The Whole Delivery

Wendell Potter, the former CIGNA employee turned moral whistleblower on our insane health insurance companies, was back on Countdown with Keith Olbermann last night to discuss the latest deleterious trick of his former industry to retain their inhumane profits. As reports indicate , those heartless robots at the top of our dysfunctional embarrassment for health providing in this country are looking at a way to stop offering child only plans as immediate parts of " Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act " come into effect on Thursday. Potter has been a wonderful blessing in the emotion driven fight for a true health system for the people over the last year and a half. But his restraint in not labeling his former colleagues in the field "monsters" and just saying their continued actions to deny children coverage is just "part of the system" exonerates them from their crimes. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the econo...

Can small business even make it to 2014 before health insurance reform comes in? Unless the states they are in are able to opt out of it like Ron Wyden would want , maybe not with those absurd rates. Arizona's nutcase governor must have gotten tongue tied with wanting to say "border control" to have this unbelievable disaster : Mike Pence is on of their top mascots. They have many top mascots though . Calculated Risk thinks the unemployment rate will increase to 9.6% . And he also highlights how the lack of quality reporting on non-Census public sector jobs is a major problem. Among Democracy Now's headlines, BP has paid $93 million in television ads . Hopefully they just won't cave : Democrats led by Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair Raul Grijalva are drawing a line in the sand before the White House's fiscal commission: If your report recommends cuts or other changes to Social Security, they will say, you'll lose our support. In ...

What an encouraging number, isn't it? The number of Californians who lost jobs and health insurance probably increased in every county last year, according to a study released Monday by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. The new analysis found that 37 counties -- including Imperial, Kern and Shasta -- had uninsured rates above the statewide average of 24.3%. "Different parts of the state were more adversely impacted than others, but really it is spread across the state," said one of the study's authors, Shana Alex Lavarreda, the center's director of health insurance studies. "You have counties from Kern to Shasta that were hit very hard with averages over what we saw in Los Angeles," she added. The report backs up the findings of a previous study the center released in March that showed nearly one in four Californians lack health insurance. According to the latest estimates, the state's uninsured population has reached 24.3%, or ab...

The nutcase party were throwing their arms in their usual fake outrage over President Obama recess appointing Don Berwick (and they still are doing just so , blocking more appointees as usual) . But when it comes to former Wellpoint Vice President, proud Max Baucus buddy buddy, and proud author of the health insurance reform bill Liz Fowler becoming the director of Consumer Information and Oversight at HHS , there is not even a single word from them. It already is bad enough that this figure from that company gets to implemented the bill, (although since she wrote it, I guess it is only fitting). But the nutcase party only gets loud and immature again over the guy in charge of Medicare and Medicaid being placed in his position while they were on their lovely enjoyable break. I wonder what happened to all that vehement defending of those two public health care systems that they had moments ago? And I wonder what also happened to all the condemnation for the executive office re...

It has really been highly peculiar and damaging to our process the attack that House Democrats have received this week, especially from highly credible and usually rational sources. And as the week has progressed, the anger directed at them for not giving the 218 votes for the Senate's bull of a bill on health insurance reform has been staggering. But instead of the likes of Paul Krugman and Matthew Yglesias among others placing the blame on House Democrats (specifically progressives) for just being realistic and fighting for the American people, they need to again direct culpability on the damn Senate. If this Hackio report is true (because Lord knows how Hackio is), then I suggest Krugman, Yglesias, and others demanding that the House Democrats wise up and get the 218 to WISE UP themselves: Part of the negotiations center on whether Reid can provide an ironclad guarantee that the Senate will not leave the House in the lurch, aides said. If the House agrees to pass the ...

I will talk more about how Jonathon Gruber not seeing the full story of "unaffordable" health care for some unknown reason a little later (though the one and only Ms. Wheeler has the full perspective on that already). But regardless on if you even agree with Gruber's premise on the Excise Tax being "good policy" in the final Health Insurance Reform bill, the Kos' astute policy reporter Joan McCarter says it exactly right here (bolded words from me): Gruber received his first contract back in March, and didn't disclose these contracts publicly until last month, and that's a problem. Gruber's analysis has been used for public relations by the White House in support the plan. Using the excuse that "if anyone asked, I told them" is not the same as actual transparency, and opens Gruber and the White House up, unnecessarily , to criticism on the transparency front. This isn't to question Gruber's qualifications as an economist or t...

allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true" src="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=&station=kgo&section=&mediaId=7175191&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&site="> The following article will somehow justify a title that seems so elusive to reality. Because sometimes when morality and people stand up to these monsters, it leads them not being able to freely impose their will on the citizens of this country like they think they can. For those in San Francisco, you may be familiar with this story, where someone stood up to the for-profit health insurance complex, and made them back down for one refreshing damn moment . San Francisco-based Blue Shield told its policyholders recently, if they paid their insurance premium late, they could lose their insurance. However, late Wednesday afternoon, after facing tough que...

I talked about this last night, and I am glad that Rachel covered this :

And a health insurance company's nightmare : In another step forward for the public option, I’m told reliably by a source that House leaders have been given a new Congressional Budget Office “score” finding that the evolving House bill — when you include a robust public option — reduces the deficit and is under the President’s cost goal of $900 billion. The CBO estimate, which is newer than the one reported over the weekend, will likely be discussed at the Dem caucus meeting tonight. This is a step forward because it could make it more palatable to Blue Dogs to support a House bill with a robust public plan, meaning one that reimburses providers at Medicare rates plus five percent. I don’t have the exact score but will update if I get it. Now, will fiscal conservative Democrats still favor their "supposed principles." Or will they just need to get fully renamed "corporate" Democrats", if they aren't already? We'll see.

After thinking it was completely dead a few weeks ago, our favorite "T" word pushed by President/Empress Snowe has come back to life. Like the public option, it has (unwelcoming) had its Lazarus moment too, thanks to "Trigger Man" Emmanuel and his fellow "out of touch" willing accomplice. If you need more proof of how Gosh Awful the Trigger would be in conjunction with the many that have been said as time has pasted, just take a flashback to 6 years ago. And think of the phrase "Medicare Part D." Snowe, shockingly, lied about that with her own revisionist history yesterday morning on CNN's pathetic fest of an AM show. She pulled a clear fast one on Kieran Chetry, another network anchor who is dreadful at doing any sort of political coverage, about how the Trigger was never intended/needed for Medicare Part D. Now, before you see the mendacity displayed by the "de facto head of State", get this from BuzzFlash.com's Meg White. O...

And possibly, the year : This is from Politico , so take it with a grain of salt: BULLETIN -- POLITICO’s Carrie Budoff Brown: This morning, Senator Schumer is going to say, in light of the insurance industry report warning premiums will rise under reform, Dems should push to revoke the health insurance industry's antitrust exemption as a floor amendment. This will be at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, where Majority Leader Reid is also testifying." 10 a.m., Dirksen 226, "Prohibiting Price Fixing and Other Anticompetitive Conduct in the Health Insurance Industry." If its true, that is a potentially BLOCKBUSTER amendment. Regulation to the immoral insurance industry? It appears more likely than I thought, and it is ACTUALLY growing. Will certainly be interesting if the irrelevant SOP say their banal line of "government oppression is at it again" blah. It will be more hypocrisy from the Hypocrite Party in terms of not supporting their own super-capitalis...

You did make the case for the public option, no question . Premiums to go up 110%. With those rates, you would think a single payer is deserving, right?

Please do ...... By the way, here are Obama's remarks: And Gore's reaction to Obama winning the international synonymous award: Embedded video from CNN Video

(Photo from Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times) Hilda Sarkisyan is one of the many people who can tell you how evil the health insurance industry have become But hey, that is the CIGNA way ! I am pissed. What kind of people work for the murder by spreadsheet industry? I guess denying claims day after day, knowing people will suffer, and in some cases, even die, dehumanizes them. But this story is amazing: Surrounded by supporters, Hilda Sarkisyan marched into Cigna Corp.’s Philadelphia headquarters on a chilly fall day, 10 months after the company refused to pay for a liver transplant for her daughter. snip Cigna employees, looking down into the atrium lobby from a balcony above, began heckling her, she said, with one of them giving her "the finger." LA Times The Cigna way. Giving a finger to a mother whose daughter died while they play a massive part in that happening. Bastards if there ever were.

So real, so true, so deep, so poignant. It will touch you so much. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 "But no, he's just the left evrsion of Bill O'Reilly." Idiots.

It would be very beneficial to me since this happens just in case Democrats screw their own principles and the people of this nation : Yesterday, the Senate Finance Committee voted down both the Rockefeller and Schumer amendments, which would have added a public insurance plan to the committee’s bill. As the Wall Street Journal reports, shares in health insurers Humana and UnitedHealth shot up following the votes: Shares of companies that operate private health plans turned higher or trimmed losses in afternoon trading Tuesday after a Senate committee rejected an amendment that would have created a government-run insurance option. Humana Inc. (HUM) shares, which had been down earlier, were recently up 1% at $38.41. UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) shares gained 3 cents to $25.83. To them, their health care heroes are Max Baucus, Kent Conrad, Blanche Lincoln , all the other sellout Democrats, and the Republicans of course.

After being insurance lobbyist losers on the last amendment, Carper and Nelson come from this bill. But as expected, health lobbyist whores win again. And people wonder why some just don't give a darn about politics and show unwavering apathy, huh?

Just the latest evidence to the bill that everyone hates accepts the insurance lobby and buddy buddy liar Conrad. When you read the amendments Senator Rockefeller offered to the Senate Finance Committee bill, you can see how many of these amendments are meant to address the various loopholes in the Senate Finance Committee bill. However, there's one giant loophole in the Baucus bill and it's a problematic loophole in which the regulations such as the ban on pre-existing conditions, rating rules, recission policies, and denials of claims won't apply to over 70 million Americans who work for large companies. However, under legislation in the Senate Finance Committee, the new rules would not apply to people who work for large companies that self-insure, meaning the employer pays health care claims out of its revenue rather than relying on a private insurer, says Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. "They can be cut off; there are no caps," says Rockefeller, the second-hi...

That's Jim Bunning , hard at work. Bunning complained, saying the bill “confiscates more money from the taxpayers” and “tramples on American freedom and liberties.” Soon after, Bunning decided to take a little nap : During opening remarks at the Senate Finance Committee session, the Kentucky Republican appeared fast asleep for several minutes, with his head cocked to the side and his eyes closed, before a staffer roused him. Bunning’s head was propped in his hand and his mouth was slightly open while he slept, several witnesses told HOH. The staffer nudged his shoulder to wake him once it became clear that members of the audience had noticed the snoozing Senator (it was apparently the giggling from the crowd that tipped the staffer off) . But hey, Bunning and the rest of his party can go to sleep once the lobbyists read it . Sleep while their grownups do their job. Your Republican Party nowadays. But hey, let's be bipartisan here, because we sure as hell know a lot of Democr...

Shame Will Ferrell is like the only one in entertainment doing this. Even more of a shame that is truly devastating while ridiculous funny at the same time . Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell Death Panels, Part 1 Death Panel Advisors - watch more funny videos Death Panels, Part 2 Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell