This Is The Face of Obamacare

26 year old Erica would not be here today were it not for one part of President Obama's Affordable Care Act that has already gone into effect-- that is the part about insurance companies not being able to deny coverage because of pre-existing conditions.  

You never think, when you are 26 years old and healthy, that you are going to get a brain tumor, but that is what happened to Erika.  Watch the video.  It will help you understand that the un-insured are not faceless, syncophants looking to leech off of those who have insurance.  They are ordinary people, just like YOU. And if they could be denied medical care in our system because of lack of money, so could you.

Obamacare is better than a system that lets insurance companies make life and death decisions for people on the basis of what is best for corporations......and permits people to go without medical care so shareholders will get dividends.  Something is very wrong when an insured 94 year old can get a pacemaker and chemotherapy for terminal cancer, while an uninsured 26 year old cannot get  brain surgery for a curable brain tumer...... not in MY America.

Four more years for President Obama.  Please.... it's a matter of life and death.

Thanks to BarackObama.com on YouTube for the video.

Happy Birthday America from the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of the United States gave America a wonderful birthday present just in time for our annual July 4th celebration.  As you take off for the beach or chomp down on a hamburger or  watch the fireworks this year, think about what  a gift the Supreme Court gave us by upholding the Affordable Care Act.

The bankruptcy figures alone, quoted by Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, at the Health Care Summit  in 2010 should give you enough to cheer about.  In addition, think of the infants who won't die or be left with debilitating handicaps because their mothers can now afford pre-natal care.  Think of the people who will not longer have to use hospital Emergency Rooms for Primary Care and think of the people who won't die because they can't afford to see a doctor. On top of that, think of all the money we taxpayers will save in the long run.

  For more info and to sign a petition thanking President Obama for passing the Affordable Care Act, go on over to Moveon.org

Happy Birthday America and thank you SCOTUS  for a birthday gift of life and health for millions of Americans.

Fact Checking Mitt Romney on Obamacare

cartoon source About.com

MItt Romney is not a happy camper in the wake of the Supreme Court Decision on Obamacare.  On the eve of America's Independence day celebrations,  Mitt and the GOP are telling some real whoppers in order to scare the pants off the American public.   It's all fabricated doom and gloom about how the founding fathers are spinning in their graves( they're not) and  Americans will lose their freedoms (they won't)  and creeping socialism will ruin the country (for the last time, Obama is NOT a socialist).

These guys keep trying the same lies over and over again.  It all reminds me of Sarah Palin and her " Death Panels"  back in 2009 during the original  debates. Makes me wish they would come up with a new approach.

 According to Politifact.com's Truth o'Meter, here's  the whopper Mitt was telling on the trail  over the week-end.  It got lots of attention and was totally debunked, but I am sure the faithful base still believes it anyway.

.  Right after the Supreme Court decision came down, Mitt said:

"Obamacare raises taxes on the American people by approximately $500 billion. Obamacare cuts Medicare -- cuts Medicare by approximately $500 billion," Romney said. "And even with those cuts and tax increases, Obamacare adds trillions to our deficits and to our national debt, and pushes those obligations on to coming generations."

The fact is that, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, Obamacare will  actually lower the deficit by about $124 billion over 10 years.  Read the entire article here.

As for cutting Medicare-- according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, benefits over the next decade will not be cut for recipients nor will spending. what will happen is that growth will be slowed.ABC News did a very complete rundown on this. Check it out

Playing games with numbers is one thing-- but outright lies are something else.  Mitt must be getting desperate.  I think I see his nose growing longer, don't you?

Repealing Obamacare? Get a Grip

 

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Would you believe the new congress has already scheduled a vote for January 12th to repeal the new Healthcare Bill?  Not since a special prosecutor was appointed by Republicans to investigate the Bill Clinton/ Monica Lewinski affair has there been such a waste of time and taxpayer money.

Republicans may narrowly control the House, but they don't control the Senate, so  there is no question of  repeal actually happening. What is sure, is a lot of grandstanding, hot rhetoric and a total waste of taxpayer money by people in theory dedicated to cutting government spending, but who are, in reality. bought and paid for by the  Insurance Industry and Big Pharma -- the folks who really run the Washington puppet  show. Ironic, isn't it?

Meanwhile, in the wake of economic recession, the number of Americans without health insurance rose to an estimated 50 million in 2010.  The situation is getting worse not better. Repealing Obamacare will not happen and would not help if it did..  The entire thing is a small minded attempt to discredit the President and obstruct his administration.  Remember that the chief aim of the Republicans is to make Obama a one term Prez.

Pass the popcorn. It's going to be quite a show.  I may need Kleenex too because it is also very very sad.

Tea Party Healthcare

Rush Limbaugh Thinks the Icelandic Volcano Is Armageddon

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Can you believe it?  Rush Limbaugh inferred on his radio show yesterday that the plume of smoke spreading over Europe from Iceland and grounding air traffic ( principally keeping President Obama from attending a State funeral in Poland) might be divine punishment for the passage of the Obama Health Care Bill.  I swear it's true The guy is totally nuts.Here's the quote:

"You know, a couple of days after the health care bill had been signed into law Obama ran around all over the country saying, “Hey, you know, I’m looking around. The earth hadn’t opened up. There’s no Armageddon out there. The birds are still chirping.” I think the earth has opened up. God may have replied. This volcano in Iceland has grounded more airplanes — airspace has more affected — than even after 9/11 because of this plume, because of this ash cloud over Northern and Western Europe. At the Paris airport they’re telling people to head to the train station to catch trains out of France, and when people get to the train station they’re telling people, “There aren’t any seats until at least April 22nd,” basically a week from now. It’s got everybody in a shutdown. Earth has opened up. I don’t know whether it’s a rebirth or Armageddon. Hopefully it’s a rebirth, God speaking."

Rush, honey........Get a grip!!! It's time to lay off the OxyContin. Everything isn't about you, sugarplum.  Everything isn't even about Obama,or American politics. Sometimes things happen in Iceland that are about the geology of Iceland. This may not be so good for the airlines, but Armageddon it's not. So just relax and try not to appear too whacko or they just might cart you off to rehab.

Link to the original post on Think Progress

The Last Word on Health Care Reform

Susan of Everyday People has really nailed it this time. I can't add a thing. Go read what she has to say now that the bill has finally passed. Hint: I borrowed this wonderful graphic from her post.

Here's the link.

Go on, now. You won't be sorry. I promise.

Medicare Is Socialized Medicine

Listen up my fellow Americans, especially those of you who fear that socialized medicine is the work of Satan.

Here in America we already have socialized medicine in the form of Medicare, a single payer, government run system for people over 65 and the disabled. Medicare comes in two parts. Part A covers hospitalization and Part B covers various tests and outpatient treatments.

Guess what, under this government run, single payer system, seniors get to choose their own doctors, their own hospitals, and since their health care is administered by the federal government, its administrative costs are much less than those of private health insurance companies( even given bloated government bureaurocracy).

There are no referrals or permissions necessary as with HMO's. On top of that, every hospital in the country accepts Medicare which means a New Yorker who breaks an arm in Arizona won't be turned away from the local emergency room if he hasn't got cash or a credit card. Medicare is good everywhere in the United States.

Scare Tactics

It amazes me how many grey-hairs I see in videos and TV coverage of the protests against the health care legislation now being hammered out in Congress. I'm stunned to find that many of these mature adults who are screaming about socialized medicine like it was the end of days, do not realize that Medicare, on which they rely, is socialized medicine. It may not be perfect, but it works. Every doctor I know spends more time hassling with insurance companies and filling out forms than seeing patients. Physicians can opt out of Medicare, but most don't. The fees aren't as high as for private insurance, but there is less hassle and they do get paid. Every hospital has a huge accounting staff just to handle insurance billing as every Insurance company has different rules, different forms and a different contract with the hospital.

Here's what folks. The American health care system is broken. We have to fix it, pronto. Entrenched Insurance interests are trying to scare the pants off you not because they care about you, but because they care about their bottom line. They won't make as much money if everybody has the single payer government option. It's that simple. They are businesses with a primary fiduciary responsibility to their investors and shareholders not to you. You are the product on which they make a profit. That's the way business works and in this country, health care is a business and a very lucrative one at that.

If I have to choose between corporate greed and government beaurocracy, I'll take the government. But you don't have to. As the President says " If you like your present plan you can keep it" Something for everybody. In the meantime, please remember that Medicare is not a dirty word.. Millions of seniors depend upon it and are happy to have it.