A Repost: HUGE Red Flag Endorsement for Kathleen Sebelius for HHS

[debbierlus]

A Huge Red Flag Endorsment for Kathleen Sebelius for HHS -
Posted by debbierlus in General Discussion: Presidential
Thu Feb 19th 2009, 08:16 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/us/polit...

If you read the above article, you will come to this endorsement:

‘Karen M. Ignagni, president of America’s Health Insurance Plans, said Ms. Sebelius would be “a very smart choice” for health secretary’…

So, who is America’s Health Insurance Plans & who is Karen Ignagni?

Here is the Wiki on America’s Health Insurance Plans.

America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) is a national political advocacy and trade association with about 1,300 member companies that sell health insurance coverage to more than 200 million Americans.<1> AHIP was formed through the merger of Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA) and American Association of Health Plans (AAHP).<2><3><4><5> AAHP was formed through a merger between two Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) trade associations, Group Health Association of America and American Managed Care and Review Association.
I
n 2006, AHIP spent over 7 million dollars on lobbying,<6> and its 2005 television ad "Shark Bait" drew harsh criticism for its claim that "lawsuit abuse" by American trial lawyers cost the typical American family $1,200 a year.<7>

The AHIP Center for Policy and Research is the trade association's research arm.<8> The center publishes research on a variety of forms of private health insurance, often based on survey data gathered from AHIP member companies. The forms of insurance studied include disability income and long-term care insurance as well as different types of medical expense insurance.

And, who is Karen Ignagni, again - here is the rest of the wiki entry….

AHIP President Karen M. Ignagni<9> frequently serves as a spokesperson for the views of the insurance industry,<10> recently taping an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show opposite Michael Moore to discuss Sicko.<11> In response to a past statement by Senator Hillary Clinton that insurance companies "spend tens of billions of dollars a year figuring out how not to cover people" and "how to cherry-pick the healthiest persons, and leave everyone else out in the cold", Ignagni asserted the AHIP endorses the goal of universal coverage, that insurers deny only 3 percent of claims, and that many of those are for experimental procedures that employers do not cover.<12>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America%E2%80...

I don’t know about you, but it is a HUGE glaring bright blood red flag to have the woman who debated against universal single payer health care, and President of the political lobby for the health insurance industry praising this choice.

Democrats need to get on the same page with this one. We need a single payer universal health care system. Mandatory health insurance is not health care. It doesn’t give equal coverage. And, it doesn’t address the profiteering of the health insurance industry. I live in MA (the blueprint for mandatory health insurance), and our state plan will be financially insolvent in two years as the cost will DOUBLE to implement in the next three years.

http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles... /

Here is a excellent source to understand the MA system:

http://www.healthcare-now.org/wp-content/u...

We need universal single payer health plan. Period. It is the plan supported by the majority of physicians, nurses, and health care workers in this country. It is the plan that makes the most sense. We must fight for this now.

Flame me all you want. But as a nurse for over 15 years, a long time advocate for universal single payer health care, and a former member of every nursing league and honors society there is - I will stand on my experience & knowledge. A person who garners recommendations from the health insurance companies is not someone who I feel good about, and I hope the liberal/progressives can unite around fighting for a universal single payer system even though Obama wants universal insurance not care. I will update you on the inside scoop of how Massachusetts was scammed by the insurers in a coming post....

Say it together....Single Payer Health Care - Equal Coverage - Equal Access - True Health Care for All

[Delphinus]

1. Thank you!

I'm single payer, HR 676, all the way. This is good information to know.

[Occam Bandage]

2. You don't need to try to read the tea leaves for evidence she won't be for single-payer.

Obama is not for single-payer. That's all the red flag you need. It's like looking for "red flags" that suggest Eric Holder might not legalize cocaine.

[davidinalameda]

7. he won't legalize cocaine!

oh no!!!!!!!!!

[democrattotheend]

25. Neither is the president, unfortunately

So I'm not sure what people were expecting. From what I know about Sebellius she sounds pretty awesome.

[Thrill]

28. Obama knows it will never pass the Senate

Especially with Max Baucus there.

No need to try and fight losing battles. He wants to get something significant done. Not trying to get something that doesn't even have all the Democrats on board

[FrenchieCat]

3. This was posted a week ago.....

We will morph into a single Payer health Care system as an eventuality....but it will not happen in one fell swoop....

It is really that simple....and even Dr. Dean understands this well, as he stated on February 24th on television.

DEAN: Barack Obama`s health care bill actually does that. It`s a very, very good bill.

And the reason it`s a good bill is...

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: He has a bill?

DEAN: Yes, he has a bill. He talked about it in the campaign. I have not actually seen a written bill, but I know he has got a plan and he had it in the campaign.

I have been doing this since `78 or something, when I was a medical student, chasing around Ted Kennedy and Jacob Javits. This is the best one I have seen. And the reason is, the change comes at the pace the American people are comfortable with it.

The bottom line, to make a very complicated subject simple, is, if you have no insurance or you work for a small business, you get to choose, just like the Congress people do, from maybe 15 insurance companies. One of those insurance companies is essentially Medicare. It`s a public entity.

If Americans can do that, they will change the health care system at the pace they`re comfortable changing it. And that -- if that bill passes, he has succeeded in restructuring health care.

MATTHEWS: Won`t everybody choose Medicare?

DEAN: Not everybody will choose Medicare. But a lot of people will, which is why the health insurance industry..

MATTHEWS: People love Medicare.

DEAN: People love Medicare. It works.

MATTHEWS: Yes.

DEAN: And it`s -- a lot of people will choose it. It is the solution for the car companies, for example, to get the retiree health care costs for -- 55 -- if you retire at 55, which many autoworkers do, they have 10 years with no government benefits of any kind.

The companies pick that up. It`s one of the reasons they`re in trouble financially. You could do a lot for small business and American business by enacting Barack Obama`s plan for universal health care. And the American people will be completely comfortable with it, because there`s -- all we are doing is rearranging the options that people already have. We`re not introducing any new options.

There`s nothing they have to understand that`s different or complicated or "Harry and Louise"-like...

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Yes. Well, look, this country has got 40 million, 50 million people out there that don`t have health insurance.

DEAN: Right.

MATTHEWS: They have got to go the emergency rooms.

If Barack Obama is successful, will he be able to fix that problem, so they don`t have to go to emergency rooms anymore?

DEAN: Yes.

MATTHEWS: They will have a doctor?

DEAN: You will have a doctor, because, if you`re on Medicare, if you choose that option, you will have a doctor. And you don`t have to choose that option. The...

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: OK. We haven`t been able to do this in good times.

DEAN: Right.

MATTHEWS: We haven`t been able to do this, Republican, Democrats. It`s just not gotten solved. Why do you think we can solve it during the worst economic crisis we have had since the `30s?

DEAN: Because it is the worst economic crisis we have had since the `30s.

People finally get this. The business community has been really in trouble for years over this particular issue.

MATTHEWS: Yes.

DEAN: And, finally, they can`t afford it anymore.

Because we`re in terrible economic times, the large number -- a large number of middle-class people are either losing the health insurance or know somebody who is.

MATTHEWS: OK.

DEAN: Small businesses get bailed out by this.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: OK. Give me hope.

You have got Mitt Romney up in Massachusetts. He wasn`t much of a politician, but he did get through some health care plan. Schwarzenegger had some problems in California, another Republican who has got a health care plan.

Can you put together their modicum of success and progress with the fact that businesspeople, like the Chamber, Tom Donohue, people like that, I assume are for health care, and pharma people, people like that, the insurance companies, the health companies, the pharmaceutical companies, can you put it together politically, so it`s actually going to happen, for once?

DEAN: You can`t put it together without making some enemies.

In this case, the enemies will be health insurance companies, because when you can choose Medicare, they don`t like that.

MATTHEWS: Yes.

DEAN: But the truth of the matter is, you want to maximize the American people`s choice.

MATTHEWS: Can they beat you?

DEAN: We are going to find out.

Bipartisanship sometimes means putting together new coalitions. We would like the Republicans to support Barack Obama`s bill.
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007220&docId=l:931481208&start=6

[GeorgeGist]

30. Not as long as capitalism owns the economy.

[mucifer]

4. They might be praising the choice because they feel they need to kiss her ass to get what they want.

This is politics. They are desperate.

[FLAprogressive]

11. some people will make up excuses for anyone....nt

[mucifer]

17. you need better proof than that to say she is evil.

She has a history of fighting big business.

[Bluenorthwest]

5. Only single payer will work

the rest is a waste of time. The people I know with no insurance can not afford any, at virtually any price. So making it cheaper while including profit for Corps will solve nothing, and we should not spend a dime trying to preserve the cash cow of these theives.

[debbierlus]

36. The insurance industry is salivating over the prospect of mandated health insurance for all

People have no idea of the implications of giving these leeches such full control over the health care system.

In MA, it has resulted in higher co-pays, higher deductibles...there is a whole scandal abrewing over deals cut by Blue Cross/Blue Shield to elevate premiums before the plan went into effect. Many MA citizens only have catastrophic coverage.

Obama's advocacy for this failed plan must be protested and we need to come together to fight for a single payer universal system. Just because Obama supports this travesty, doesn't make it the best plan (or even a good one)...

This is a fight against the health care industry and for our rights.

[Political Tiger]

6. Who cares? It certainly isn't earth-shattering enough to post the same thing twice.

eom

[FLAprogressive]

10. this *is* very important though......

[Political Tiger]

14. Why? What is it you fear?

What do you think she is going to do?

[Hutzpa]

15. Obstruct the process as

Secretary in Chief....that simple.

[Political Tiger]

18. Really? Obama would just sit back and allow that to happen? n/t

[FLAprogressive]

16. be a shill for big pharma

[Political Tiger]

19. And your proof of that is what????

Speaking of proof, maybe this will elevate some of your fears:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8236802

[FLAprogressive]

20. she is a member of the DLC and that's all the proof I need. The DLC is not on the side of the

working people. They are on the side of the elites.....

[Political Tiger]

21. Not a stickler for facts, eh? n/t

[FLAprogressive]

23. if someone was a member of the KKK would you need proof that they're a racist?

[debbierlus]

35. Who cares? Obama nominee is praised by the health insurance industry

The very industry that is bankrupting millions of Americans.

Yeah, I guess who cares. Who cares if we get real health reform and health care?

Big deal.

I see about a zillion posts a day of photos of Obama looking cool or debating Micheles newest fashion trends - I guess reiterating a post about the new HHS is superfulous.

[SheilaT]

8. When Kathleen Sebelius was

the Insurance Commissioner of Kansas, she took on the insurance industry. Successfully. Read up on that.

[FLAprogressive]

9. "And now you're giving me....giving me....nothin' but DLC....DLC"

Sebelius is a DLC hack so she fits well in this cabinet

[Davis_X_Machina]

12. Secretaries execute policy.

They don't make policy.

Whatever shape health care reform takes, it will take that shape in the White House.

[biopowertoday]

29. NYT: Health Care Industry in [SECRET] Talks to Shape Policy

I suspect strongly that this will be the plan put out.



February 20, 2009

Health Care Industry in Talks to Shape Policy
By ROBERT PEAR

WASHINGTON — Since last fall, many of the leading figures in the nation’s long-running health care debate have been meeting secretly in a Senate hearing room. Now, with the blessing of the Senate’s leading proponent of universal health insurance, Edward M. Kennedy, they appear to be inching toward a consensus that could reshape the debate.

Many of the parties, from big insurance companies to lobbyists for consumers, doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, are embracing the idea that comprehensive health care legislation should include a requirement that every American carry insurance.

.........
The talks, which are taking place behind closed doors, are unusual. Lobbyists for a wide range of interest groups — some of which were involved in defeating national health legislation in 1993-4 — are meeting with the staff of Mr. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, in a search for common ground.

.................

While President Obama is not directly represented in the talks, the White House has been kept informed and is encouraging the Senate effort as a way to get the ball rolling on health legislation.

...............

“While there was some diversity of views,” it said, “the sense of the room is that an individual obligation to purchase insurance should be part of reform if that obligation is coupled with effective mechanisms to make coverage meaningful and affordable.”

The ideas discussed include a proposal to penalize people who fail to comply with the “individual obligation” to have insurance.

......................................

The 20 people who regularly attend the meetings on Capitol Hill include lobbyists for AARP, Aetna, the A.F.L.-C.I.O., the American Cancer Society, the American Medical Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, the Business Roundtable, Easter Seals, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and the United States Chamber of Commerce.

[Davis_X_Machina]

33. I didn't see Gov. Sebelius' name... n/t

[high density]

37. Have you watched Obama's weekly address?

He knows these idiots are coming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTbT3LzNmDA

[Hutzpa]

13. K&R and Thank You for

bringing this up to light, man! this people are really good at what they do,
they took Tom Daschle out knowing he would have been the perfect man and try
to find someone who they have control over.

Thank you for this wonderful research, let the work begin....

:kick: :kick: :kick:

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[MadBadger]

22. Its not about who has endorsed her, its about what she has done, tried to do, or wants to do.

[babylonsister]

26. God forbid ANYONE gives a shit about that. Here's her record:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8236802&mesg_id=8236802

The Sebelius Record On Health Care

[Political Tiger]

24. Freepers are NOT happy either!

President Obama Names Pro-Abortion Kathleen Sebelius Health Secretary
Posted on Saturday, February 28, 2009 8:13:33 PM by SErtelt

-----------------

To: SErtelt
The baby killers are on the loose in Washington. Congratulations to all the Obamacorns.

-----------------

To: SErtelt
May as well just go ahead and give Joseph Mengele a phostumus nomination while you're at it.

-----------------

To: LottieDah
Our archbishop told her not to receive communion. I’m guessing her parish priest prances out and gives it to her every Sunday. Sickening. But at least we get her out of the state.

-----------------

To: LottieDah
The woman is the child and grandchild of professional politicians. Her husband writes warrants for federal police. No one in her family has had honest employment for generations. Topping it off she hates babies with a passion.

-----------------

To: SErtelt
This is disgusting. Prolifers must become more vocal in opposing this culture of death that is the Obama Administration.

-----------------

To: SErtelt
Kill the unborn children first, then ration health care to the elderly and we are on our way to doing away with global warming.

-----------------

To: muawiyah
Obama could not have made a worse choice. This a a big slap in the face to the Prolife Movement

-----------------

To: SErtelt
I’m sure many folks in Kansas will be glad to be rid of her. Not only is she pro baby killing, she is a wannabe gun grabber as well. She has fought the 2nd Amendment at every opportunity.

-----------------

To: SErtelt
God has blessed the state of Kansas by relieving it of her

-----------------

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2196446/posts

[Neecy]

27. phostumus?

The ignorance over there never fails to surprise....

On edit: Here's another little gem of paranoia and stupidity ---

That’s the plan—eliminate the weak and defenseless first.

That’s how the Nazis started. First the disabled, including WWI veterans who were amputees. Then the orphans—the orphanages were cleared out. “Useless eaters” the Nazis called them.

Children were “selected” on the basis of their looks. Handsome Aryan-looking kids were adopted out. The homely,the sickly,those with big ears (Obama would have been one of the first kids to get it!), the bedwetters—these were expendable.

Elderly folks living away from their children, in obscure places, were carted off to “hospitals” where the gas-killing methods were being tried out. Large numbers of obituaries of people 60 to 80—people known to be healthy—started appearing in the newspapers of villages and towns.

It’s going to happen again, folks. We see the beginnings now.

Do these people work? Honestly, who would hire nuts like this?

[uponit7771]

31. Who gives a fuck about WHO endorses her!??! Iran endorsed McKKKlan at on time didn't they?

Come on, this is lame

[Honeycombe8]

32. Hmmmm. Well, what's done is done. Still, it's Obama's policy that counts. Not hers.

Her job will be to formalize a plan based on Obama's policies.

We're not getting a single payer health reform act. We never were. Neither Obama nor Clinton campaigned on that.

We will get something like what they campaigned on, which is a plan built on existing coverage, but which subsidizes health care ins. for poor people or people who've lost their jobs (and healthcare). (Clinton's plan mandated coverage for everyone, which was why the ins. cos. liked her plan better - more forced customers.)

That's what we'll be getting. If the votes are there. I hope they do SOMETHING.

The stimulus bill also had provisions that helped recently laid off people pay for their COBRA coverage for a defined length of time.

[debbierlus]

34. We need to advocate strongly FOR a single payer system -

Now.

If enough people rise up and demand it, it can happen. What troubles me is that because Obama has elected to follow the same program as MA (a program that is not financially feasible and does not address the profiteering of insurance companies), many are just thinking it is fine & dandy....Health insurance for all. Not knowing the devil is in the details, and health insurance for all does NOT mean health care for all.

Obama is extremely weak on this issue. When I hear him go on about modernizing the system to get the healthcare system into computer bases, I just have to roll my eyes. The majority of health care did this in the 90s, & that is even besides the point. He is always hammering this point, yet NEVER talks about the profiteering of the health insurance companies. He won't go there. He wants to bring it on with big lobbyists?

I think the main problem with Obama's approach (both to this and the banking crisis) is it seeks to prop up the same systems that have utterly failed us. We need to recreate, not revise.

What in the end I believe will happen is we will get Single Payer Health Insurance. After the federal system mimicks the failing system in MA, and too many hospitals go bankrupt and too many people still won't be able to afford a full coverage health plan. We are getting there, it is a shame that we still have to fall harder and further before real change materializes.

[geek tragedy]

38. It was a shitty, reactionary post the first time.

Ooh, someone we don't like said something nice about her. She must be eviilllllll!

I believe in recycling trash, but this post takes that principle too far.