Tag Archives: health care

7/11 News & Afternoon/Evening OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Hello Friends! A fresh thread for us.

Bernie picked a very good battle, one very much worth fighting, when he jumped into the planned closure of Hahnemann University Hospital.

Politico: Sanders says Philadelphia hospital closure ‘illustrates the entire problem’ with healthcare

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., condemned the planned closure of Philadelphia-based Hahnemann University Hospital as an example of the failure of the U.S. healthcare system, Politico reports.

“The situation in Philadelphia illustrates the entire problem: In a city with one of the highest poverty rates in the country, a major hospital serving low-income communities is on the verge of laying off 2,500 people, abandoning 500 medical residents, and closing its operations thanks to an investment firm looking to make as much money as possible in a corporate fire sale,” Mr. Sanders said July 7, according to Politico.

Mr. Sanders voiced his support for the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, which is advocating to keep the hospital open. The union represents 800 registered nurses at Hahnemann University Hospital. PASNAP endorsed Mr. Sanders in 2016

 

Important story from about the closing of Hahnemann Univ. Hospital in Philadelphia. Its private equity owner is bankrupting the 171 year-old medical center and selling the real estate for luxury condos

https://twitter.com/ddayen/status/1149279612863680513

 

Private Equity’s Latest Scheme: Closing Urban Hospitals and Selling Off the Real Estate

Private equity experts worry that private equity firms buying up hospitals simply to sell them for their real estate could become a trend.

“This is an industry where once somebody does this successfully, lots of other private equity firms will follow,” says Eileen Appelbaum. “You just have to think to yourself how many hospitals are in gentrifying neighborhoods in urban America, where the property is worth a lot more than the hospital itself.” Indeed, Freedman could carry this off himself: Paladin has Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C.’s luxury condo–packed U Street neighborhood in its portfolio, along with four hospitals in south and east Los Angeles.

Union workers and community members say that’s why they intend to fight against the closing.

“It’s a community, despite the fact that there are lots of hospitals in the city of Philadelphia, the patients and workers who get served by one hospital are a community,” says Sue Bowes. “I am fighting really hard for this hospital not just for us but so that another hedge fund doesn’t come in and close down hospitals, and leave patients with nowhere to go. It’s just simply wrong.”

My question is, how the heck did a private equity vulture get his hands on a university hospital?

9/26 Graham-Cassidy Bill Now in the Drawer; Corker Will Not Run in 2018; Senate Race-AL & Evening OT

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The Graham-Cassidy bill, which had one hearing and one CNN debate, didn’t it make to the floor today. Senate Majority McConnell had to call it a day and said they would move on to tax breaks for the rich reform. From WaPo: The Senate leaders said they would turn their attention to their next major legislative undertaking. “Where we go from here is tax reform,” Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters after holding a closed-door policy lunch with members of his caucus. I would like to thank every single American who came out to fight back and save our … Continue reading →

9/25 Sanders/Klobuchar – Cassidy/Graham CNN Debate Liveblog & OT

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Greetings!

In a couple of hours, CNN will be hosting a debate on whether or not the Affordable Care Act of 2010 should be repealed and replaced with a GOP version offered by Senators Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham. While every Democrat has thus far indicated they will not support the passage of the bill, it’s not dead in the pipeline yet, at least technically. Only 51 yes votes are required to pass it, but under the senate rules, the window for a simple majority is available only until September 30th.

The C/G bill has not had no vetting in terms of CBO financial/budgetary scores or substantive hearings, except for one hearing this afternoon. Thus CNN has offered a venue for the public (if one is a subscriber of cable or some streaming bundle packages) to debate the merits of keeping ACA intact for now, or repealing the bill altogether and replacing it with this new bill. The debate will be moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, and the event starts at 9ET/8CT/6PT.

Update: Senator Susan Collins of Maine has issued a written statement that she opposes the Graham-Cassidy bill.

This post serves as an open thread for other news today as well as liveblogging the event.

7/20 New AP-NORC Poll Finds More Support for Government to Ensure Healthcare Access

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Like Obamacare? Maybe not too much. From The Hill: An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds 62 percent of Americans think it is the responsibility of the federal government to ensure Americans have access to coverage. Another 37 percent disagree. Americans were split on the issue along partisan lines. More than 80 percent of Democrats said the federal government has the responsibility to make sure all Americans have healthcare coverage, while about 30 percent of Republicans said the same. The poll was conducted from June 13 to 17 among 1,019 adults. The margin of error is 4.1 percentage points. The poll was … Continue reading →

If we want single payer healthcare, progressives have to pressure the Democratic leadership

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Meet the Press had Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) on today to talk Health-Care. Cassidy made headlines in May for insisting any healthcare plan meet “the Jimmy Kimmel test”. Cassidy supposedly agrees that healthcare is a right. The devil though, is in the details, and when he began talking about letting state legislatures and governors determine what was “affordable”, I realized it’s just a talking point for him, to appear “bipartisan”. Block grants, or state administered programs allow Republicans to play the game they’ve been playing for several decades. Attacks on progressive programs generally fail under the bright lights of Congress, so they … Continue reading →

6/29 Something’s Bernin’! Rep Seth Moulton Calls for New Dem Party Leadership & TPW Afternoon/Evening Thread

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Here’s Our Revolution’s new President, Nina Turner (video released about an hour ago) [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsiVEfJvb3c[/embedyt] “With These Hands, We will Continue To Rise” Rep Seth Moulton called for new leadership in the Democratic Party while being interviewed on NPR. SIEGEL: What was so big about the loss in Georgia that it shows the Democrats need a new message, a new vision? MOULTON: Well, now we’re 0-4 in these congressional special elections. And we’re at the worst electoral position that the Democratic Party has been in in decades. And so when you keep losing like that, you can’t keep doing the … Continue reading →

6/27 Rep Chaffez Channels George Harrison and More Piggie News (Afternoon OT)

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Do you ever notice when Bernie is listening to an opponent or some misguided TV personality makes an unsubstantiated comment that borders unfairness? Bernie’s ears prick up and one can see the waggling of the finger signals that he wants to call that person to the floor where most of us reside. Today I had a similar reaction when I saw this news in the OT and I wanted to bring a little more attention to it. It’s Jason Chaffez’s demand musing that Congress receive housing stipends in addition to their $174,000 annual salary, free gym, and heavily subsidized health … Continue reading →

NY Senate is one senate vote away from passing Single Payer Health Care.

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The New York Health Act passed the NY assembly this year, just as it has the past two years. The NYHA would establish a single-payer universal health-care system in New York, covering all New York residents. Every New York resident would be eligible to enroll, regardless of immigration status, age, income, wealth, employment, or other status. Coverage would include all services currently required by the state’s insurance laws and offered in the health-care plans offered to state public employees. The plan would be funded through a progressive payroll tax/deduction that would replace health-insurance premiums for most employees. The tax would be graduated with … Continue reading →

5/4 House of Barons Passes ACA Replacement Bill, including Exemptions for Congress to Duck Pre-existing Conditions, Afternoon/Evening Open Thread

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The House just passed the ACHA , 217-213.  Twenty GOP’ers did vote against it.  However, none of those same 20 did not vote against the exemption of Congress from the pre-existing conditions and other things in the bill.    Tax breaks for the Koch Brothers, commoners may lose access because why?  Follow me after the jump.