B4B NOTE: Hate to say it but...

The Public Option In Congress is Now

A SHAM !

Article By Miles Mogulescu

HuffPo

The so-called "public option" -- as it remains in the bills being proposed in the House and Senate -- is a fraud and a sham. It bears no resemblance to the "robust" public option originally sold by its supporters as the most pragmatic, "uniquely American" multipayer way of achieving affordable universal health care, instead of importing successful single payer models from other democratic capitalist countries which provide better health to its citizens at considerably lower costs.

The pygmy public option now being proposed in the House and Senate will not be a viable competitor to mandated private insurance.

• It will not put any meaningful pressure on private insurance companies to moderate their premiums.

• It will not have the market power to pay lower fees to doctors and hospitals than private insurance and will thus not be less expensive than private insurance.

• It will not even be available to most Americans.

• Since it will be unable to effectively compete with private insurance, it will end up with few, if any customers.

At this point, it really doesn't matter whether or not a final health reform bill includes this type of public option in name only. The public option, as it's now being proposed in the House and Senate, will have no meaningful impact. If Joe Lieberman or other corporate Democrats kill this meaningless public option, it will make no difference in the lives of most Americans. With or without a fraudulent public option, millions of Americans who will be required to buy insurance or pay a fine will see their premiums skyrocket as there will be no effective limits placed on how much private insurers can charge the customers whom the federal government will make buy their product.

The final nail in the public option's coffin came when House Democrats (with no help from President Obama to twist Blue Dog arms) fell 10 or 12 votes short of including a requirement that the public option pay providers Medicare rates plus 5% and instead will be required to negotiate rates with each doctor and hospital in America. This all but guarantees that the public option will end up paying more to doctors, hospitals and drug companies than private insurance.

It's like a brand new Mom and Pop store trying to compete with WalMart.

Here's why, without a tie to Medicare rates, the public option will end up paying more to providers than private insurance: The largest private insurers in each market already have tens or hundreds of thousands of members. When they negotiate rates with providers, they get volume discounts of as much as 30%-40% off "retail rates," just as WalMart gets volume discounts because of its market clout. (Because of its even greater bargaining power, Medicare often pays providers 15%-20% less than private insurance).

But without the ability to tie pricing to Medicare rates, the public option will have no ability to negotiate volume discounts. It will start out with no subscribers. It will then have to go to each hospital, doctor and drug company to negotiate rates. Without any subscribers at the outset, these providers will have no incentive to give volume discounts to the public option, which will end up paying more than large private insurers. This in turn will make the public option more expensive than private insurance. As a result, it will sign up few subscribers. With few subscribers, it will be continue to be unable to negotiate volume discounts. Even if the public option were allowed to pay Medicare plus 5% rates, unless it already had a large number of subscribers in a particular market, providers would simply refuse to accept public option patients at these reduced rates, prefering to treat patients from higher-paying private insurers. So it's a chicken and egg situation. Few subscribers will lead to higher costs. Higher costs will lead to few subscribers. This is a public option designed to fail.

As a result, when the Congressional Budget Office first evaluated the Senate negotiated-rate public option plan, the CBO concluded that it would end up with no subscribers. Perhaps with a little pressure from Congress, the CBO is now projecting that by 2019, approximately 6 million Americans would be enrolled in the negotiated-rate House public plan. The CBO also projects that "a public plan paying negotiated rates would...typically have premiums that are somewhat higher than the average premiums for private plans." The CBO notes that this public plan would attract a "less healthy pool of enrollees" than private plans. With a less healthy pool of enrolees who require more services than private plans, the cost of the public plan would continue to escalate beyond the cost of private insurance, further reducing the number of people who sign up, and further reducing its negotiating clout, leading to a vicious circle of increasing costs and unaffordability that would do little or nothing to put pressure on private insurers to lower their premiums.

As Kip Sullivan, a long-time fighter of universal health care, has argued articulately, the devolution of the public option from a robust proposal projected to cover over 129 million Americans and lower insurance costs to a sham public option that will at best cover 6 million Americans in 10 years and have no impact on lowering insurance costs is a case of "bait and switch".

The "public option" was initially proposed by Yale political scientist Jacob Hacker and Campaign for America's Future leader Roger Hickey as a more politically "pragmatic" alternative to the long-time progressive goal of establishing universal single payer health care (as though insurance companies and their paid-for Congressional allies wouldn't fight against a robust public option as hard as they would fight against Medicare for All).

Hacker and Hickey laid out 5 criteria that, they argued, were essential to the success of the public option.

1. The PO had to be pre-populated with tens of millions of people by shifting all or most uninsured people, as well as Medicaid and SCHIP enrollees, into the PO, so like Medicare, it would represent a huge pool of enrollees on day one.

2. Only enrollees in the PO, not in private insurance, would be eligible for government subsidies.

3. The PO and its subsidies would be available to all nonelderly Americans (not just the uninsured and employees of small businesses).

4. The PO would pay Medicare reimbursement rates.

5. The insurance industry had to offer the same minimum level of benefits that the PO offered.

If these criteria were met, the Lewin Group (a subsidiary of health insurance giant United Health) projected that the public option would enroll 129 million Americans, have overhead of 3%, pay hospitals 26% less and doctors 17% less than the private insurance industry, and have premiums 23% below the private insurance industry average.

That was the "bait." Now came the "switch." The puny public option proposals that are still on the table in the House and Senate meet only the 5th of the 5 criteria for an effective public option and eliminate the first 4 criteria. They are not pre-populated; subsidies go to both the public option and private insurance; large employers are barred from buying into the public option; and the public option is not allowed to use Medicare rates but must instead negotiate rates on a provider-by-provider basis.

The result is that instead of enrolling 129 million Americans and decreasing insurance premiums, the sham public option being proposed in the House and Senate will enroll between 0 and 6 million Americans and will cost more than private insurance.

It's time that organizations which supported a "robust" public option tell their supporters the truth: that the public option in the House and Senate bills bears no relationship to the public option they have been fighting for. (Instead, the Health Care for American Now blog praises the public option in the House bill as "a strong competitor to private insurance, keeping prices down and attracting customers.") Its time that "progressives" in Congress like Anthony Weiner, Alan Grayson, Jan Schakowsky, Raul Grijalva and Lynn Woolsey admit to their constituents that, with no help from President Obama, they've lost the battle for a "robust" public option. Media figures like Keith Obermann and Rachel Maddow, who've been vocally talking up the public option, should be reporting the truth about the pitiful public option that's left on the table.

As it stands now, the sham public option in the House and Senate bills serves only one purpose. It gives political cover to progressives and liberals in the House and Senate to vote for mandates that will use the power of the federal government to force uninsured individuals to buy inferior and over-priced private insurance or be fined by the IRS by being able to say, "Well, at least the bill contains something called a public option," even if it's a public option in name only. Better that Joe Lieberman's filibuster threat forces Congress to drop this sham public option from the bill. At least, then, progressives and liberals will have to squarely face up to the implications of their vote and decide if this type of "health care reform" is really in the interests of the American people, or indeed, in the interests of the Democratic Party.

As the final bill takes shape, it's going to be a close call whether this type of mandated "health insurance reform" with no price controls on premiums is better than no reform at all. (Thanks HuffPo)

Share The Facts...

Then Fight...Call...DEMAND !

STRONG Public Option ONLY !

B4B

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/miles-mogulescu/the-public-option-in-cong_b_340501.html

B4B Pic Of The Week
President Makes Surprise Visit

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. — Standing in the pre-dawn darkness, President Barack Obama saw the real cost of the war in Afghanistan: The Americans who return in flag-covered cases while much of the nation sleeps in peace.

In a midnight dash to this Delaware base, where U.S. forces killed overseas come home, Obama honored the return of 18 fallen Americans Thursday. All were killed in Afghanistan this week, a brutal stretch that turned October into the most deadly month for U.S. troops since the war began.

The dramatic image of a president on the tarmac was a portrait not witnessed in years. Former President George W. Bush spent lots of time with grieving military families but never went to Dover to meet the remains coming off the cargo plane. (HuffPo)

B4B

Free Make-Shift Health Care Clinic: Houston, Texas

Harry Reid:
Chooses Public Option with Opt-Out
The Good and MOSTLY BAD of Opt-Out !

By Greg Jones
Blacks4Barack

Well, this is good news and bad news (but mostly bad). In answer to millions of pro-strong public option phone calls and emails Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has announced that there will in fact be a public option in the Senate version of the bill he will bring to the floor, a move that Reid feels will pacify his constituents in Nevada who are overwhelmingly in favor of a strong public option. That's the so called 'good news'. The bad news is his plan will include the 'opt-out' clause which means that the public option plan would start out as a national, all-inclusive plan but will give all individual states the option to opt-out of the strong public option plan resorting to the status quo system with no option at all.

Some say that Reid's opt-out decision is a move that could garner enough support to actually pass in the Senate with the hope that each state would be 'too embarrassed' to opt-out, therefore would remain in the strong public option plan. But the fact is, the states in which the insurance cartel currently have near monopolies would be at greatest risk of being 'shameless' enough to opt-out with a desire to squash any type of competition that could hurt their pockets. And if you think the lobbying is bad in D.C. just wait and see the cartel in action on a per-state basis.

Bottom line, this is a major crap shoot. If states do remain in the public option plan then that will give residents access to much needed affordable health care coverage. But each state that DOES excercise their right to opt-out will create an absolute disaster for every uninsured resident of those states. Combine the lack of an affordable public option with the anticipated mandate (forcing all Americans to have/buy health care insurance or be PENALIZED) and it is easy to see the nightmare that may lie ahead.

The benefits of the strong public option derive from it's negotiating powers and leverage due to the plan's mass, national number of participants/members, enabling the public option to demand better rates which are passed on to each member. But if states can constantly opt-out of the public option, there can never be a concrete number of members to base true discounts/leverage on. There would be much greater discounts if 50 states are in the plan than if, say 42 states are in. Or what about when 4 or 7 states per year opt out; public option rates for members would have to keep going up accordingly, creating constant inconsistency, and a prime recipe for failure.

Although this watered down plan may have the ability to get the votes necessary to pass in the Senate, since the majority of the Democrat and Republican Senators really DON'T want true, affordable reform thanks to the millions in lobby/bribe money they have taken from the insurance cartel, this plan really does not securely address the health care reform needs of We The People. With 47 million Americans having no health care coverage at all and an average of 44,000 Americans dying each year due to no access to quality health care, the idea of fulfilling the health care needs of the 47 million on a per state basis is at best sad and barbaric. This 'great health care reform' with a potential end result that your life could have been saved if only you had lived in the right state simply means that we could become a bunch of third world countries right here in the un-United States of America.

Will struggling, uninsured Americans be forced to relocate to states that DO have the strong public option ? After they move, will Americans then have to hope and pray that their new state doesn't decide to opt-out one day, forcing yet another out of state move ? Are we to literally play musical states for the simple right to quality health care in order to stay alive ?

Now, the millions of supporters of strong public option are expected to be thankful that this public option will be in the Senate plan while simultaneously holding their breaths in fear that their individual state may opt-out, leaving them still uncovered due to the unaffordability, while becoming lawbreakers thanks to the new mandate. Our politicians may need to include some kind of mental anguish coverage in this plan because if it does pass it could be stressful enough to make one literally lose their mind. On the bright side, with the passing of this plan the politicians will be able to brag that they did give us
"A public option" and some will feel that this is better than absolutely nothing, the original goal of our well bribed politicians.

Many are familiar with the old traditional Indian rain dance. Looks like now we'll be forced to do the American Shame Dance in hopes that we can shame our state politicians to do the right thing for the health care needs of Americans by not opting-out. Something tells me there's going to be a lot of dancing ahead, or, if nothing else, a lot of future business for UHaul.

Shame Them NOW...

Say NO To Opt-Opt
Strong Public Option ONLY !!!
MAKE THE CALLS !

Related Article:
Shows which Red states most likely to opt-out
By: Jane Hamsher FireDogLake


B4B

The OFFICIAL
1st Family Portrait

It's A NEW DAY !
We are very proud of our 1st Family !

B4B

WATCH:
1st Lady Michelle Obama
Addresses Health Care Reform for Women

In some states, maternity care is not covered because pregnancy can be seen as a pre-existing condition. Its even legal in some states to deny a woman coverage because shes been a victim of domestic violence. First Lady Michelle Obama looks at where health care policy and people's lives intersect. Two-time cancer survivor Roxi Griffin and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius join her to discuss how the current system doesn't work for women and their families and why health insurance reform is so needed.

CLICK HERE if video does not appear through server

B4B

Greg Jones B4B NOTE:
Here it comes folks...the start of THE " let's water-down strong public option the way we were lobbied (bribed) to do so so that the health insurance companies can continue to Rape America"...CON GAME !

Article by Sam Stein (HuffPo)

Baucus: There May Be 60 Votes for

" Less Pure' Public Option

Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.) insisted on Monday that a public option for insurance coverage was very much "alive" as he and two other Democratic senators merged together disparate health care bills.

But in what will surely be a disappointment for progressives, the Montana Democrat hinted strongly that the provision would be watered down.

"This issue is alive and we are looking at it to see what makes the most sense," the senator declared on a conference call with reporters. "The major overall goal here though is to get health care reform that passes the Senate, gets 60 votes, and I just don't know if there is 60 votes for the most pure kinds of the public option. There may be 60 votes for the less pure kinds."

The less pure kinds, Baucus explained, were co-ops, a public plan triggered by economic conditions and an insurance structure that allowed states to opt in or out of a public option. He seemed to find the last option the most intriguing.

"It is new and it is interesting," said Baucus. "Senators are trying to think it through, its effect, what it will do? We don't know yet."

CLICK HERE To Read Rest of Article

CLICK HERE To Read Related Article By Greg Jones:
"Not All Public Options Are Alike...or GOOD !"

Time To FIGHT...Time To DEMAND...
STRONG PUBLIC OPTION ONLY !

B4B

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/19/baucus-there-may-be-60-vo_n_326197.html

WATCH:
President Obama's Weekly Address
Battling The Insurance Companies
Down The Stretch

As the health insurance reform debate enters into its final stages in Congress, the President denounces the desperate and deceptive last-ditch efforts of the health insurance companies to derail it.

Greg Jones' B4B NOTE: Since all signs show that the health reform bill IS going to include a mandate (law that every citizen must have or buy coverage or be penalized) then it is extremely important that a strong public option be included in the bill to create a lower cost plan for the 47 million hard working Americans who are currently uninsured because they can not afford coverage. If they could afford it they'd have it and not be standing in make-shift free clinic lines for much needed health care like a third world country. If there ends up being a mandate, but still unaffordable plans that Americans are FORCED to buy, then we will simply end up with 47 million uninsured lawbreakers, which totally defeats the purpose of Health Care Reform, all to the benefit of the insurance cartel. It is absolutely PATHETIC that our politicians are using cost as the excuse (health care reform is anticipated to cost $889 billion over 10 years) to continue to allow 46 thousand Americans to DIE each year due to the lack of medical care/coverage, while simultaneously (and quietly I might add) approving the spending of $683 BILLION for WAR (majority went to defense contractors)...with the expectation to need more funding NEXT YEAR !

The key to a strong, competitive public option being in the bill is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. We Must vigorously contact Reid to DEMAND a Strong Public Option as if our lives depended on it....because one day...it just might !

CONTACT Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at;
DC: 202-224-3542; Vegas: 702-388-5020; Carson: 775-882-7343;
Reno: 775-686-5750
email: http://reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

Yes We WILL...
Yes We MUST !!!

CLICK HERE if video does not appear through email server

B4B

All 'Public Options' Aren't Alike...
Or GOOD !
A Quick Look at the DIFFERENT
' Public Options '

By Greg Jones
Blacks4Barack

As I watch the debate over health care reform I can't help but notice the caution in the verbiage being used by the proponents of public option. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has declared that " no bill will get through the House without a public option ". Rep. Anthony Weiner has emphasized that it will be difficult to get a bill passed without a public option. When we hear statements of this nature with such conviction we naturally are invigorated with the feeling of " Yes ! "

But there's one seemingly small, but very important problem with this strategic rhetoric that no one is bringing to the attention of We The People, not the Democrats, not the Republicans, and certainly not the media. The problem lies in the harmonious phrasing carefully used by all public option advocates, and that phrase is ...."A" public option.

To see through this one must first analyze exactly what the title ' public option ' means. It simply means ANY health insurance plan available to the PUBLIC as an alternative to the current private health insurance system which would be another choice or OPTION to what exists now. But there are multiple versions all calling themselves public options that vary tremendously in how they will effect health care reform and/or make health care more accessible for all. Keep in mind that the one thing that is certain to be included in the final bill will be a MANDATE or new law forcing ALL Americans to have or buy health care insurance or they will be PENALIZED. So here's a quick look at the different plans all calling themselves
"A" Public Option.

PUBLIC OPTION: (The plan President Obama spoke of throughout the campaign) First, there's the true, strong, competitive public option which is basically a health insurance plan put together by the government to compete against existing private insurers. This would be a national plan designed to generate so many members or participants nationally that the sheer numbers will give this plan the leverage or negotiating power to offer reduced, very competitive rates. This public option would have lower administrative costs since it would not be designed to make a profit and will not have an advertising budget. These savings will help this plan be even lower in cost and more affordable for all. The key to the success of this national plan is the great number of participants.

CO-OPS: Next, there is the co-ops, aka " co-operatives " which will be setup and initially funded by government funds, then turned over to individual non-profits, which will work similarly to the public option mentioned above except instead of being one strong, national program, the co-op plan would be individual statewide plans like 50 'baby public options'. The insurance cartel prefers this plan because it is a much weaker plan since the number of participants and therefore negotiating power would be based on a much lower total number of participants in each particular state resulting, most say, in being non-competitive. The cartel also favors this plan because as co-ops have been tried over the past decade they have basically failed because of being unable to compete effectively. Lastly, in order for a co-op to even get started in a state it would need a minimum of 500,000 participants, a feat insurmountable for a number of states which means those states would not have this 'public option' at all. Bottom line, the co-op plan just won't work (see video below of Robert Reich explaining public option vs. co-ops).

OPT-IN: Then, in a non-stop attempt by our great politicians to come up with whatever means possible to water down competition against the insurance cartel, another brilliant idea has been proposed called OPT-IN. This plan is basically one step weaker than a co-op in that it gives each state the option to offer the public option plan in their state or not...If the state likes it they can OPT-IN...if not, everyone in that state is stuck with the status quo while still being forced by law to pay the current high rates of the insurance cartel....or be PENALIZED !

OPT-OUT: This seems to be the plan that is picking up the most steam lately. In fact, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), one of the fiercest advocates for public option recently stated as reported by HuffPo that he " left open the possibility that reform would include (and he himself would support) an opt-out clause that allowed states to set up co-operatives in place of the public plan." So Opt-Out means that each state would start out as part of the national, good, strong, competitive public option but would have the right to stop participating in the good plan resorting to the weaker, non-competitive co-op plan. Some politicians feel that this opt-out plan would be successful because state officials would be 'embarrassed' to switch/opt-out from the good public option to the weaker, higher costing co-op. Fact is, the opt-out idea will simply benefit the cartel in states where they have monopolies as in Alabama where 1 insurer has 89% of the entire insurance market. A major concern is that politicians in monopoly states will cowtow to the lobbyists (take bribes/campaign funds,etc.) not caring what they 'look like', to opt-out of the national, robust/strong plan...switching to a state co-op plan which would be pleasingly non-competitive to the cartel...would be of no true benefit to residents of the state...just back to status quo. (and don't forget the mandate)

TRIGGER: Finally, there's this super-brainstorm of a plan which simply says let's just keep things the way they are now, trust the insurance companies to do the right thing and make their prices more affordable on their own, and if things don't get better in like 6, 8 or 10 years from now, THEN we'll start (trigger) the public option. The saddest thing about this plan is that they (our politicians) are actually serious. Pathetic !


WATCH: Robert Reich Explains
Strong Public Option Vs. Co-Ops




So when our Servants of the People say, "....you'll have A public option ", make sure you know exactly what they mean. No Co-ops, no opt-in or opt-out and definitely no trigger. Unfortunately, many of our politicians are more dedicated to aiding and abetting the insurance cartel than they are delivering true, accessible, quality health care for ALL. And if they think that shame is an effective tool, then NOW is the time to

Make Calls...Make Demands...SHAME THEM NOW
To Pass A STRONG,
Competitive Public Option ONLY !

CLICK HERE if video does not appear through email server

B4B

WATCH:
Labor Unions FIGHTING for Strong Public Option
Richard Trumka AFL-CIO Pres. Speaks Out...
"...anyone who blocks it will pay the price "

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The Time Is NOW...To FIGHT
for the RIGHT to Quality
Health Care For ALL !
(WITH Strong Public Option)

CLICK HERE if video did not appear through email server

B4B

Seeing Through The Democrat's
Health Care CON GAME !

By Greg Jones
Blacks4Barack

" I Can Not Support A Public Option" ! That is the main message that Senator Olympia Snowe has made certain to get across during every one of her barrage of interviews which have taken over the cable news airwaves. Yesterday, Snowe was the lone Republican vote in the 14-9 decision to pass the Senate Finance Committee's version of so-called health care reform. Although this senate plan is actually the very worst out of the five different versions drafted, it is being touted in the media and by various politicians as a great triumphant achievement...as if the passing of the other 4 were absolutely meaningless.

Fact is, if the Senate plan was to actually pass as it is, Americans would be in WORSE shape than we are now. NO Public Option combined with a mandate, guarantees that this Senate Finance Bill will be of great benefit to the insurance industry while simultaneous slapping We The People, the supposed purpose of health care reform...in the face. So why is the worst of the plans garnering such accolades ? Because we are being strategically played like ill-informed fiddles by BOTH the Republican AND Democratic leaders. Just one look at the amounts of money ( legalized bribes) both the top Democrats and Republicans have received from the health industry lobbyists shows exactly who they are loyal to...and it's NOT We The People.

Thanks to the power of the lobbyists, leadership on neither side of the isle really wants any type of TRUE reform that would effect the pockets of the insurance industry (their bribers), but they do want to APPEAR as if they are working so diligently for the much needed health reform (of which 77% of Americans want a strong Public Option). And did I mention the sad truth that the Democrats have received more payoff money than the Republicans ?

So here's their game. The Democrats have enlisted Olympia Snowe to side with them (a move that makes Snowe look good to her constituents who want reform in Maine), knowing, as she has announced maybe 42 times today in her numerous interviews, that she adamantly opposes any type of a strong public option which would create competition for the insurance bandits, although it is the ONLY way to assure accessible, quality health care for all. Now that Snowe has voted for the bill, which would have passed 13-10 without her, the Democrats (along with the aid of the media) are ACTING like they HAVE TO cater to what Snowe wants or the Dems will lose her support. So, as all 5 bills are merged toward one final bill and strong advocates like Senator Sherrod Brown (Ohio) submits his amendment for a STRONG public option, the Democrats will knock it down stating that the inclusion would cause Snowe (and possibly Susan Collins if she signs on...she needs to look good in Maine too) to defect. (NOTE: Currently, there is NOT a STRONG (competitive) Public Option in ANY of the 5 bills. Many erroneously believe the Senate HELP Committee plan contains a strong public option which it does not. Actually, it is more on the co-op side. CLICK HERE for more info on Senate HELP Plan)

In other words, the Dems are lining Snowe up to be their EXCUSE to end up with a final bill that caters to the insurance industry, and against The People ! In fact, Majority Leader Harry Reid is already on TV today saying that "...legislation is the art of compromise..." or in other words...we have to do what THEY want. PATHETIC ! Keep in mind, Democratic supporters across America worked hard volunteering, making calls, door knocking and WON a filibuster proof 60 Democrat Majority in the Senate. 60 votes is all that's needed to pass ANY bill including health care reform with a strong public option. So it's not the Republicans that are the problem, it's the Democrats who won't vote for what the party promised...true health care reform. In fact, if the Democrats REALLY want to pass health care reform with a strong public option than they can just do so with what is known as a 51 person Reconciliation vote...they don't even need 60 ! It is the responsibility and job of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to LEAD his fellow Democratic senators to get on board and do what is right for America. Olympia Snowe ? That's a JOKE !

It is time NOW for Harry Reid to put the health care needs of We The People FIRST...not the insurance companies...not the appeasement of other politicians ! It is pathetic that 47 million Americans are struggling with NO health care coverage at all with millions more who are under-covered. It is absolutely pitiful that 45,000 Americans DIE every year due to the lack of needed medical care. The Democrats must STOP PLAYING THESE CON GAMES ! And Harry Reid is THE KEY !

Contact Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s offices...
all of them – and tell him...

" As Majority Leader We Expect You To LEAD our Senate Majority to PASS a STRONG PUBLIC OPTION BILL...NOTHING ELSE WILL DO...We're counting on (and watching) YOU."

Not a co-op...not opt-in or opt-out...not a trigger (which are all being labeled as Public Options but ALL benefit the insurance companies !)

CALL SENATOR REID TODAY !

DC: 202-224-3542; Vegas: 702-388-5020; Carson: 775-882-7343; Reno: 775-686-5750

Or email: http://reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

Health Care Reform is a matter of Life or DEATH !

We Will NOT Be ROBBED (or fooled) of Our Right
To Quality Health Care For ALL !

Related article: Top House Progressive: Catering To Snowe "A Waste of Time"

B4B

Hoodwink Alert !

Media/Politicians Tout Passing of Senate Finance Committee Bill As GREAT Accomplishment
With NO Strong Public Option;
Actually WORSE Than What We Have NOW !
(WATCH: Video Below)

By Greg Jones
Blacks4Barack

So today, the Senate Finance Committee passed their version of so-called health care reform 14-9 in what is being touted a great positive step toward health care reform for America, even bragging about being able to attract a yes vote from Republican Olympia Snowe. But the FACT is, if this particular bill was to end up passing as the final bill, Americans would be in WORSE shape than we are now.

One reason, there is NO Public Option of any significance in this 'wonderful' bill, the only means of creating competition against the current gauging of Americans by health insurance companies. NO Public Option means NO way to create truly affordable coverage for the 47 million Americans struggling to survive without health coverage as if this was a third world country, forced to stand in long lines at make-shift free clinics by the thousands for much needed health care. To top things off, this 'great' bill contains a MANDATE, meaning that it will become THE LAW that EVERY (whether you can afford it or not) American MUST buy health insurance or be PENALIZED ! But with NO Public Option, the insurance will still be unaffordable for the 47 million who would have coverage NOW if they could afford it, so this 'incredible' Senate plan will only create 47 million UNINSURED LAWBREAKERS !

Up until now, the uninsured could at least go to the emergency room if their illness got extreme. But under this 'milestone' Senate plan the 47 million uninsured lawbreakers would now be AFRAID to go to emergency, regardless of the severity of their illness, because they'll be afraid of getting CAUGHT without insurance !

This 'historic' Senate Plan is an absolute insult to We The People and the true purpose of Health Care Reform. The ONLY group that this plan helps is the insurance companies who have spent millions lobbying (bribing) our politicians to get what they want. And they certainly are, under this 'super' Senate plan. The bottom line is, if the Senate Plan becomes law we will be in WORSE shape than if they had done no health care reform at all !

Below is a message from former health insurance CEO Wendell Potter whose conscience lead him to become a whistleblower against the corruption of the health insurance industry. Potter explains that any bill that does not include a strong, competitive Public Option is simply A GIFT TO THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY and would be detrimental to the health care needs of We The People.

Don't Be Hoodwinked or Bamboozled !

Our ONLY safety net is a STRONG PUBLIC OPTION. Not just any kind of public option...not co-ops...not opt-in or opt-out...not triggers...those are all WEAK versions of so-called public options frankly designed to benefit the insurance industry ! Only STRONG Public Option will do !!! Please keep in mind that a truly strong Public Option is NOT in ANY version of the bill (which will merge or consolidate during the next few weeks) therefore, someone will have to add it as an amendment in order for a strong, competitive Public Option to even GET IN the bill for consideration.

Unfortunately, due to the absolute greed of our politicians both Democrat and Republican we still have a LONG way to go. And to those who think " President Obama will fix it "...sorry, it just doesn't work that way....which is why he has stated, since day one that he will need OUR HELP ! To All Warriors...Please Help Spread THE FACTS....as if your life depended on it. One Day...It Just Might !

Watch: Wendell Potter




Encourage ALL to FIGHT !
MAKE THOSE CALLS...
MAKE THOSE DEMANDS !!!
Call your Senator...Congressman...TODAY !

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B4B

DISGUSTING !!!

Insurance Industry Going GANGSTER !

Threatens To Jack-Up Rates if HCR Passes !

Mike Lux (HuffPo)

The insurance industry inadvertently gave health reformers the best argument we ever could have had to pass a public option and the strongest possible regulations on insurers. Declaring that rates will go up dramatically if reform passes, insurers launched a full-scale open assault on the idea of any reform at all yesterday, except I guess a reform plan especially tailored to them and their profitability. What they left out of their little study is that they are the ones who decide when rates go up because the biggest companies have very little competition in most of the markets they are in. There is no federal rate regulation, there is no anti-trust enforcement in insurance (they are specifically exempted from it in the McCarran-Ferguson Act), and unless there is a public option, there will be little competition. They will be the ones who decide if the rates go up, and they have just guaranteed they would raise those rates if we don't stop them from doing it.

It's sort of like the sheriff in Blazing Saddles holding the gun to his own head, and saying "back off or I'll shoot." The insurance industry is saying that if they don't like what's in the bill, they will just decide to arbitrarily raise the rates. But we can stop those rates from going up by checking the insurers' power. That's why a public option, real competition for an arrogant out-of-control, way-too-powerful industry, is so essential. Without it, we are left to their whims, and anytime, for my reason, they will just jack up their rates. If their stocks go down, if they just want more profits, if some regulation they don't like is passed, they will just raise their rates. With a strong, robust, nationwide public option, we can force insurers to the table, and give them real competition.

Personally, I think we ought to repeal McCarran-Ferguson and impose tough rate regulation as well. That would really open up competition and guarantee lower prices. But at the very minimum, we have to have a strong national public option. The insurance industry has just reminded us as to why that is. Thanks for the help in making our case, friends.

By the way, it's not just me who thinks this. Voters do not support being forced to buy health insurance unless there is a public option -- at that point, as the polling clearly documents, voters are fine with an insurance mandate. As long as there is real competition with a public option, voters are fine with being asked to buy insurance. Sometimes I think regular voters are smarter than the politicians they elect to govern them. (Thank You HuffPo)

Greg Jones'
B4B NOTE:

While over 47,000 Americans are dying each year due to lack of coverage this Sic threat by the insurance companies PROVES that we MUST have A STRONG PUBLIC OPTION.....The Insurance Companies are openly threatening that if The HCReform Plan does not benefit THEM then They Are Going To PUNISH All Americans By JACKING UP THEIR RATES !!!!!
We Will Be Like SITTING DUCKS...


This is TREASONOUS AGAINST AMERICANS !!!!

We MUST DEMAND...DEMAND...DEMAND...

A STRONG, VERY COMPETITIVE

PUBLIC OPTION !!!!

(The ONLY Safety Net)

Anything short (i.e. co-ops, opt-in/opt-out, triggers etc...which are all WEAK) would result in higher rates from the gangster insurance companies and NO true, competitive alternative for We The People, topped off with a MANDATE (law forcing everyone to buy high-priced, unaffordable coverage or be penalized) !

ANY...Yes ANY POLITICIAN who sides with these gangster insurance companies should be charged with TREASON !!!!

TIME TO FIGHT....NOW !!!!
Please encourage ALL to Help Fight
For Our RIGHT To Health Care !

B4B

MUST SEE VIDEO:
Bill Moyers Exposes Max Baucus' Advisers
And Corruption of our Senatorial System

Greg Jones' B4B NOTE: It is absolute TREASON the way our elected 'officials' both Dems and Republicans, cast aside the true needs of We The People....the people they were elected to serve, choosing instead to pass laws to financially benefit the corporations they were well bribed by. This is legalized, organized crime against Americans and it must be stopped ! NOW is the time to
Make Those Calls...Make Those Demands...
Shame Them into Doing The Right Thing !

I email Mr. Moyers occasionally and noticed he used my slogan here....I like that.

Don't JUST Get Mad...
GET BUSY !

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B4B

Congratulations
President Barack Obama !
2009 Nobel Peace Prize Winner
(Watch Video of Announcement)

Greg Jones
(Blacks4Barack)

Today it has been announced that President Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize which is an incredible declaration of the worldwide appeal for our new President. Since early in the presidential campaign, Barack Obama was criticized by some for his desire to use diplomacy and talks as an initial means of settling disputes with foreign powers, a far cry from the style of the previous administration.

Yahoo News reports, " Obama's election and foreign policy moves caused a dramatic improvement in the image of the U.S. around the world. A 25-nation poll of 27,000 people released in July by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found double-digit boosts to the percentage of people viewing the U.S. favorably in countries around the world. That indicator had plunged across the world under President George W. Bush."

Following the Nobel announcement, the right-wing instantly began ginning up negative responses further displaying what a pitiful and pathetic group of anti-Americans they truly are. Also, the media has initiated it's standard negative spin on this obviously incredible honor. Despite the ignorance, once again, chalk up another one for our President !

WATCH ANNOUNCEMENT



America is Proud of
President Barack Obama !

B4B COMMENTER SPOTLIGHT:
Philip Calderone, Filmmakers for Obama

It was amazing to wake up to this news today. The "too early" argument actually highlights the fact that this president has accomplished in months what many presidents have failed to accomplish in years--breaking the me-first cynicism and helping people realize that we are one human race now facing problems too large for any one government, superpower, alliance, or country to handle.

And yet again, the argument that his popularity comes from merely Kool-Aid drinking celebrity status is incorrect, ignoring the egg for the chicken. Obama is hugely popular because he promotes opinions and policies that most of the world supports. His popularity demonstrates that there are more kind, decent people in the world than those who are not. Finally now we have a spokesman with extraordinary eloquence, intellect and respect for others to help us see this.

Congratulations President Obama. It is a great accomplishment for him, our country, and the billions who applaud him around the world. May your accomplishment be an inspiration to the rest of us as we strive to make this world a better place for us all. Time to get in line and give this man the tools to turn his great words into great actions.
( Philip Calderone, B4B Commenter SPOTLIGHT )

B4B

Strong Public Option
" Very Close " says Pelosi

By Jeff Muskus/HuffPo

House leadership is still hedging its bets on what version of the public option will make it into the unified House health reform bill, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday that Democrats are nearing the 218 votes needed to pass a strong public option tied to Medicare reimbursement rates.

"It's very close, it's very close," Pelosi said of majority support for the so-called "robust" public option, which she personally supports. She did not commit to getting the strong option into the bill, however. "We're in a good place, because we have many good options," she said.

On both counts, the Speaker's assessment seemed more optimistic than that of Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Raul Grijalva, who suggested to the Huffington Post that progressives might scuttle a bill that forces the public health exchange to negotiate its own reimbursement rates with insurers -- the policy favored by conservative Blue Dog Democrats. Grijalva estimated Wednesday that the strong public option had the support of 160 to 170 Democrats, a number significantly lower than the whip count his co-chair Lynn Woolsey has reportedly bandied about.

Though she declined to cite a precise number of supporters for the robust plan, Pelosi was confident enough to say that while the strong public option was only one of three public insurance exchanges the House has sent to the Congressional Budget Office for cost analysis, scores on the two weaker options -- both of which would require the new exchange to negotiate its own reimbursement rates -- were requested simply to give conservative Blue Dog Democrats another chance to make their case.

"In all fairness to those who believe that the negotiated rates work better for them in their district, we're trying to get from the Congressional Budget Office how we could have more savings out of negotiated rates," Pelosi said. The strong public option would save $110 billion over 10 years, she said, compared to $25 billion for an option with negotiated rates according to preliminary estimates. "That's a big difference."

For the first time since their 1995 inception, the Blue Dogs have found themselves out-organized by their liberal counterparts, and their commitment to decoupling the public option from Medicare has been slipping. While progressives have united behind a strong public option, conservative Democrats are concerned variously with addressing regional disparities in Medicare reimbursement, keeping the bill's final cost below $900 billion and waiting to see what the Senate does.

Bridging the gap in savings between the weaker and stronger public options won't be easy for Blue Dogs, and they won't like one possibility that Pelosi confirmed has been floated in a "very preliminary" form: a windfall profits tax on income for health insurers. "I have asked Chairman [Charlie] Rangel [D-N.Y.] to ask his staff to see what is in it for us," Pelosi said. "Let me say that I believe that all of the participants, whether it's insurance companies or the pharmaceutical industry, have much more they can put on the table to help reduce costs." (HuffPost)

NOTE from B4B's Greg Jones:

More News You DON'T Hear in our 'Great Media'.

This past Tuesday, Congress approved a $680 BILLION DOLLAR DEFENSE BUDGET. Yes...$680 BILLION !!! In the midst of our 'great' politicians making a major ruckus over spending $90B per year for 10 years (total $900B) for Health Care Reform to SAVE AMERICAN LIVES...they (quietly) pass this gigantus defense budget with such ease you would almost think they were paid (lobbied/bribed) to pass it. The Time Is NOW for our politicians to get America's priorities in the right order. We MUST have a strong, competitive Public Option (which simply means another Choice or alternative to the gauging of current private insurers). ANY politician who would deny Americans the right to CHOOSE an OPTION to stay alive should be removed from serving the people !

Make Those Calls...

Make Those DEMANDS...

We Must SHAME Them Into Doing the RIGHT THING !!!

B4B

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/08/strong-public-option-very_n_313947.html

( A Positive Step...Now Time To PUSH For Strong Public Option )

CBO: Determines Senate Finance Committee
Health Care Plan Would SAVE $81 Billion

Congressional budget experts said Wednesday that the sweeping health care overhaul bill awaiting a vote in the Senate Finance Committee will cost $829 billion over the next 10 years.

The preliminary report, released Wednesday by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, said the committee's health care reform package will not add to the national deficit -- and will save $81 billion over the next 10 years.

"Our balanced approach to health reform has paid off yet again with the news today that the America's Healthy Future Act remains fully paid for, begins to reduce the federal deficit within ten years and makes significant reductions in federal debt over the next several decades," Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement Wednesday.

The CBO said that the bill would reduce rolls of uninsured by 29 million over the next 10 years -- ensuring that 94 percent of Americans will be covered.

The report paves the way for the Senate Finance Committee to vote as early as Friday on the legislation, which is largely in line with President Obama's call for the most sweeping overhaul of the nation's health care system in a half-century.

Congressional tax experts say the proposed legislation would require health care industries to pay $121 billion in taxes over 10 years -- about $29 billion more than originally thought.

Finance Committee Republicans have been arguing the measure contains too many new taxes.

The committee's proposal, which calls for co-ops instead of a so-called "public option," has to be blended with the version approved by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which does include the public option. Only then can it be considered by the full Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will face a difficult task in merging the two bills into one -- and presumably one that includes the government-run insurance plan that he and other liberal Democrats have steadfastly backed.

The Finance committee voted last week to strike two amendments that would establish a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurance coverage. But the bill created in July by the Health Committee includes a public option and requires employers to offer insurance to their employees.

The question over whether Reid will push for a government-run insurance plan in the final legislation remains to be answered. Reid has said a public option is essential to reform, and other leading Democrats like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have stressed its importance in expanding coverage to the millions of uninsured.
FOX News' Trish Turner and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

NOW...Time To FIGHT for Public Option !

B4B

WATCH:
President Obama Weekly Address
Health Reform Urgent for Economy

An Open Note from B4B's
Greg Jones to The President:

Dear President Obama;

Greg again,

I sincerely hope that you are not desiring to make health insurance a mandate for the uninsured working poor through the so-called 'affordable' plan by way of tax credits. The working poor do not have excess monthly funds to be able to pay any sizable bill out of pocket they are forced to buy...if they had the cash...they would already have bought insurance (and not be standing by the thousands, in long embarrassing RAM lines for much needed free health care). They just won't have the cash and will still be forced to be uninsured. Therefore this plan would simply create uninsured 'lawbreakers' (possibly 46.5 million) who would then be afraid to go to emergency, even when vitally necessary in fear of getting 'caught' without coverage....and to think that the working poor can wait until tax time to receive the 'benefits' of this 'affordable' plan is respectfully, just plain wrong.

I, along with literally millions of others sincerely hope that you will make certain that this 'affordable' plan for the working poor is NOT based on tax credits. And don't forget Sir, we used this mandate effectively against the opposition during the campaign so if you choose to go that route it must be very conducive to the realities of the working poor....or it will end up making things much WORSE !

Once again,
Thank You Mr. President,

Much Love to our 1st Family,

Greg Jones
Blacks4Barack
National Director

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B4B

WATCH:

Fla. Congressman Alan Grayson
Dems New Health Care Reform Fighter
Tells it Like It Is ! A Dem With GUTS !

CLIP #1: First, Grayson explained the Republican Health Care Reform Plan
" If you get sick...DIE QUICK "

CLIP #2: Then, the GOP requested a Grayson apology.
This is my kind of apology !

CLIP #3: YES ! Then Rep. Grayson went on CNN
and spanked the Repubs with TRUTH !

Time To Get FIGHTING MAD !

B4B NOTE: To think that our politicians can end the thousands of senseless deaths per month due to our failed, corrupt health care system with SIMPLY A VOTE...but WON'T DO SO...makes me feel that EVERY politician who votes AGAINST a strong Public Option AND accessible health care for ALL...
should be CHARGED with aiding and abetting !

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B4B