Subject: [big campaign] FW: Conservatives Stand On The Side Of Insurance Companies, Refuse To Engage Thoughtfully On Health Care Reform
From: "Adam Jentleson (CAPAF)" <[email-masked]>
To: "[email-masked]'" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2009 16:10:00 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

Fyi, our health care pushback from today.

________________________________
From: Progressive Media [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Thursday, July 09, 2009 4:03 PM
To: Adam Jentleson
Subject: Conservatives Stand On The Side Of Insurance Companies, Refuse To Engage Thoughtfully On Health Care Reform

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July 9, 2009
MARKUPDATE

Standing On The Side Of Insurance Companies, Conservatives Refuse To Engage Thoughtfully On Health Care Reform.

 *   Instead of thoughtfully engaging on efforts to reform our health care system, conservatives are continuing to do nothing but obstruct and delay the process. In the past few weeks, they have introduced over 600 amendments designed to obstruct and delay the process - including two separate amendments that would force doctors to spy on each other. [Coburn 11<http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/er.aspx?s=785&lid=22929&elq=3A97AB451AFF446E86F01659821ADFF4>, 87<http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/er.aspx?s=785&lid=22929&elq=3A97AB451AFF446E86F01659821ADFF4>]

 *   Standing with the insurance companies against the interests of hard-working Americans, conservatives are fighting to...

    *   Protect insurance company profits, offering amendment after amendment to kill or weaken the public health insurance option that would make insurance companies efficient and accountable. [Hatch 216, Hatch 222, Coburn 208 and Burr 201, 239, 240, and 241]

    *   Keep insurance companies in control of deciding who and what they cover. [Coburn 303]
       *   One insurance company canceled coverage for a Texas woman after she developed breast cancer<http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/er.aspx?s=785&lid=23085&elq=3A97AB451AFF446E86F01659821ADFF4> simply because she failed to tell her insurance company that she had visited a dermatologist.
       *   And three separate insurance companies "canceled the coverage of more than 20,000 people<http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/er.aspx?s=785&lid=24033&elq=3A97AB451AFF446E86F01659821ADFF4>, allowing the companies to avoid paying more than $300 million in medical claims over a five-year period."

    *   Let insurance companies keep giving bonuses to employees for finding reasons to deny people coverage - one insurance company "tied rewards and savings to its employees' ability to cancel policies,"<http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/er.aspx?s=785&lid=24034&elq=3A97AB451AFF446E86F01659821ADFF4> according to a lawsuit filed against the company.

    *   Let insurance companies keep HMO bureaucrats in charge of your care, instead of putting you and your doctor in charge.

 *   Conservatives' commitment to obstructing health care reform and standing with big insurance companies against the interests of hard-working Americans begs the question - is this how they plan to engage on every issue?

Some Members Of The Media Are Trying To Spin Historic Steps Towards Health Reform As Setbacks - In Reality, We Are Making Major Progress Towards Reform.

 *   Some recent media<http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/er.aspx?s=785&lid=24035&elq=3A97AB451AFF446E86F01659821ADFF4> reports<http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/er.aspx?s=785&lid=24036&elq=3A97AB451AFF446E86F01659821ADFF4> have attempted to spin agreements with major stakeholders in the health care debate as "setbacks" for reform efforts.

 *   The truth is that - while of course many details still need to be worked out - these agreements represent historic steps towards achieving health care reform that will reign in cost and increase choice and stability for hard-working Americans.

 *   These agreements stand in stark contrast to previous efforts at reform, when stakeholders were pouring millions into efforts to kill reform, instead of being seated at the table and committed to reform.

 *   As Harvard Economist David Cutler said yesterday, these agreements "show that the savings are there for health reform." (See full statement below.) In fact, we can save up to $600 billion in ten years through modernization<http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/er.aspx?s=785&lid=23948&elq=3A97AB451AFF446E86F01659821ADFF4> efforts like these, and save up to $1.2 trillion to finance health reform through a combination of smart reforms<http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/er.aspx?s=785&lid=23949&elq=3A97AB451AFF446E86F01659821ADFF4>.

 *   In short, as the New York Times reported<http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/er.aspx?s=785&lid=23381&elq=3A97AB451AFF446E86F01659821ADFF4>, "In their heart of hearts, few in the Obama administration would have predicted late last year that they would be this well positioned by June to achieve a major victory on health care."

Statement From David Cutler, Harvard University Economist, On Announcement Of New Savings To Finance Health Care Reform

"Vice President Biden announced today an agreement with major participants in the hospital industry that would lower hospital spending by $155 billion over the next decade. The announcement follows a similar agreement two weeks ago with the pharmaceutical industry to lower spending on prescription drugs by $80 billion, and follows up on a letter from Wal-Mart last week that endorsed an employer mandate to pay for health insurance. Many people wonder what this all means - it means three things.

"First, it shows that the savings are there for health reform. Between the savings in hospital spending and the reduction in pharmaceutical spending ($50 billion of which is projected to accrue to the federal government), health reform already has $200 billion lined up. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that savings from reducing Medicare Advantage overpayments as proposed in the House Tri-Committee bill would save an additional $155 billion and that savings in acute care spending and home health care would amount to $100 billion over the next decade. All told, this brings reasonably expected savings to about $450 billion.

"Second, it shows that additional revenues are feasible as well. Wal-Mart's endorsement of an employer mandate helps build support for that policy. Employer mandates raise anywhere from $100 to $300 billion over the next decade, depending on how they are structured, while simultaneously providing incentives for employers not to drop coverage for their workers. Additional revenue options under consideration could readily bring total new revenues to well over $400 billion.

"Third, it shows that the three sources of health care financing are being tapped: traditional program savings of the type noted above; new revenues; and savings from health care modernization. As I have written<http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/er.aspx?s=785&lid=23232&elq=3A97AB451AFF446E86F01659821ADFF4>, health care modernization can save the federal government over $500 billion in the next decade. This amount may not be entirely score-able, but a failsafe option could guarantee that such savings will be realized. Together, these three sources will generate at least $1.2 trillion and as much as $1.5 trillion to finance health care reform."

David Cutler is the Otto Eckstein Professor of Applied Economics at Harvard University.

For more information, contact:
Adam Jentleson, 202.682.1611
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>

Center for American Progress Action Fund | 1333 H Street NW, 10th Floor | Washington, DC 20005

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