The Healthcare Debate (Part 2)
I’ve been spending a lot of time looking through the House Healthcare Bill and looking for things that you may not have heard about from the media. After quite a bit of research, I discovered something I think is critical. To sum up at the start, the very foundation of how the program would be administered is built in quicksand.
Medical Loss Ratio.
Medical loss ratio is basically defined as the amount of your insurance premium goes to actual medical care as opposed to how much goes to administrative costs of your insurer. A good medical loss ratio is considered anything above 75% (3/4 goes to medical care, 1/4 goes to administrative) and there are some non-profit insurance providers which have achieved a ratio of 96%.
The House and Senate bills go into great detail about how the Secretary of Health and Human Services will use medical loss ratio as a measurement of success and failure as they regulate current insurance companies, but also as the building block of the public healthcare option (the government health plan).
Sounds reasonable doesn’t it? I mean, we all looked closely at similar ratios a couple years ago when we discovered several of the largest charities in the US were using way more money to cover salaries, perks and offices than actual money going to those in need?
Here’s the problem. Medical Loss Ratio is an accounting gimmick. The math they will be using to control, regulate, and build this massive program is an “obscure statistic”(1).
James C. Robinson, a professor of economics in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley wrote an article called “Use and Abuse of Medical Loss Ratio to Measure Health Plan Performance.”(1) The subtitle of the article says it all…”This accounting tool was never intended to measure quality or efficiency.”
To add to the whole argument…and I’m not sure if Mr. Robinson will appreciate me pointing this out today…he said in the article “Juxtaposition of low medical loss ratio with for-profit status has fed the flames of HMO bashing but is completely without substance.” So…all the “big-insurance” claims by Obama and Congressional Leaders is also based on bad math.
The main point here, is that an accounting gimmick is being used as the foundation of the entire administration of this healthcare program. Haven’t we had enough accounting gimmicks in our recent history? Aren’t the very people proposing this massive expenditure the ones who have been screaming about corporations that used accounting gimmicks to pad their profits?
Do they know this is a gimmick? If they do, they’re intentionally screwing all of us in the name of ideology. If they don’t, they’re being irresponsible and screwing us.
Look. I’ve been watching crappy science and crappy math become the basis for policy for years. For my regular readers, check this article out (MIT Scientist sez Carbon Dioxide irrelavent in climate debate)… Once again, we are using emotion to make decisions, not science, not math, NOT LOGIC.
This has to stop.
Get informed or stay out of the argument.
(1) HEALTH AFFAIRS, Volume 16, Number 4
The Ease of Critique
“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very litle yet enjoy a position overthose who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment.”
Who spoke that little pearl? You’ll have to read on…
The other night, I was watching Sports Center, and one of the commentators was criticizing a certain professional baseball player for watching the 3rd strike which just happened to end the game with runners in scoring position…yada yada yada. How easy it is for someone sitting behind a desk in Connecticut to be a critic. My question to him is…have you ever stood at the plate and had a 95 mile an hour slider thrown at you? I doubt it…cause if you have, you’d keep your damn mouth shut.
The constant criticism of the former administration’s tactics in garnering information from terrorists is much like that guy on Sports Center. As our guru at the beginning of the post said, there is no risk in criticism. I would add to that…there is nothing but profit in claiming the moral high ground long after an event has passed.
Hindsight is much more than 20/20. It’s looking through high-powered binoculars with laser surgered eyes and focusing with massive amounts of information, debate, polls and crazy multi-billionaires to support you. How easy it is to make clear-eyed judgment on someone who was looking out from the fog of war; the smoky haze of death and destruction; and the bitter, angry tears of a nation.
I despair when those who have not been forced into decisions criticize those who were. I despair when a man or a woman with nothing to lose can pass judgment on a man with everything to lose. I despair when we look back, and yet forget the reasons why a decision was made. If I have to spell out the reasons why…you have forgotten.
“We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.”
A wise man, that Anton Ego.
Caroline Kennedy for Senator
First, I could give a whit whether or not Caroline Kennedy becomes the next Junior Senator from New York, or if Andrew Cuomo gets the job instead. It’s all the same…they’ll be expected to step in line with Suck Chumer (oops, did I use my “outside” voice?) and vote the way he does. But, here’s what kills me about recent coverage. People ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE, are questioning her lack of experience in politics as a potential reason to not allow her the post.
How blatantly ridiculous.
Explain this to me. What has all the current “experience” in Congress gotten us? Blame Bush all you want, but the myriad policies drafted by our “experienced” group of politicians has netted us a monstrous economic outlook, car companies failing, banks destroyed, and a middle class that is about to create an even greater wealth rift as it is expected to shoulder the burden for both the rich and the shiftless.
Experience? Please. I’d dare to venture that her LACK of experience is exactly what is needed. As we continually elect representatives OVER AND OVER again, they turn more and more into power brokers that break their vows faster than Mariano Rivera breaks bats. Of course, we could actually point to Caroline’s “Uncle Teddy” in this instance, but that would be too easy. Kind of like maneuvering a car successfully over a bridge. Just watch the yellow lines and drive straight.
But I digress.
I think that anyone who is an experienced politician probably needs to get a new job…they sure as hell can’t do the one they have.
Obama’s Free Pass Already Printed
Every morning, before I look at the headlines (online) I take a few minutes to catch up on my favorite comic strips and thank the Good Lord that they still run classic Bloom County. I also like to muddle around the editorial cartoons although most of them are just visualizations of typical liberal fodder. This morning, something struck me…They are already preparing Obama’s Get Out of Jail Free card.
Almost every editorial cartoonist has drawn the oval office, with an ignorant President Bush (hey, that horse died years ago guys) and some kind of fanged, venom drooling beast in the background with the moniker “The Economy” or “The War” or “Energy Crisis” or “Automakers.” In other words, the problems President Bush is leaving behind (irresponsibly of course) are so great that perhaps no one, not even the messianic President-elect, will even be able to solve them.
Quick point here…I guess America has never, not once, had poor economic news, an unpopular war, or automakers in trouble.
I’m starting to wonder if the media is pumping up the situation to ensure that if Obama fails, that they will have his back and simply conjure up the name “Bush” and let their boy ride free. Hey, if NBC is selling a DVD of the election called Yes We Can, I think my wondering is probably not wandering at all.
By the way, doesn’t that DVD smack of ESPN’s annual football DVD that covers the entire season of the SuperBowl winner? When I saw the commercial, I was waiting for them to offer me a free Obama stadium blanket or leather bound pictorial with my purchase.
Anyway, I digress. There has been much kerfuffle about the media being in the tankfor Obama. If you think they aren’t, you dont no nothin. But, could it be this organized? Are they setting the stage to explain away potential future failure of an Obama administration to solve problems that others have in the past? I have to wonder.
For a minute, I thought perhaps President Bush would be left alone when he leaves the White House, but I think his name will be brought up again and again over the next 8 years by a media who won’t be able to admit they backed someone who wasn’t capable of miracles. Oh, and if you think he’ll only last one term…you dont no nothin.
Protect our children, first…
Just received the third “Hello! There’s a sex offender living in YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD” notice from the Johnson City School District. A quick complaint…are you people still using a mimeograph? Why in the hell can’t you produce a document with a picture I can recognize? (Or don’t you want me to?)
So, this all reminded me of an editorial I submitted to the Press & Sun-Bulletin in 2005 on sex offender legislation in New York. I was actually given an entire column in the paper (to my shock) and the piece was picked up by the New York State Senate Republican Campaign Committee and put on their site (unbeknownst to the author). Anyway, I have copied and pasted it below. With more liberals than ever both in New York and now the federal government, I worry about legislation that will loosen the penalties on these most heinous of people… Enjoy, and please comment.
————
I have to admit when I am wrong, and doing in it a public forum is always invigorating. I recently wrote a letter to state Sen. Thomas Libous concerning sex offender legislation in New York. I challenged him to stop worrying about cleaning up Dorchester Park and the River Walk and start better protecting our children from sexual predators.
As a former correspondence and speech writer in the State Assembly, I fully expected to receive the normal cookie-cutter answer – in response to which I was fully intending to call Sen. Libous a wimp.
I was wrong. I received a large packet of information from the senator, along with a letter written and signed by him (I can tell a computer generated signature from a mile away) in which he outlined myriad bills passed by the New York Senate which not only stiffen penalties for sex offenders, but greatly restrict parolees as well.
So, before I rip the state Assembly, I apologize to Sen. Libous for being ignorant as to his position on this issue, and for being heavy-handed with the rhetoric in my original letter. I appreciate his sponsorship and support of legislation to protect our children.
Now – onto the members of the Assembly I fall with great wrath.
The leadership of the Assembly has consistently refused to allow significant legislative reform of current sex offender law to even come to the floor for a vote. Sen. Libous asked me in his letter to “encourage local Assembly representatives to do what is right and pass these bills so they can be passed into law.” Encourage? For a plug nickel and a previously chewed piece of gum, I would strongly consider “encouraging” them with my pitching wedge.
How is it that anyone can make a case (excuse) for opposing legislation that protects our children from deviants? Why is it that we must wait for grief-stricken parents to beg (i.e. Maureen Kanka – Megan’s Law) before action is taken? Do we have to see one more child raped and/or tortured and/or murdered before this legislation can be moved out of committee?
I remember writing speeches opposing the death penalty in Albany where I employed axioms such as “an enlightened society must not revert to committing acts of barbarism to punish crime.” I propose here that allowing predators access to children is the very definition of “barbaric.”
I also remember the wonderfully ironic slogan “We must do it for our children,” in regard to fixing budget deficits, or tightening environmental standards. Some legislators run that flag up the pole whenever it suits their lobbyist friends but when it comes to really protecting our children, their inaction shows me their core belief. The children are not worth it.
They can point to Meaghan’s Law, and numerous other sections of law that “protect our children.” It’s not enough. I reel over the fact that we put a GPS monitoring system on Martha Stewart, but the Assembly refuses to pass legislation that would do the same for Level 3 sex offenders. Was her crime more grim than child pornography, more heinous than rape? And do not talk to me about the Constitution. Change the damn thing. The people in Albany and their cronies in D.C. have the power to do so.
I would take some time to hammer ideology and go on about how some people think we need to love, counsel, and rehabilitate. However, I am not an expert, nor is this actually a “political” issue. In case they forgot, the number one function of a governing body is the protection of its citizens. It’s their job.
In closing, the current catch phrase on the street is? “There’s going to be a revolution.” Of course, everyone’s talking about gas prices, taxes, Iraq, skyrocketing energy costs. In the meantime, elected officials in the State Assembly are standing by and letting another child become a victim? and another? and another. Now that’s something to rise up about.
Review – The Faith of Barack Obama
Please define the following – Christian Democrat.
Having a hard time? Then I would guess a read through The Faith of Barack Obama (by Stephen Mansfield) is something you should do before November 5. If you have ever read Senator Obama’s speech to the Democratic Convention in 2004, you may have noticed a line that was swallowed whole by the rest of his speech. “We worship an awesome God in the Blue States.” Mansfield grabbed onto this almost invisible and unheard line and turned it into an interesting book which has piqued my interest in Obama.
I haven’t shown a lot of interest in Obama so far in The Monday Nut, as is the wont of a blogger…I had mentioned in previous posts that his delivery technique was a well-rehearsed amalgamation of Bill Cosby and Christopher Walken…and I mentioned that he was the only Reaganesque character in the race (talk about how great America is, then talk about how to make it better). However, I’ve always seen Obama as just another liberal idealist who believes his moral compass always spins in the right direction (toward Valhalla). Mansfield made a music analogy in the book when he intimates that Obama (and much of his generation) does his faith “like jazz.” Mansfield is trying to get the point across that Obama’s faith is multi-faceted and takes inspiration from myriad sources…To get my point across as to why I haven’t paid much attention to Barack Obama, I’ll “sample that riff” and say Obama is like jazz in every way. It’s the same old standards being played over and over again…he’s just got a better saxophone, a nicer stage presence, and the guts to change a couple notes here and there. But, it has always still sounded like “Star Dust” to me.
Obama is a liberal, no questions asked, and though Mansfield seems to swoon at times in the book, he is smart enough to take on the tough issues that surround what he sees as an up-and-coming movement on the American Left to wrest Christianity from the Right. For instance, how can one claim to follow the teachings of Jesus in his private life, yet still fully support partial-birth abortion in the public arena? It is one of many instances in the book elucidating how Obama struggles to worship the God he came to accept as his savior and also worship the “state” itself, all while building a massive wall between the two.
Mansfield spends a considerable amount of time on Obama’s membership in the Trinity United Church of Christ, trying to explain why the Senator allowed himself to be mentored by the newly anointed fire-brand Jeremiah Wright. I like many others reacted negatively to the ideas purported by Reverend Wright, but at the same time, I have never supported any minister sullying the pulpit with politics regardless of his denomination or political leanings. The two chapters on Reverend Wright and Trinity United alone are worth the price of admission. Mansfield makes a valiant attempt to tell us “The Rest of the Story” and I found my opinions of Wright tempered. Every man has his failings, whether he is a “man of the cloth” or not. The list of positives attributed to Wright is long… I also understood why Obama struggled with his decision to distance himself from a church he had been a member of for 20 years. One does not make such a decision lightly (or at least shouldn’t).
It is clear that Obama is a man torn between many things. Mansfield has written the definitive book on the spiritual journey of this junior senator from Illinois, a man we hardly knew just two years ago. As he says in the opening of Chapter 3: Faith Fit for the Age, “Men find God in varying ways, even within the Christian fold. For most, faith comes in a progression, through a layering of truth over time. I have walked much of the same roads as Barack Obama, and much of this book contains personal truths. I would surmise this is true for almost every person of faith. There are many questions to be asked and many answers to be understood. I do not envy Obama as he tries to balance his faith with his political ambition. In the end, it could be his undoing…because as Mansfield points out, in some cases, he is fighting against both sides of the political spectrum simultaneously.
If for no other reason than to better understand the man who might be the next President of the United States, I highly suggest this book. It is well written and (gasp) for the most part, objective. As I mentioned earlier, Mansfield seems to swoon in parts, but still presents all the issues we’re thinking about in a frank and honest manner.
In his blog post about why a Christian publisher (Thomas Nelson) decided to publish this book, Mike Hyatt (President & CEO) claimed the agenda of the book was: “to explain Obama’s faith, to put it in historical context, and to explore what it might mean for our collective future.” Mission accomplished, and more.
Reasoned Discourse…From Al Gore?
Let’s start with a premise. The environment is important enough to care about protecting.
That said…I was listening to Al Gore on Fresh Air (yes, conservative friends, I listen to Fresh Air) on the way home this afternoon from work with Ruxx Deluxx. Al Gore was on with Ms. Gross discussing his newly paperbacked book, The Assault on Reason. Now, Mr. Gore and I do not agree on many things but I really attempted to keep an open mind because I agree with the basic premise that our culture is becoming less and less capable of having a rational discussion on any topic. However, hearing the former Vice President and “A Number One” enviroactivist complain that we aren’t having rational discussions about the environment caused my eyelids to twitch.
Al Gore has proclaimed time and time again that “science has spoken” and that there is no doubt that humans are causing a climate crisis. “There is no room for argument…only room for action,” is another one of his favorite phrases. So, where’s the rational discourse here, Mr. Gore? I suppose that only one who agrees with his position can be considered of sound mind and he hides this skeleton in a closet full of complaints about Paris Hilton, OJ Simpson, Michael Jackson, and (shockingly) President Bush. In his message to Amazon Readers, he states “fear has become a more powerful political tool than trust.”
Of course, nothing in Earth in the Balance or his Nobel Prize winning Power Point (an Inconvenient Truth) is fear based. This kind of blatant hypocrisy drives me loopy. His reply would be that he is simply trying to create a “well-informed citizenry,” away from the government. When thrown a Nerf ball question on how he manages to not overwhelm people with fear in his print and screen works, he focuses on the “opportunities” that the crisis provides us and is quite upbeat and optimistic. Back on the radio…Gore did even say that people who disagreed with his positions were “paid by the largest carbon producers.” In other words…they are industry schills, which is tantamount to tobacco lobbyists and ambulance chasing lawyers. The scum of the Earth.
Yes, I want rational discourse on the environment as well, Mr. Gore. But I think you need to step back and look at the fact that your traveling show is one of the things that is actually preventing it. Let’s let the smart guys figure all this out and take the politicians and activists out to lunch…then again, good luck on getting them to agree on the place to eat 
.
A One Word Epiphany
I figured it out. I’ve been struggling with what my problem has been of late, and was lucky enough to find one word to describe it.
UNINSPIRED.
Here’s how I figured it out. I stumbled across the YouTube video of Paul Potts, winner of the 2007 Britain’s Got Talent on Seth Godin’s blog. Seth spent a lot of time going on about the judges on the panel being snarky so I decided to give it a look because who doesn’t like to see snarky critics getting surprised by a talented Joe from South Wales. So, I watched this guy come up to the microphone looking more depressed than a Bassett Hound in a rocking chair factory and like he was about to cry. Zero confidence, but still the guts to give it a shot. The look on his face when he realized the judges were winking at each other with attitudes of “oh great, here we go…” literally told me his entire life story. A talented guy, with some lessons under his belt, but no confidence in his abilities and not enough strength to reach beyond his normal way of life and take a total leap of faith. A guy who made me forget a true snarl of teeth and that will buck the ridiculous trends of beauty = dynamic marketing.
It took all of 20 seconds into his performance for me to start crying. I then remembered his face from a quick news item on him from CBS News the day after he won. First thing I said to my wife was “hope he uses the money to fix those teeth.” Dammit. Such an asshole to say such a thing. In my defense, I did not hear him sing until today, but still. Jackass.
Anyway, watching him the fourth time made me realize that his story INSPIRED me (as it did millions of others I guess since it is the highest rated YouTube video as of Jan. 10, 2008). A quick note here, I am thrilled to see this is the highest rated YouTube video and not some Jackass stunt or girl with big ‘ahems’ and a witty-wet t-shirt. I am not one of those people who says “If Paul Potts can do it, then so can I!” That’s just ridiculous. However, I was moved by his strength and his weaknesses. I was moved by his amazing talent and his staggering humility. I was moved by a man who I knew would rise to a level of stardom that few attain, but would appreciate every moment. And, I am thrilled that someone bucked the trend of “you gotta be beautiful (or have a beautiful spouse) first.”
I want to be inspired. Not by the same old policies, the rehashed and renamed ideas, nor the words of others that actually did inspire in the past. I want to hear something new, something creative, something that everyone thinks is crazy at first but that can still work…
Kind of like a cell-phone salesman and amateur tenor with bad teeth making the ever prickish Simon Cowell stare dumbfounded in awe, winning a televised competition, performing for the queen, cutting a double platinum OPERA album, and creating a whole new world for himself.
Yeah. Kinda like that.
A Response…
After reading the comment on my last post, I wanted to take a few days away from The Monday Nut to reflect on what I had said. It was an impassioned piece that I wrote with my heart firmly affixed to my sleeve and although I wanted to fire back, it would have just been a knee-jerk reaction. So, I decided to leave it for a while and look for something that would inspire a response I truly believed would be worthwhile. I would add a very strong caveat of this post before you read on. Many readers are dear friends of mine, and this is in no way a criticism of any person, their beliefs, or the way they conduct themselves. Think of this only as a letter “from me, to me” that I am sharing.
I found my epiphany this morning while reading The Ambassador, by Morris L. West (1965, Dell Publishing Co.). The main character has been meeting with a Buddhist (Zen) monk in Japan since the death of his wife, and they begin to discuss the politics behind being an ambassador. The monk stops his student and says the following:
“But the problem of politics is only a multiplication of the problem of the individual, and we try to solve it in the same way: by proposing ourselves to a limited end which, if attained, will signify success.”
The part which I want to discuss follows the colon “by proposing ourselves to a limited end which, if attained, will signify success.” In my humble opinion, America is starving itself of its birthright. In doing so, the very foundation upon which this great land has been firmly set for over two centuries is crumbling and will soon become like the bones of the great societies of old.
When the antecedents of this nation began their quest for unification, they proposed a flexible, versatile system of governing which would allow for not only unhampered opportunity, but for creativity as well. I would advance the idea that our ancestors took a deity-like stance in writing The Constitution and creating a truly unique and unprecedented form of government. While God created the world and handed it to us with free will and a few simple rules to prevent us mucking it all up; those men in Philadelphia crafted a system, gave us a few rules, and then prayed to God we wouldn’t muck it all up.
One of the freedoms we were given in the beginning was the ability for all citizens to undertake discourse on issues, with the thought that anyone can be creative enough to propose an idea that may be useful in advancing a united nation as a whole.
Certainly, part of being an American is to use your creativity for individual gain, and we have a staggering history of citizens that have created success not only for themselves, but countless others as well. Our system is set up to reward, and although it is not perfect, there is none other that is comparable.
Here’s where my problem with this election (and our political process as a whole) comes in. Where is the discourse that allows someone to propose creative solutions that will advance this united nation? Or, better yet, where are the proposals that will reunify this fractured union? When I mentioned in my previous post that watching conservatives and liberals going at it was kind of like watching the Royals and the Brewers play an entire season against only one another, I meant it. We are bound to basically two ideals in this country. A better word here would actually be “shackled.”
An example for you, from what I consider my own inability to think creatively. I was driving to the local mall today, and saw a gaggle of Ron Paul supporters on the sidewalk trying desperately to drum up support for their candidate by yelling, waving signs and singing songs. The first thought in my head was, “Ron Paul is a lunatic and these people are even loonier for supporting him.” I have been conditioned to think one way, and one way only.
My way.
I’m right. I have the answers, and no one is going to tell me differently. In doing so, I automatically shut off my ability to think creatively, and allow others to do so as well. Instead of allowing other people to even have ideas, I spend my time calling names because it is fun to do so, especially in this time of irresponsible anonymous communication. The truth is, once you think you know everything, you don’t know nothing. In a society with unlimited possibilities granted “by God” and our forefathers as well, what more limiting situation could there be?
So, what do I propose? Nothing at the moment that would be employable. All I know is that the United States of America is truly the greatest nation ever set forth on this planet, but I am greatly concerned for its future. There is no other nation with such potential and the ability to use it for the good of all (unity). But, all the potential in the world is meaningless if we spend our time pushing only our ideals and refusing to openly look at any others.
That said, I believe one thing I can do is to stop “writing” about politics. I’ve made my fair share of jabs at several personalities, and no longer consider those comments of any real worth. I am sure that I will err in conversation trying to be witty, but my hope is that I can avoid it, and my desire is to ensure I am successful. If I do not, then everything I have said about looking for (and allowing others to seek as well) creative solutions is lost.
