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Tag Archives: Trumpcare

Welcome to America (and Missouri) in 2019

09 Tuesday Jul 2019

Posted by Michael Bersin in Healthcare, social media

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Tags

ACA, Attorney General, Elad Gross, Eric Schmitt, missouri, Obamacare, social media, Trumpcare, Twitter

Yep, this about sums it up:

Elad Gross @BigElad
Good morning, Missouri.

Today, our Attorney General is in federal court arguing that we should eliminate health care coverage for Americans who have preexisting conditions.

Let’s get a new Attorney General.
[….]
7:32 AM – 9 Jul 2019

Non-existent Trumpcare, courtesy of Eric Schmitt (r).

Elad Gross (D) [2019 file photo].

By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes…

21 Thursday Sep 2017

Posted by Michael Bersin in US Senate

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Tags

ACA, Cassidy-Graham, Claire McCaskill, health care, missouri, Obamacare, repeal, Roy Blunt, Trumpcare, U.S. Senate

Another morning and the republican controlled U.S. Senate has brought back zombie Trumpcare.

Sunrise in west central Missouri.

Sure, 32 million people will lose access to affordable health care. What could go wrong?

You all know what to do. To the phones. In the streets.

But it’s a dry heat

29 Saturday Jul 2017

Posted by Michael Bersin in Resist

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

#resist, Arizona, health care, Planned Parenthood, Trumpcare, Tucson

There were a number of “Our Lives on the Line” rallies supporting Medicaid, Medicare and the ACA across the country today. The rally in Tucson started at 10:00 a.m., in the July morning heat, with over thirty individuals attending.

OFA, Planned Parenthood, and LUCHA were among the sponsoring organizations.

“Our Lives On the Line” rally, Rudy Garcia Park, Tucson, Arizona, July 29, 2017.

There are thousands of health care stories:

Much like the Indivisible events in Kansas and Missouri, many attending these rallies tell their health care stories.

Previously:

Sen. Roy Blunt (r): there are thousands of health care stories (July 25, 2017)

Talking about health care at Sen. Roy Blunt’s (r) office in Kansas City – July 14, 2017 (July 14, 2017)

Roy Bunt tosses the ball to Obamacare nemesis Tom Price

29 Saturday Jul 2017

Posted by willykay in Uncategorized

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Tags

ACA, Affordable Care Act, Obamacare, Repeal and Replace, Roy Blunt, Tom Price, Trumpcare

In centuries past alchemists sought to turn dross into gold. Today’s Republicans practice a type of reverse alchemy wherein they turn gold into what we will euphemistically term dross. Case in point: The Affordable Care Act (ACA), popularly known as Obamacare.

It is now de rigueur for liberals and progressives – open minded creatures that we are – to open any discussion of Obamacare by noting that it isn’t perfect. Which is true. But there is real gold there, liberally distributed throughout all that silver and bronze. I personally am still alive – and not bankrupt – thanks to the preexisting conditions provisions in Obamacare, so I know what I’m talking about.

The past six months have seen a continuous effort on the part of the GOP to distill that gold – and the attendant silver and bronze — into the purest form of excremental dross via the congressional Obamacare dump (repeal) and dupe (replace) effort. Despite Republican efforts to relabel their stinky product as “freedom” or “access,” almost nobody was fooled. In the end, thanks to three brave Republicans who bucked the GOP Borg Collective and joined Democrats to save healthcare for Americans, we can breathe easier. For now, at least.

Unfortunately, Missouri GOP Senator Roy Blunt was not one of those brave Republicans who put our welfare above his party and its well-heeled patrons. And his response to the demise of Trumpcare does not bode well for those of us who depend on Obamacare:

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) hoped that Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price could use his authority to make beneficial changes to the law. Price has previously talked about some market stability measures and helping states apply for waivers for certain ObamaCare provisions.

“I think this ends this discussion for a little while and Tom Price is going to continue to look at all of the 1,400 places in the bill that his department is responsible for defining how this might work better,” Blunt said.

At the risk of running the alchemical metaphor into the ground, Blunt’s evocation of Price is the equivalent of calling on Doctor Alchemy, the evil alchemist of the DC Comics world, to keep the reverse transformation going.

And it just might work. Price, who ” has taken every turn possible to express his displeasure with the Affordable Care Act and has suggested he’ll do little to bolster its markets,” will be running the whole regulatory shebang:

As health chief, the former Roswell congressman has nearly unparalleled power to determine how health care gets delivered in America. Through special rule makings, guidance and regulatory tweaks at HHS, Price can make what are essentially unilateral changes to loosen the grip of the Affordable Care Act or tweak aspects of Medicare that could have a major impact on doctors and patients.

Sounds to me like Senator Blunt is giving a wink and a nod to cronies in the know, effectively telegraphing that there’s more than one way to win.

If Republicans can’t manage to legislate effectively and get their way on the up and up, it seems that they’ll resort to sabotage, the will of the majority imploring them to save and “fix” Obamacare be damned. Although President Orange Bully implicitly threatened sabotage when he declared that we should just “watch” as Obamcare implodes, he wasn’t as explicit as Blunt about how they were gonna rain on our victory parade. Blunt put a name on it, and that name is Tom Price.

Dubbed “Dr. Personal Enrichment” by David Leonharadt in a New York Times’ op-ed, Price’s well-publicized medical conflicts of interest have raised eyebrows almost stratospherically high – although not high enough evidently to inspire gotta-get–mine GOP Senators like Blunt to vote against his appointment. Add to personal corruption, Price’s willingness to lie to serve political ends – Media Matters outlines several of his worst recent whoppers on the topic of healthcare – and his “ardent hostility” toward any government role in healthcare, and it doesn’t look good for those of us who depend on Obamacare.

As to Senator Blunt’s smug reminder about who holds the cards in Washington – what to say? Seriously, what can we say about the members of a party that has, in the words of D. R. Tucker “declared war on every American not wealthy enough to afford his or her medical treatment?”

While I can’t answer this question, at least not here, on the  level it deserves, I can propose a micro-answer when it comes to the question of what to say right now – and who to say it to. We need to keep the pressure up on our Representatives and Senators – Roy Blunt and the GOP junior contingent in the House in this case – and let them know that we’re on to the sabotage dodge and we won’t stand for trading gold, sliver, or bronze for crap. Payback comes on election day.

That’s our Claire – on the mysteries of “skinny bill” Trumpcare

28 Friday Jul 2017

Posted by Michael Bersin in Claire McCaskill, social media, US Senate

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Tags

Claire McCaskill, missouri, social media, Trumpcare, Twitter

Senator Claire McCaskill (D) [2017 file photo].

The republicans in the U.S. Senate held a late night/early morning vote to take away health care from millions of Americans.

Claire McCaskill‏ @clairecmc
So frustrating. No hearings. We were just given the bill. And now Senator Enzi is refusing to answer questions about it on the floor. #Sham
10:26 PM – 27 Jul 2017

Claire McCaskill‏ @clairecmc
Painfully obvious that no Rs besides the bill handler wants to speak since he is the only one taking time.They know this is a bad bill.
10:33 PM – 27 Jul 2017

Claire McCaskill‏ @clairecmc
We’re in legislative twilight zone.Some of my R colleagues are saying they’ll only vote for the bill if they’re promised it won’t become law
10:35 PM – 27 Jul 2017

Normal people vote against a bill with the intent it doesn’t became law. They are not normal. These are not normal times, are they?

Claire McCaskill‏ @clairecmc
Here we go….
12:24 AM – 28 Jul 2017

The vote:

Question: On the Amendment (McConnell Amdt. No. 667 )
Vote Number: 179
Vote Date: July 28, 2017, 01:24 AM
Required For Majority: 1/2
Vote Result: Amendment Rejected
Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 667 to S.Amdt. 267 to H.R. 1628 (American Health Care Act of 2017)
Statement of Purpose: Of a perfecting nature.
Vote Counts:
YEAs 49
NAYs 51
[….]
Blunt (R-MO), Yea
[….]
Collins (R-ME), Nay
[….]
McCain (R-AZ), Nay
McCaskill (D-MO), Nay
[….]
Murkowski (R-AK), Nay
[….]

The republican “skinny bill” version of Trumpcare failed by one vote in the U.S. Senate. Of course there were no surprises from Roy Blunt (r).

Sen. Roy Blunt (r): there are thousands of health care stories

25 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by Michael Bersin in Roy Blunt

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

missouri, Roy Blunt, Trumpcare

Roy Blunt (r) [2016 file photo].

A constituent’s account of her phone call to Senator Roy Blunt’s (r) office earlier today:

Recap of what I told Blunt’s LA just about five minutes ago…

“I’m calling again to make sure you understand what’s at stake for me and my family in the healthcare debate. I grew up in Missouri, the youngest of three. My older brother has autism and depends on Medicaid for care. When I was in grade school, my mother showed me a report on Willowbrook, a mental hospital where patients were left to rot in their own waste, naked and unattended for days on end. My mother looked me in the eye, told me that she’s fighting to keep my brother out of an institution because of inhumane care, and explained that one day this fight would be mine. That day is now. I’m fighting hard to ensure my brother is the first man in our family to live past 62 years old. I spend hours on his health, his quality of life, his daily community involvement. And the last thing I need is less funding, less support, and fewer options. I’m calling to tell you that I will be relentless in this quest…because my mother was, my father was, and my brother deserves it. My brother’s name is Bill. He’s 47. He loves trains, planes, the smell of vanilla, Kit Kats, lunch meat, walks, and contributing to his community. It took him years to learn to write his name, to use the bathroom, to sign basic requests. He’s amazing. He’s a Missourian. And he is why I’m on the phone talking to you about a reckless healthcare bill no one wants pushed by a historically unpopular president no one likes. This is what’s at stake. Bill Merritt’s quality of life and health is at stake. And this story is what I intend to share with you daily. Because I inherited this quest with love and appreciation, and my brother is more than worth it.”

Pamela Merritt

Senator Roy Blunt (r) is much more concerned with giving billionaires and millionaires a tax cut. He voted for the motion to proceed. Then he voted to take away access to affordable health care for millions of Americans.

There are thousands of these health care stories. Senator Roy Blunt (r) isn’t listening.

Ann Wagner – voice of the vulnerable?

18 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by willykay in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

AHCA, Ann Wagner, Backpage.com, Claire McCaskill, Obamacare, Sex ads, Sex trafficking, Trumpcare

Got the latest email newsletter from my congressional representative, Rep. Ann Wagner (R-2). And just about fell out of my chair laughing. First sentence: “Since I first came to Congress, I have dedicated myself to being a voice for the most vulnerable in our society.”

This, coming from the woman who giddily warbled “freedom” after she helped pass an Obamacare replacement that would throw over 20 million people off their health insurance, is too rich for words.

Coming from the woman whose main raison d’etre as a legislator has been to deprive elderly retirees of financial safeguards that would prevent unethical investment counselors from taking dishonest advantage, it’s nothing less than shameful. (Of course, she’s now got a $3 million campaign pot in large part thanks to grateful bankers, financiers and investment professionals so I guess duplicity is its own reward.)

What Wagner’s on about is her work to put a halt to advertising Website Backpage.com’s illegal sex ads and against its role in human trafficking – a worthwhile target for legislators. Wagner, along with the many Democratic and Republican lawmakers, notably Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill, who have worked on this issue, deserve credit for their efforts. Most recently, Wagner has written to the Justice Department to try and get them investigate potential criminal activity on the part of the Website. So has Claire McCaskill.

Of course, if you only read Wagner’s newsletters, you’d think she invented the struggle against sex trafficking. Is the only time GOPers use the word “bipartisan” when they want to attack Democrats for not being bipartisan enough? I can only attribute the self-applause to the fact that maybe Wagner thinks that if she doesn’t grandstand, her rare effort on behalf of the vulnerable might be overwhelmed by her more typical advocacy for the comfortable.

 

Roy Blunt thinks the BCRA is just fine, thank you

15 Saturday Jul 2017

Posted by willykay in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

America's Health Insurance Plans, BCRA, Better Care Reconciliation Act, BlueCross BlueShield Association, health care reform, Insurance industry, missouri, Obamacare, Roy Blunt, Trumpcare

I know, I know – it seems like it’s the summer of piling on GOP Senator Roy Blunt. But what can you do with a politician who tries to pretend that policies are nothing more than procedural exercises that parties win or loose, the welfare of everyday citizens, people who depend on him, be damned?

The latest example of Blunt’s approach to legislating is the Senate’s newly reworked version of Trumpcare, the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). Our Roy thinks that “it’s in the best shape it’s been in so far […] Now that members actually have paper in their hand they can look at what is likely to be very close to the final bill we’ll be voting on and move forward.”

In the best shape it’s been so far. Indeed. And what does “best shape” mean in this context”? Is Blunt really saying that he thinks it’s actually better as a healthcare bill than it was before? Or is he just optimistic about the fact that it’s been taken into back rooms and worked over as fully as is possible in order to buy the votes of craven GOPers who want to have their cake (win their next election) and eat it too (not get primaried)?

My money’s on the second option. Why? Blunt isn’t dumb enough to believe the first.

Today we learn that even insurers who, as a group, have mostly kept quiet on the topic, are appalled at what the GOP is proposing to foist off on Americans as a substitute for the flawed but functional Obamacare. Specifically, the Cruz Amendment, formally known as the Consumer Freedom Option, has them in a tizzy. The Cruz Amendment would permit insurers that sell Obamacare policies to offer plans that don’t conform to the Obamacare standards mandating minimal levels of coverage, including protections for those with preexisting conditions, as long as they include at least one offering that is conformant.

The CEOs of America’s Health Insurance Plans and the BlueCross BlueShield Association let it all hang out in a letter released today,  the Cruz amendment “is simply unworkable in any form” they write, “and would undermine protections for those with pre-existing medical conditions, increase premiums and lead to widespread terminations of coverage for people currently enrolled in the individual market.”

The insurers are far from placated by the pretense that the bill would create “high risk pools”:

… We also firmly believe that the dedicated funding included in the bill to address the cost of plans that cover people with pre-existing medical conditions is insufficient and additional funding will not make the provision workable for consumers or taxpayers

As healthy people move to the less-regulated plans, those with significant medical needs will have no choice but to stay in the comprehensive plans, and premiums will skyrocket for people with preexisting conditions. This would especially impact middle-income families that that are not eligible for a tax credit. Taxpayers will pay more to finance federal tax credits for the individuals in comprehensive plans and these costs will continue to increase, even with dedicated funding. Risk adjustment is also critical to making the individual market sustainable, but can only work when there are uniform benefit requirements across the market.

Finally, this provision will lead to far fewer, if any, coverage options for consumers who purchase their plan in the individual market. As a result, millions of more individuals will become uninsured.

But, hey, Roy Blunt thinks that giving goodies to a few moderate Republicans so that they can try to save face with the folks they’re planning to shaft, along with the addition of this Cruz amendment, has insured that the bill’s in the “best shape” ever.

Talking about health care at Sen. Roy Blunt’s (r) office in Kansas City – July 14, 2017

14 Friday Jul 2017

Posted by Michael Bersin in Resist, Roy Blunt, US Senate

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

#resist, ACA, health care, Indivisible, Kansas City, missouri, Roy Blunt, Trumpcare, U.S. Senate

Again. Like the last six months.

Again. At noon today over forty constituents showed up at the building entrance for Senator Roy Blunt’s (r) Kansas City office at Tenth and Walnut to express their opposition to Trumpcare.

“Trumpcare costs lives”

Nope. Still no open public town halls in Missouri with Senator Roy Blunt (r).

A healthcare story”

“Healthcare not wealthcare”

Again. Two staffers from Senator Blunt’s (r) office came out to the building entrance to listen and take notes.

Two staffers.

“Listen to us”

There’s a lot of frustration. Speakers asked why Senator Blunt (r) won’t hold an open public town hall or bother to show up at one of these regular events to listen to them. They wonder if their words here today and in the past are even reaching him.

“No to Trumpcare”

That’s a good question.

Previously:

Talking about health care at Sen. Roy Blunt’s (r) office in Kansas City – June 23, 2017 (June 23, 2017)

A Sen. Roy Blunt (r) health care story (June 23, 2017)

Talking about health care at Sen. Roy Blunt’s (r) office in Kansas City – June 23, 2017 – signs of the times (June 24, 2017)

Talking about health care at Sen. Jerry Moran’s (r) office in Olathe, Kansas – June 28, 2017 (June 28, 2017)

Talking about health care at Sen. Jerry Moran’s (r) office in Olathe, Kansas – June 28, 2017 – signs of the times (June 29, 2017)

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D): even more town halls (July 5, 2017)

Claire McCaskill Town Hall Meeting in Eldon Missouri – video by Jerry Schmidt (July 5, 2017)

Talking about health care at Sen. Roy Blunt’s (r) office in Kansas City – July 7, 2017 (July 7, 2017)

On Health Care – Claire McCaskill Town Hall Meeting in Eldon Missouri – video by Jerry Schmidt (July 8, 2017)

On our culture (July 8, 2017)

On our culture

08 Saturday Jul 2017

Posted by Michael Bersin in Resist, Roy Blunt, US Senate

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

ACA, health care, Indivisible, Kansas City, missouri, Resist, Roy Blunt, Trumpcare, U.S. Senate

At noon on Friday, on the corner of 10th and Walnut in Kansas City:

At a demonstration in front of the building entrance to Sen. Roy Blunt’s (r) downtown Kansas City office – July 7, 2017.

Vote No!

It doesn’t take courage to help the rich…

…but it takes a lot of courage to help the most vulnerable, the poor, the sick!

That’s not supposed to be how it works.

Previously:

Talking about health care at Sen. Roy Blunt’s (r) office in Kansas City – June 23, 2017 (June 23, 2017)

A Sen. Roy Blunt (r) health care story (June 23, 2017)

Talking about health care at Sen. Roy Blunt’s (r) office in Kansas City – June 23, 2017 – signs of the times (June 24, 2017)

Talking about health care at Sen. Jerry Moran’s (r) office in Olathe, Kansas – June 28, 2017 (June 28, 2017)

Talking about health care at Sen. Jerry Moran’s (r) office in Olathe, Kansas – June 28, 2017 – signs of the times (June 29, 2017)

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D): even more town halls (July 5, 2017)

Claire McCaskill Town Hall Meeting in Eldon Missouri – video by Jerry Schmidt (July 5, 2017)

Talking about health care at Sen. Roy Blunt’s (r) office in Kansas City – July 7, 2017 (July 7, 2017)

On Health Care – Claire McCaskill Town Hall Meeting in Eldon Missouri – video by Jerry Schmidt (July 8, 2017)

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