The New York Times reports, today, that health insurance companies have already started to rattle their legalistic sabres against the newly signed reform law -- claiming that they are under no obligation to provide coverage for children with pre-existing conditions.
Most human beings with a pulse will be sickened by this news -- physically disgusted to learn that one of the most powerful, profitable industries in all of history is threatening to deny children coverage in order to maximize their short term profits. For most people this kind of behavior is beyond comprehension. It is the definition of evil in our time. It is sadism -- moral rot.
And yet, it persists, and as such, requires Democrats to be careful not to cede momentum to these kinds of sadistic arguments from the health insurance industry.
Given this reality, President Obama and Congressional Democrats have a moral obligation to spend every second of the current recess pushing back against this kind of sadism.
Simply put: the monumental achievement of passing a health insurance bill -- as imperfect as it may be -- will crumble down completely into a pile of meaningless rubble if the insurance companies barbaric disinterest in the welfare of children is allowed to stand -- either in actual legal arguments or in the court of public opinion.
From this point forward, the only way for President Obama and the Congress to defend the moral integrity of the health insurance reform law is by transforming the intent of insurance coverage for sick and dying children into a reality -- and to do so right away.
If so much as one story emerges where a sick or dying child is denied insurance in this new era of health insurance reform, then the American public will have good reason to question the whole process.
No waiting.
No vacation.
No clever rhetoric.
The Democratic leadership must hold the line in favor of children and against insurance company cruelty -- and they must do it now.
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Did you expect that all of a sudden, health insurers were going to start "playing nice," just because the Democrats passed "health care reform?" Did you think that they WEREN'T going to try to make an end-run around the regulations? Do you think that they're not going to try to subvert the regulations by buying off regulators and getting subsequent administrations to water down the regulations?
I'm sorry, but sternly-worded screeds change little when billions of dollars are changing hands.
This behavior is inexcusable, but it's what the industry has always done, and likely will always do. Regulations, in this day and age, account for very little -- and yet that is the primary benefit of the health care "reform" bill that we just pushed through. On top of that, the 30 million new compelled-by-law customers will flood Big Pharma and Big Insurance's coffers with dollars that will simply be turned around and used to lobby to further weaken the regulations. In the medium to long term (5-10 years), we'll be stuck with toothless, useless regulations, a mandate to pay, and no structural reform.
Progressives have been screaming all along that without significant STRUCTURAL changes (a public option, Medicare for all, etc.), health care "reform" was doomed to be, at best, a paper tiger. The fact that it's ALREADY starting to happen, less than one month out, is only surprising in its speed.
People in the nations that have had socialized medicine for years are scratching their heads, wondering what is wrong with the right-wing in America. The answer is fairly simple. The most ardent opposition to the health care reform bill comes from people who just want to believe that Obama and the left want to destroy America.
These people will believe anything that supports that theory, even after they are shown clear evidence that the health care industry is behind all their "facts". They complain about the deficit, but where were they when Bush was using our money to kill people in an illegal war?
The truth is that these people are selfish. They are willing to deny coverage to millions of people, based on the irrational fear that they might somehow be inconvenienced. They might have to wait a bit longer to see a doctor, or pay slightly more in the short-term. And they are so concerned about their freedom. Like being forced to buy insurance is somehow the first step towards concentration camps...
Author of Framing The Debate and Outright Barbarous,
Is the way these books listed coincidence, or brilliance? With two book titles Jeffry Feldman has summed up the entire process.
Framing the debate...........You're driving to work one day and see a terrible accident, many people are mangled, moaning, in agony from their wounds. You stop to offer any assistance you can, regardless of your ability, or prior commitments. The car behind you also stops, that person also moves amongst the injured, talks to several, but renders no aid. Unable to contain yourself you finally ask what the *^%* are you doing, why aren't you helping? They reply, "no one will pay me, there's no profit in it for me to help". This is the American system in a microcosm. What does it look like?...............Outright Barbarous.
Oh, that's right. *These* are real living children, who have already been born.
Or is this yet another bill that had to be rushed through so neither the Dems or Obama had the time to read the bill?
There are too many perverse incentives to hurt people for profits by passive-aggressive resistance.
Consumers are capable of evaluating their own treatment if there was a transparent system!!!!
No one wants to be sick so shouldn't well people be allowed to grant the profits from their wellness to others less well?
The real question is - who thought it was a great idea to put our lives in their hands ?
If you read this Bill that was passed..... it gives the insurance companies lots of rope in which to hang them selves.........and then on the other side of the coin it ties the hands of the insurance companies effectively forcing them to nitpick everything to keep themselves above water..... its a set up....
and alot of people my die in the process..... but I am sure that is Okay by our politicians as it will give them fuel toward their Agenda......
Since when has any government actually cared about it's citizens...... no government in history has done so.. Not even the US.... NO GOVERNMENT EVER HAS ACTUALLY HELD HONEST CONCERN FOR ITS CITIZENS...... I seriously Doubt that changed as of January 20th 2009...
Back in the 80s I had a job thanks to ERISA, the employee retirement income security act- the consulting firm i worked for tasked me with writing in "Plain English" per ERISA requirements, all the benefits for about ten bank clients and all their workers.
it was OK work, but I always remember my shock when i realized that all the insurance policys I had to read had no page numbers and no index. If you had a law degree, and were asked to pass an exam on your knowledge of what the insurance policies were actually telling clients - you would fail.
I suppose because I had a degree i English Lit it was imagined I would succeed and I am not sure i ever did much more than remove a bit of the mud in the water.
It is really depressing that nothing much has changed - although there are some page numbers occasionally.
This is why Wyatt Earp and others were necessary armed evils in the American 19th century West.
The great ingenuity of the modern capitalist is that he pretends convincingly to be civilized, when his actions and intent are savage.
As an economic idea, capitalism has great potential. But once the money has been extracted, what is done with it?
The robber barons of the 19th century had the instinct to try to look like they had some respect for society, some honor in their hearts. Whether they really did could be argued elsewhere.
Today, though, the behavior of the barons of the insurance industry says that they know no honor. They are not a part of the society, but operate outside the boundaries of civilization.
They are savage beasts, and we do ourselves dishonor to treat them as anything other.
They should be shunned by the rest of us, never given a courteous nod nor a civil greeting.
We should treat them as we would treat vicious animals, keeping our distance, never approaching them with anything but distrust, fear and cold disregard.
They are not part of us.
They are alien to us.
They lack the human ability to be decent, to be caring.
Shun them.
Do not show them obsequy nor even respect.
They do not deserve our company.
and then act so surprised that they continue to be .... themselves.
It's not a great solution, but it's an improvement.
I just don't have the heart to try to treat them like I would be treated myself... not until the wars their President started, are over...
And yes, this was to be expected. My feeling all along was the Health Care Industry will use their banks of lawyers to find loopholes around each, and every "good thing" supposed to be the saving grace of a bad bill. In fact, since there is evidence that the Senate Bill, which was passed, was written by the Health Insurance Industry itself, I wouldn't be surprised if it was riddled with legalistic poison pills meant to circumvent the aspects of the bill the industry finds onerous.
I'm afraid this may be the first of many disappointments associated with Health "Reform".