies to help low- and moderate-income families afford premiums. [u] Think of the aniexty you felt the lastime you or a family member was without health care. Now multiply that by 29 million.
　
MEDICAID EXPANSION vs MEDICARE SHRINKING

The package would spend $829 billion over the next decade to finance the biggest expansion of Medicaid in 40 years and to provide federal subsidies to 18 million people who otherwise would be unable to afford coverage. [w] In the most militant sort of way we must demand future funding of universal health care , medicaid and social security.

UNDER MINIMUM WAGE GET INTO THE PROGRAM

The finance legislation would expand Medicaid by allowing individuals who earn less than about $14,400 a year to enroll in the program. The bill would also prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage or charging higher premiums because of a patient's pre-existing conditions.[u] Of course the cost will be sperad to the rest of us. Some don't support universal health care when its for those others. But its okay when its a sibling , cousin or mom in need.

THE BILL REDUCES THE BUDGET DEFICIT

It would reduce budget deficits by $81 billion over 10 years, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. [u] CBO the only truthful game in town.
　
HIGHER COSTS FOR SOME

It would raise taxes on high-cost health plans, impose new penalties on employers and slash future spending on Medicare, the federal insurance plan for people older than 65. [w]

MILESTONE OR MILLSTONE

President Obama said that while the Finance Committee package is "not perfect," its passage marks a critical milestone. "We are now closer than ever before to passing health reform," he said in a Rose Garden news conference. "But we're not there yet. . . . Now's the time to dig in and work even harder to get this done." [w] WORK HARDER MEANS FIGHT LIKE HADIES.

EVERYBODY HAS A DOG IN THIS FIGHT.

That work is likely to be grueling. Groups from across the political spectrum opened fire Tuesday on the panel's measure, mindful that it is likely to form the backbone of compromise legislation to be crafted in the coming weeks. [w] You need to make a personal decison to advocate your self or add your number and voice to those who are.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GON’T RUN PART

Labor unions complained that the legislation lacks a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers. [w] A govt run competitor to thwart the monopolistic pressures in organized health care.

THERE IS NOT PUBLIC INSURANCE PLAN.....darn!

In addition to lacking a public insurance plan as a low-cost option for consumers, the bill does not provide adequate subsidies for low- and middle-income workers who cannot get coverage at the workplace but who will, under the legislation, be obliged to buy insurance on their own.[b]

LEGISLATORS WITH A CONSCIENCE...SOUNDS LIKE SMOKE TO ME

Recognizing that the subsidies are insufficient, the bill’s authors decided they could not in good conscience levy severe penalties on those who fail to get coverage.[b]

INSURANCE COMPANIES SHOULD SUCK IT UP NOT PASS IT ON

Insurance companies said that new regulations on their industry could cause premiums to rise higher.[w] Of course they will, no matter what.We trust you guys and believe every word you say...not!

BUSINESS AND LABOR IN THE SAME BED,LACE SHEETS, candles a little wine!?

And major business groups joined with labor in decrying a proposed tax on high-cost insurance policies, which could increase health-care expenses for employers and workers alike. [w] Them against them..the enriched and powerful against the not so rich and not so powerful.

THE BILL IS NOT ALL IT COULD BE

Unions oppose a plan to pay for the bill in part with a 40% tax on high-priced insurance plans. [u] But then the un-unioned need the coverage also. What comes to mind, Sleep in the bed you make or you cannot have your cake and eat it too.

ITS NOW ALMOST UNIVERSAL

The bill also requires insurers to take all comers, including those with preexisting illnesses. [b]

EVERYONE IS A GOOD OBJECTIVE

With a weak penalty for failing to get insurance, many young, healthy consumers will choose to pay the penalty rather than fork over thousands of dollars that they can’t afford, leaving large numbers of families uncovered and the insurance pool top-heavy with older, sicker purchasers. [b] So whats wrong with a penalty.

Since insurers will be required to cover them and prohibited from charging extra for their preexisting conditions, premiums for everyone will rise.[b] And your point is?
　
CHAMBER WANTS BIPARTISANSHIP..RIGHT

"Although it was the best effort to date, the Senate Finance Committee missed an opportunity to create a truly bipartisan bill to reform our nation's health-care system," said R. Bruce Josten, chief lobbyist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.[w]

REDUCE COSTS, JUST ASK WHY ARE AMERICAN DOCTORS RICH!

"One of the primary goals of health-care reform is the overriding need to reduce ever-escalating costs for both consumers and employers. The Senate Finance bill increases premiums [and] raises taxes." [w]

AFSCME…PREPARING FOR BATTLE

Gerald W. McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, added: "They call it reform legislation, but we don't think it is. It's deeply flawed." [w] Its big anything against small any thing.

Unless it undergoes major changes, he said, "we're going to oppose it."
The reaction from many Republican lawmakers was equally strong.[w] Big Unions ,Big Money against the rest of us? I am glad my team is headed by a guy who just won the nobel peace prize or there would be internal fluids in the street.

SHE IS IN A PICKLE AND IS NOT FICKEL

Sen. Olympia Snowe, Republican of Maine, is fast becoming the Brett Favre of the political world: She has trouble making up her mind, but she sure knows how to play ball. [w]

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE MY ONLY SUNSHINE, YOU MAKE ME HAPPY WHEN SKYS ARE GRAY

Only Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (Maine) voted to support Obama's top domestic initiative, while her fellow Republicans were united in their condemnation of the measure, which was largely crafted during more than three months of bipartisan negotiations. [w]

SHE HAS FOUND HER CALLING

"When history calls, history calls," Snowe said, ending months of speculation about her position on the bill. "The consequences of inaction dictate the urgency of Congress."[u]

THINGS WILL WARM UP BUT WE WILL KEEP OUR NEW SNOWE

Whatever merits swayed Snowe are likely to evaporate, they said, during private talks set to begin Wednesday in Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid's office. [W]

Reid (D-Nev.), Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), who shepherded a competing bill through the Senate health committee in July, expect to meet there with senior White House officials. [w]

BLENDING IN

Their task is to blend the bills into a final product that can unite the Democratic caucus, keep Snowe on board and win the 60 votes necessary to avert a GOP filibuster. [w]

A SMALL STEP FOR BIPARTISANSHIP A BIG STEP FOR DEMOCRACY

Snowe's vote lent the imprimatur of bipartisanship to the finance panel's measure, according to a senior Democratic aide, making it easier for Reid to rally support among Democratic moderates who have been reluctant to back a health-care bill without political cover from the GOP. But the politics of the Senate are complex. [w]

WHY IS FARVE IN THIS ARTICLE

Congress's answer to Favre is Snowe, the wiry New Englander who, for the past several months, has been unable -- or unwilling -- to take a position on health-care legislation. The longer she held out, the more concessions Democrats made to win her over, to the point where she became, arguably, the single most influential member of Congress drafting the legislation, even though she is a member of the minority party. [w]

NO SNOWE JOB WE COURTED HER

Democrats negotiated with her for months; President Obama wooed her personally. Olympia wants amendments? She gets amendments. Olympia needs more time? The Senate Finance Committee delays its vote. Olympia opposes government-run insurance? Voilà -- the public option is gone. [w]

COY ROUTINES, SWEET NOTHINGS, FLOWERS AND ....TOUCHDOWN.

The coy routine was working so well for Snowe that, as she walked into the Hart Building on Tuesday morning for the committee vote on the legislation, she claimed she still hadn't made a decision. [w] SHE WORKED IT.

BATTLE LINE ARE BEING DRAWN

For some Democrats, immediate electoral concerns are paramount. Sen. Blanche Lincoln (Ark.), a moderate and top GOP target in next year' midterm elections, sought several changes to the bill, including a provision aimed at limiting insurance executives' incomes. But minutes after she voted "aye" Tuesday, the National Republican Senatorial Committee denounced her for supporting a bill that would, it said, "ultimately shift costs to voters in Arkansas who are still struggling to make ends meet." [w]

POLLS TROLLS AND REPUBLICAN BACKLASH

Polls show Reid himself may be vulnerable next year, and he has tended to home-state interests by securing Medicaid funding for Nevada to offset the cost of expanding the program. Republicans also are targeting Dodd, who faces a tough reelection fight. [w]

WHO COULD POSSIBLY CARE WHAT LIEBERMAN THINKS

Dodd's Connecticut colleague, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I), said Tuesday that he could not support the Finance Committee bill, citing insurers' concerns that the fees and taxes it would impose on their industry would drive up premiums. Connecticut is home to numerous health insurance companies. [w]

LIBERALS ARE IN OPEN REBELLION... MOVEON.ORG VS UNIONS!

Liberal groups also were in open rebellion. A new cable television ad from MoveOn.org features a former insurance company executive calling the finance panel's bill a dream come true for insurance companies, and it demands a government-run insurance plan to lower premium costs. Meanwhile, 27 major unions will sponsor full-page newspaper ads, expected to run Wednesday, that criticize the measure for not containing a public option or a mandate on employers to offer health insurance to their workers. [w]

THE BATTLE ..LIBERALS,-VS -CENTRIST,-VS- CONSERVATIVE, THIS IS REAL SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

Those two issues are also most important to Senate liberals. But if Reid yields an inch to them, he risks losing support among centrists -- as well as Snowe, who could prove to be the most fragile ally of all. [w]

SNOWE IS NOT FLAKE

Snowe said during Tuesday's session that she remains concerned that the package would do too little to make coverage affordable for the millions of Americans who would be required to buy it. But after considering the "astronomical increases in health-care costs" of recent years, she said, she concluded that the consequences of inaction would be far more damaging than the potential pitfalls of the legislation. [w]

SNOWE WILL NOT BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED

Still, she said, she could withdraw her support if the measure changes substantially. Like other moderates, she has serious reservations about a public option and employer mandate. [w]

COMPROMISE PLANS ARE IN DEVELOPMENT

Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he is working with colleagues to craft a compromise that would let states decide whether to create their own government plan, team up with neighboring states or opt into a national plan. But the divide over the employer mandate could prove more difficult to close. "I think that's going to be hard," Schumer said. [w]

THERE IS MANUVERING ROOM TO JUST DO IT RIGHT

With Tuesday's vote, Baucus said, Democrats can rule out the need for extraordinary measures to pass a bill, such as a fast-track procedure known as reconciliation. But the challenge now is to "put on the floor a bill that is perceived as solid, balanced, common-sense and not slanted too far in one direction or the other," he said. [w]

WHERE ARE THE VOTES

"We want to listen to senators," he added. "But it still comes down to what gets 60 votes." [w]

THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY IS FIGHTING OUR PRESIDENT

"The insurance industry has decided to lead the charge against health reform, and everyone recognizes their motives: profits," said White House deputy communications director Dan Pfeiffer. "We are going to make sure they can't sink this effort at the last minute." [wp]

RIDE THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY AND BREAK THEM...SAVE A COUNTRY.
　
POSTED HERE BY
12/14/09
Terry Bankert
http://www.flintfamilylaw.com/

see
[w]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/10/13/ST2009101300095.html
[u]
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-10-12-healthcare_N.htm
[b]
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2009/10/14/as_baucus_bill_skimps_health_reform_suffers/
[w]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-yn/content/article/2009/10/13/AR2009101301771.html?hpid=topnews
[ws]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125547649535083655.html
[wp]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/13/AR2009101303472.html?hpid=topnews

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