Sen. McCain is at Ohio State right now at the LIVESTRONG Summit, hosted by Lance Armstrong:

On Thursday, July 24, at 7 p.m., Senator John McCain will share his cancer plan and answer questions from the audience. Lance Armstrong will moderate the event.

This event was not open to the general public, but I took a few photos of a small demonstration outside (High St.) put on by SEIU and ProgressOhio, to the chants of "John McCain get off our backs, we don't want your health care tax." Nothing too exciting, but for the record:

Forty-seven MILLION Americans currently have absolutely NO health insurance coverage.  Of that forty-seven Million Americans, two-thirds of those without health insurance are poor or near poor, and there are obvious disparities in how different racial and ethnic groups are affected.  Only 13 percent of non-Hispanic white Americans is uninsured, compared with 36 percent of Hispanics, 33 percent of Native Americans, 22 percent of blacks and 17 percent of Asians/Pacific Islanders.

Our politicians understand this in terms that they can get their arms around.  If lack of health insurance was something the majority of white middle class voters were screaming about, both conservatives and liberals would throw their lots together and find a way to come together and solve this issue.  Yet at this very moment in time, that is not the case.  Not to mention, the Insurance Corporations have quite a lobby on K Street and that lobby is paying our politicians very, very well to keep things as close to the status quo as is humanly possible.

The Insurance Corporation's front group, America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) kicked off their national campaign yesterday in Columbus, OH in an hour long meeting that was open to the public, as part of their "listening tour" that will be ongoing across the U.S. in the coming months.  For myself, I affectionately call it the "AHIP Lie to America Tour."
I'm not sure how much LISTENING one can do to the public in an hour long meeting where the members of AHIP do most of the talking, and by talking I mean talking around the hard questions asked by the members of the audience.  Listen to some audio of a question asked and not really answered at the following link:

http://blogs.dixcdn.com/...

American Sicko Donna Smith gave the keynote address at the National Health Care for the Homeless annual conference in Phoenix. She is the founder of American Patients United and we now have the video available for those who couldn't be there. It is cross posted at americanpatientsunited.org

They Need Healthcare for all Guaranteed!

have Medical Insurance that I purchase through the company I currently work for.  It is very expensive and the coverage is at best, spotty and underwhelming.  I had a Doctor tell me that I needed to see a specialist last year regarding a health issue I was going through.  By the time I got the bills from the "Specialist" and the other places he sent me for tests, etc., I was over my head in deductibles, plan paid maximums for tests and the "Specialist" himself and various other line item expenses that had to be paid by myself.  

They had me set up to go through a number of other tests and see a few other "special" groups to bring about a change for the better in my condition, and I did the one thing that I didn't want to do, but could only afford to do.

More below

I'm used to Air America on the AM dial -- I catch Rachel, Thom, etc. on 1400 WHMP in Northampton, MA all the time. But I'd never heard of Mario Solis Marich until this week, when, for work reasons, I had to tune him in ... and   there he was talking about my favorite personal pet topic -- medical tourism.

Per CNN:

McCain's strongest denunciation of Obama came when discussing the Democrat's health care plan, which would cost $50-65 billion per year but would not mandate insurance coverage for all adults, only children.

"My friends, we've seen this movie before," McCain said. "It was called 'HillaryCare' back in 1993, and we're not going to do it again. We're not going to have the government take over the health care system in America."

So much for the respect for Hillary Clinton...

If you're ever asked to name one good thing that George W. Bush has done while in office, remember this word:  PEPFAR.  

This lifesaving program, first authorized in 2003, saved the lives of millions of Africans suffering from the ravages of AIDS, malaria, and TB.  

This isn't just a humanitarian issue, it's an issue of national security.  As Bill Frist recently said "People don't go to war against people who save their children's lives."  Today, 80 senators  voted in support of the reauthorization and expansion of the program.  It's a banner day for the US Senate and part of the reason why Africa is one of the few continents where America's standing has actually increased over the course of the past decade.  

Jim Webb's statement below...

It is ironic that a new battle is taking place here in San Antonio at the Alamo, that legendary battlefront where so many gave their lives for freedom.  This time the battle is for the First Amendment and the freedom of speech.

What is this world coming to? I always thought that if only two things in this world were certain, they were these:

1. It's the members of the Democrat party that flip-flop

2. Ron Paul will always vote against spending money that was stolen by force by the Government from innocent freedom-loving Americans.

Yet today, my beliefs have been cruelly torn asunder. Ron Paul joined the Democrat party in stealing our money, and the Republicans flip-flopped on taking more of our money for the Socialist Medicare program.

I am very, very upset.

On July 1, the Bush administration imposed a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors who care for millions of older Americans.  The cuts are not a budget issue, instead, Republicans are protecting powerful insurance companies at the expense of Medicare patients’ access to doctors.

Congress passed a bipartisan over ride bill [HR 3661] that Bush vetoed today.  Congress promptly over rode the veto a few hours later.

There is a subtle aspect to this drama you may not recognize at first blush that proves "Support the Troops" on the lips of the Republicans is hollow campaign rhetoric.

It's difficult to argue our side without knowing their side.  So here is a brief primer on the McCain Healthcare "Plan."

McCain's plan is to offer a refundable tax credit to individuals and families to help pay for healthcare.  His campaign says they will give $2500 to individuals and $5000 to families. That averages to $208 a month for individuals and $416 a month to families.  His campaign estimates that his plan will cost $3.6 trillion over 10 years.  His plan to cover that cost is to eliminate the current tax deductions that employers receive for providing medical benefits.

Here are some problems with his plan:

crossposted from unbossed

Lest you think that NIOSH is not on board with faith-based initiatives and the role faith can play in health, O! Ye of Little Faith!, think again.

By Donna Smith, American SiCKO
Founder of American Patients United
National Co-Chair, PDA Healthcare Not Warfare campaign
Communications Specialist, CNA/NNOC

CHICAGO – I read it moments ago.  In black and white.  Mainstream media.  CNN website.  It was said publically at a fundraiser in New York City today.  Sen. Barack Obama said it with Sen. Hillary Clinton at his side.  And no one denied it.  In fact, people clapped.

According to the CNN report, Sen. Obama urged today  "standing up for paid leave, and paid sick leave, because no one should be punished for getting sick or dealing with a family crisis."

After yesterdays troubles I got myself into I started to do some deep thinking. I often get asked by many here, and many progressive friends in "real life" why I do not support Obama.

I write this as my attempt to answer. My point is to provide why I vote as I do, so if people are interested to discuss the issues. I respect many people here and their views. I have voted (In the primary) in the past for a Democrat and contributed to a Democrat, and think Clinton was one of the better presidents of my lifetime. (Edwards, not this election cycle, but the prior election) so I am not against Democrats as a rule.

In this diary I plan to put down what I consider my key issues, issues that are important to me for any election for president. On some of these issues Obama already wins out, and on some McCain does.

I know this is not a place for such "conversions" to occur. I also know that Obama does not exist to meet "my needs" However sometimes I have seen such diaries in which people discuss such things.

<more after the break>

Statins are now being promoted for use in children.  This is outrageous.  Statins have been heavily promoted for adults and web sites are springing out all over with complaints describing serious permanent side effects.

This time, he’s absent not for America’s Post-9/11 Veterans, but for Seniors, the disabled and military families who will lose their access to health care.  

He failed to show up for the vote and was the only Senator other than the recovering Sen. Ted Kennedy, for this all-important vote that would extend Medicare provisions, improve access to preventive and mental health services, enhance low-income benefit programs, and maintain access to care in rural areas.

Follow below to learn more about McCain's absence, and the GOP’s "Corporate Welfare and Giveaway Program for Insurance Companies."

Also posted on Guaranteed Healthcare.  

In an ocean of sobering reports on the collapse of the U.S. healthcare system, this just released report from  The Center for Studying Health System Change, is among the most horrifying I've seen.

Falling Behind: Americans' Access to Medical Care Deteriorates, 2003-2007

The number and proportion of Americans reporting going without or delaying needed medical care increased sharply between 2003 and 2007, according to findings from the Center for Studying Health System Change’s (HSC) nationally representative 2007 Health Tracking Household Survey. One in five Americans—59 million people—reported not getting or delaying needed medical care in 2007, up from one in seven—36 million people—in 2003. While access deteriorated for both insured and uninsured people, insured people experienced a larger relative increase in access problems compared with uninsured people.