Good Explanations of the Health Care Crisis from Former Oregon Gov

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Wednesday April 04, 2007 · 8:41 AM PDT

2007/04/04 · 08:41

Heathcare: The cold equations , From the Clackamas Review

I particularly like this comparison

All children, he pointed out, are entitled to a public education, which is financed by an explicit public subsidy. All taxpayers contribute to that subsidy, and all children receive the same benefit. Parents with more income can purchase additional services, like tutors, to enhance their children’s education. "When we run out of money in Salem, when fiscal constraints are tight, we talk about shorter school years or fewer electives – things like that," he said. "What we don’t talk about is cutting access. We would never say, ‘Next year, we’re not going to teach grades 11 or 12,’ or ‘Every family earning more than $40,000 per year will have to postpone their children’s entry into school until 2008.’"

The whole article is really good - you should read it. This guy really has a good spiel. Final point on the flip ...

d7000

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Friday September 22, 2006 · 6:59 AM PDT

2006/09/22 · 06:59

For years, I've heard people claim that, healthcare is expensive in the US because it's higher quality. Finally, the MSM - even the business press - is catching that the mantra "we have the best healthcare in the world" is simply not true. Indeed, many independent analysts conclude that in the US we not only pay twice as much for care - on most measures, we get just about the worst care in the industrialized world. Yesterday, a new article came out in Businessweek that confirms this once again.

Please, Kossacks: Get this message out. Many conservatives believe that the problems in the healthcare system - like many other social problems - are just another example of "other people" having problems because they're just lazy and don't have good jobs with health insurance. They believe that it's necessary that some people have no access to care, in order for the free market to work and provide us with "the best healthcare in the world." We need to get the message out: the facts show that this simply isn't true.

See those facts on the flip Read More

Dems Missing Easy Attack on Hamdi Justification for Spying

d7000

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday February 06, 2006 · 9:40 AM PST

2006/02/06 · 09:40

In the Domestic Surveillance hearings today, Gonzales and republican Senators continually claim that the case of Hamdi v. Rumsfeld is precedent for the contention that the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) authorizes the president to spy on Americans.

This has gone essentially unchallenged by the Dems, but it's easy to prove it's wrong - the Dems should step up and shoot down this canard . . . because Hamdi actually stands for the rule that there must be independent review of probable cause - by a court or other neutral tribunal - for any detention or wiretap undertaken without a warrant.

Learn why on the flip . . .
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Questionable Studies Tout HSA "Successes"

d7000

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Friday August 12, 2005 · 2:21 PM PDT

2005/08/12 · 14:21

The "Galen Institute" is pushing some studies
here
that make pretty questionable claims that

Consumerism is working in the health
sector, with a number of studies showing that companies and individuals who move to Health Savings Accounts and similar plans experience lower costs while maintaining access to needed
health care.

I have no problem with HSA's. I just don't like the way they are sold as "insurance" or as an alternative to insurance - or even worse, by the Bushites, as a solution to the health care crisis. This article is just very questionable numbers trying to push that agenda.

I talk about why on the inside ...
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Health Insurer Profits Driving Premium Costs

d7000

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday August 09, 2005 · 1:52 PM PDT

2005/08/09 · 13:52

Insurers try to blame rising rates on rising medical costs - but obviously some of the blame must be placed on their rising profits.

from bizjournals.com:

Profits for the nation's health maintenance organizations increased a healthy 10.7 percent last year ...
The results, from Weiss Ratings follow a more than 80 percent increase for the HMO industry in 2003.

The story hilites some particular "success" stories:
Humana Medical: 167.8% earnings increase in 2004
Highmark: 1,720.6% earnings increase in 2004
Blue Cross of California: 43.3% earnings increase in 2004
Blue Cross of Oregorn: 158.1% earnings increase in 2004
Capiral Advantage Insurance Co.: 137.9% earnings increase in 2004

The connection of this to premiums is in the extended entry
Read More

California Insurance Commissioner: System on Verge of Collapse

d7000

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday August 08, 2005 · 8:09 AM PDT

2005/08/08 · 08:09

John Garamendi, California's Insurance Commissioner, issued a report 8/3 on the State's health care system. He said it's "well on its way to collapse," and he blames the problem on outrageous administrative costs and "skeletal" policies like Healthcare Savings Accounts which reduce financial cost but hurt individuals' health and hurt the stability of the system.

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Good Explanations of the Health Care Crisis from Former Oregon Gov

BizWeek Confirms: US Healthcare Worst on Most Measures

Dems Missing Easy Attack on Hamdi Justification for Spying

Questionable Studies Tout HSA "Successes"

Health Insurer Profits Driving Premium Costs

California Insurance Commissioner: System on Verge of Collapse