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<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>A truly excellent response with many very excellent and
strong points being made. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>Personally, while I feel that there are still many
things that are open to discussion, debate, and assessment concerning the bill's
details and its implementation, I have to begrudgingly agree with Claudia,
although I wish things were otherwise and a more or less perfect and fully
detailed statute could be produced that contained specifics regarding
implementation, monitoring, enforcement, and penalties for non-compliance.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>While I am not all that optimistic since the history of
American policy - especially social policy - has been one of vacant promises for
the most part and general compromised to death policies which offer the hope
that in the future more detailed specifics will be developed, provisions will be
strengthened, and gaps will be filled in but which never ever happens, I
have no choice but to wait and see if specifics are added, provisions are
strengthened, and gaps are filled in, what those additions and details will be,
and how the programs are implemented and executed in practice the same as
everyone else. At this stage in the game, it is an open question if this
is a real change and reform or just another phantom in the junkyard of broken
dreams. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>I am and reminded by some of Claudia's
remarks of (and well aware of - as a sort of cautionary tale) of the
old responses of the liberals in the 1960's when it came to segregation who told
the blacks who were pushing for integration and reform in the country's racial
policies that they should not push so hard and rush things or they the will get
those conservative segregationists will back in power again. Hence, the
members of the Black and minority communities should be willing to live
with and settle for merely minor (and often surface ) reforms in the
existing situation and be willing to endure a long hard extended fight for any
sort of moderately significant changes which may take years, decades, and even
centuries more to gain and should know that if it does not happen they will get
their salvation and equality in the hereafter. Meanwhile, things
remained essentially the same for the Black and minority communities as they had
been and were likely to remain if the conservative segregationists had been in
power until they stood up and said "fuck you" to the liberal integrationists in
power. I would only hope that this is not the current situation with
healthcare and that should no details be specified, no provisions strengthened,
no gaps filled, and not practical implementation, execution, and enforcement of
statute be forthcoming, people would get up in arms, take to the streets
and rebel. But I am pessimistic that that would happen since, unlike
other countries, America's history suggests that rebellion and
revolution - even general strikes - are a rarity and "go along and get
along" dominant is the marching order of the day.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt Tahoma">
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5">
<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title="mailto:unionyes@ameritech.net CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:unionyes@ameritech.net">unionyes</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, March 25, 2010 8:04 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A
title="mailto:Undisclosed-Recipient:%20;@smtp104.sbc.mail.re3.yahoo.com CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:Undisclosed-Recipient:%20;@smtp104.sbc.mail.re3.yahoo.com">Undisclosed-Recipient:
;@smtp104.sbc.mail.re3.yahoo.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> [sf-core] Fw: [CentralILJwJ] Fw: Fact Sheet: The Truth
About the Health Care Bill</DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<P><BR>----- Original Message ----- <BR>From: "Claudia Lennhoff" <<A
title="mailto:claudia@shout.net CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:claudia@shout.net">claudia@shout.<WBR>net</A>><BR>To: "unionyes"
<<A title="mailto:unionyes@ameritech.net CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:unionyes@ameritech.net">unionyes@ameritech.<WBR>net</A>><BR>Cc:
"JWJ C-U" <<A
title="mailto:centralILJwJ@yahoogroups.com CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:centralILJwJ@yahoogroups.com">centralILJwJ@<WBR>yahoogroups.<WBR>com</A>>;
"william gorrell" <BR><<A
title="mailto:laborhour@yahoo.com CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:laborhour@yahoo.com">laborhour@yahoo.<WBR>com</A>>; "Ricky
Baldwin" <<A
title="mailto:baldwinricky@yahoo.com CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:baldwinricky@yahoo.com">baldwinricky@<WBR>yahoo.com</A>>; "Neil
<BR>Parthun" <<A
title="mailto:lennybrucefan@gmail.com CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:lennybrucefan@gmail.com">lennybrucefan@<WBR>gmail.com</A>>; "Jim
Eyman" <<A
title="mailto:banjogramps@yahoo.com CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:banjogramps@yahoo.com">banjogramps@<WBR>yahoo.com</A>>;
<BR>"Dave Powers" <<A
title="mailto:pengdust@aol.com CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:pengdust@aol.com">pengdust@aol.<WBR>com</A>>; "Dan Elgin ( 2nd
e-mail )" <BR><<A
title="mailto:danelgin@gmail.com CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:danelgin@gmail.com">danelgin@gmail.<WBR>com</A>>; "Damien
Mathew" <<A
title="mailto:dmathew@mailaps.org CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:dmathew@mailaps.org">dmathew@mailaps.<WBR>org</A>>; "Bill
Gorrell" <BR><<A
title="mailto:laborer%40mchsi.com CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:laborer%40mchsi.com">laborer@mchsi.<WBR>com</A>>; "Tristan
geo/iww B" <<A
title="mailto:tristan.bunner%40gmail.com CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:tristan.bunner%40gmail.com">tristan.bunner@<WBR>gmail.com</A>>;
<BR>"sf-core" <<A
title="mailto:sf-core%40yahoogroups.com CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:sf-core%40yahoogroups.com">sf-core@yahoogroups<WBR>.com</A>>;
"Peace-discuss" <BR><<A
title="mailto:peace-discuss%40lists.chambana.net CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:peace-discuss%40lists.chambana.net">peace-discuss@<WBR>lists.chambana.<WBR>net</A>><BR>Sent:
Wednesday, March 24, 2010 11:30 PM<BR>Subject: Re: [CentralILJwJ] Fw: Fact
Sheet: The Truth About the Health Care <BR>Bill<BR><BR>> Dear Dave, and
all,<BR>><BR>> Dave Johnson forwarded this message which contains
seriously bad/wrong <BR>> advice.<BR>><BR>> The only reason I'm
responding is because this message went to a lot of <BR>> people through
listservs, and the advice or recommendation in it is so <BR>> dangerous that
I feel it must be addressed.<BR>><BR>> Also, I'm tired of some of the very
narrow analysis of the health reform <BR>> law.<BR>><BR>> I will say my
peace here, and I won't be writing back or engaging in an <BR>> e-mail
discussion about this, since I already work on health reform and <BR>> health
system change and am regularly communicating about these issues.<BR>><BR>>
So, for what it's worth, these are the comments I wanted to offer (it's <BR>>
lengthy, but I hope helpful and interesting, if nothing else).<BR>><BR>>
Regarding what I see as a very dangerous assertion:<BR>><BR>> Suggesting
that a family of four would be better off saving the supposed <BR>> $5,243
they would pay for insurance, to go uninsured instead, and use <BR>> those
"savings" to pay directly for medical care is really bad advice. <BR>> That
is $437 a month. What if someone gets diagnosed with cancer or has a <BR>>
car accident and needs emergency surgery and then follow-up care and <BR>>
physical therapy? A family of four implies 2 - 3 children. Children need
<BR>> regular health care, and they tend to need more health care visits
<BR>> throughout the year. What if a child breaks his/her arm. Do people have
<BR>> any idea how much that costs? An appendicitis would easily wipe out
that <BR>> amount. The people giving this advice apparently have NO concept
of the <BR>> cost of care, or the fact that when you run out of money and
can't pay for <BR>> your care, you are out of luck -- no matter how much
chemo you need, or <BR>> how much physical therapy you need, etc. Your care
stops. What if you need <BR>> care, AND a medical device, like a CPAP? If you
think it doesn't happen to <BR>> cancer patients, think again. We at CCHCC
see this situation, in some form <BR>> or another, every single
day.<BR>><BR>> How can anyone give such advice? It makes me think that
they must be <BR>> totally out of touch with the cost of care and the fact
that we as <BR>> consumers/patients have no knowledge in advance of what we
will need, and <BR>> what it will cost us. Or maybe these people are
proponents of medical <BR>> savings accounts? (their suggestion is actually
the "logic" behind medical <BR>> savings accounts - a bad idea for most
people)<BR>><BR>> Also, where is the consideration about the fact that
uninsured consumers <BR>> are charged the highest sticker price for care,
frequently 2 to 5 times <BR>> higher than the cost of care charged to an
insurer, and that's part of why <BR>> uninsured individuals can amass so much
medical debt? This is really <BR>> dangerous advice and seems very out of
touch.<BR>><BR>> I don't know much about Jane Hamsher and whether she has
health insurance <BR>> or is personally wealthy and could forego health
insurance because she has <BR>> the means to pay for her care directly. I
know she's had cancer and has <BR>> gotten treatment for it, unlike some of
my low-income uninsured patients. <BR>> Most people don't have the means to
pay for the care they need out of <BR>> pocket.<BR>><BR>> Moving on, I
also want to offer this editorial comment:<BR>><BR>> It's amazing to me
how many people want to act like this new law, unlike <BR>> the current
situation, is a windfall for insurance companies -- AS IF the <BR>> current
(pre-health reform) situation is not.<BR>><BR>> Of course the new law is a
windfall for insurance companies! But at least <BR>> it provides protection
to consumers who will be purchasing health <BR>> insurance, unlike the
current situation, and it forces private insurance <BR>> companies to insure
those whom they currently refuse to insure or whom <BR>> they price out of
the market.<BR>><BR>> If anyone thinks that the current (pre-health
reform) situation is not a <BR>> windfall for insurance companies, they are
sadly mistaken. The fact of the <BR>> matter is that insurance companies,
right now, because of the lack of <BR>> regulation, actually make far more
profits by refusing coverage to many, <BR>> while jacking up the rates for
existing members, than they would if they <BR>> tried to insure a larger
number of people, including those with health <BR>> problems.<BR>><BR>>
In other words, right now, they make record profits from cherry-picking,
<BR>> denying coverage, and also from the extra $1,000 or more built into
<BR>> everyone's premiums to cover the cost for the uninsured. And if you
think <BR>> you're not paying for it even if you don't have health insurance,
think <BR>> again. You pay taxes, don't you? Most government employees have
health <BR>> coverage (whether they are teachers, state employees, etc.)
through <BR>> employment, with private insurance companies, and that's
subsidized by <BR>> taxpayers.<BR>><BR>> The current situation is not
just a windfall for private insurance -- it <BR>> is a tremendous burden for
we, the people (directly, and through our <BR>> taxes). And what do we get
right now? Uninsurance.<BR>><BR>> Because currently insurance companies do
NOT have to insure sick people, <BR>> the sick people -- and therefore the
costliest people -- frequently land <BR>> on the government programs such as
Medicaid and Medicare (if they live <BR>> long enough to get Medicare),
community health centers, and hospital ER's <BR>> (all federally subsidized),
and the government -- meaning US, the <BR>> taxpayers (whether insured or
uninsured) pay the lion's share of the cost <BR>> of providing care to our
nation's sickest (remember also that the sickest <BR>> 10% of the people
account for 70% of the costs in Medicare).<BR>><BR>> In other words, right
now, even with 45 million uninsured, WE are paying <BR>> these high costs,
but we are paying with our money, AND our lives (rather, <BR>> the uninsured
are paying with their lives).<BR>><BR>> I'm really tired of, and disgusted
with, these very narrow analyses where <BR>> people act like the current
disasterous situation has somehow NOT been a <BR>> windfall for insurance
companies. It IS a windfall already, AND people are <BR>> going uninsured,
getting sick and disabled, suffering, and dying <BR>> prematurely -- I see
this all the time at CCHCC.<BR>><BR>> I want to see Medicare for all. And
we're working on it. But I think it's <BR>> dangerous and irresponsible to
act as if people will not benefit from the <BR>> health reform law that just
passed. People WILL benefit -- even as the <BR>> insurance companies benefit.
But right now, pre-health reform, ONLY <BR>> insurance companies
benefit.<BR>><BR>> I thought it was dangerous and irresponsible for some
progressives to say <BR>> that this bill was worse than no bill, and to act
as if this bill somehow <BR>> precluded the possibility for
single-payer.<BR>><BR>> I probably hate health insurance companies more
than anyone I know -- I am <BR>> VERY intimately acquainted with the very
dirty tricks they play, and I've <BR>> witnessed the devastation of
individuals and families when health <BR>> insurance companies find ways to
not cover care. Even with my views and <BR>> awareness, however, don't try to
take away my PersonalCare health <BR>> coverage! Without health insurance, I
would have been dead several years <BR>> ago when I got very sick with a
mysterious illness that took 6 years to <BR>> figure out. Without health
insurance, I couldn't have gotten it figured <BR>> out because I couldn't
have pursued care and diagnosis (and treatment), <BR>> and I would have been
long dead.<BR>><BR>> If I could, I'd give every single one of my uninsured
clients private <BR>> health insurance right now! Just as I would give them
Medicaid or <BR>> Medicare -- anything I could get my hands on in order for
them to have a <BR>> passport to health care. I'm not "too pure" to walk away
from a private <BR>> plan if it will help someone.<BR>><BR>> Jane
Hamsher says "I understand the temptation to offer 30 million people <BR>>
health care." The "temptation?<WBR>" That's like saying "I understand the
<BR>> temptation to feed starving people." For those of us who work on the
front <BR>> lines, it is not a temptation but an imperative. This isn't
theoretical <BR>> for us. This is life and death, health and disability,
suffering and <BR>> wellness -- no trivial thing.<BR>><BR>> People who
say that it is bad that we are going to insure "only" 30 <BR>> million of the
currently uninsured with this bill and we should therefore <BR>> hold off on
health reform until we have national single-payer are <BR>> basically saying
that they would be willing to sacrifice the health, and <BR>> possibly the
lives of those 30 million until we can get something <BR>> "better." Really?
That can't really be the progressive position, can it?<BR>><BR>> Also,
remember that it's not just 30 million -- without this legislation, <BR>> the
number of uninsured was going to continue to climb every single day, <BR>>
week, month, and year - and this would mean that the number of people who
<BR>> would die simply because they lacked health coverage would also
continue <BR>> to climb.<BR>><BR>> And yeah, I hate that the main
provisions of the new law won't take effect <BR>> until 2014, but before this
law, what year were people going to finally <BR>> get health coverage and
protection from the abuses of the health insurance <BR>> industry? Also, what
makes people think that advocates and organizers are <BR>> just going to be
sitting around waiting for 2014, as opposed to working on <BR>> new
legislation to help bring better changes?<BR>><BR>> Maybe those who are
new to the struggle and the issue think that we just <BR>> sit back passively
once legislation has been passed, and then live with <BR>> those
consequences, rather than working day in and day out, year and year <BR>>
out, to make progress.<BR>><BR>> Medicare was not created whole with one
piece of legislation. Neither was <BR>> Social Security. But by some people's
current analysis of health reform, <BR>> they would have advocated against
those landmark social programs because <BR>> they didn't go far enough when
first proposed, or because they also <BR>> involved the private for-profit
sector in some form or another.<BR>><BR>> As much antipathy as I have for
health insurance companies, my compassion <BR>> for people is far stronger.
I'm not too "pure" to say that private health <BR>> insurance coverage is
better than no coverage.<BR>><BR>> Also, I reject the notion that working
to advance this health reform <BR>> legislation is against the interests of
single payer. This legislation <BR>> takes government overpayments away from
private Medicare Advantage <BR>> insurance companies and strengthens Medicare
-- the very program on which <BR>> single-payer will be based. Medicare has
been getting raided for years by <BR>> the Medicare Advantage program, yet
where were all these new "experts" on <BR>> health reform? CCHCC has been
working with other advocacy organizations <BR>> for years to get legislation
passed that would cut these overpayments.<BR>><BR>> Lastly, people should
know that the new health reform bill has a state <BR>> waiver that allows
states to opt out of the health reform law if the state <BR>> is able to find
another means to provide coverage for everyone. Yes, there <BR>> are
critiques of the state waiver, but it is not just a gimmick, as has <BR>>
been suggested. It is a tool to work with, and we can always work to <BR>>
improve the waiver. No one ever said single payer was going to be easy. <BR>>
Being right (correct) is not enough. We always have to be working and <BR>>
building on whatever gains we make. That's how we'll get there.<BR>><BR>>
I just really don't understand why certain progressives only critique (not
<BR>> always accurately) the health reform law, but avoid providing
information <BR>> about the benefits of the law. Believe it or not (and, if I
may say so, I <BR>> think I should know), there ARE benefits. To me, being a
progressive was <BR>> never just about having an analysis and a critique. It
was about working <BR>> for justice, and central to that is working to
improving people's lives.<BR>><BR>> We at CCHCC will continue our work
with the single-payer movement <BR>> nationally and statewide, even as we
work hard as hell to get people the <BR>> benefits of this new
legislation.<BR>><BR>> Sincerely,<BR>><BR>> Claudia Lennhoff, CCHCC
Executive Director<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> On 3/24/10
7:14 PM, unionyes wrote:<BR>>><BR>>><BR>>>
<BR>>><BR>>> ----- Original Message -----<BR>>> *From:* David
Sladky <mailto:<A
href="mailto:tanstl%40aol.com">tanstl@aol.com</A>><BR>>> *To:* <A
href="mailto:usgp-media%40gp-us.org">usgp-media@gp-<WBR>us.org</A> <mailto:<A
href="mailto:usgp-media%40gp-us.org">usgp-media@gp-<WBR>us.org</A>><BR>>>
*Sent:* Wednesday, March 24, 2010 7:40 AM<BR>>> *Subject:* Fact Sheet: The
Truth About the Health Care Bill<BR>>><BR>>><BR>>><BR>>>
Fact Sheet: The Truth About the Health Care Bill<BR>>><BR>>> March
22, 2010 by Healthcare-NOW!<BR>>> <<A
href="http://www.healthcare-now.org/author/jtmhcn/">http://www.healthca<WBR>re-now.org/<WBR>author/jtmhcn/</A>><BR>>>
Filed under Single-Payer News<BR>>> <<A
href="http://www.healthcare-now.org/category/single-payer-news/">http://www.healthca<WBR>re-now.org/<WBR>category/<WBR>single-payer-<WBR>news/</A>><BR>>><BR>>>
*<BR>>><BR>>> Firedoglake released this fact sheet<BR>>>
<<A
href="http://static1.firedoglake.com/1/files/2010/03/mythfactshcr-2.pdf">http://static1.<WBR>firedoglake.<WBR>com/1/files/<WBR>2010/03/mythfact<WBR>shcr-2.pdf</A>>
that<BR>>> exposes some myths about the bill passed on Sunday.<BR>>>
By Jane Hamsher for Firedoglake<BR>>> <<A
href="http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/03/19/fact-sheet-the-truth-about-the-health-care-bill/">http://fdlaction.<WBR>firedoglake.<WBR>com/2010/<WBR>03/19/fact-<WBR>sheet-the-<WBR>truth-about-<WBR>the-health-<WBR>care-bill/</A>><BR>>>
–<BR>>> The Firedoglake health care team has been covering the debate
in<BR>>> congress since it began last year. The health care bill will come
up for<BR>>> a vote in the House on Sunday, and as Nancy Pelosi works to
wrangle<BR>>> votes, we’ve been running a detailed whip count on where
every member of<BR>>> Congress stands, updated throughout the
day.<BR>>> We’ve also taken a detailed look at the bill, and have come up
with 18<BR>>> often stated myths about this health care reform
bill.<BR>>> Real health care reform is the thing we’ve fought for from the
start. It<BR>>> is desperately needed. But this bill falls short on many
levels, and<BR>>> hurts many people more than it helps.<BR>>> A
middle class family of four making $66,370 will be forced to pay<BR>>>
$5,243 per year for insurance. After basic necessities, this leaves
them<BR>>> with $8,307 in discretionary income — out of which they would
have to<BR>>> cover clothing, credit card and other debt, child care and
education<BR>>> costs, in addition to $5,882 in annual out-of-pocket
medical expenses<BR>>> for which families will be responsible. Many
families who are already<BR>>> struggling to get by would be better off
saving the $5,243 in insurance<BR>>> costs and paying their medical
expenses directly, rather than being<BR>>> forced to by coverage they
can’t afford the co-pays on.<BR>>> In addition, there is already a booming
movement across the country to<BR>>> challenge the mandate. Thirty-three
states already have bills moving<BR>>> through their houses, and the Idaho
governor was the first to sign it<BR>>> into law yesterday. In Virginia it
passed through both a Democratic<BR>>> House and Senate, and the governor
will sign it soon. It will be on the<BR>>> ballot in Arizona in 2010, and
is headed in that direction for many<BR>>> more. Republican senators like
Dick Lugar are already asking their state<BR>>> attorney generals to
challenge it. There are two GOP think tanks<BR>>> actively helping states
in their efforts, and there is a booming<BR>>> messaging infrastructure
that covers it beat-by-beat.<BR>>> Whether Steny Hoyer believes the
legality of the bill will prevail in<BR>>> court or not is moot, it could
easily become the “gay marriage” of 2010,<BR>>> with one key difference:
there will be no one on the other side<BR>>> passionately opposing it. The
GOP is preparing to use it as a massive<BR>>> turn-out vehicle, and it not
only threatens representatives in states<BR>>> like Florida, Colorado and
Ohio where these challenges will likely be on<BR>>> the ballot — it
threatens gubernatorial and down-ticket races as well.<BR>>> Artur Davis,
running for governor of Alabama, is already being put on<BR>>> the spot
about it.<BR>>> While details are limited, there is apparently a “Plan B”
alternative<BR>>> that the White House was considering, which would
evidently expand<BR>>> existing programs — Medicaid and SCHIP. It would
cover half the people<BR>>> at a quarter of the price, but it would not
force an unbearable<BR>>> financial burden to those who are already
struggling to get by. Because<BR>>> it creates no new infrastructure for
the purpose of funneling money to<BR>>> private insurance companies, there
is no need for Bart Stupak’s or Ben<BR>>> Nelson’s language dealing with
abortion — which satisfies the concerns<BR>>> of pro-life members of
Congress, as well as women who are looking at the<BR>>> biggest blow to
women’s reproductive rights in 35 years with the passage<BR>>> of this
bill. Both programs are already covered under existing law, the<BR>>> Hyde
amendment.<BR>>> But perhaps most profoundly, the bill does not mandate
that people pay<BR>>> 8% of their annual income to private insurance
companies or face a<BR>>> penalty of up to 2% — which the IRS would
collect. As Marcy Wheeler<BR>>> noted in an important post entitled
“Health Care on the Road to<BR>>> NeoFeudalism,” we stand on the precipice
of doing something truly<BR>>> radical in our government, by demanding
that Americans pay almost as<BR>>> much money to private insurance
companies as they do in federal taxes:<BR>>> When this passes, it will
become clear that Congress is no longer the<BR>>> sovereign of this
nation. Rather, the corporations dictating the laws<BR>>> will
be.<BR>>> I understand the temptation to offer 30 million people health
care. What<BR>>> I don’t understand is the nonchalance with which we’re
about to<BR>>> fundamentally shift the relationships of governance in
doing so.<BR>>> We started down a dangerous road with Wall Street banks in
the early<BR>>> 90s, allowing them to flood our political system with
money and write<BR>>> our laws so that taxpayers would subsidize their
profits, assume their<BR>>> losses and remove themselves from the
necessity of competition. By<BR>>> funneling so much money into the
companies who created the very problems<BR>>> we are now attempting to
address, we further empower them to hijack our<BR>>> legislative process
and put more than just our health care system at<BR>>> risk. We risk our
entire system of government.<BR>>> Congress may be too far down the road
with this bill to change course<BR>>> and save themselves — and us. But
before Democrats cast this vote, which<BR>>> could endanger not only their
Congressional majority but their ability<BR>>> to “fix” things later on,
they should consider the first rule of patient<BR>>> safety: first, do no
harm.<BR>>> Tags: Barack Obama <<A
href="http://www.healthcare-now.org/tag/barack-obama/">http://www.healthca<WBR>re-now.org/<WBR>tag/barack-<WBR>obama/</A>>,<BR>>>
firedoglake <<A
href="http://www.healthcare-now.org/tag/firedoglake/">http://www.healthca<WBR>re-now.org/<WBR>tag/firedoglake/</A>>,
health<BR>>> care <<A
href="http://www.healthcare-now.org/tag/health-care/">http://www.healthca<WBR>re-now.org/<WBR>tag/health-<WBR>care/</A>>,
Healthcare<BR>>> <<A
href="http://www.healthcare-now.org/tag/healthcare/">http://www.healthca<WBR>re-now.org/<WBR>tag/healthcare/</A>>,
Healthcare Reform<BR>>> <<A
href="http://www.healthcare-now.org/tag/healthcare-reform/">http://www.healthca<WBR>re-now.org/<WBR>tag/healthcare-<WBR>reform/</A>>,
jane hamsher<BR>>> <<A
href="http://www.healthcare-now.org/tag/jane-hamsher/">http://www.healthca<WBR>re-now.org/<WBR>tag/jane-<WBR>hamsher/</A>>,
Nancy Pelosi<BR>>> <<A
href="http://www.healthcare-now.org/tag/nancy-pelosi/">http://www.healthca<WBR>re-now.org/<WBR>tag/nancy-<WBR>pelosi/</A>>,
public option<BR>>> <<A
href="http://www.healthcare-now.org/tag/public-option/">http://www.healthca<WBR>re-now.org/<WBR>tag/public-<WBR>option/</A>>,
Single Payer<BR>>> Healthcare <<A
href="http://www.healthcare-now.org/tag/single-payer-healthcare/">http://www.healthca<WBR>re-now.org/<WBR>tag/single-<WBR>payer-healthcare<WBR>/</A>>,<BR>>>
universal healthcare<BR>>> <<A
href="http://www.healthcare-now.org/tag/universal-healthcare/">http://www.healthca<WBR>re-now.org/<WBR>tag/universal-<WBR>healthcare/</A>><BR>>><BR>>><BR>>>
Comments<BR>>><BR>>> *One Response to “Fact Sheet: The Truth About
the Health Care Bill”*<BR>>><BR>>> 1.<BR>>> Cathy Deppe
says:<BR>>> March 23, 2010 at 9:56 am<BR>>> <BR>>> <<A
href="http://www.healthcare-now.org/fact-sheet-the-truth-about-the-health-care-bill/comment-page-1/#comment-7558">http://www.healthca<WBR>re-now.org/<WBR>fact-sheet-<WBR>the-truth-<WBR>about-the-<WBR>health-care-<WBR>bill/comment-<WBR>page-1/#comment-<WBR>7558</A>><BR>>>
I believe we on the left should also refuse this mandated<BR>>> insurance
that just enrichs insurance company profits and<BR>>> ultimately insures,
instead, the total corporate control of our<BR>>> government. We should
say no to this – and no again, to paying for<BR>>> the wars our government
has sold us. Our lives are in the balance,<BR>>> as Jackson Brown sang:
“They sell us the president the same way,<BR>>> they sell us our clothes
and our cars, they sell us everything<BR>>> from youth to religion, the
same time they sell us our wars.” We<BR>>> must begin to refuse to pay for
defective products, be they<BR>>> useless insurance plans or endless
wars.<BR>>><BR>>> 2.<BR>>><BR>>> <BR><BR></P></DIV><!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlStart|**|-~-->
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