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How The World Works In Romney's Bubble by Digby , OurFuture.org | October 12, 2012
Once again, Mitt says everybody in America has hunky dory health care even if they don't have insurance: read more »Fast-Forward to 2013 by Marilyn Katz, inthesetimes.com | October 12, 2012
I'll give it to Mitt Romney. During the debate he looked and sounded pretty “presidential”: good haircut, power tie, in command (total control, really) of the debate. Romney’s performance had the intended effect. Virtually every poll across the nation had his numbers soaring in the past week. Many show him leading Obama both in the popular vote and in critical swing states. Presumably, that means many American are now ”looking at Romney in a new light.” While his running mate Paul Ryan didn't do as well, for those who were swayed by Romney's performance, it might be prudent to think past his style or what positions he chose to take that night. Based on Romney’s record—as well as the agendas of his party, his running mate and the Super PACs to which he would owe his victory—let’s take a moment to envision what life would be like under a Romney presidency. read more »At Vice Presidential Debate, Paul Ryan Is Frank About Roe v. Wade Plans by Michelle Goldberg, thedailybeast.com | October 12, 2012
Abortion was discussed only briefly during Thursday night’s vice presidential debate, but the exchange about it was, I think, an important moment, because it drove home the likelihood than a Republican victory in November will mean the end of Roe v. Wade. During the vice-presidential debate, many pro-choice observers were irritated by the way moderator Martha Raddatz framed her lone question about abortion in terms of the candidates’ Catholicism. Nevertheless, the question worked perfectly for Joe Biden. In general, Americans are ambivalent about abortion, but they don’t want to make it illegal. By speaking in religious terms, Biden was able to combine his personal opposition to abortion with a strongly pro-choice stance. Ryan, by contrast, reminded the country that he opposes abortion in all circumstances, and that Romney intends to severely restrict it. read more »Make Paul Ryan Own His Budget … And Its Consequences by Terrance Heath, OurFuture.org | October 11, 2012
Robert Reich has some excellent advice for Vice President Joe Biden, regarding his debate we VP wannabe Rep. Paul Ryan: Don't debate the earnest, affable Paul Ryan who's likely to show up tonight. Debate the right-wing Randian behind those blue eyes. Tell Americans just what that Paul Ryan wants to inflict on their families and communities — and that he's put it in writing. read more »Memo to Joe, Re: Debate by Robert B. Reich, robertreich.org | October 11, 2012
Beware: Paul Ryan will appear affable. He’s less polished and aggressive than Romney, even soft-spoken. And he acts as if he’s saying reasonable things. But under the surface he’s a rightwing zealot. And nothing he says or believes is reasonable – neither logical nor reflecting the values of the great majority of Americans. Your job is to smoke Ryan out, exposing his fanaticism. The best way to do this is to force him to take responsibility for the regressive budget he created as chairman of the House Budget Committee. Ryan won’t be able to pull a Romney — pretending he’s a moderate — because the Ryan budget is out there, with specific numbers. It’s an astounding document that Romney fully supports. And it fills in the details Romney has left out of his proposals. read more »Memo to Joe, Re: Debate by Robert B. Reich, robertreich.org | October 11, 2012
Beware: Paul Ryan will appear affable. He’s less polished and aggressive than Romney, even soft-spoken. And he acts as if he’s saying reasonable things. But under the surface he’s a rightwing zealot. And nothing he says or believes is reasonable – neither logical nor reflecting the values of the great majority of Americans. Your job is to smoke Ryan out, exposing his fanaticism. The best way to do this is to force him to take responsibility for the regressive budget he created as chairman of the House Budget Committee. Ryan won’t be able to pull a Romney — pretending he’s a moderate — because the Ryan budget is out there, with specific numbers. It’s an astounding document that Romney fully supports. And it fills in the details Romney has left out of his proposals. read more »Obama's Record Is His Firepower to Debate Victory by Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Huffington Post | October 4, 2012
Debates are as much about style points as substance. But substance with style points will win every time. And this is where Obama can always beat Romney. It starts with his record that Romney has run against. It's an astoundingly productive, and perfectly defensible record that keeps the focus on these crucial make-or-break election issues, the economy and health care, and then, his handling of foreign policy. Obama can say and keep saying that the economy despite the towering problems has shown clear signs of rebound, with unemployment down, with most economic indicators indicating positive growth, and the administration has proposed measures to reduce the deficit without putting at mortal risk Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. read more »For Hospitals, Health Reform Starts Today by Sarah Kliff, The Washington Post | October 2, 2012
The start of October means, for most Americans, the onset of chilly weather and a chance to start thinking up a new Halloween costume. For budget wonks, it signifies the start of a new fiscal year. And for American hospitals, it means something quite different: October 1 is arguably the day that the health reform law changed the way they get paid for providing health care. There are two big parts of the health reform law going into effect today. One penalizes hospitals if patients are re-admitted to the hospital within one month of a visit for a condition that should have been dealt with on the first trip. The other seeks to redistribute higher Medicare payments to the hospitals that are delivering better care. Both are part of an effort to fundamentally transform the health-care system in the United States by moving it from a system that pays for value rather than volume. read more »A Mandate To Preserve And Extend Our Social Insurance System by Digby , OurFuture.org | October 1, 2012
Those of you who read this blog know that I've been nearly apoplectic over the past few months over the behind the scenes maneuvering to read more »Emergency Medicine by Digby , OurFuture.org | September 25, 2012
So Mitt Romney now believes that everyone should use the emergency room for their health care needs if they don't have insurance. Or, at least, it sounded that way. read more »
The Latest
Pelosi: No Public Option, No Bill, Politico | September 4, 2009
As the White House signals that it is willing to move forward on a health reform plan without a public option, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a strong message: not so fast. more »
Medical Bills Piling Up For Underinsured , The Miami Herald | September 3, 2009
The underinsured include the working poor whose employers don't provide full coverage, people who lose their jobs and their employer-subsidized insurance, and those who fail to understand the fine print in policy contracts and end up with less coverage than they expected. A 2007 survey by the Commonwealth Fund estimates 25 million Americans are underinsured, up from 16 million in 2003. more »
Obama, Snow Work On Health Reform Compromise, CNN | September 3, 2009
President Obama and top aides have quietly stepped up talks with moderate Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine on a scaled-back health care bill. The compromise plan would lack a government-run public health insurance option favored by Obama, but would leave the door open to adding that provision down the road under an idea proposed by Snowe. more »
US Fares Poorly In Child Welfare Survey, Truthout | September 3, 2009
America has some of the industrial world's worst rates of infant mortality, teenage pregnancy and child poverty, even though it spends more per child than better-performing countries such as Switzerland, Japan and the Netherlands, a new survey indicates. more »
Health Care Lobbyist Boost Key Players In Debate, USA Today | September 2, 2009
As the debate intensifies in Congress, health care sector contributions to lawmakers on the committees overseeing the massive change to the nation's health care system are on the upswing — rising 8% between the first and second quarter of the year, according to data compiled by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. more »
U.S. Health Insurers Face New Questions, Financial Times | September 1, 2009
Health insurers face fresh questions from the House energy and commerce committee, which is stepping up its investigation into the industry as the argument over health care reform continues. Henry Waxman, the committee’s chairman, wrote to six health insurers asking about how small businesses are “purged” from coverage when their employees become ill. more »
Health Reform Estimates Need Long View, Says Study, Reuters | September 1, 2009
The Congressional Budget Office may be missing potential savings from various health reform proposals by not looking at efforts to manage or prevent expensive, chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, researchers said in a study. The study, published in the Health Affairs journal, comes as members of the U.S. more »
Lack of Paid Sick Days Compounds Flu Problem, fresnobee.com | September 1, 2009
Health officials are urging businesses to keep sick employees home this fall to control the spread of swine flu. But for many workers, a sick day is a day without wages. So they’re still showing up for work, exposing others to the highly contagious flu strain, researchers say. more »
Job Loss Fears Linked to Health Problems, Time Wellness Blogs | August 31, 2009
Constantly worrying about losing your job may be worse for your health than actually getting laid off or being unemployed, according to a study published in the September issue of the journal Social Science and Medicine. By analyzing two large, long-term data sets for some 1,700 U.S. more »
Drug Industry to Run Ads Favoring White House Plan, The New York Times | August 10, 2009
The drug industry has authorized its lobbyists to spend as much as $150 million on television commercials supporting President Obama’s health care overhaul, beginning over the August Congressional recess, people briefed on the plans said Saturday. more »
