I have two announcements for you today. First, I’m honored to announce that I’ve been asked to serve on the Board of Directors of Consumers for Affordable Health Care. They are a ”…nonprofit, nonpartisan, research and advocacy organization committed to helping all Maine people obtain quality, affordable health care.” After spending 20 years working in health care for the private sector, I'm thrilled to be able to give back by helping with CAHC's important work.
The second announcement is that I’ve decided to split this blog in two. I’ve been thinking for a while that the content is a bit schizophrenic with me jumping from a discussion of Medicare Advantage plans to my fondness for The Big Bang Theory. So, moving forward I’ll maintain two separate blogs. The first called Mitchell on Health Care will be focused exclusively on Health Care issues. The second called Mitchell at Play will focus on fun stuff like TV, cooking, restaurant reviews, etc.
I’ve copied relevant posts to their respective new homes. Please let me know in the comments section on the new sites what you think.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
A look back, a step forward
With Saturday night’s historic vote to allow Senate debate on their health care reform bill, it’s a good time to look back on how we got here, and think about the path forward.
The New York Times published a great interactive chart showing the history of health care reform:
A History of Health Care Reform - For almost a century, presidents and members of Congress have tried and failed to provide universal health benefits to Americans.
It reminds us that for almost 100 years, we’ve been trying to get this done. It also makes us think of all those people who went wanting when their lives could have been so different. But past is past, and while the bill taking shape in Washington will not accomplish everything we had hoped, it will represent a vast improvement over the status quo. (I know the final bill has not taken final shape yet, but general framework of making health care available to more people and starting to reign in the unsustainable cost increases is clear.)
There is so much that can still go wrong given the poisonous partisan atmosphere in Washington. Extremists on both sides of the aisle will claim that the bad things in the bill outweigh the good (and if you’ve watched TV in the past few days you’ve seen commercials hammering home their points). But we can’t fail again! Just because the bill doesn’t help everyone and fix everything, does not mean it’s not worth passing.
We must pass a bill this session. The time is now. It won’t be perfect, but it will be a step forward.
The New York Times published a great interactive chart showing the history of health care reform:
A History of Health Care Reform - For almost a century, presidents and members of Congress have tried and failed to provide universal health benefits to Americans.
It reminds us that for almost 100 years, we’ve been trying to get this done. It also makes us think of all those people who went wanting when their lives could have been so different. But past is past, and while the bill taking shape in Washington will not accomplish everything we had hoped, it will represent a vast improvement over the status quo. (I know the final bill has not taken final shape yet, but general framework of making health care available to more people and starting to reign in the unsustainable cost increases is clear.)
There is so much that can still go wrong given the poisonous partisan atmosphere in Washington. Extremists on both sides of the aisle will claim that the bad things in the bill outweigh the good (and if you’ve watched TV in the past few days you’ve seen commercials hammering home their points). But we can’t fail again! Just because the bill doesn’t help everyone and fix everything, does not mean it’s not worth passing.
We must pass a bill this session. The time is now. It won’t be perfect, but it will be a step forward.
Monday, November 16, 2009
As if we needed more proof that the health care situation in this country is unacceptable
The Associated Press: Study: Injured uninsured more likely to die in ER
Uninsured patients with traumatic injuries, such as car crashes, falls and gunshot wounds, were almost twice as likely to die in the hospital as similarly injured patients with health insurance, according to a troubling new study.
The findings by Harvard University researchers surprised doctors and health experts who have believed emergency room care was equitable.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Health Care Reform and Abortion
No one ever said health care reform was going to be easy. But does it have to be quite so hard? Last week in the final days before the house passed the “historic” legislation, an issue we thought was settled once again reared its ugly head: How would abortion be handled by plans offered through the exchange.
The answer was going to be that the funds would be segregated, no government subsidy would pay for abortion (even though it is a legal procedure in all 50 states); coverage would be paid out of the individuals’ share of the premium. Ironically, this construct is similar to how catholic schools get money; the money only pays for the sectarian part of the education, not the religious part. (If one of these mechanisms is a gimmick, aren't both of them?)
Suddenly in the final days before the vote, that answer was no longer acceptable. Thus the Stupak amendment came to pass.
Following is an excerpt from Prescriptions: Abortion Puts Some in Congress in a Bind
By By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
What do I think? As I'm writing this on Sunday afternoon (11/15/09) I’m not sure. Some Democrats are saying they won’t vote for a final bill that includes the Stupak amendment – is that the right response? I vehemently believe in a women’s right to choose, that part of me says don’t vote for the bill. I also vehemently believe that we must pass some form of health reform this year to expand coverage and start to rein in costs – to not do so will be to miss an historic opportunity and result in a continuation of unnecessary deaths. All I can say today is I’m saddened by the forces in this country that continue to work towards division instead of compromise.
The answer was going to be that the funds would be segregated, no government subsidy would pay for abortion (even though it is a legal procedure in all 50 states); coverage would be paid out of the individuals’ share of the premium. Ironically, this construct is similar to how catholic schools get money; the money only pays for the sectarian part of the education, not the religious part. (If one of these mechanisms is a gimmick, aren't both of them?)
Suddenly in the final days before the vote, that answer was no longer acceptable. Thus the Stupak amendment came to pass.
Following is an excerpt from Prescriptions: Abortion Puts Some in Congress in a Bind
By By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Robert J. Blendon, a professor of health policy at Harvard, said the choice between trying to stop an erosion of abortion rights and trying to improve health care for women pitted “what are described as two fundamental human rights — the right to universal coverage and the right of access to reproductive services — against each other.”This issue isn’t going away. As outlined in this Reuters’ analysis by Ed Stoddard there are no easy solutions but lots of potential damage: ANALYSIS-Abortion exposes divisions among U.S. Democrats
“They aren’t just policy trade-offs,” he said. “And that’s why this is so wrenching.”
What do I think? As I'm writing this on Sunday afternoon (11/15/09) I’m not sure. Some Democrats are saying they won’t vote for a final bill that includes the Stupak amendment – is that the right response? I vehemently believe in a women’s right to choose, that part of me says don’t vote for the bill. I also vehemently believe that we must pass some form of health reform this year to expand coverage and start to rein in costs – to not do so will be to miss an historic opportunity and result in a continuation of unnecessary deaths. All I can say today is I’m saddened by the forces in this country that continue to work towards division instead of compromise.
The sad thing is that this is completely normal
The article talks about a lobbyist supplying the same text to Democratic and Republican congressmen for inclusion in the congressional record. This happens all the time... And we wonder (or maybe we've stopped wondering) why it is so hard to do the "people's" business in Congress.
In House, Many Spoke With One Voice: Lobbyists?
By ROBERT PEAR
Published: November 15, 2009
More than a dozen lawmakers? statements on the health care debate were ghostwritten by lobbyists working for Genentech, a biotechnology company.
In House, Many Spoke With One Voice: Lobbyists?
By ROBERT PEAR
Published: November 15, 2009
More than a dozen lawmakers? statements on the health care debate were ghostwritten by lobbyists working for Genentech, a biotechnology company.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Sorry I haven't posted in a while
To be honest, I was upset about last week's election (Maine Prop 1) but didn't want to write anything bitter. Now that some time has passed, I'm just left with a feeling of disappointment in the voters for being taken in by the fear mongering of the opposition.
But life goes on, and it’s time to turn our attention back to health care. In the next few days I'll have more to say about some of the ongoing issues (we can't let the quicksand that is the abortion issue in this country derail health care reform) but for today, just a link to an article about my adopted state talking about how hard this all is (and to me highlighting why we need fundamental change).
From today's NY Times: Maine Finds a Health Care Fix Elusive
But life goes on, and it’s time to turn our attention back to health care. In the next few days I'll have more to say about some of the ongoing issues (we can't let the quicksand that is the abortion issue in this country derail health care reform) but for today, just a link to an article about my adopted state talking about how hard this all is (and to me highlighting why we need fundamental change).
From today's NY Times: Maine Finds a Health Care Fix Elusive
Sunday, November 01, 2009
OK, enough with social justice issues for now, back to the fun stuff!
When I started this blog I said it would be a little of everything, some serious some not so serious. Time for some not so serious with various TV updates:
V premiers this Tuesday on ABC (watch the first nine minutes of the pilot here: http://www.tvguide.com/News/Watch-Minutes-ABCs-1011206.aspx). I loved the original miniseries and have great expectations for the new version!
Scrubs returns on Dec 1 with two episodes, Better off Ted returns the following week to share the hour. (Remember this is a reengineered scrubs taking place in the medical school with Turk and Dr. Cox as the only two returning full time cast members – however, all the other regulars have agreed to make some appearances.)
NBC has ordered 6 additional episodes of Chuck – meaning they plan on it returning early next year instead of next March as originally scheduled. YAY!
Finally, this week we got our first look at trailers for 2 eagerly awaited Winter shows (the two MOST eagerly awaited shows) LOST and 24 – The LOST trailer was a complete non event (watch it here: http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/10/30/lost-season-6/) no new footage at all. Of course without telling us anything it did remind us how much we miss the show and how much we’re anticipating the final season. The 24 trailer (watch it here: http://www.tvguide.com/News/24-Bauer-York-1011345.aspx) does include scenes from the new season, or as we refer to it Jack’s next day from hell – this time he’s in NY and trying to retire so he can spend time with his daughter and granddaughter – I’m sure you can figure out how well that works out.
As always, let me know what you think in the comments section.
V premiers this Tuesday on ABC (watch the first nine minutes of the pilot here: http://www.tvguide.com/News/Watch-Minutes-ABCs-1011206.aspx). I loved the original miniseries and have great expectations for the new version!
Scrubs returns on Dec 1 with two episodes, Better off Ted returns the following week to share the hour. (Remember this is a reengineered scrubs taking place in the medical school with Turk and Dr. Cox as the only two returning full time cast members – however, all the other regulars have agreed to make some appearances.)
NBC has ordered 6 additional episodes of Chuck – meaning they plan on it returning early next year instead of next March as originally scheduled. YAY!
Finally, this week we got our first look at trailers for 2 eagerly awaited Winter shows (the two MOST eagerly awaited shows) LOST and 24 – The LOST trailer was a complete non event (watch it here: http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/10/30/lost-season-6/) no new footage at all. Of course without telling us anything it did remind us how much we miss the show and how much we’re anticipating the final season. The 24 trailer (watch it here: http://www.tvguide.com/News/24-Bauer-York-1011345.aspx) does include scenes from the new season, or as we refer to it Jack’s next day from hell – this time he’s in NY and trying to retire so he can spend time with his daughter and granddaughter – I’m sure you can figure out how well that works out.
As always, let me know what you think in the comments section.
Separate is not equal
Election day is Tuesday, while I have an opinion on all the items on the ballot (I know, you’re all shocked) the most important item is Proposition 1 – The fact that no state has yet upheld the right of all people to marry is a disgrace to our country. If you are in Maine, please vote and vote no on 1.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Health Care and Marriage Equality
Both of these issues are getting a lot of play here in Maine. Health Care maybe even more so than in the rest of the country due to the importance of our Republican Senators’ (Snow and Collins) potential support of a Democratic bill. Marriage Equality because after being the first state to pass legislation allowing gay marriage that was NOT court mandated, an election fight is underway as opponents try and pass a people’s veto to repeal the legislation. I’ve written about both issues separately, today I want to talk about what they have in common.
The answer to what they have in common comes from the following two part question: Who do you identify with and who can you identify with? You might think about your family, your church, your group of friends, your school, your town, your country. Another way of asking this is how do you define your pack? Years ago, Hillary Clinton wrote about it taking a village, but again, what is a village? How are we defining our community? Regardless of how we answer today, the two issues represent part of the struggle to get to the point where we extend the definition of our reference group to all individuals.
As we developed, we started to learn to get past thinking only about ourselves. It has been noted by many that the path of our growth as a society has been our ability to identify with larger and larger groups. First it was our family, then our tribe, then our village and so on. Now we no longer fear every stranger that comes down the road; however, there is still more progress to be made.
The civil rights movement can be viewed as extending our view of the group we identify with to people of all races. Seeing a larger group as deserving of the same legal protections and rights that some already had. The battle for gay rights (and gay marriage) is a continuation of that struggle to yet another segment of the population. As we come to recognize that ultimately the key group we belong to is mankind we realize that everyone deserves the same protections and rights.
As with recognizing that all individuals deserve the right to marry, we must recognize that all individuals deserve access to health care. Again, the definition of ourselves as being part of the group of all individuals is key. It leads to recognition of the shared responsibility to take care of each other. Keep this in mind as the debate rages on in Washington. The discussion should only be about the details, the goal of affordable access to care for everyone must be taken as a given.
As always I encourage you to share your comments below.
The answer to what they have in common comes from the following two part question: Who do you identify with and who can you identify with? You might think about your family, your church, your group of friends, your school, your town, your country. Another way of asking this is how do you define your pack? Years ago, Hillary Clinton wrote about it taking a village, but again, what is a village? How are we defining our community? Regardless of how we answer today, the two issues represent part of the struggle to get to the point where we extend the definition of our reference group to all individuals.
As we developed, we started to learn to get past thinking only about ourselves. It has been noted by many that the path of our growth as a society has been our ability to identify with larger and larger groups. First it was our family, then our tribe, then our village and so on. Now we no longer fear every stranger that comes down the road; however, there is still more progress to be made.
The civil rights movement can be viewed as extending our view of the group we identify with to people of all races. Seeing a larger group as deserving of the same legal protections and rights that some already had. The battle for gay rights (and gay marriage) is a continuation of that struggle to yet another segment of the population. As we come to recognize that ultimately the key group we belong to is mankind we realize that everyone deserves the same protections and rights.
As with recognizing that all individuals deserve the right to marry, we must recognize that all individuals deserve access to health care. Again, the definition of ourselves as being part of the group of all individuals is key. It leads to recognition of the shared responsibility to take care of each other. Keep this in mind as the debate rages on in Washington. The discussion should only be about the details, the goal of affordable access to care for everyone must be taken as a given.
As always I encourage you to share your comments below.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Fall TV 2009 – An Update
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times (OK, not original but I always wanted to start out a post that way). A month into the season we’ve seen the best of times: shows already getting full season pickups (The Middle, Modern Family and Cougar Town among others) and the worst of times: a show cancelled after two episodes (The Beautiful Live) and a show cancelled even before it aired (Southland). I can’t help but mention that the two cancelled shows were not on my recommended list while the three renewed shows were :)
In general I’ve been happy with my picks. Of the returning shows Big Bang Theory is having a break out year – if you haven’t tried it yet, please do. Also off to particularly good starts among the returning shows are How I Met Your Mother, Castle and the Mentalist (but remember to take these for what they are, pure fun escapism - don’t look for realism in any of them).
Most of the rest of the returning shows on my list are still keepers. However there are two I’m having issues with: Dollhouse is an interesting experiment but after a season plus it still has issues. The plots and characters are inconsistent. The best episode of the series is the one never aired on TV (Epilogue that was shot in case the series was cancelled last year and is available only on the DVD). Given the plunging ratings, this experiment might be over soon. Heroes has been problematic since the second season – once again we were told this is the year it comes back but I’m not sure that’s true. On the plus side is Robert Knepper (T-bag from Prison Break): both a good actor and interesting character. I’m just not sure that he is enough to balance our some of the tired plot lines of the other characters.
Among the new shows, I am in love with Glee and Flash Forward – definitely keepers! Glee is just pure fun and Flash Forward has been more intriguing (and better acted) than expected. I’m still watching most of my other picks, but two have already been dropped: Accidentally on Purpose - I watched one episode and it was just horrible, according to the ratings and reviews most people seem to agree with me so it will probably not be on much longer. The other one I never even got started on, The Forgotten. I just couldn’t seem to find time to add another crime show to my list. Unwatched but still waiting for me on the DVR is The Good Wife: Getting good reviews (and a full season pick-up) I’m still intrigued, I just haven’t gotten around to watching yet but I will soon.
Vampire Diaries has been another pleasant surprise. I was on the fence before it started but am enjoying it. Not on a level with some of the others but it is fun (I get a particular kick out of the meta comments when cast characters talk about the Twilight series). Community and Hank have been disappointing but I’m sticking with them for now. Community because it has moments of amusement and Hank because I’ll let ABC decide for me (being the only one of the four new Wednesday night ABC comedies not to be renewed is a sign it may not be long for this world).
Let me know what you think of the TV season so far by posting a comment.
In general I’ve been happy with my picks. Of the returning shows Big Bang Theory is having a break out year – if you haven’t tried it yet, please do. Also off to particularly good starts among the returning shows are How I Met Your Mother, Castle and the Mentalist (but remember to take these for what they are, pure fun escapism - don’t look for realism in any of them).
Most of the rest of the returning shows on my list are still keepers. However there are two I’m having issues with: Dollhouse is an interesting experiment but after a season plus it still has issues. The plots and characters are inconsistent. The best episode of the series is the one never aired on TV (Epilogue that was shot in case the series was cancelled last year and is available only on the DVD). Given the plunging ratings, this experiment might be over soon. Heroes has been problematic since the second season – once again we were told this is the year it comes back but I’m not sure that’s true. On the plus side is Robert Knepper (T-bag from Prison Break): both a good actor and interesting character. I’m just not sure that he is enough to balance our some of the tired plot lines of the other characters.
Among the new shows, I am in love with Glee and Flash Forward – definitely keepers! Glee is just pure fun and Flash Forward has been more intriguing (and better acted) than expected. I’m still watching most of my other picks, but two have already been dropped: Accidentally on Purpose - I watched one episode and it was just horrible, according to the ratings and reviews most people seem to agree with me so it will probably not be on much longer. The other one I never even got started on, The Forgotten. I just couldn’t seem to find time to add another crime show to my list. Unwatched but still waiting for me on the DVR is The Good Wife: Getting good reviews (and a full season pick-up) I’m still intrigued, I just haven’t gotten around to watching yet but I will soon.
Vampire Diaries has been another pleasant surprise. I was on the fence before it started but am enjoying it. Not on a level with some of the others but it is fun (I get a particular kick out of the meta comments when cast characters talk about the Twilight series). Community and Hank have been disappointing but I’m sticking with them for now. Community because it has moments of amusement and Hank because I’ll let ABC decide for me (being the only one of the four new Wednesday night ABC comedies not to be renewed is a sign it may not be long for this world).
Let me know what you think of the TV season so far by posting a comment.
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