Tag Archives: health care

1/28 Not Me. Us. Why It Resonates & Open Thread

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Last night I mentioned there would be some new videos coming out. Sanders Campaign announced there would be some new ad buys too.

Here’s the newest one, released a couple of hours ago:

When I see the surprise health care bills, I remember e-mailing the scheduling coordinator to put me in touch with someone to give me financial figures for what my insurance covered vs what I had to pay out of pocket for my total knee joint replacement. No one could give me a straight answer. Finally, I figured out on my own what extra co-pays were, and all of the incidentals, such as:

  • a better water therapy system to ice my leg ($200)
  • cleansing sheets to prep for surgery
  • a cane ($12)
  • co-pays for allergy tests to ensure I wouldn’t have any issues with the implants $120.00)
  • co-pays for home health care by a nurse and physical therapy (PT), both at home and 2x weekly outpatient PT ($320)
  • a walker ($10, but the hospital billed the insurance company $195 for a $10 item)/li>
  • a plastic leg sleeve to wear over my knee wound while showering
  • prescriptions ($90)

Other incidentals not paid by insurance include my med CBD card (and caregiver’s card), CBD related medications, doctor’s visit to qualify for medical CBD, and other supplements.

The bill was $83,000, and it looks to be aligned with what Medicare pays for reimbursement to most hospitals. I paid $350 for my hospital stay that took care of most of that. So except for more PT, my insurance isn’t much better than Medicare, and we still have to go through so many hoops to get approval for the number of sessions, etc. I just get bumped in the line a little sooner.

First hand, I saw what happened to a 93-year-old woman who broke her leg. Other than giving her low dose meds, there was not a surgeon available until midday the next day. When Sanders says he wants to see improvements as well as an expansion of Medicare, I see the two must go hand in hand. She was in pain all night, but didn’t complain very much. Someone had given me a rose while in the hospital, and I left it for that older woman to foster her continued courage.

Exercise and nutrition are a big part of the process. I dropped 38 lbs before surgery and lost another 16 since then. It costs more to eat less because healthy food and supplements are more expensive than processed food. I also joined Weight Watchers for Free, but pay for digital membership for keeping track of my food. In addition, the Bennys have a couples’ membership to a community recreational center, and I tried Curves for a while (which is very good for those of us who wear Silver Sneakers; I just wished my organization offered wellness plans such as Silver Sneakers). I was able to plan ahead 3 months.

I banked up nearly 3 months of sick leave and used about 2 months of it. Could I’ve returned to work after a month? Yes, if I had to. Would I have been sufficiently ready for all-day pain still at 5 weeks PO? For me, absolutely not.

When Bernie had his heart attack, he was fighting for us. And I have verbalized more than once to my primary care physician that some of the rules for the healthcare system seemed laborious for both doctors and patients.

That’s part of my Bernie story.

What other news or thoughts for today? Consider this an open thread.

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

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

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

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

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

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

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

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

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

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

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 →