tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27342397284677302662011-04-21T12:51:39.927-05:00A collection of health care and political views sprinkled with other similarly troubling subjectsOld Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-73078448164296992982007-08-09T08:46:00.000-05:002007-08-09T08:57:17.090-05:00

The SCHIP debacle continues in Washington. There have been too many gullible Republicans who went along with this who apparently were frightened to death of the “sound bite” about them hating children.Children would now be defined as people under age 25. That would happen in all states, and we know that many would continue the perversion of including adults as well. Remember that Wisconsin now

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-12256324083372548292007-07-21T08:41:00.000-05:002007-07-21T08:44:57.433-05:00

How does this continue to happen? How can people continue to have the wool (no pun intended) pulled over their eyes…other than by willful ignorance?The threat of Presidential veto of the newly proposed SCHIP expansion has again met with the usual press reports. He is denying the poor children their rightful coverage, etc., etc. It is interesting that, even with the Bush-bashing that has gone

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-89479369109185680282007-07-16T08:09:00.000-05:002007-07-16T08:46:07.265-05:00

A guest Blog posted on behalf of Terry Murphy:Democrats in the Senate just recently announced their health care reform plan known as Healthy Wisconsin. In fact, just one day after providing the details of the plan, they put their idea into their version of the State Budget and passed the plan out of the Senate. Their reform plan is theoretically one step away from being sent to the Governor’s

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-19201414258292757652007-06-29T13:08:00.000-05:002007-06-29T13:12:08.341-05:00

Google has been thought to be considering working on ways in which people could store their health records on Google and have them readily available for personal needs. It has been quite careful about letting outsiders in on its plans but has just taken action that could suggest this idea is gaining traction.Google recently appointed its new Health Advisory Council and it is comprised of some 22

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-5646437787089405072007-06-27T15:22:00.000-05:002007-06-27T15:26:42.682-05:00

A recent survey of some 310 Americans who have experienced use of health care services in both the U.S. and Canada produced expected results. The full survey results are available here.The overall result had 74% rating the overall quality of U.S. health care as excellent or good, while 50% of the same group gave Canadian health care a similar rating.The nod was given to U.S. health care in the

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-55906099740804308972007-06-25T09:56:00.000-05:002007-06-25T09:58:44.973-05:00

Senate Democrats used an embargo of the press as they pushed an 11th hour health plan proposal out front of every other proposal. They scheduled an informational hearing for 11:00AM today (Monday), but refused to release details of their health plan proposal until Monday morning.That seems a very strange way to encourage true debate on this most critical subject. Why, if your health plan is a

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-92187707717894804332007-06-22T11:54:00.000-05:002007-06-22T12:14:42.205-05:00

Wisconsin offers its version of the SCHIP programs called BadgerCare as we’ve discussed previously. Wisconsin has received approval from the federal Department of Health and Human Services to offer BadgerCare to adults as well as to the children for which the program was originally intended.As a matter of fact, The DHHS Secretary, Michael Leavitt, points out that 75% of the Wisconsin program’s

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-50987867862755709852007-06-21T10:20:00.000-05:002007-06-21T10:24:31.356-05:00

Stuart Browning has produced at least three pieces depicting issues within the health care debate.The piece titled Uninsured in America is found here .I hope you'll agree that this needs to be shared with as many people as you can get it to as quickly as you can.We'll look at two more over the next few days.

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-75948525472931955962007-06-14T10:27:00.000-05:002007-06-15T05:25:06.802-05:00

A recent survey (completed in February 2007) conducted for the PNC Financial Services Group by the Boston-based research firm of Chadwick Martin Bailey found that consumers (especially those with high deductible health plans) want more transparency in health care administration.The survey was based on telephone calls conducted with 150 executives from U.S. hospitals or health systems, 50

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-82369981854438983722007-06-12T15:05:00.000-05:002007-06-12T15:08:09.506-05:00

Another interesting tidbit that was included in the Lewin Study but wasn’t highlighted is this:Of the some 2.958 million persons currently receiving health insurance benefits through an employer in Wisconsin, the cost for the Wisconsin Health Plan (WHP) will be less than the current costs for only 736,000 persons.That means that the WHP, a lesser plan, will cost more for the other 2.222 million

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-73958581841679283682007-06-11T14:48:00.000-05:002007-06-11T14:51:22.266-05:00

Further exploration of the issues surrounding the Wisconsin Health Plan has turned up some very interesting items.It seems that the Lewin Study discusses an Option 1 that was really the original Plan up until March, 2007. This “option” is actually the original legislation introduced as AB 1140 and is the plan that was the subject of the Legislative Fiscal Bureau analysis. This “option” was

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-55224503542111281622007-06-08T10:39:00.000-05:002007-06-08T10:41:31.427-05:00

There are many questions about the Lewin Study and the Wisconsin Health Plan.So far, we have heard, through the press, that the Study affirms this is a great idea, will save money for everyone and answers the health care needs of all but 17,000 people in Wisconsin.All this begs details to support these conclusions that appear to have been drawn by the WHP creators. Rep. Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-36497635377462056052007-06-04T09:52:00.000-05:002007-06-04T10:04:46.386-05:00

Congress is currently in the midst of reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), the state/federal block grant program that funds health insurance coverage for low-income children. It is this program that funds Wisconsin's BadgerCare plan for children. The National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) feels that during the reauthorization process, Congress has a

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-8426697451812989882007-05-29T11:09:00.000-05:002007-05-29T11:11:59.344-05:00

Brett Skinner, Director of Health, Pharmaceutical and Insurance Policy Research for the Fraser Institute, Canada’s leading think tank is urging that California and other states so inclined avoid the Canadian approach to health care.“Canada is currently witnessing the failure of its own single-payer health insurance system. Faced with this example, why would Americans want to adopt such a system

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-54201233697696982202007-05-25T08:57:00.000-05:002007-05-25T09:03:59.230-05:00

Mr. Lohman has used an interesting technique to continue his quest for a government-run statewide equivalent of Medicare.First, because our political system permits contributions to politicians, and because some of those contributions originate with health care or insurance entities, political corruption is part of the “health care crisis”.If it is, why do we not tackle political corruption as a

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-18983919081034723872007-05-24T09:41:00.000-05:002007-05-24T09:42:59.873-05:00

Maine created Dirigo as the panacea to solve the uninsured problem of its citizens. Dirigo has been, by most counts, a failure having attracted only 13,000 participants.For the second year in a row, a new bill is coursing its way through the political process that would put another twist on this failed program.Dirigo would become self-funded and apparently Maine would be its own reinsurer. This

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-83125688510657717152007-05-23T08:47:00.000-05:002007-05-23T08:52:07.014-05:00

…so read the headline for an article written by Peter Howell for the Toronto Star on May 20, 2007.He stated that Michael Moore took quite a verbal beating during an interview at the Cannes Film Festival where Moore has been touting his latest “documentary”. I quote from his article:“We Canucks were taking issue with the large liberties Sicko takes with the facts, with its lavish praise for

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-86082607534245102042007-05-21T14:04:00.000-05:002007-05-21T14:06:22.418-05:00

Governor Doyle has threatened the hospitals in Wisconsin by stating they would receive no Medicaid rate increase unless they accepted his 1% of gross revenue hospital tax proposal.The Wisconsin Hospital Association is opposed to the tax with a chief reason being their fear that the additional Federal money that would flow into the state as the result of this “tax” would not go entirely to the

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-58029623039690140502007-05-16T10:28:00.000-05:002007-05-16T10:33:40.864-05:00

An Associated Press report titled “Health System Deemed a ‘Mess’” appeared in the Journal-Sentinel in Milwaukee today. It obviously has appeared across the country.The first two paragraphs read as follow:“The U.S. health care system is ‘a dysfunctional mess’ and politicians who insist otherwise look ignorant, according to a medical journal essay by a prominent ethicist at the National Institutes

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-42388642058652819142007-05-13T13:03:00.000-05:002007-05-13T17:09:05.077-05:00

Wisconsinites are in the midst of the single biggest money grab by any political party in my memory…and that covers some ground.The combinations of all proposed (some accepted already) new or increased fees and taxes will equal nearly $3 Billion in additional payments to the state. There are some 5.5 Million of us in Wisconsin.Our rulers are expecting an average of an additional $545 from every

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-72316634327344359412007-05-11T15:29:00.000-05:002007-05-11T15:31:35.272-05:00

The Associated press has just reported on a Congressional Budget Office report that said for every 100 children who enroll in SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program), there is a corresponding reduction in private coverage of between 25 and 50 children.CBO officials also pointed out that when SCHIP was created, it had been estimated that about 40% of the participants would previously

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-20478884008222109992007-05-10T15:48:00.000-05:002007-05-10T15:52:51.177-05:00

The Public Policy Forum held a panel discussion in Milwaukee on Wednesday, May 9th to discuss health reform in Wisconsin. Three proposals were discussed:Wisconsin Health Care Partnership Plan which is the single payer plan developed by the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. It would be financed by a flat tax that this group estimates to be $340 per month per employee. Seems like that is a number we heard in

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-29617706964080932912007-05-09T08:50:00.000-05:002007-05-09T09:20:16.224-05:00

As the debate over health care and the changes needing to be enacted in Wisconsin continues, we need to be ever mindful that wise people in other states have already made their share of mistakes.Maine thought that "Dirigo" would cover 130,000 citizens in the first year. That was nearly three years ago. There are some 18,000 citizens covered. Dirigo was to be the vehicle that assured universal

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-76765669246716057022007-05-06T08:10:00.000-05:002007-05-06T08:32:10.038-05:00

Wisconsin has added certain required coverage for health insurance policies over the course of many years. There are more than twenty such requirements or “mandates” as they’re known in Wisconsin. There are even more such mandates across all fifty states.Mandates have the effect of adding to the overall cost of health care. In some cases this happens because such services were not covered earlier

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-34898130912584826812007-04-30T18:23:00.000-05:002007-04-30T18:28:03.583-05:00

I am the patient of an Advanced Healthcare doctor. My first reaction to the early news that Advanced Healthcare and Aurora were negotiating a joint relationship was one of wait and see. Now, some weeks later, there is the outward indication of a significant change in relationship…a formal announcement by the two parties has been issued.My initial reaction to the announcement over the week-end

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-32901553245226954592007-04-28T18:06:00.000-05:002007-04-28T19:03:29.291-05:00

Back in the 1970s, our elected officials enacted new legislation to permit an entity called a Health Maintenance Organization to be organized under federal regulations. That same law provided for grants to be used to create these new entities. People streamed to the federal trough and hundreds of health maintenance Organizations were created.The intended results were the broadening of health care

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-38985104247108814132007-04-27T11:22:00.002-05:002007-04-27T11:34:36.377-05:00

The earlier Blog covering this subject discussed the incremental approach to government run health care and cited the use of the Children's program to cover adults.Sen. Olympia Snow of Maine (supposedly a Republican but actually a RINO) introduced legislation Thursday to double the funding of this program over the next five years. This flies in the face of the real Republicans who wanted the

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-46265428137316541122007-04-27T11:22:00.001-05:002007-09-07T10:39:49.453-05:00

We need simply look at the gyrations occurring in Congress as the “great debate” over SCHIP and Medicare Advantage takes place to see exactly where we’ll be if Healthy Wisconsin were to become the law in Badgerland.SCHIP is being re-engineered to bring in more and more adults and to permit families of four earning over $80,000 per year to join. This is a very obvious expansion of government-run

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-57996710029122828022007-04-25T20:07:00.000-05:002007-04-25T20:12:31.226-05:00

The group of uninsured people in the U.S. is dynamic, as mentioned in my earlier blog; Wisconsin has an estimated 546,870 people, or about 9.9% of our population, who are uninsured at any one point in time. These numbers rely upon the use of Census information, analysis by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and estimates by the Congressional Budget Office.We established the four major groups

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-72534385053725281332007-04-25T19:59:00.000-05:002007-04-25T20:02:09.212-05:00

Part of virtually every discussion concerning the state of health care in the U.S. is a reference to the uninsured. Given that, we assume that the group of uninsured must be a very important part of the problem. We need to better understand just what is meant by the ubiquitous “uninsured”. We’ll likely all agree that it is a very serious part of the problem confronting us as a nation.We hear

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-87961961956721923142007-04-25T19:40:00.000-05:002007-04-25T19:46:37.246-05:00

We often hear about “special interest groups” trying to influence decisions especially during the debate on the health care “crisis”. Special interest groups have gotten the reputation of being somehow improper or part of something almost subversive in nature. Somehow many of us have been conditioned to shudder whenever we hear the term “special interest group”. There are some special interest

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734239728467730266.post-28316443871305746982007-04-24T15:38:00.000-05:002007-04-24T16:00:27.031-05:00

State children's health insurance programs have been around under a federal mandate for some 10 years. The mandate needs to be re-visited and that has been going on in earnest in Washington, D.C. since the beginning of this year.These programs were originally intended to help the states provide health insurance to needy children whose parents weren't poor enough to qualify for Medicaid. As is

Old Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15471075805410066375noreply@blogger.com0