Bristol Forum featuring Wendell Potter

Born and raised in Mountain City and Kingsport, Wendell Potter is

a Senior Fellow on Health Care at the Center for Media and Democracy.

After a 20‐year career as a corporate public relations director, a

visit to a Remote Area Medical clinic in Wise, VA changed his life. Seeing

hundreds of his former neighbors waiting overnight for desperately

needed medical care, he decided to leave his comfortable and powerful

position as head of communications for CIGNA, one of the nation’s

largest health insurers, to speak out about strategies health insurance

companies use to drop coverage and deny care in order to boost their

profits. A well‐respected journalist and author of the book “Deadly Spin”

(Nov. 2010), he has become a leading critic of the health insurance

industry, testifying before Congress and speaking out against the spin

created by insurance companies to block health care reform.

Court Rules In Favor of VA AG

Commonwealth of Virginia wins a round in its challenge against the constitutionally of individual mandates. Yesterday a judge rejected the US Dept. of Justices motion to dismiss the suit. This is far from over.  What’s next? A hearing to debate the merits of the suit is scheduled for October 18, 2010.

White House statement

Prop C a Shoe-in in the Show-me State

Most sources predict, including poll from late July, that today Missourians will go to the polls and pass Prop C — ballot initiative giving their state govt. permission to block the individual mandate requirement under the new law that allows the federal govt. to require individuals to buy health insurance or be financially penalized.  What may become model legislation for other states only recently got attention from either the pro or con side.  Supporters of the measure turned it on in the last month and have messaged well and been better organized than the opposition — what opposition?  While a few influential interests have come out in opposition, there has been virtually no organized citizen effort — and, in these times, its all about populism and the perception of populism. Lesson here: working hard to pass a law if wasted work if supporters aren’t able to continue to advance the effort and at least try to fend off opposition. Change is hard work, harder still is protecting the change so it has time to take root. Pro progressive advocates (national advocates and state advocates across the nation) need to unite help our allies in threatened states.

Prevention is the Best Medicine

American health care law guarantees more access for everybody, new health plans must provide free preventative care

New High-risk Pool Begins in TN

THCC reminds Tennesseans about existing high-risk pool, Access TN & Urge consumers to compare both options

Nashville, TN (Jun 30, 2010)—  Uninsured Tennesseans with pre-existing medical conditions will soon have another choice for obtaining health care coverage.

The new high-risk pool provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act takes effect July 1. The Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a new choice of quality coverage for Tennesseans who have been without health coverage for at least six months and who have been denied coverage because of pre-existing health conditions. PCIP is a new option and not a replacement for the state’s existing high-risk pool called Access TN, http://www.covertn.gov .

“I am glad that Tennesseans will have another choice. It is important that uninsured people with existing medical conditions check out the advantages of both pools before they decide,” said Tony Garr, executive director of the Tennessee Health Care Campaign.

Consumer health care advocacy group, the Tennessee Health Care Campaign (THCC), believes the new federal pool will mostly help those in higher income brackets, but will not help the most of the 1.3 million* Tennesseans with pre-existing conditions because the premiums are simply too high.  THCC is urging individuals deemed as “uninsurable” to take a look at both high-risk pools and see which one is their best option.

For Tennesseans with incomes below $64,000 for a family of three or $75,000 for a family of four, Access TN may be the best choice because premium discounts of 20, 40 and 60 percent are available. In addition, the waiting period is only three months as compared to six months for the new federal pre-existing condition insurance plan.

New Health Reform Website

Starting July 1, find the new coverage available in Tennessee and information about the complete range of health coverage options available for consumers by ZIP code @ http://www.healthcare.gov .

*Health Reform: A Closer Look – Help for Tennesseans with Pre-existing Conditions @ http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/health-reform/pre-existing-conditions/tennessee.pdf

Kucinich Switches Vote on Health Care

Kucinich Switches Vote on Health Care
By JEFF ZELENY
10:28 a.m. | Updated

Representative Dennis J. Kucinich, Democrat of Ohio, said today that he plans to support the health care bill when it comes up for a vote this week. He becomes the first Democrat to publicly disclose his intention to switch from a “no” to a “yes” vote on the legislation.

“I’ve decided to cast a vote in favor of the legislation,” Mr. Kucinich said at a morning news conference in the Capitol. “If my vote is to be counted, let it count now for passage of the bill, hopefully in the direction of comprehensive health care reform.”

Mr. Kucinich said he was “quite aware of the historic fight” underway and decided to drop his opposition that the bill did not go far enough. He said, “I believe health care is a civil right.”

Natl Health Policy Guru Coming to TN

Mr. Ron Pollack, founding executive director of Families USA, will be the  keynote speaker at two of the

Tennessee Health Care Campaign’s 5^th Annual Regional Conference

“Putting the Pieces Together: What Will National Health Reform Mean for Tennessee”

Saturday, February 20 – 9am-3pm

Saturday morning @ Cherokee Health System, 2018 Western Ave., Knoxville  Register with Beth @ buselton@thcc2.org

Saturday afternoon @ Cookeville Regional Medical Center, 1 Medical Ctr. Blvd., Cookeville — Register with Christina @ ckretchik@thcc2.org

Registration: $15 at the door; $10 in advance.

Mr. Pollack is the founding executive director of Families USA, the premier national organization for health care consumers. Families USA’s mission since the mid 1980’s has been to achieve high-quality, affordable health coverage for every American. In 1997, Mr. Pollack was appointed by President Clinton as the sole consumer representative on the Presidential Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry. In that capacity, Mr. Pollack helped prepare the Patients’ Bill of Rights that has been enacted by many state legislatures.

Major Health Reform Despite Status Quo Forces

The politics of the national health reform debate has been brutal. Despite the majority of Americans expecting Congress to significantly reform our dysfunctional health care system, a minority of obstructionists in Congress have sought to do the bidding the powerful special interests that fund their reelection campaigns, namely the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries, and protect the status quo.

The health insurance industry is expected to spend more than $10 million this year to defeat reform and are using 50,000 paid lobbyist (contract lobbying firms and their own employees). The pharmaceutical industry is expected to spend even more, with about 2,000 lobbyists (no evidence it is using regular company employees to lobby).  Despite this tremendously influential power, efforts have from ordinary Americans have not been for naught.

The following has been under-reported and has all but been lost in coverage in recent weeks: the cost of the current health care system is $2.4 trillion and this figure has been and will continue to rise about 7 percent each year.  This is not a projection; this is a proven trend that will only get worse if we do not reform the system now. Many economists project long-term debt reduction with reform. The US spends double per person on health care than any other capitalist democracy. An irony not to be missed is that these other countries cover everybody; by contrast, we have 47 million uninsured and rank lower than other countries on a range of health outcomes.  One thing just about everyone agrees passes the common-sense test is that doing nothing equals “head in the sand.”

Both chambers of Congress actually agree on major improvements to the current system and these are expected to be in the legislation that President Obama signs.  Here are ten significant improvements:

1.  Peace of mind for 30 million Americans, who will no longer be uninsured and will have access to guaranteed affordable coverage.

2. Security for all Americans because everyone will be guaranteed comprehensive benefits. Health insurers operating in the individual and small group markets will no longer be allowed sell subprime policies that deny coverage when illness strikes and you need it most.

3. Moves us toward financial responsibility by reducing overall spending on health care and thus help reduce the deficit. Analysis concludes reform would not increase the national debt, rather, would reduce the debt by as much as $408 billion over a decade.

4. End discrimination by insurance companies as they will not longer be able to deny or drop coverage due to pre-existing conditions. They won’t be allowed to cherry pick only healthy people to cover, or rescind coverage, or impose lifetime or annual limits on policy coverage.

5. Reduces the cost burden for most Americans. Analysis projects an 8.4 percent reduction in premium costs, overall.

6. Low- & middle-income Americans will not go without coverage and will not go broke due to lack of coverage or struggling to afford coverage. All adults and children at or below 133 percent of poverty ($26,000/family of 4)  will be insured through Medicaid. Those above and earning up to 400 percent of poverty ($88,200/family of 4) will be offered subsidies to help afford premiums.

7. Prevention will be taken seriously. The Prevention and Public Health Fund will support public prevention programs to prevent disease and promote wellness.

8. Protects seniors and improves Medicare. Reform eliminates the waste and fraud in the Medicare system, gets rid of the special subsidy to private insurers participating in Medicare Advantage, extends the life of Medicare, and closes the doughnut hole.

9. Small Businesses will finally get some relief. Small businesses will get tax credit to help provide coverage to employees and will have access to the Exchange to shop for the best plan for them.

10. Provides parents and young adults peace of mind. Children will be able to continue coverage on family policies up to age 26.

Corker Does Not Pass the Common-sense Test

Sen. Bob Corker likes to preface his take on things by saying such and such passes the “common-sense test.” Well, when it comes to his words and actions about national health care reform, he is not passing the common-sense test.

The most obvious failure of the common-sense test is that Sen. Corker and his partisan colleagues in Congress have cast themselves in the role of the sensible ones. They say they have a better way. Yet, their party controlled the White House for eight straight years and controlled Congress for six of those years. So, Sen. Corker and his partisans have little credibility on this issue to begin with, and less so with all their trash talking and road blocking.

Not a single guaranteed Medicare provision is being cut, and Sen. Corker knows it. Yet he has since this summer played the obstructionist by trying to scare seniors into thinking their guaranteed benefits are being cut to fund general reform. Truth is, reform will bring taxpayer funded subsidies for private Advantage Medicare back in line with traditional Medicare—that is the Medicare that 75 percent of seniors like. Such reform will extend Medicare’s solvency for five years at the expense of subsidized gym memberships in the unpopular Advantage plans. Reform that protects seniors passes the common sense of most Americans.

Sen. Corker says reform will add to the national debt.  He is a smart guy so surely his knows that the cost of the current health care system is $2.4 trillion and this figure has been and will continue to rise about 7 percent each year.  This is not a projection; this is a proven trend that will only get worse if we do not reform the system now. Many experts disagree with Sen. Corker and project long-term debt reduction with reform. The US spends double per person on health care than any other capitalist democracy. An irony not be missed is that these other countries cover everybody; by contrast, we have 47 million uninsured and rank lower than most on a range of health outcomes.  One thing just about everyone agrees passes the common-sense test is that doing nothing equals “head in the sand.”

Sen. Corker’s recklessly calls the proposed Medicaid expansion an unfunded mandate.  Rep. Jim Cooper more accurately calls it a “funded” unmandate, meaning Tennessee is getting a gift of extraordinary funding from the federal government to expand health care insurance for all low-income adults and children. This is a common-sense solution that is sorely needed in a state with a million-plus uninsured, a jobless rate higher than the national average, decreasing employer sponsored insurance, and a state administration that has been unable to handle its health care crisis.

When President Eisenhower created the interstate highway system it was understood that it was a big undertaking that would cost a significant amount initially and would take time to fully implement.  It was an investment in the future of America and all Americans.  No one cried foul that for every dollar invested 90 cents would come from the feds and 10 cents from the states.  Rather, it was celebrated as a good deal.  This coincidentally is the ratio states will get when the reformed Medicaid kicks in.  That’s right, for every dollar Tennessee invests in Medicaid, it will get 9 federal dollars–a deal like Ike’s. Surely Sen. Corker would not accuse former President Eisenhower of flunking the common-sense test!

Halloween in December

HAVE YOUR SAY

Viewpoint: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
December 16, 2009
The Hamilton Spectator
(Dec 16, 2009)

What campfires are to spooky ghost stories, congressional Republicans have become to frightening, fabricated urban legends about health-care reform. Death panels! Rationing! Medicare cuts! It’s like Halloween in December.

“Don’t cut grandma’s medicare,” Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican-Tenn., implored his fellow senators the other day. Senator John McCain, Republican-Ariz., fumed about “draconian” Medicare cuts in the Senate health care reform bill — though he proposed even bigger ones while running for president last year. And then there’s the Stephen King of eldercare: Senator Tom Coburn, Republican-Okla. Health care reform, a hysterical Dr. Coburn recently warned elderly Medicare recipients, means “you’re going to die sooner.”

Does it? Is health care reform premised on intergenerational theft? In a word, no.

All that heat arises from a tiny ember of truth: Bills in the House and Senate rely on savings from Medicare partly to pay for health care reform. But neither bill would cut Medicare benefits, deny health care to the elderly or lead to otherwise preventable deaths.

In fact, despite the rhetoric, both the House and Senate health reform bills actually would increase Medicare benefits. The savings come from cutting waste in the program. The health-care reform bills would eliminate copayments and deductibles on most preventive care and, for the first time, add coverage for vaccines.

You’d think that politicians from a party that fumes about “wasteful government spending” would support cutting waste. You’d think that politicians from a party that fumes about huge federal deficits would realize that Medicare liabilities make up a significant part of the projected deficit. Of course they know it. They’d rather play politics by scaring and misleading older Americans.

So where are those massive cuts that opponents of health care reform are warning grandma about? They mostly affect private health insurance companies that offer what are called Medicare Advantage plans. Those are all-in-one insurance options that combine drug coverage and health care traditionally provided directly by Medicare.

Excess payments to private health insurance companies would be reduced by $192 billion over 10 years. Some companies might respond by increasing premiums to enrollees or reducing the extras they offer. This might be an inconvenience. But in every case, basic Medicare still would be available for all people who are eligible.

Reform bills would reduce automatic price increases for hospitals. And they would place stricter oversight on home health agencies. Audits have found widespread abuse and fraud in those programs.

It’s hard to square those relatively modest changes with the dire predictions of doom. But that’s the way all good ghost stories work.

Mysterious scratching sounds in the attic — like overblown rhetoric in the halls of Congress — can be a little frightening.

But Halloween is over. When you turn on the lights, you find it’s just a bunch of blowhards inventing scary stories.