Arkansas Blog

Yeah, but America has the greatest health care system in the whole wide world.*

*As judged by physicians, insurers, and all others who are able to use the system to their immense financial benefit while many people lack basic health coverage because of the cost related to obtaining care and/or insurance coverage. Your own mileage for the American health care system may vary.

"90% of the people had at least 3 life threatening illnesses. 7 were rushed by ambulance to the hospital. 2 had heart attacks and didn't know it. 9% hadn't been to a doctor in 5 years and 24% in more than five years."

Thanks to decades of Republicans, anti-reform lobbyists, what's-her-name and like that.

Thank you Reagonomics - take a bow noregard, LARGEASS, ArkyBlogger, chasv, bubba and all the rest of the Reagan worshippers who comment on this blog.

Playing the Health Care Lottery
By THERESA BROWN, R.N.

"In the short story "The Lottery," the author Shirley Jackson describes a small farming community in 1940s America, as picturesque a scene as anything you'd find in Norman Rockwell. It's "Lottery Day," and families gather in the June sun, the adults chatting while their children play, gathering up small piles of stones.

Mr. Summers, who runs the lottery, eventually shows up with a wooden box full of paper chits. As he checks a list, Tessie Hutchinson arrives late, exclaiming, "Wouldn't have me leave m'dishes in the sink, now would you?"

The townspeople laugh, but the merriment is soon replaced by an anxious waiting as one by one the townspeople draw a folded slip of paper from the wooden box. Mrs. Hutchinson ends up with the single chit marked with a large black dot.

It turns out this lottery is a long-standing tradition, an annual ritual whereby the town selects a sacrifice to ensure a good harvest. As Old Man Warner, who has survived 77 lotteries, explains, "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon." The reason for the piles of stones the children have been gathering soon becomes shockingly clear as the rest of the townspeople, grabbing rocks of their own, circle around Tessie and begin to stone her to death.

Anyone reading the story recognizes right away that the town's "lottery" is barbaric, the rationale justifying it ridiculous.

But as a nurse, I see the American health care system as a similar lottery, a market-based system that is sustained only by the sacrifice of certain patients. Many of us who benefit from the current system accept these casualties as legitimate and sadly unavoidable."

For the rest of the story...
[LINK]vvvv
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/playing-the-healthcare-lottery/?pagemode=print

WELL, since you mentioned their names, wonder how they will try to spin and troll this? Anybody care to guess?

Aw, just the riff raff of American society. They don't matter anyway. Probably mostly people of color. Mostly lazy people. Who cares.

That kind of attitude has to exist to allow this to exist in the United States of America in the 21st century.

70%er - The problems with the current system are obvious, but I don't like this particular solution. It's a sellout to the insurance industry. The House version contains draconian penalties of imprisonment for those who fail to purchase a compulsory insurance policy. I'd estimate that the current legislation would improve health care for 30% of the population, while the quality of care will decline for the other 70%.

I find it ironic that the supporters of this legislation are more concerned for the civil rights of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed than for the people who don't want to buy compulsory insurance.

Forgive me if this has already been posted (clicky).

I love Betty (this is how I have Norma B. envisioned).

"About 50 physicians, representing such specialties as primary care, pediatrics, emergency, orthopedics, and obstetrics and gynecology, were on hand to treat patients." --- ArkD-G

Kudos to these compassionate physicians and also to the nurses and other health professionals who volunteered their services to the sick. I might add that Bill Clinton's staying away from the clinic because it had become "politicized" is as lame an excuse as I've ever heard. Since when has ANYTHING in HIS world NOT been politicized? From my seat in the nose-bleed section, Clinton's remark seemed more like a preemptrive strike against Bill Halter.

As I remember Bill Clinton made Bill Halter, why would he feed him to the fishes now?

Ark blogger fired the first shot. If you think the wingnuts are crazy now, just wait until the 9-11 terrorists have their say in court. Assuming that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is guilty I hope they boil him in oil on live TV, but I would defend his right to a fair trial like I would if he was Nelson Mandela.

Don't ya get it? If one person is allowed to be railroaded into jail, none of us are safe! And are Americans so stupid that they'll listen to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and decide he's right and America is a piece of shit? If we're too weak to listen to the views of others....we're too weak to stand as a nation. I think we'll be OK, but looking at the folks hanging on every goofy thing coming out of Sarah Palin's lips does give me pause.

Let KSM hang himself with his own words. Let the rest of the world witness his fair trial. This will be a teachable moment for the planet. I'm going to watch closely to see if someone whose been waterboarded 183 times can actually put 3 words together. I don't know how we'll ever live down that shame.....

Durango - I'll express my sincere appreciation to the volunteers too. But the fact that the event was organized by an out-of-state group, scheduled to occur in the midst of the debate, and coordinated with Keith Olbermann, tells us that the event was politicized. And in a rare event, Bill Clinton was right about something. Blanche Lincoln was lucky that the Senate cloture vote occurred on the same day as the clinic, or she'd be getting hammered for not attending the clinic. Regardless, politicized or not, the free clinic was a good thing.

Why can't the local community organize its own free clinics on a regular basis, and do some fundraising for the operating expenses? It just shows a lack of vision and leadership in the collective local medical community, with a few notable exceptions like the Harmony Clinic. (And there are some individual exceptions, like those doctors who intentionally "forget" to send a bill to some of their financially disadvantaged patients.)

"As I remember Bill Clinton made Bill Halter, why would he feed him to the fishes now?"

Who knows? But factors to consider: Clinton, always with a wet finger to the wind, is well aware that Halter is not well-liked within the Arkansas Democratic Party leadership. And, too, it must be remembered that politics makes for strange boatfellows in a river where loyality is often a mile wide but only an inch deep. Clinton's old pal, Bill Richareson, could write a book about loyality, couldn't he. We'll probably never know all that happened between Clinton and Richardson.

" . . . politicized or not, the free clinic was a good thing."

Amen, Arkansas Blogger.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin has banned Rep. Patrick Kennedy from receiving Communion, the central sacrament of the church, in Rhode Island because of the congressman's support for abortion rights, Kennedy said in a newspaper interview published Sunday.

The decision by the outspoken prelate, reported on The Providence Journal's Web site, significantly escalates a bitter dispute between Tobin, an ultra orthodox bishop, and Kennedy, a son of the nation's most famous Roman Catholic family.

"The bishop instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion," Kennedy told the paper in an interview conducted Friday.

Kennedy said the bishop had explained the penalty by telling him "that I am not a good practicing Catholic because of the positions that I've taken as a public official," particularly on abortion.

borrowed C & L

Ark Blogger -- what makes you think anyone here is more concerned for KSM than for the imperfections in this particular health care bill? Can't we be concerned about both, as well as concerned for the nation's uninsurable?

My rant regarding the uninsurable: Seeing that "7 rushed by ambulance to the hospital" made me think of Alan Grayson's website (at the LINKY) -- "Names of the Dead". I wonder if any of those seven would be dead right now had it not been for that clinic? How many died across America yesterday for lack of health insurance? How many today, tomorrow, the next?

My rant regarding the imperfections in this bill: It might be a huge boon to insurance companies, handing them millions of government-funded customers. Hopefully it will wind up with exclusions against preexisting injuries. I think Medicare is much more efficiently run than private insurance, and Medicare-for-all would be less costly to the taxpayers.

My rant regarding KSM: some things are of ultimate importance, and the 8th amendment to our constitution's statement of "nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted" is one of those things. It is an example of what we strive to be. We may never be exactly what we strive to be, we can only keep trying. If being torturers becomes acceptable, then we can stick a fork in this American experiment. If KSM were to go free because he was tortured, so be it. To me it's more important that we draw certain lines in the sand, and stay behind them. Let the religious warring theocracies in the middle east redraw their lines in the sand as needed, but we should strive to be more rational, and more forward-thinking. The enlightened know why torture doesn't work, why it's like opening Pandora's box. The unenlightened will no-doubt fire up another destined-to-lose argument in favor of torture.

OK. My rant about KSM was longer than my rant about the imperfections in the health care bill. Maybe I do care more about KSM's (or any other human's) rights.

hoggernick - A law that contains the penalty of imprisonment for the uninsured is more than an imperfection. It is a coercive mandate to benefit the health insurance industry, and a violation of human freedom. It is an unprecedented and intrusive tax for merely existing. It will a form of government-enforced slavery to the insurance companies. Any insurance program should be voluntary, not mandatory. Some people don't want insurance, and many of them are not imposing a burden on society. They shouldn't be forced to enroll or penalized for refusing to enroll.

amen hoggernick.. wish i could buy you a beer!

In case you missed it--

"Capitalizing on the success of both 2012 and the Sarah Palin Going Rogue publicity blitz, Saturday Night Live created a movie trailer that encapsulates all of our worst fears: Palin 2012"

Do the clicky

Ark Blogger -- I mostly agree with you. I don't like that provision. I agree that it's intrusive, but I'm not convinced it's a tax for merely existing. If you have no income, no job, would you not qualify for Medicaid, and therefore be exempt for all practical purposes?

Eureka Springs -- I'd love to take you up on that next time I'm up there. I try to find time every couple of months for a weekend trip up and a few Guinnesses at Chelsea's.

Hogger --

Are you KIDDING? We LOVE long rants here!

Arkansas Blogger,
Please direct me to the provision that would imprision anyone who does not buy insurance in either the House or the Senate bill.
Thanks.

kizzy, I and another have slapped down AB's bs about imprisonment for lack of insurance before supposedly contained in the House insurance reform bill. Once he even agreed it was bs. Now he's back to the same message, like one of those old loop 8 track message things of the 70s.

Sister- !

Betty is a very very old, very very dear friend and I've ADORED Landover Baptist's site for years!

TRENCHANT!

Though, as you see at clicky, I bear NO resemblance to Ms. Bowers.

My B&W portrait is from several years ago during my Caribbean cruise ship Tammy Wynette Tribute tour, "Tammy Wynette: Split Ends."

Tammy's tragic story, beginning before she earned her cosmetology license until her last breath and comb-out, told musically through her songs -- in a series of trenchant blackouts and beautician's wigs.

For me as a performer, it was a stretch. In retrospect, perhaps too trenchant for cruise ships.

I've moved on and Jason Masters captured the NOW me, today's pretty much universally beloved Norma Bates, at clicky.

But enough about me.

We're into our FINAL WEEK of my "Huckabee Haiku" Challenge (clicky) and your haikus are -- no, really -- BEYOND fabulous!

Like last year's "Caption This!" Contest, some of the best entries will be posted last! Hard to imagine them getting funnier -- or more TRENCHANT -- but they will.

ONE BRILLIANT RAZORBABY BLOGGER, and one only, will win my priceless plaque!

AS VOTED BY YOU!!!

Goose-pimples.

Top 14 Health Care Reform Provisions That Take Effect Immediately on January 1, 2010
(if signed into law by President Obama by the end of the year.)

1. BEGINS TO CLOSE THE MEDICARE PART D DONUT HOLE - Reduces the donut hole by $500 and institutes a 50% discount on brand-name drugs, effective January 1. 2010.

2. IMMEDIATE HELP FOR THE UNINSURED UNTIL EXCHANGE IS AVAILABLE (INTERIM HIGH-RISK POLL) - Creates a temporary insurance program until the Exchange is available for individuals who have been uninsured for several months or have been denied a policy because of pre-existing conditions.

3. BANS LIFETIME LIMITS ON COVERAGE - Prohibits health insurance companies from placing lifetime caps on coverage.

4. ENDS RESCISSIONS - Prohibits insurers from nullifying or rescinding a patient's policy when they file a claim for benefits, except in the case of fraud.

5. EXTENDS COVERAGE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE UP TO 27TH BIRTHDAY THROUGH PARENT'S INSURANCE - Requires health plans to allow young people through age 26 to remain n their parents' insurance policy, at the parents' choice.

6. ELIMINATES COST-SHARING FOR PREVENTATIVE SERVICES IN MEDICARE - Eliminates co-payments for preventative services and exempts preventative services from deductibles from the Medicare program.

7. IMPROVES HELP FOR LOW-INCOME MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES - Improves the low-income protection programs in Medicare to assure more individuals are able to access this vital help.

8. PROVIDES NEW CONSUMER PROTECTIONS IN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE - Prohibits Medicare Advantage plans from charging enrollees higher cost-sharing for services in their private plan than what is charged in traditional Medicare.

9. IMMEDIATE SUNSHINE ON PRICE GOUGING - Discourages excessive price increases by insurance companies through review and disclosure of insurance rate increases.

10. CONTINUITY FOR DISPLACED WORKERS - Allows Americans to keep their COBRA coverage until the Exchange is in place and they can access affordable coverage.

11. CREATES NEW, VOLUNTARY, PUBLIC LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE PROGRAM - Creates a long-term care insurance program to be financed by voluntary payroll deductions to provide benefits to adults who become functionally disabled.

12. HELP FOR EARLY RETIREES - Creates a $10 billion fund to finance a temporary reinsurance program to help offset the costs of expensive health claims for employers that provide health benefits for retirees age 55-64.

13. COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS - Increases funding for Community Health Centers to allow for a doubling of the number of patients seen by the centers over the next 5 years.

14. INCREASING NUMBER OF PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS - Provides new investment in training programs to increase the number of primary doctors, nurses, and public health professionals.

This horse has been beat to death. At some point, people may realize that words alone are not going to solve this problem.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Edmund Burke