Obamacare: A Deception

[Peter Lemkin]

Let's fix the Affordable Care Act by amending it. Vote for good women, Latinos, African-Americans, LGTB, and democratic white males and the occasional republican oddball who is a democrat at heart. These and Independents seem to be people who really believe democracy to be the best form of government.

I wish I was as optimistic as you Adele that there are enough such people left in Congress that have not be bought out by the major corporations and their lobbyists. I wish I still had faith in the electoral system, generally. Without a grassroots movement to reconnect the people to their representatives and make the electoral system free from gerrymandering, tampering, hijacking and outright sale [before, during and after elections], I can't see how the few really representative representatives can effect much positive change. I'd like to be wrong.....but the very fact they were bamboozled into voting for the unPatriot Act and have continued to extend it and even add new and worse legislation - rather than end it dead, informs me that while health care should be less controversial...it is ALL about the rich getting richer and to hell with everyone else. The rich [and the Congress] have all the health care they need. I don't and most Americans do not and can not afford it. EVERY other developed and many developing nations have a national healthcare program paid from taxes and treating all. Not all of them are perfect by any means, but every last one of them puts American medicine and medical care to shame. This mantra of the USA having the 'best health care in the World' is only true IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT - and most cannot. Cuba does a much better job - averaged over the population!...and the health statics show this objectively. The propaganda apparatus is very 'good', and fooled the People that Obamacare would actually effect some positive change. Until the People form a power structure through collective action that outweighs and outmaneuvers, as well as counters the propaganda and money of the pharmaceutical and medical-insurance-industrial complex, I can't see single-payer or anything approaching it coming to America in my lifetime and, personally, I need it now....as do hundreds of millions of others.

[Peter Lemkin]

Harvard-CUNY Study: Thousands Will Die In States That Don't Expand Medicaid

By DYLAN SCOTT / TPMMarch 15th, 2014no responses

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BY DYLAN SCOTT
TPM Livewire, JANUARY 31, 2014

As many as 17,000 Americans will die directly as a result of states deciding not to expand Medicaid under Obamacare, according to a new study. Researchers from Harvard University and City University of New York have estimated that between 7,115 and 17,104 deaths will be "attributable to the lack of Medicaid expansion in opt-out states" in a study published in Health Affairs.

"The results were sobering," Samuel Dickman, one of the authors, said, according to the Morning Call. "Political decisions have consequences, some of them lethal."

They projected that 423,000 fewer diabetics would receive medication to treat their disease. If opt-out states had expanded Medicaid, 659,000 women who are in need of mammograms and 3.1 million women who should receive regular pap smears would have become insured, the study found.
"Low-income adults in states that have opted out of Medicaid expansion will forego gains in access to care, financial well-being, physical and mental health, and longevity that would be expected with expanded Medicaid coverage," the authors wrote.
In terms of health coverage, expanding states will experience a 48.9 percent decrease in their uninsured population compared to a 18.1 percent decrease in non-expanding states. Eight million people will remain uninsured because their states didn't expand Medicaid, according to the study.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 25 states plus the District of Columbia are expanding Medicaid under Obamacare, and 23 states are not. Two states, Indiana and Pennsylvania, are seeking to move forward with expansion in 2014, but their proposals have not been finalized. Those states were considered non-expanding states in the Health Affairs study.
A full methodology is available here.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ha...ion-deaths

[Peter Lemkin]

For all of its HUGE failings and bias toward Big Medicine and Big Pharma, Big Insurance, Obamacare is better than nothing...yet...

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Governors Let Their Citizens Die

By Jim Turnage[/TD]
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There was a report on '60 Minutes' last night about a'Health Bus.' It was a nice story, and Icommend the two nurses and the doctor that donate their time and energy tothose who desperately need it. However,there was an underlying story that was not developed, and would have made thework of these wonderful people unnecessary. The governors of 24 states would rather see the residents of theirstates suffer and die rather than accept a portion of the Affordable Care Act.
Medicaid was offered to all states if their residentscouldn't afford to pay for any form of insurance, and the federal governmentwould pay for it for two to three years. These governors said that their states could not afford to pay the priceafter the feds cease payment. What ismore important than the lives of their people? What are the projects that are more necessary and require spending theirtaxpayer's dollars?
I am constantly astounded how quickly our country moved frombeing compassionate, and considering the well-being of all of its citizens thenumber one priority, to a country that takes care of the wealthy and the poorbe damned.
The cause is no secret. As a once famous detective said; "follow themoney and you'll solve the crime." Aslobbyists become more powerful, and influence the votes of Congressmen andSenators, the working class and the poor will be left out. The majority of American citizens do not havea lobbyist, and, therefore, we have no representation in Washington.
Now the extreme politics and do-nothing attitude of federalpoliticians is trickling down to the states and state government.
The wealthy, including Washington politicians, have greatbenefits and retirement. They don't wantus to have what they have. They wantmore money. Having a vast fortune istheir only goal.

Wall Street was the cause for what I continue to believeshould have been called a depression. Not one of the upper management in these companies has beenindicted. No one is in a prison cell. If I stole as little as five thousand dollarsfrom one of their banks, I would be sent to prison. Money walks.
We, the working class, pay for the extravagant life style ofthe 'rich and famous' in several ways. Our labor, all too often for an insufficient pay check, makes them fourand five hundred percent profit yearly. Our consistent bad choices at the polling booth continue to create a badgovernment. Our choice to ignore thegrowing disparity between the classes, increases their power over us.
It should be a right of every American to receive goodhealth care. It's a fact that those whohave excellent health care are the ones who vote against it for the rest ofus. The governors of 24 states havepointed their fingers at the poorest in their states and said; "die."
James Turnage