Healthcare

The
PATIENT’S BILL OF RIGHTS

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“Starting in September, some of the worst abuses will be banned forever. No more discriminating against children with pre-existing conditions. No more retroactively dropping somebody’s policy when they get sick if they made an unintentional mistake on an application. No more lifetime limits or restrictive annual limits on coverage. Those days are over.”
– PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

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PRESIDENT OBAMA ANNOUNCED A NEW PATIENT’S BILL OF RIGHTS MADE POSSIBLE UNDER HEALTH REFORM—A BASIC SET OF CONSUMER PROTECTIONS THAT END SOME OF THE HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES’ WORST ABUSES.

   THE PATIENT’S BILL OF RIGHTS:
1    Prevents insurance companies from canceling your policy if you get sick. Right now, insurance      companies can retroactively cancel your policy when you become sick if you or your employer made an unintentional mistake on your paperwork.
2    Stops insurance companies from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions.   Beginning in September, discrimination against children with pre-existing conditions will be banned—a protection that will be extended to all Americans in 2014.
3    Prohibits setting lifetime limits on insurance policies issued or renewed after Sept. 23, 2010. No longer will insurance companies be able to take away coverage at the very moment when patients need it most. More than 100 million Americans have health coverage that imposes lifetime limits on care.
4    Phases out annual dollar limits on coverage over the next three years. Even more aggressive than lifetime limits are annual dollar limits on what an insurance company will pay for your health care. For the people with medical costs that hit these limits, the consequences can be devastating.
5    Allows you to designate any available participating primary care doctor as your provider. You’ll be able to keep the primary care doctor or pediatrician you choose, and see an OB-GYN without referral.
6    Removes insurance company barriers to receiving emergency care and prevents them from charging you more because you’re out of network. You’ll be able to get emergency care at a hospital outside of your plan’s network without facing higher co-pays or deductibles or having to fight to get approval first.

The Patient’s Bill of Rights starts to take effect this fall—but the benefits for individuals and families under health care reform don’t stop there. Over the course of the next several years, the historic health reform law will make care more affordable, hold insurers accountable, and finally give all Americans the coverage they deserve.

Talking Points: Why the Middle Class Needs Health Insurance Reform

· While our health care system is hurting every American, it is the middle class that bears the brunt of our broken system. Health care costs continue to rise and are crushing families and businesses, making small business owners choose between hiring new =orkers or providing health care to their employees due to ever-increasing out of pocket health care costs.

· The fact is, middle class Americans are losing their insurance faster than any other group. Because health insurance premiums continue to climb, many small and medium-sized businesses are forced to either stop offering coverage or pass more of that cost on to their employees. This, in turn, forces many middle class Americans employed by these businesses to lose their coverage.

· Most Americans receive their health care through their employer, but that number continues to dwindle. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a non-partisan organization, recently released a report stating that due to rising health insurance premiums, employer sponsored insurance, also known as ESI, dropped by three million people from 2000 to 2008. Additionally, there was a seven percent drop during that same time of families insured by their employer with incomes of roughly $45,000 to =85,000.

· But there is hope. If we pass health insurance reform, middle class families will not be placed into the horrible predicament of having to decide to pay for their mortgage or their health care bill. The President’s plan will make insurance affordable for them by providing tax credits that add up to the largest middle class tax cut for health care in the history of the United States. No longer will Americans be dropped from their coverage if they get sick, be denied coverage due to a preexisting condition or be forced to deal with insurance companies and not their doctors deciding what is best for their health.

· We must make our system work for middle class Americans and not for the health insurance industry. We can act, and we must act to give American families and small business owners more control over their health care by giving them more protections and control while shifting power to the American people and away from the insurance companies.

Kerra L. Bolton

Senior Advisor to the Chair

North Carolina Democratic Party

Phone: (919) 821-2777

Fax: 919-821-4778

Email: kbolton@ncdemocraticparty.org<=span>This article was published in the The Star's Sunday edition August 16, 2008 by our Cleveland County Democratic Party Chairman, Bobby Rauf

Follow the NCDP on Twitter!

http://www.twitter.com/ncdemparty

Is our health care system broken?

As I sat in front of the TV and took in the evening news, I couldn’t help but notice the almost perpetual bombardment and incessant interruptions byGSK, Glaxo Smith Kline, Levitra for Erectile Dysfunction, ExtenZe.com, a drug for enhancement of sexual performance, and Crestor anti-cholesterol

drug advertisements by pharmaceutical companies. At approximately $250,000 per ad, during primetime national news, these pharmaceutical advertisements are costing millions of dollars. So, who is paying for this pharmaceutical marketing campaign? You guessed it! You and I are. Is it not the responsibility of the doctors to research and prescribe suitable medicines for patients? Is it any wonder that medicines cost so much more in our country as compared to theexact same medicines in Canada and other advanced nations of the world? Many Americans are going to Mexico, India and the far east for surgeries and other treatment.

All of this attests to the fact that medicine in our country has gone amok with an exorbitant pursuit of profit. Profit margins and markups of up to 1,000 percent in the pharmaceutical industry are not uncommon. Average compensation of CEOs in the pharmaceutical industry is about $20 million a year. Yet, according to the World Health Organization, the United States ranks 37th in terms of health system performance and we are far behind many other countries in terms ofsuch important indices as infant mortality, life expectancy and preventable deaths.

All of this with the sad and sobering backdrop of the fact that more than46 million of our fellow citizens are uninsured and almost 50 Americansdie every day due partly to that lack of health insurance. Every 30

seconds a bankruptcy is filed in America in the aftermath of a medicalemergency. Almost 62 percent of bankruptcies filed in the U.S. involvemedical bills. About 1.5 million families lose their homes to foreclosure,

every year, due to unaffordable medical costs. Notwithstanding the factthat America is the greatest, richest, most powerful and technologicallyadvanced country in the world. So, is there something wrong with this picture? Yes indeed, and it is time for change.

The insurance industry is highly “concentrated.” There is a near monopoly in this industry that is dominated by a few giants. Lack of competition leads to unchecked price escalation and decline in value of services and goods. This is the reason the insurance companies fear the Public Option in health care reform. They are, understandably, afraid that establishment of the Public Option will induce transparency in the health care industry and will impede maximization of their wealth. So, the insurance industry has opened up its treasuries to buy lobbyists and have donated millions of dollars to senators and congressmen; all to kill reform at all costs.

Why are the insurance companies demonizing the Public Health Option? As the president has clarified time and time again, Public Health Option is just that: An option. Americans would be free to stay with the CIGNAs and Blue Cross-Blue Shields, if they so choose. Or, they can exercise their choice to go with the Public Option. It would be somewhat like having the option to take your package to the local DHL, Fed-Ex or UPS store versus taking it to the United States Post Office.

At a recent health care forum, hosted by Cleveland County Democratic Party, doctors shared their observations about significant disparities between charges for various clinical procedures. A procedure at a hospital can cost 50 to 70 percent more than at an off-site, low overhead clinical facility. Yet insurance companies approve such charges. Doctors at this forum admitted duplication of medical tests on patients just to protect themselves against malpractice litigation. All of this, undoubtedly, escalates medical care cost in our country.

Some right wing leaders are spreading disinformation that President Obama’s bill contains “euthanasia of elderly” and would result in “death panels.” Beware, these claims are lies. This disinformation campaign is no different than the baseless assertion that the President was born in Africa. Such malicious propaganda is, regretfully, designed to mislead Americans. The Presidents plan simply includes continuance of the currently offered end of life counseling to our elderly. This counseling is voluntary and is occurring now.

Some, in the right wing, are labeling President Obama’s Health Care Reform Bill with Public Option as “socialized” medicine. Let’s be forthright and ask ourselves if our Medicare program isn’t socialized care? It is indeed. Medicare program is government funded and government controlled. Medicare works and functions far better than the private insurance programs. So, are Americans ready to dismantle and discard Medicare since it represents a “socialized” program? What would be next? Our Armed Forces, Postal Service, Law Enforcement?

Some right wing extremists dismiss and damn health care reform as fiscally unaffordable. Let’s not forget that these are the same lawmakers who, during past the administration, were in a state of blissful ignorance as far as fiscal responsibility is concerned; when the National Debt rose to $9.7 trillion, with $12 billion per month being poured into Iraq war. Most of the bills passed during the previous administration did not include the means for funding them. On the contrary, the president, in his recent press conference, clearly laid out the mechanism for funding the Health Care Reform. He indicated that two-thirds of the cost would be paid for through efficiency improvements in Medicare and the remaining third of the cost would be funded through higher taxes on the top 1 percent of American elite, who earn $1 million or more per year.

In closing, I have this to say to the misled protestors holding the signs “Stop Health Reform:” Please read and analyze what's in front of you. There are at least two sides to every issue. This country didn’t become great by succumbing to fear and propaganda. The past administration had their chance and the Republican Party has enjoyed its reign as majority. The current administration, by many measures - fiscal, social, foreign and domestic - has already made substantial strides in just 200 days. Afford the current administration the courtesy to follow through with their strategy, because the status quo is not acceptable.

For the sake of promoting dialogue and better understanding of President Obama’s Health Care Reform Bill, I would like to extend an invitation to my counterpart in the Cleveland County Republican Party for a live televised debate on health care reform, sponsored by the local news media.

Bobby Rauf is chairman of the Cleveland County Democratic Party

Hello all,

Thanks again to all the counties that have organized events in support of Healthcare Reform. I know there are still numerous counties planning events and that is fantastic. As the House has adjourned for the August recess and the Senate scheduled to do the same shortly, we are going to have to continue organizing and pushing back the misinformation being spread by Republicans and the special interest groups who fund them.

I have attached new healthcare reform talking points to this email. They are very extensive and address a variety of concerns. Please use these at your forums, distribute to your members, and use them anytime you hear the lies =hat are becoming commonplace.

As many of you know, Americans for Prosperity, is conducting a statewide tour opposing any healthcare reform. AFP is posing as a 'grassroots organization,' but has deep-pocketed supporters. I attended one of their rallies in Raleigh and they commenced the event with a prayer to overthrow the Obama Administration. That is what we are dealing with here and unfortunately they are getting media coverage. They are also organizing protests at some of our Congressional members' offices. I will be contacting some of you individually in an effort to develop a pro-reform counter presence.

In order to achieve true health carereform we are going to have to continue organizing and hosting events. While many of our counties are already hosting their second and third events, we cannot let up. Think of new and exciting ways to foster discussion about healthcare like Jim's "Heart Healthy Wine Tasting" in =range County.

I am sure most of you have seen the outrageous town hall meetings that have been on the news. We need to be careful our events don't get out of hand and become counterproductive. NCDP is currently working on finding speakers for upcoming events and will be glad to assist any of you that may need a bit of help. Also, we will help promote your event so please email us date/time/location as soon as you have it and we will get it posted on a variety of venues. Please organize, organize, organize!!! We want to have events across the state everyday of the next month. The vote will happen shortlyafter Congress returns from the =ugust recess, and we cannot let up now. Please dig down and put it all out there this month.

The DNC has put together a video in response =o the tactics being used by the GOP. It can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtTBkxvBq88<=STRONG>

****** Lies, Hate and Vitriol: Please forward to me any emails, =nnuendos, etc that you receive in the field regarding misinformation with healthcare. I will be compiling them in a database with proper responses. I will share this with you so we can streamline the pushback process for all of the lies that are out there.

I want to thank all of you for all of the hard work you have done over the past couple of months. We cannot let up right now. I am challenging every county and every district to hold at least one event in the month of August. I will be glad to speak with each of you one on one and figure out what we can do in your county. Any event at any level will help us get the truth about health care reform out to all North Carolinians. The White House, the DNC and NCDP are watching and stand ready to help you all. In many ways, the organizing and voter contact we are doing for health care reform is just as important as the work we did last year. We must continue to fight!

Please advise me of any and all events you are hosting so they can be reported. As always, if there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact me.

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Jonathan Lucas

North Carolina Democratic Party

220 Hillsborough Street

Raleigh, NC 27603

919.821.2777 ext. 302 (office)

919.821.4778 (fax)

919.215.7866 (mobile)

jlucas@ncdp.org

AUGUST 2009 Talking Points: Health Insurance Reform

Top Line:

– The status quo is unsustainable.

– Health insurance reform will build on our current system, to bring security and stability to people who already have insurance and give access to quality, affordable care to those who don’t.

– Reform isn’t only about the people who don’t have insurance – it’s about anyone who’s ever been afraid of losing their coverage if they become sick, lose their job, or change their job.

– Covering more Americans will not be cheap, but President Obama has promised that reform will not add to our deficits over the next decade, and will reduce costs over the long term.

– After losing two consecutive elections and every major policy fight on Capitol Hill, Republicans and their allied groups are inciting angry mobs rabid right wing extremists - funded by special interest lobbyists - to disrupt thoughtful discussions about health care reform taking place in Congressional Districts across the country.

– These groups have no interest in health insurance reform. Instead, they are working to disrupt and prevent any constructive discussion from taking place.

– During the month of August, Organizing for America and state Democratic Parties will continue to build support for reform by facilitating conversations with Members of Congress, holding earned media events and contacting citizens.

– We’ve made more progress in the last 4 weeks than in the last 4 decades - we are closer than ever to enacting health insurance reform.

Urgent Need for Reform:

– The status quo is unsustainable.

– 14,000 Americans lose their health insurance every single day.

– Over the last nine years, premiums have gone up three times faster than wages.

– Health care costs cause a bankruptcy in America every 30 seconds.

– We must enact health insurance reform this year because American families and businesses can’t afford to wait.

Principles for Reform:

– Health insurance reform will build on our current system, to bring security and stability to people who already have insurance and give access to quality, affordable care to those who don’t.

– Since the very beginning of this debate, President Obama has been abundantly clear about three principles he expects any reform package to include.

– The President is committed to health insurance reform that lowers costs, guarantees choice, and ensures all Americans have access to quality, affordable care.

– Any reform plan should include the creation of an “Insurance Exchange,” where people can compare plans and pick the right one for them. The Exchange should include a public insurance option that will operate alongside private plans. This will help keep insurance companies honest and keep costs down.

What’s In It for Me?:

– 47 million Americans are already without health insurance, and every day more people are priced out of the system or denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition.

– But reform isn’t only about the people who don’t have insurance – it’s about anyone who’s ever been afraid of losing their coverage if they become sick, lose their job, or change their job.

– Health insurance reform will hold the insurance companies accountable, and end the unscrupulous business practices that lead to windfall profits for health insurance executives and poorer health outcomes for everyone else.

– Under health insurance reform, everyone will benefit from EIGHT protections that will provide more security and stability for Americans and their families:

1) No Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions

a. Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing coverage because of medical history.

2) No Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays

a. Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.

3) No Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care

a. Insurance companies must fully cover - without charge - regular checkups and tests that help prevent illness, including mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.

4) No Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill

a. Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or lessening coverage for people who become seriously ill.

5) No Gender Discrimination

a. Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging people more because of their gender.

6) No Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage

a. Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage people receive.

7) Extended Coverage for Young Adults

a. Children will be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.

8) Guaranteed Insurance Renewal

a. Insurance companies will be required to renew a policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full.

b. Insurance companies won’t be allowed to refuse renewal if someone becomes sick.

How to Pay for It:

– Unless we act, within a decade, one out of every five dollars we earn will be spent on health care.

– Eventually, the amount our government spends on Medicare and Medicaid will eventually grow larger than what we spend on everything else combined.

– Health care reform is the single most important thing we can do for America’s long term fiscal health.

– Covering more Americans will not be cheap, but President Obama has promised that reform will not add to our deficits over the next decade, and will reduce costs over the long term.

– The President has identified hundreds of billions of dollars in savings and efficiencies. This is money that’s already in our health system that can be redeployed to pay about two-thirds of reform.

– The remaining third will be paid for by raising revenue. How best to do that is one of the things under debate in Congress right now. (The President has suggested modestly limiting the tax deductions taken by the wealthiest Americans to the same level it was at the end of the Reagan Administration.)

– The Obama Administration has also forged a coalition that simply hasn’t existed before: hospitals, doctors, nurses and pharmaceutical companies agree that the status quo is unsustainable, and have committed to doing their part to bring down costs.

Our Efforts:

– Since June, Organizing for America has collected more than 1 million declarations in support of President Obama’s principles for reform.

– Tens of thousands of people in all 50 states have participated thousands of events, including health reform roundtables, service activities, door-to-door canvasses, letter writing campaigns, phone banks and press conferences.

– Now, our folks in the field are as energized as they have ever been.

We Are Closer to Reform Than Ever Before

– We’ve made more progress in the last 4 weeks than in the last 4 decades on health insurance reform.

– Four out of the five Congressional committees working on reform have passed their versions of legislation - and that the fifth committee is continuing to make progress in a bipartisan way.

– This is substantial. It means we are closer than ever to passing reform.

– All four bills passed are consistent with President Obama's principles for reform: each one will lower costs, guarantee choice, provide more security and stability for people who have insurance, and ensure all Americans have access to quality, affordable care.

Republican Party and Allied Groups’ Mob Rule

– There is a precedent for this kind of behavior in the Republican Party – we saw similar activity at McCain-Palin rallies last year, where crowds were baited with cries of “socialist,” “communist,” and the “birthers” movement was born.

– These mobs of extremists were not interested then – and are not interested now – in having a thoughtful discussion about the issues.

– Instead, they are interested – as many Republican leaders have said – in ‘breaking’ President Obama and destroying his Presidency.

– These mobs are NOT spontaneous gatherings.

– These mobs are bussed in by well funded, highly organized groups funded by the special interests and run by Republican operatives. They are desperate to stop the agenda for change President Obama was elected to bring to Washington.

– Despite the headline grabbing nature of these angry mobs, they are not reflective of where the overwhelming majority of the American people are on the issues.

– Right now, there are hundreds of thousands of thoughtful discussions taking place around kitchen tables, water coolers and in homes across the country.

– The right wing extremists’ use of imagery like devil horns on pictures of our elected officials, hanging members of Congress in effigy, breathlessly questioning the President's citizenship and using Nazi SS symbols shows how outside of the mainstream the Republican Party and their allies are.

This type of anger and discord did not serve Republicans well in 2008 – aand it is bound to backfire again.

Top Five Health Care Reform Lies—and How to Fight Back

Lie #1: President Obama wants to euthanize your grandma!!!

The truth: These accusations—of "death panels" and forced euthanasia—are, of course, flatly untrue. As an article from the Associated Press puts it: "No 'death panel' in health care bill."⁴ What's the real deal? Reform legislation includes a provision, supported by the AARP, to offer senior citizens access to a professional medical counselor who will provide them with information on preparing a living will and other issues facing older Americans.⁵

Lie #2: Democrats are going to outlaw private insurance and force you into a government plan!!!

The truth: With reform, choices will increase, not decrease. Obama's reform plans will create a health insurance exchange, a one-stop shopping marketplace for affordable, high-quality insurance options.⁶ Included in the exchange is the public health insurance option—a nationwide plan with a broad network of providers—that will operate alongside private insurance companies, injecting competition into the market to drive quality up and costs down.⁷

If you're happy with your coverage and doctors, you can keep them.⁸ But the new public plan will expand choices to millions of businesses or individuals who choose to opt into it, including many who simply can't afford health care now.

Lie #3: President Obama wants to implement Soviet-style rationing!!!

The truth: Health care reform will expand access to high-quality health insurance, and give individuals, families, and businesses more choices for coverage. Right now, big corporations decide whether to give you coverage, what doctors you get to see, and whether a particular procedure or medicine is covered—that is rationed care. And a big part of reform is to stop that.

Health care reform will do away with some of the most nefarious aspects of this rationing: discrimination for pre-existing conditions, insurers that cancel coverage when you get sick, gender discrimination, and lifetime and yearly limits on coverage.⁹ And outside of that, as noted above, reform will increase insurance options, not force anyone into a rationed situation.

Lie #4: Obama is secretly plotting to cut senior citizens' Medicare benefits!!!

The truth: Health care reform plans will not reduce Medicare benefits.¹⁰ Reform includes savings from Medicare that are unrelated to patient care—in fact, the savings comes from cutting billions of dollars in overpayments to insurance companies and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.¹¹

Lie #5: Obama's health care plan will bankrupt America!!!

The truth: We need health care reform now in order to prevent bankruptcy—to control spiraling costs that affect individuals, families, small businesses, and the American economy.

Right now, we spend more than $2 trillion dollars a year on health care.¹² The average family premium is projected to rise to over $22,000 in the next decade¹³—and each year, nearly a million people face bankruptcy because of medical expenses.¹⁴ Reform, with an affordable, high-quality public option that can spur competition, is necessary to bring down skyrocketing costs. Also, President Obama's reform plans would be fully paid for over 10 years and not add a penny to the deficit.¹⁵

We're closer to real health care reform than we've ever been—and the next few weeks will decide whether it happens. We need to make sure the truth about health care reform is spread far and wide to combat right wing lies.

Cleveland County Democratic Party

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Top Five Health Care Reform Lies—and How to Fight Back