TresSugar

Abortion Coverage: Missing What Many Never Knew They Had

TresSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:03 -0800

One of the most convincing arguments for passing the public health plan without abortion coverage is that very few women use insurance to cover abortions to begin with. But if you've heard the statistic that only 13 percent of abortions are billed to insurers, that's not exactly the whole truth.

The Guttmacher Institute, the pro-choice organization responsible for the study the stats were pulled from, contests the 13 percent statistic has been taken out of context and widely used through the media - like, say, in the Wall Street Journal article we linked to yesterday.

While the study does say only 13 percent of first-term abortions are billed to private insurers, that figure is skewed because it looked at all women who had abortions and not just those who had insurance. You can't bill an insurer if you don't have one! The study also did not include women who paid for abortions up front and were later reimbursed.

So what's a realistic number? Nobody really knows because of the private nature of abortions. Another Guttmacher study found that 87 percent of employer-based insurance plans covered abortions, but a Kaiser Family Foundation study found that only 46 percent of covered workers reported coverage. Why such a big a difference? Many women just don't know their insurance covers abortion.

As Congress continues to debate the public health plan, do you care if it includes abortion coverage? Can we miss something so many women never knew they had?

Source: Flickr User amypritchizzle

Colbert's Solution For the "Pre-existing Condition" Conundrum

TresSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:30:00 -0700

Forget going to your reps on Capitol Hill to remind them that a woman is not a preexisting condition. So what if a toddler who barely has preexistence is denied health insurance because, at a healthy weight of 22 pounds, she's deemed too skinny? Leave the poor health insurance companies aloooone! They just want a return on their investment, after all. As Stephen Colbert says, you wouldn't buy a banana with spots on it, would you? And anyway, he has a solution. Just breed the insurable with the insurable! That way, ~~everyone~~ healthcare providers win!

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The Word - You-Genics

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Religion

Front Page: Obama Addresses Congress on Health Care, Congressman Tells Obama "You Lie!"

TresSugar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:00:57 -0700

President Obama told Congress last night to stop playing games and reform health care. During the speech he was heckled by Rep. Joe Wilson who shouted: "You lie!" - CNN
Ellen DeGeneres is joining American Idol as its fourth judge. - BuzzSugar
A California assemblyman resigned yesterday after bragging about spanking a lobbyist during sex. He didn't know his mic was live. - Talking Points Memo
Uruguay has decided to allow gay adoption. - BBC News

Front Page: People Keep Bringing Guns to Healthcare Protests

TresSugar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 06:00:39 -0700

About a dozen protesters were carrying guns outside a convention hall where President Obama was speaking about healthcare reform yesterday. One man had a semiautomatic rifle slung over his shoulder. - AP
The US Army will require all soldiers to undergo intensive mental stress training. - New York Times
A judge in Texas is on trial for professional misconduct after refusing to let lawyers file one last death sentence appeal for a convicted murderer. - BBC News
A brief filed by the Obama administration yesterday supports the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. Even so, administration lawyers will defend the national gay-marriage ban in court. - Christian Science Monitor

Front Page: Conservatives Weigh In on Healthcare Reform

TresSugar — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 08:00:14 -0700

Everyone is weighing in on President Obama's healthcare reform plan, including conservative pundit Glenn Beck who says Obama wants to make the US a "hybrid between France and Venezuela." - Huffington Post
California has finally reached a budget deal, which includes major cuts in services for the elderly and the poor, a reduction in prison sentences, and oil drilling off the coast of Santa Barbara. - LA Times
A new report shows that teenage birthrates in the US, which have been in decline since 1991, have been on the rise since 2005. - The Guardian
More than 700 people have died across the world due to swine flu. - BBC News
Paula Abdul might be out as a judge as of American Idol. - BuzzSugar

For Some, Weight Is a Qualification For Surgeon General

TresSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:00:00 -0700

This week President Obama appointed Dr. Regina Benjamin to be the US Surgeon General. Dr. Benjamin is a family physician from Alabama who arrived on the national scene thanks to her public efforts to rebuild her rural clinic after Hurricane Katrina. She also was the first African-American to head Alabama's Medical Association and served as an associate dean for rural health.

In addition to her resume, Benjamin also understands the importance of health as a result of tragedies in her own family. Sadly, her mother died of lung cancer, her father died with diabetes and high blood pressure, and her brother and only sibling died of an HIV/AIDS-related illness.

Despite these experiences and qualifications, some people think that Benjamin's weight is problematic. Considering that obesity is one of the most serious health problems facing the US, critics would rather see a fit-looking person as the face of health policy. (Judging from the picture, she may not be thin, but how do we know she's not fit?)

Do you think Benjamin's weight is irrelevant?

Healthy and Unwealthy: 20-Somethings DIY Health Care

CitizenSugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:01:29 -0800

Trading prescriptions. Self-diagnosing on the Internet (guilty!). Skipping doses to make prescriptions last (I've done that with insurance?). Setting broken bones (ack! not guilty). These are just some of the Band-Aids, the 13.2 million young people, ages 19-29, without insurance have applied.

Maybe we need more doctors like this? Dr. Jay Parkinson (MD!) treats uninsured Internet lovers (but not old ones, he only sees people under 40) via IM, email, and in person through house (or coffee house) calls for a $200 fee per visit. Not exactly cheap, but certainly better than the emergency room.

Most insurance companies cut dependents off at 19 or after college graduation, but more than two dozen states have increased the cutoff age to well into the 20s. Where are these magical lands? Get the list here.

The health care industry calls uninsured 20-somethings the "young invincibles," which makes the industry sound like an old irascible. While some certainly see themselves as young, healthy - invincible? - others live uninsured in fear while focusing on their careers, using the little money they earn interning and working odd jobs for rent and food. Though, in fairness, I've been there and threw a credit card set on automatic payment at the problem.

But I never did use that insurance that I still pay for, so I can't blame those who live without it. Are you sympathetic, or should the young invincibles swallow an adult-sized pill and deal with it?

Source

Parting Gift For George W. Bush: Children's Health Care

CitizenSugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:01:49 -0800

With 289 votes and no looming veto, the brand new House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday to expand the successful State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). During his presidency, Bush whipped out his veto twice to kill similar legislation. Bush argued that the bill would extend coverage to high income children and eventually increase taxes by more than Congress planned.

If passed into law, the bill will provide $32.3 billion over about four years (financed by an increased tax on tobacco) in order to cover four million uninsured American children. The Senate should soon pass its version, and President Obama will likely sign it into law.

Since Democrats could never muster enough votes to override Bush's veto, the expansion of children's health care is one of the first signs of change. Do you think it's for the better?

Source

Health Care: The Low Down on the Candidates' Differences

CitizenSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:45:18 -0700

Rounding into the final stretch of the campaign, what has been a long year plus of promises on both sides now stand to become reality very soon - and for new plans like Obama's health-care proposal, business owners are thinking long and hard about what it will really mean for their bottom line. One small business owner is already considering not adding any workers to his four pet-supply stores in anticipation of the contribution he'll have to make.

Though there aren't hard numbers yet, economists believe Obama's plan might make large and medium companies pay as much as 6 percent of their payrolls toward the health-care plan. It's a number that has the small-business owner nervous - he currently has 90 employees, 29 of them full-time workers who are offered health benefits.“To all of a sudden whack 6 to 7 percent of payroll costs, forget it. If they do that, prices go up and employment goes down because nobody can absorb that.” Much of the concern comes from the fact that Obama's campaign has decided not to decide on details like penalties and cost to business.

While those details are vague, both candidates have released specifics. To see the specific differences between the two plans, read more.

Barack Obama:

Big Plan: Obama wants universal coverage accomplished by establishing a new federal health plan that provides benefits like those offered to federal employees. Premiums would be subsidized for low earners.
Access: He would prohibit insurance companies from withholding coverage to people with health problems or charging them higher rates.
Medicial Costs: He plans to control costs in part with a $50 billion investment in health information technology over five years.
How to Pay For It: “To help pay for all this, we will ask all but the smallest businesses who don’t make a meaningful contribution today to the health-care coverage of their employees to do so by supporting this new plan. And we’ll also allow the temporary Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans to expire.”

John McCain:

Big Plan: McCain wants to give all consumers the same advantages, whether insurance comes through employers or not. He'll give $5,000 in tax breaks per family, and allow insurance to be purchased over state lines.
Access: For hard-to-insure, he's offering federal assistance for states to create high-risk pools that would contract with insurers cover those who've been rejected.
Medical Costs: He plans to control costs by limiting malpractice damages, investing in prevention and chronic-disease management, and encouraging the faster introduction of generic drugs.
How to Pay For It: “I’m certainly not interested in raising people’s taxes, as many of the Democrats are interested in doing. I’m absolutely opposed to that.”

For detailed side-by-side comparisons on every issue, and more specifics on health care, the NYT has a great break down.

Source

Front Page: Thousands Protest in Thailand, Sudan Hijackers Free Hostages, Decline in Number of Uninsured

CitizenSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 06:57:07 -0700

Thousands Protest in Thailand:
Thai police are trying to remove anti-government protesters who have taken over the prime minister's compound. The protesters are vowing to stay on the grounds until the prime minister, now living in self-imposed exile in London after corruption charges, steps down. The protests started yesterday with more than 30,000 people taking to the streets.

Sudan Hijackers Free Hostages:
Hijackers who seized an airplane leaving the Darfur region of Sudan yesterday have freed all 95 passengers, but six crew members remain onboard. Forcing the plane to land in Libya, one of their demands is for asylum rights and refugee status. Negotiations are ongoing to free the remaining crew members.

Decline in Number of Uninsured:
After rising for six years, the number of Americans without health insurance has dropped by more than a million. The Census Bureau reports that 45.7 million are uninsured. The drop is a result of government-sponsored health insurance programs, particularly those aimed at children. The number of people covered by private insurance continued to decline.