This morning the New York Times is reporting that a majority of Americans want the federal government to "guarantee" health insurance. The same poll revealed that only 24% of Americans believe Mr. Bush is capable of achieving meaningful reforms. Duh?!
A majority of Americans say the federal government should guarantee health insurance to every American, especially children, and are willing to pay higher taxes to do it, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
. . .Only 24 percent said they were satisfied with President Bush’s handling of the health insurance issue, despite his recent initiatives, and 62 percent said the Democrats were more likely to improve the health care system.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Against this backdrop is the situation playing out in California, the largest state in the richest country on the planet. Let's call it the War Against Safeway Workers.
You know who I'm talking about. You bet you do. They're American citizens. They're the ones who check you and me out in the supermarket. Let's just call them what they are: America's invisible citizens.
Of all those who've lauded Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan for universal health coverage — Democratic lawmakers, administration factotums, think-tank policy wonks and assorted others — none has stood out quite like Steve Burd, the chairman and chief executive of Safeway Inc.
. . .specifically, Burd has said, the plan's mandate for companies to provide medical insurance at a cost of at least 4% of their payroll "is frankly too low and should be higher."
. . .On both counts, I couldn't agree more. But how, in turn, is one supposed to square Burd's bold remarks with the cold reality facing three-quarters of Safeway's hourly workforce in Southern California? At present, the company's healthcare contribution for this group of more than 9,000 employees amounts to zero percent — nothing, zip, nada.
http://www.latimes.com/...
So what's really going on here? Essentially more bait and switch. Mr. Burd, the CEO of Safeway, who "wouldn't be interviewed" for the L.A. Times column, wants you to think he's a good guy. His crocodile tears and empty advocacy for worker health sound reasonable, until you read the fine print. New workers can't and don't get health insurance until they have worked at these very low wage jobs for between 12 and 18 months.
The reason: These are folks who joined the Pleasanton, Calif.-based supermarket giant after the 4 1/2 -month strike and lockout that ended in February 2004. And under the contract the United Food and Commercial Workers union signed with Safeway, Kroger Co.'s Ralphs chain and Albertsons (now owned by Supervalu Inc.), new employees can't get any health benefits for 12 to 18 months. Their families aren't eligible to be covered for 30 months.
. . .UFCW officials say the answer is plain: As 30,000-plus veteran employees retire, companies will be left with a unionized labor force that is made up entirely of lower-tier workers. And because their health benefits, in particular, are so crummy, most don't stick around long enough for the supermarket to ever contribute a cent toward their medical coverage. The 12- to 18-month delay, in other words, becomes self-perpetuating because it leads to such high turnover, with just 15% to 23% of those in entry-level jobs staying beyond a year.
So what is the healthcare safety net for some low-income Americans-- Invisible Americans? Jail.
Car thief chooses jail for health benefits
TACOMA – A Pierce County car thief has decided to stay in jail for the medical benefits.
At the Pierce County Jail, there's a young woman who has been convicted many times. She is getting her cancer treatment paid for.
But if it seems like Melissa never got a break, consider this: On Tuesday she pleaded guilty to her latest crimes: identity theft and possession of a stolen car. She could have gotten out of jail to pursue drug treatment, but she didn't want to because she was diagnosed with cancer.
"If I'm in here in custody, then my procedure at the jail would be paid for," she said.
Since Melissa was first arrested in November, a county-paid doctor diagnosed her with cervical cancer.
"Still to this day I would rather go outside, but I'd rather live than go outside," she said.
"We believe scarce law enforcement services shouldn't be used to subsidize someone's health cost," said Ed Troyer, Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman. "The fact that she is manipulating the system to get her health care costs paid for concerns us greatly."
Melissa's lawyer says the real culprit is not his client, but the healthcare system.
http://www.king5.com/...
Polls indicate that the American people want change. Americans are undoubtedly beginning to realize they are being conned, duped and horribly manipulated by politicians of both political parties. Americans are starting to demand answers. They want their elected representatives to explain why the U.S. spends twice as much as other industrialized nations on health care, $7,129 per capita?
Americans want to know why our system performs so poorly in comparison to single-payer systems and still leaves 46 million without health coverage and millions more inadequately covered?
They want to know why for-profit private insurance bureaucracy and paperwork consume one-third (31 percent) of every health care dollar?
Americans will demand to know why there is such political resistance to single-payer which would save more than $350 billion per year, enough to provide comprehensive, high-quality coverage for all Americans?
Could it be because the loyalties of the political class lie with their financial benefactors, not us, the people they have been hired to represent?
The implosion of the American healthcare system is impacting Americans at every socioeconomic level. Sooner or later, the tone deaf and out-of-touch political class will no longer be able to award themselves gold-plated healthcare while the rest of us drown in a sea of shit.
Goodyear will freeze pensions for all salaried U.S. employees next year while offering an enhanced 401(k) retirement plan, and will increase health-care costs for current salaried employees and retirees.
The changes, to be phased in over two years, are designed to save the Akron tire maker as much as $90 million this year, another $100 million or more in 2008, plus additional savings in years beyond.
Goodyear executives in recent months have said they were looking at changing pensions and health care for salaried employees as part of the corporation's goal to save more than $1 billion by the end of 2008.
. . .Goodyear summarized the nonunion medical changes beginning Jan. 1, 2008 as follows:
• Redesigning retiree medical benefit plans to minimize premium costs.
• Closing the company's Medicare supplement plan to new employees.
• Ending company-paid life insurance for salaried retirees.
The higher medical payments will vary per employee, depending on such things as whether the employee is single, or has a spouse or children who need coverage, Price said.
http://www.ohio.com/...
I have no doubt that soon the American people will recognize that our needs are identical to the interests of Safeway workers. Particularly as the grotesque staged photo-ops become increasingly tiresome.
Mrs. Laura Bush posed with Nancy Reagan in a foolish red dress to promote the idea that heart disease is a huge killer of American women at the same time reports surfaced that funding for the Office of Women's Health care was being cut.
First Lady Laura Bush, an advocate of the national "Red Dress" awareness campaign to improve women's health, visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library near Simi Valley on Wednesday to hear firsthand accounts of the cardiac disease epidemic facing American women.
http://www.latimes.com/...
What follows is a letter from Senator Clinton to Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach the Commissioneof the FDA regarding funding for the Office of Women's Health.
We are deeply concerned by reports that the Food and Drug Administration intends to withhold $1.2 million of funding allocated by Congress for the Office of Women's Health (OWH). If news of this reallocation is accurate, we urge you to provide any guidance and an explanation for this action. We strongly oppose any efforts to downgrade the OWH at FDA.
For the past sixteen years, the OWH has performed vital work to improve the health and well-being of women across the United States. The OWH looks out for the day to day needs of women and promotes and monitors the progress of women's health initiatives at the FDA. Slashing funding for the OWH would pull the rug out from under these efforts and shortchange promising efforts to improve women's health.
http://clinton.senate.gov/...
The mind truly reels as these thugs dick around with the American people. And yes, they are thugs.