http://www.democraticunderground.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:23:31 Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:23:31 The current cost for covering 45 million Medicare enrollees (including patients' portion) is estimated to be $484 billion in 2009. Since enrollees pay a 20% co-pay for most services, the total government-payout will be 80% of that total, or $387 billion for 2009. (This is consistent with the Treasur... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/413 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:05:17 Because literally, in terms of voting records, Democrats and Republicans are almost two separate species. Following are graphs of the 2008 environmental records of the WA state legislature. Scores are voting records rated from 0-100% by the League of Conservation Voters.

http://i10.photobucket.... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/412 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:24:01 At least according to the cheerleaders for the Pelosi health care bill. You are all right of course, in insisting that there are some things in this bill that are worth having. I just don't get the insistence that these things absolutely have to be tied to the forced purchase of a garbage product ... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/411 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:15:55 That is because huge amounts of everyone's otherwise discretionary income will be diverted from buying real products to subsidize a totally unproductive part of the economy. The sociopaths who are really running the country don't even bother talking in terms of recession/recovery anymore. They are ... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/409 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:51:19 The traditional historians’ joke about the Holy Roman Empire is that it was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. Once upon a time, the original framers of the public option proposal envisioned a plan that would be open to anybody, and very likely have more than 100 million enrolled—a really big ... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/408 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 06:50:59 Most people would answer this by saying that they want to choose their doctor and make decisions about the kind of treatment they get. If you ask them if they enjoy trying to figure out which of dozens of insurance plans are both within budget and likely to actually reimburse them in the event of i... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/407 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:22:33 --than the actual facts about it? Probably this is an automatic reflex response against the Repubs and insurance companies who don't like the idea, but please consider that they are taking this approach because it enables them to win no matter what happens. This is already a close replay of 1993, ... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/406 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:20:18 Hard to tell at this point. If they ramp up the assholism, that may counter their advantage in attacking a health care bill with no visible benefits for anyone until 2013.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2010080329_sirota19.html

Recall that with solid Democratic and Republican b... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/405 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:13:35 http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a115/vindamiatrix/Politics/Grimreaperweb.jpg

Drawn by Roberta Gregory. See more of her stuff at http://www.robertagregory.com/index.html. She's fine with spreading it far and wide, and I mention her website every time I do.

Backstory: A CIGNA employee gave ... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/404 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:27:39 --Opening Medicare to Retirees Over 55

WHEREAS people between the ages of 55 and 64 are being particularly hard hit by layoffs, involuntary early retirement and subsequent age discrimination when looking for new employment; and

WHEREAS Democrats will be campaigning for state and national publi... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/403 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:33:04 This is one of the most morally and ethically vile things that anyone could ever say, because what it really means is that some people deserve good health care, and other people are disposable human garbage who do not. Families with more money are better than families with less money, who just ough... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/402 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:59:05 Are current health care reform proposals modeled after any of them?


The four basic methods of paying for health care are as follows.

[b]The Bismarck model[/b]
 Created in 1880s by Otto von Bismarck in Germany
 Based on private, tightly regulated, insurance funds
 M... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/401 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:08:20 If nothing passes, the Dems can correctly blame Republican obstructionism. The only incremental approach acceptable to me is allowing voluntary enrollment in Medicare, which could be implemented right away. This ought to be a slam dunk, given that Medicare is so popular that even elderly teabagger... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/400 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:48:15 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-moore/why-the-current-bills-don_b_302483.html

Here are 13 problems with the current health care bills (partial list):

1. No cost controls on insurance companies. The coming sharp increases in premiums, deductibles, co-pays, co-insurance, etc. will quickly ... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/399 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:51:30 That is because huge amounts of everyone's otherwise discretionary income will be diverted to totally useless intermediaries. We are talking 12% of income for premiums alone, not even counting co-pays and deductibles. This is an unmitigated disaster for an economy consisting of 70% consumer spendi... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/398 Sun, 20 Sep 2009 07:18:21 --to prove or disprove the theorem that all odd numbers are prime.

Mathematician: 1 is prime, 3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime, 9 is not prime. Therefore the theroem is false.

Scientist: 1 is prime, 3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime, 9 is not prime, but that could be an experiment... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/397 Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:37:34 http://www.calnurses.org/media-center/press-releases/2009/september/california-s-real-death-panels-insurers-deny-21-of-claims.html


For Immediate Release
September 2, 2009


California's Real Death Panels: Insurers Deny 21% of Claims
PacifiCare's Denials 40%, Cigna’s 33% in First Half of... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/396 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:46:57 We have two election cycles to get through before anyone at all notices any improvement in health care delivery, assuming any meaningful bill is passed. Insurance companies will continue to jack premiums, people will still lose jobs and coverage, employers will still reduce benefits and constantly... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/395 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 08:35:23 [b]Resolution Urging That Congress Make Buying Into Medicare the Public Option[/b]

WHEREAS 77% of the American public supports the choice of a public option(1); and

WHEREAS there is no timetable for establishing a public option in any of the Senate proposals and the public option is postponed ... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/394 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:09:14 I'm beginning to think not, ever since reading more about the Netherlands. Ny new criterion is "How much per month do individuals have to pay for both insurance and out of pocket costs?" Individuals are, of course not the only source of funds. In both the Netherlands and in single payer proposals... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/393 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 06:54:26 --like demanding property tax rebates for every year that you don't have a fire. You might like to think that that's because you are so super-responsible about wiring your house correctly, teaching your kids not to play with matches, and not storing oily rags in the basement. But you are full of s... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/392 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:27:20 You think that the sociopaths disrupting meetings know or even care one way or another what is or is not true? Denial is always, ALWAYS utter craven surrender. It is equivalent to shouting as loud as you can "I'm wrong and my opponent is right."

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/john_go... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/391 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:08:32 I'm actually wondering to what extent the PTB are worried about this. They have utter contempt for Palin, and attack her in class-based language ("snowbilly" etc.). Unlike Bush, whose real base was the PTB but who could fake being a down-home ignorant whackjob, Palin is the real thing. I mean re... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/390 Sat, 08 Aug 2009 05:42:03 Following is a three way comparison of a state single payer proposal (WHST), HR 3200, and the government-regulated private insurance system in the Netherlands.

Oddly enough, the tightly regulated private insurance of the Netherlands is much more like US single payer proposals than like HR 3200 ... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/389 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 07:57:16 What possible reason could there be for voting against the Sanders amendment to allow states to establish single payer health care? Why did you vote agains the right of the citizens of our states to do better than a floor that national legislation might offer?

The cheapest public option in the Ho... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/eridani/387 Sun, 19 Jul 2009 04:28:30