What Insurance Reform Means for Louisiana

 What Insurance Reform Means For Louisiana

Organizing for America (OAF) wants you to know what health insurance reform really means for us, right here in Louisiana. Together with President Obama's administration, they created this video to put some real numbers in front of the promise that reform is right for Louisiana.

After decades of struggle and a year of debate, health reform is now law in America.

What does it mean for you? It means an end to the worst insurance company abuses, new rules that treat everyone fairly, and more choices and affordable health insurance for millions of Americans.

According to the video, the new health insurance reform law will:

• Provide 95,881 Louisianans (including me) with pre-existing conditions access to affordable health insurance options that were not previously available to them.
• Provide tax credits to 588,000 Louisianans.
• Provide tax cuts for 51,000 small businesses in Louisiana.
• Save nearly 7000 Louisiana families from bankruptcy due to medical debt in just one year.
• Will provide insurance to 894,000 Louisianans who previously had none.

Keep this information handy, because it will be pretty hard for insurance and pharmaceutical special interests to argue against these kinds of reforms for our (and every) state in the future.

Yes he did.

Congress Passes Health Care Bill

As of roughly 10:00 p.m. this evening, Congress passed a bill which, upon becoming law when President Obama signs it, will enact sweeping health care insurance reform. Perhaps not exactly the way many were hoping (there is no public option) this act will nevertheless provide options for millions of Americans who currently have no options at all. People who live the way my family lived for nearly 5 years after I lost my own job as a social worker due what became a chronic, debilitating medical condition - with no health insurance, mounting medical bills, and an ever growing debt that promises to crush our family for much, if not all, of the rest of our lives. I am blessed to have people in my life who have helped me survive and begin to build a new kind of life. Yet with the years of social work experience behind me, I know that I am only one of many, and luckier than some. What in my opinion has been the worst disservice the contemporary American government has done to its citizens - denied them the right to affordable and lifesaving medical care - has been corrected this evening. As of when this bill takes effect, I can finally rest easy that even if I lose my current insurance, I will still be able to find some kind of health insurance, the kind that won't drop me the moment I need it the most.

And the great thing is, even if you don't agree me, so will you.

Senator Landrieu Supports President's Reform Bill

Senator Mary Landrieu Finally Puts Her Weight Behind President's Health Insurance Reform Bill

 

NOLA.com reported this morning that Senator Mary Landrieu, the Democratic holdout to Congressman Cao's unexpected cross-party vote supporting the President's health insurance reform plan, has finally come out in support of the proposed senate bill.

"Time is short, the political maneuvering tense and the ultimate vote will be tight, but Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., emerged from a White House meeting with President Barack Obama on Tuesday as a full-throated enthusiast for the Senate health care bill Democrats want to enact by Christmas.

Times-Picayune archive'Senate Democrats have developed a consensus that combines the best blend of private and public approaches to reduce cost, expand coverage and increase choice and competition for Americans,' U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu said Tuesday."While many of us expressed cost and bureaucracy concerns about early drafts of health care reform legislation, it is clear that the product the Senate is debating is a dramatic improvement," Landrieu said Tuesday evening.

"Senate Democrats have developed a consensus that combines the best blend of private and public approaches to reduce cost, expand coverage and increase choice and competition for Americans."

Landrieu's statement, issued under the headline, "Now is the Time to Pass Health Care Reform," is the most positive she has issued about the health care plan, which has been the subject of intensive negotiations in recent weeks. It came a few hours after Landrieu and nearly all Senate Democrats met with the president at the White House to talk about what he described as a historic opportunity they dare not squander.

"And from the discussions we had it's clear that we are on the precipice of an achievement that's eluded Congresses and presidents for generations -- an achievement that will touch the lives of nearly every American," Obama said after the afternoon meeting."

With all due respect, Madame Senator, it's about damn time.

We'll deal with Senator Vitter's ridiculous response to these developments at a later date.

Video Challenge Winner - "I Deserve Health Care'

Video Challenge Winner

"I Deserve Health Care"

For those of you who have been following the president's video challenge, we have a winner! Watch the winning video below or click here to see the video on the Organize For American website.

The Ballad of Joseph Cao

The Ballad of Joseph (Joe) Cao

Louisiana Congressman Crosses Party Lines to Support Health Insurance Reform

Louisiana Congressman Anh "Joseph" Cao Crosses Party Lines to Support Health Insurance Reform

Congressman Anh "Joseph" Cao has a history of listening to the concerns of his constituents.

History is being made in our very midst, Louisiana.

Yesterday at 11:15 p.m. the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass their version of the health insurance reform bill. For those of you who are counting, this is the first time in the history of our nation that either chamber of Congress has passed a comprehensive health insurance reform bill. Among the 220 votes supporting the bill (215 voted against it) we find our very own Louisiana Representative, Congressman Cao (pronounced Gow). As if the House vote weren't historic enough, Congressman Cao crossed party lines to throw his political weight behind the reform bill - the only Republican to do so.

As ever, the price for making history is steep. Obviously Congressman Cao runs the risk of alienating his largely conservative constituency by crossing traditional Republican party lines to support health insurance reform. And the news for his liberal constituents isn't perfect either - Cao was instrumental in removing any portion of the bill that would provide government subsidized funds for abortions. Critics of the Congressman will likely opine that he hopes to have his cake and eat it too (does that expression make sense to anyone?). But we here at HFL take a different view, and we'll tell you why:

Over the past several months, we have lobbied each of our representatives in Congress heavily regarding health insurance reform, and that means lots of e-mails, letters, phone conversations, and direct meetings when possible. Any member of Congress will send a return form letter if you write to them, but Congressman Cao has been by far the most responsive politician that I, personally, have ever dealt with. Not only was his response letter immediate, but it was also clear, well-written (you wouldn't believe the kind of crap that some representatives put their name on), and thoughtful. Regardless of one's own position on the matter, it would be difficult to read that letter and not feel that Cao has put tremendous energy and thought into the issue of health care in America.

Congressman Cao's aides are also intelligent, polite, and well-versed in political issues AND on his stance on those issues. This is in extraordinary contrast to, say, Senator David Vitter's aides, who in my personal interactions have managed to be mostly hostile, uninformed, and in all other ways pretty much totally unprepared to communicate with the general public. (We'll get to Landrieu's aides later). A politician's aides tell a lot about how seriously that politician takes his or her position as a leader, and Cao's aides have been unfailingly well informed and eager to involve his constituents. The Congressman also goes out of his way to determine his constituents' opinions on political matters. Rather than wait for opinions to find their way to his desk, the Congressman holds regular town hall meetings in his district, and his website posts surveys on major issues, allowing his constituents an ease of access that is relatively uncommon amongst the more high-brow political types.

But all of this is secondary to the strength of Congressman Cao's convictions, and the lengths to which he will go to be a positive, effective influence on the democratic process. His history of seeking out input from his constituents and his willingness to stand behind his values, putting his votes where his mouth is, make him stand out as a remarkably dignified figure amongst a crowd of glorified snake charmers.

So while we can't say that he does everything exactly the way we, as voters, might want him to do it, we can say this:  If Congressman Cao is brave enough to vote against his party lines for something he believes is truly in the best interest of his community, then those of us who traditionally vote Democrat can vote against our party lines to keep him in office. Because when it comes right down to it, party lines are just a convenient illusion, and one that tends to distract voters (and politicians) from the real issues. They are no substitution for careful consideration and ethical action, and we think Congressman Cao embodies an approach to representation that truly brings the "serve" back into public service.

If you live in LA's Second District, click here to share your thoughts with Congressman Cao.

Phone Calls For Health Insurance Reform Surpass All Expectations

Phone Calls For Health Insurance Reform Surpass All Expectations

Goal Overshot By More Than 300%

Yesterday we posted a link to Organizing For America's project asking supporters of health insurance reform to call their Representatives in Congress and make their views known.

Today, we are happy to report that not only did you respond, but you overshot OAF's goal of 100,000 phone calls in one day - by over 300%! More than 300,000 phone calls to congress were logged in support of health insurance reform efforts!

Here is what OAF and the Obama Administration have to say to those of you who participated in this great show of support:

As you know, we set a big goal: 100,000 calls to Congress placed or committed to in a single day by OFA supporters and allied organizations. By 2:30 p.m., you had crushed it. So, we gulped and said let's go for 200,000, not knowing what would happen. But the calls just kept pouring in -- keeping phones ringing off the hook in congressional offices in D.C. and your representatives' district offices around the country.

Then, OFA supporters gathered in over 1,000 living rooms and community centers from Macon, Georgia to Missoula, Montana. You called hundreds of thousands of key voters in your community and got them to agree to call Congress and speak out for reform, too. President Obama joined in at a call party in New York -- and he had some amazing words of support for the folks like you who make this movement possible.

I'm looking at the numbers, and with almost all of the reports now in, the tally wasn't 200,000 calls placed or pledged -- it was 315,023. You did it.

Take a moment to watch the President's inspiring words to OFA volunteers on this incredible day.

Your voice was overwhelming -- with reports in the media of congressional offices "completely crushed with calls." CBS News described your effort as an "onslaught." And a congressional aide was quoted with a common response, saying their office was deluged by "pretty much non-stop health care calls from OFA.

You set a new OFA record, you caught the national media's attention, and you certainly put Congress on notice. But you know that's not what really matters.

The message I sent earlier talked about a woman, Jenny U., whose insurance company cut off her coverage because they decided her kidney donation to her sick daughter counted as a "pre-existing condition." What really matters is that today you brought America one giant, irreversible step closer to being a place where no one will ever have to suffer that kind of injustice again. That's what all the messages, late nights, and phone calls ultimately add up to. It's what makes everything we do together worthwhile -- and it's why we'll keep fighting together until the job is done.

Watch President Obama's special message to you from a call party in New York:

http://my.barackobama.com/TTDreport

Thank you, so much, for being part of the team.

We thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts, for joining this fight for health insurance for ALL Americans. We have never been prouder to share this great nation with you.
~ Editor and contributors to HealthForLouisiana.blogspot.com

A Public Option Story: How "Socialized Medicine" Is Already Saving Lives In America

A Public Option Story:

How "Socialized Medicine" Is Already Saving Lives Right Here In the U.S.

Critics of health care reform seem eternally focused on the potential for problems, but rarely do we take the time to consider the possibility of the "best case scenario" where the public option is concerned. But we needn't tax our imaginations to see what a successful health policy would look like. Surprisingly, it seems that a successful public option already exists in America... for people with one specific diagnosis.

Jennifer Nix is the author of the article "I Love My Socialist Kidney," a first-hand look at how a government-sponsored "public option" for patients with end-stage renal disease has been saving lives for decades right here in the U.S... and how it saved hers.

The day after this country elected Barack Obama its 44th president, a doctor told me I'd inherited from my father a rare form of cystic kidney disease and that I was already in renal failure. Beyond the devastation I felt on hearing this news, and despite having health insurance, my greatest fear in those first, foggy days was one that haunts millions of Americans. I was more terrified of being dropped or denied treatment by my insurer over some minuscule technicality than I was of facing the disease.... A few weeks into my ordeal, however, I learned that my diagnosis qualified me for a little-known existing "public option," or government health insurance plan. The same program had saved my father's life, but I was frankly surprised to learn it still existed despite numerous legislative changes through the decades. Today, almost a year after my diagnosis and amid the disheartening acrimony and willful misinformation pervading our healthcare debate, I can bear witness to what constitutes "socialized medicine" in the United States....

By the 1960s, dialysis and transplantation were established as effective treatments for kidney failure, which could allow ESRD patients to live full and productive lives. With no funding for long-term, chronic dialysis, however, hospital committees decided who would live and die. These committees looked at age, complicating health concerns, psychological well-being and a patient's "social worth," but because the wealthy could afford to pay for their treatments outright, they were the most often treated, resulting in a class-driven mortality rate. The government "death panels" decried in the hyperbolic rhetoric of today's right-wing anti-healthcare reform fanatics may be imaginary, but in the 1960s and early '70s there really were death panels for ESRD patients....

Without the government stepping in to remedy a situation that the market and private business willfully ignored, both my father and I would most likely have died within a year of our diagnoses. I believe every American citizen deserves the same kind of health security. Even before I got sick, my father's story was the reason I became an activist myself during the Bush years, as I saw people's faith in government dwindling. It's why I fought so hard to get Obama elected, and why I'll be gravely disappointed if he gives in on the public option....

Click HERE to read the entire article.

 The author makes a strong point about the idea of "death panels," as the ultra neo-conservative rhetoric has labeled them. Although the myth of Social Security "death panels" in President O'bama's plan is patently false, the idea behind them is perhaps more based in reality than we would care to admit to ourselves.

Today, the specter of a "death panel" lingers over American families who receive a chronic or terminal medical diagnosis. For those who have health insurance, the stress of waiting and wondering whether their insurance will cover the high costs of treatment - or continue to cover them at all - has become in itself a part of the illness which much be treated. The same can be said for the millions of Americans who are lost somewhere in the (usually multi-year) process of applying for disability. In these situations, an insurance executive or an administrative law judge will literally make decisions of life and death - decisions which would be left in the hands of the patients and their own physicians if a public option for health insurance were available to these same patients.

So rather than pouring our national energy into figuring out ways that a policy of providing health insurance for everyone could go wrong, perhaps we have reached a point where we need to admit to ourselves that failing to provide such coverage has already cost us too much in terms of our economy, our national standing, and - most importantly - the lives of our own loved ones. Our lack of universal health coverage has already gone far wrong. It is up to us as citizens of "the world's wealthiest nation" to refuse to allow such a monumental failure of policy to continue. What we can do, as the moral and just society we want ourselves to be, we must do. What we can do to save one life, we can do to save many. We have seen the devastation caused by the lack of such a policy, and we can see how a successful policy can be run. Now it is up to us as Americans to make it work for everyone.