public option » Danine N. Spencer

Transcript and More Thoughts from Lummis Call

I posted a link to this transcript in my Saturday Link-Love but I wanted to post the actual text of my conversation with Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) from last Thursday. As you may recall, I was part of the BlogHer conference call on health care along with some other great bloggers. Reading the transcript back, I’m a little embarrassed at how incoherent I was. Okay, I’m more than a little embarrassed, but I was really emotional. Moreover, I was hesitant and nervous about challenging a Republican member of Congress, even over the telephone.

Here’s what I want to point out: I asked Rep. Lummis if there was any way she could support the current health care reform bill. She never answered that question and instead reverted to her Republican talking points. It seems to me that if Republicans really are in favor of health care reform like they profess to be and aren’t just playing politics, they would realize that health care reform is happening. They would be demanding a chair at the negotiation table and arguing for what was best for their constituents, not their campaign financiers.

The other notable point from the conversation is that after I talked about how Medicaid and disability are demonized, Rep. Lummis went on to tell me I shouldn’t be ashamed of being on the program. Rep. Lummis barely skipped a beat before going on to say that Medicare and Medicaid are going broke and she refuses to burden her daughter and grandchildren with these unsustainable government programs. I’m sure she didn’t realize she was doing it, but Rep. Lummis was doing the exact “demonizing” I was talking about: Making me feel like I am contributing to our national economic downfall by being a recipient of an “entitlement” program. She nearly brought me to tears.

Anyways, here’s my portion of the call:

Operator: Thank you. And the next question coming from the line of 455-L. Please proceed.

(Danine): My name is (Danine) and I am calling from (assumption). I have a complicated medical history and I currently on – I’m so sorry – on Medicaid and I want to get off of those programs, be kind of quite frankly, Medicaid and disability are demonized and treated, you know, every time you talk about an entitlement program, you know, well, they’re demonized.

But I absolutely have to have health insurance. I have a condition called (hydrocephalus) and I have a shunt in my head that relieves the pressure from my brain and every single day of my life, I have to be able to afford health insurance and healthcare.

And I – in order to get off of SSI and Medicaid, I need to be able to – I’m working towards self-employment – and I need to be able to afford health insurance.

And with all due respect and I mean this incredibly, the reality is is that our greatest chance for – I don’t – I can’t – the reality is is that I probably won’t be able to afford private insurance in the current environment and my best option is probably – I’m sorry – but it’s probably in with this healthcare reform as the Democrats are proposing it.

Is there any possible way that you can support their policies or get on-board with healthcare reform in 2009? I need healthcare reform. I need something because the day that I don’t have health insurance, that could be the day that my shunt breaks and I need emergency brain

It’s a life – I think it was literally started – no, I’m sorry. I don’t remember which person said it. That’s the day that I could – that’s the day that – it’s a life and death thing and I’m sorry, but it’s very, very personal for me.

And I need my legislative Congress people to help. I’m not trying to put you on the spot, but…

Cynthia Lummis: No, you’re not putting me on the spot and I appreciate your dilemma. I want you to know how proud I am of America that Medicaid is there for you and you should not feel the least bit apologetic about the fact that Medicaid is serving you to help you with a condition that is highly debilitating and that really affects your quality of life.

That’s why it’s there so please take advantage of it. You are exactly the person that it was meant for. In the case that your condition were to improve to the extent that you could leave the availability of Medicaid, there would be tax credits in Republican plans for low-income people.

Of course the high-risk pools if you still can’t get coverage would be available to you. There is in Republican bills the opportunity for insurance to be purchased across state lines so in states like my state of Wyoming which has a very small population and health insurance cannot be pooled across state lines, bills would allow for Wyoming to participate in much bigger pools.

And the people of Wyoming could band together either through their church or their trade associations or states themselves to provide larger pools of people who can share the burden and lower the cost of health insurance, especially for those of us as I said that are in areas of very small populations.

So by all means, keep your Medicaid, keep healthy to the extent that those medications are helping you have a higher quality of life and don’t be the least apologetic about participating in Medicaid. That’ what it’s there for.

Now the problem I have with the bill that the Speaker rolled-out today is that it forces on states unfunded mandates to expand Medicaid. Where are the states going to get the money to do that?

In California, there would estimates that it could cost California $8 billion a year to expand Medicaid according to the Speaker’s bill. California is already awash in debt. They can’t add $8 billion to the state’s debts in order to cover programs that Congress mandates on them that they can’t afford to pay for.

So the problem I have with the Speaker’s bill and with these government-run programs that Democrats are advocating is that they are not paid for so it will just create a situation just like we’re going to face with Medicare down the road and that is that Medicare will eventually go broke because it is going to be paying out more in benefits than people are paying in.

And with those kinds of unsustainable government programs that promise a lot but are unpaid for, we are burdening our children and grandchildren with paying for us and for our needs without regard to what our children and grandchildren will face in the future.

And I’m opposed to saddling my child and her children with debts that I incur. I need to make sure that while I’m here in Congress, I am being responsible to the next generation and doing the best job I can for us in this generation.

That’s why I encourage you to stay on Medicaid to the extent that you are able to and when your situation improves to the extent that you are able to afford insurance, take advantage of the tax credits. Take advantage of state high-risk pools and thank you and, you know, I hope your condition improves and thank you for your question.

(Danine): I have one quick question. How is Medicare and Medicaid more – how is Medicaid more financially solvent and this is – I’m not being just (cold), I actually want to know?

Cynthia Lummis: What was your question again?

(Danine): Is Medicaid more financially solvent than Medicare?

Cynthia Lummis: Well, Medicaid is – they’re both in trouble. They’re both in trouble in the long run because they’re paying out more in benefits than they take in and every year more of the federal budget is going to pay for entitlement programs, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the states are responsible for of course picking-up a share of Medicaid so it’s also having a big impact on state budgets.

(Danine ): Okay. Thank you.

Read the rest of the transcript here

Saturday Link-Love

Happy Halloween! Hope your Saturday is treating you well. Here are a few of the week’s best links:

First, a little horn-tootin’. I am humbled and honored to be included on this list of 50 Eye-Opening Women’s Studies Blogs, along with some of the great feminist blogs on this list. Check it out!

Ashley at the Small Strokes blog has a new project: This is What a Beautiful Bride Looks Like, which features pictures of real brides. Here’s a description of the site, in Ashley’s own words:

As an engaged woman who loves her body, I am sick and tired of seeing ads for “Wedding Weightloss” routines and images of 100% “perfect,” unattainable brides! Here, I hope to collect some pictures of brides with REAL beauty! To submit a photo, e-mail samsanator(at)gmail(dot)com

On Thursday, I participated in a Conference Call with Rep. Cynthis Lummis (R-WY). BlogHer has now posted the full transcript of the event, including my Q&A with the congresswoman.

Finally, here’s a little Halloween fun for ya. The fab team at Bitch Media has put together an awesome list of Feminist Halloween Costumes. I love the idea of going as one of Jem and the Holograms.

Conference Call with Rep. Cynthia Lummis

This morning I did yet another BlogHer conference call on health care reform. This one was with Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY). Did you catch the “R” after her name? Yep, she’s a Republican and vehemently opposed to “The Speaker’s Bill” as she put it. I’ll do a quick recap of the call, but long story short, there’s not a snowball’s chance in you-know-where that Congresswoman Lummis will vote “aye” on the Affordable Health Care for America Act.

At the beginning of the call, Rep. Lummis told Republicans are in favor of health care reform. They would just do it differently. She said she didn’t know what the rush was and that Republicans want to “borrow the best of the bills” to reform the system one step at a time. She also said the current health care system services 85% of Americans “very well” so we should focus our energy on trying to help the other 15%.

Rep. Lummis’ proposals for piecemeal reform including high-risk insurance pools that are (supposedly) available in every state. She also wants to establish a tax credit so individuals can buy private insurance policies that would be portable even if they lost their job. Her third idea was to allow consumers to buy insurance policies across state lines.

Rep. Lummis said she was “terribly concerned” about “The Speaker’s Bill” (doesn’t it sound evil?) because it shifts many costs to the states by expanding Medicare.” That’s a direct quote. (Hence the quotation marks.) I’m pretty sure she meant to say “Medicaid” as the bill does expand Medicaid. Nothing recent is coming up on Google for “expand Medicare”.

Here are the calls:

Loralee, of the LooneyTunes blog, asked Rep. Lummis to elaborate on her ideas for expanding the high-risk pools. The congresswoman told Loralee she is co-sponsoring HR 3400, which would provide more funding for high-risk pools so individuals could buy into the plans at a lower rate. This would be paid for with unused stimulus funds (which apparently aren’t needed for any of the bridges that are falling down.)

Jaelithe, a blogger for MOMocrats.com, told Rep. Lummis “there is a rush” for health care reform. People like her step-father, who has diabetes, are going without health insurance and life-saving medicine, such as insulin. (Which is kind of important to diabetics). Jaelithe asked Rep. Lummis if there was anything explicitly prohibiting insurers from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions in HR 3400, her go-to bill. To my recollection, Rep. Lummis didn’t really answer that. Instead, she told Jaelithe her step-father could join the high-risk pool in his state. What Rep. Lummis apparently doesn’t know is that high-risk pools are still pretty darn expensive for the average citizen, especially if you’re poor.
Nancy from the Sunlight Foundation asked how Rep. Lummis felt about transparency, at which point, I mentally blocked out so I could figure out what question I wanted to ask
Next up, Yours Truly: I was really emotional so I’m sure this came out crazy and incoherent but I told Rep. Lummis that I have a rare medical condition and that I am on SSI/Medicaid. I don’t want to be on disability because honestly, it’s demonized. I know I said that twice. (The shaming of people on disability, Medicaid and other “entitlement” programs is a post for another day.) I told her I want to get off those programs very badly and am working towards self-employment but I need affordable health insurance. I need health care reform. With all due respect, the only way that’s going to happen this year is with the Democrats’ plan. I asked her if there was any way she could support the Democrats’ billWithout taking a breath, Rep. Lummis did not answer my question. Well, actually, she did – by not answering it.
She started immediately listing her Republican talking points about how they would do health care reform: tax credits, high-risk pools and let people buy insurance across state lines. I actually started rolling my eyes while she was talking. She never once said anything about how she could work to find a compromise with the Democrats which means she can’t. Or won’t.

Also, Rep. Lummis basically told me not to apologize for being on Medicaid and that I was the reason the system was there. I had nothing to be ashamed or guilty about. However, seconds later, she told me both Medicare and Medicaid are going broke and we are saddling our children and grandchildren with back-breaking debt.How am I not supposed to feel guilty about that debt every time I go to the doctor or receive my monthly check via direct deposit? Or how about when Sen. Judd Gregg goes on MSNBC and basically pitches a fit about how health care reform is another entitlement program that will bankrupt future generations, like he did less than an hour before I spoke to Rep. Lummis?

Needless to say, I was not impressed with Rep. Lummis.
I was, however, very impressed with Erin Kotecki Vest who some of you may know as @QueenOfSpain on Twitter. Erin asked Rep. Lummis if she was in favor of expanding Medicare and Medicaid after listening to talk about how wonderful she thought Medicaid was for people like me (more on that in a moment). Rep. Lummis said she was glad I was able to take advantage of Medicaid but said it would be “inaccurate” to say she supports the program as it is. “I’m glad that the safety net is there for the last caller,” she told Erin, referring to me. Still, she said she is an advocate for reforming Medicare. “We must ferret out waste, fraud and abuse.”

Can we please ferret the Republicans out of this debate? I appreciate the bipartisanship that the Sunlight Foundation and Blogher tried to introduce to this conversation but at this point, isn’t the GOP irrelevant? I want to pretend they are, at least, because John McCain and Lindsey Graham’s influence on Joe Lieberman is driving me up the freakin’ wall. If this health care house of cards comes falling down because Joe Lieberman, who was elected vice-president of the United States by the majority of the people in this country in 2000, decides to kill it, I just don’t know what I’ll do.

I just don’t.

UPDATED: 6:09 PM CST

For the record, in case that statement about “what I’ll do” if Joe Lieberman filibusters health care reform sounded weird or could in any way be construed as threatening, let me be clear: The only thing I’ll do is say bad words when no one’s listening so I can pretend I’m still a lady. Or I’ll engage in grassroots lobbying by emailing, faxing and telling my story. Nothing else. Yep, I’m kinda paranoid that anything I write online is considered published and could be traced back to me someday so there. I’ve covered my butt.

Conference Call with Sen Jeff Merkley

This afternoon I had the pleasure of participating in a BlogHer conference call on health care reform with Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR). Sen. Merkley gave a brief statement on the goals of health care reform, saying that it will have an exchange to allow individuals and small business to buy health insurance as part of a large pool. In addition, there will be insurance reforms and investments in wellness and prevention.

After that, Sen. Merkley took questions from members of the BlogHer community. I got to ask the first question, which I have to admit was a teensy bit cool. Here’s what I asked, kinda-sorta verbatim to the best of my recollection:

“I had a spinal cord injury in 2005 and was paralyzed from the neck down. I regained my mobility but I still have a lot of health problems. I’ve been on disability and Medicaid since then. I am hoping to work my way to self-employment but I need affordable health insurance in order to do that. My guess is that the public option will be my best bet. We’ve heard Sen. Reid say that they’re talking about talking about the public option. So what is the status of the public option?”

Sen. Merkley told me that my situation is a good example of why we need health care reform. He said I would benefit from insurance reforms, such as not being denied coverage to a pre-existing condition. He explained I would be able to go to the new insurance exchange, where I could choose from a variety of difference insurance plans, including “hopefully a public option.” Sen. Merkley told me he is working very hard for a public option. “I think the odds are very good”, he said, speaking of the likelihood of a public option being in the final bill.

Looking back at my notes now, I wish I would have asked a follow-up question. I wish I would have asked what the public option would actually do. Who would be eligible? How much would co-pays, premiums and deductibles be? Would there be networks of preferred providers?

Oh well. Maybe I’ll get chance to ask another lawmaker that question. I hope so.

On to the next question: Audrey from Maine, asked why tort reform wasn’t a bigger part of the current push for health care reform. Sen. Merkley explained that tort reform, which has already been done in some states, has not substantially reduced the cost to citizens. In fact, it seems to have had about a 1% (yikes!) impact on the cost to citizens. Furthermore, he said tort reform would take away citizens’ fundamental right to sue for gross negligence.

Audrey also asked why there isn’t a bigger emphasis on health care savings accounts in the current debate. Sen. Merkley replied that most working Americans aren’t able to put money into a health care savings account. “It may be a nice addition to reform… It doesn’t get to the heart of the problem,” he said.

Susan, from Madison, WI, noted the lack of bipartisanship in the current debate on health care, particularly on the public option and wondered what issues Democrats and Republicans are able to find some consensus on. Sen. Merkley said there was bipartisan support for investments in wellness and prevention, disease management, growing the health care workforce and providing incentives to employees to stay healthy.

Sen. Merkley said the biggest difference between Democrats and Republicans is over the public option. Republicans believe in a for-profit health care system but “I couldn’t disagree more,” he said. He explained that he wants a system dedicated to healing people not to profits and shareholders.

Susan asked the senator what it would take to bring bipartisanship back to the issue of the public option. Sen. Merkley explained that some of the compromises currently being discussed might help, such as the opt-out idea, where states can opt-out of the public option if their governor or state legislatures decide to do so.

The final question came from Karalee in California (sorry if I got your name wrong, Karalee). Her family is uninsured and her son was just diagnosed with diabetes. Karalee asked if health care reform is passed, what will fill in the gaps for families like hers until the legislation goes into effect in 2013?

In my opinion, this is one of the best questions of the day (besides mine, of course). Sen. Merkley agreed saying, “It’s an excellent question. Unfortunately, I don’t have an excellent answer.” He went on to say that he has been asking these exactly questions on Capitol. He thinks that states should be allowed to set up their public options and insurance exchanges earlier than 2013 if they’re ready. Stay tuned, he said, because debate on this issue is still underway.

With that, the conference call wrapped up. Thank you, BlogHer and Sen. Jeff Merkley!

My Conference Call with Nancy Pelosi

This morning, I was lucky enough to participate in a BlogHer conference call with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The topic was health care reform and Speaker Pelosi had plenty to say.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Pelosi expressed optimism that health care reform legislation will get passed. “I’m very enthusiastic about where we are on this legislation,” she said. She said women have much to gain from health care reform:

Insurance companies won’t be able to charge women more than men. (Women currently pay as much as 48% more)
It will be illegal to count pregnancy, C-sections and domestic violence as pre-existing conditions.
Insurance companies who participate in the health insurance exchange will be required to have maternity care. (It’s unclear to me if all insurance companies will be required to do so.)
There will be assistance to individuals and families who earn up to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to help buy health insurance.

The first question came from Audrey in Maine, who said her family was facing foreclosure on their home due to huge medical bills. Audrey asked if it was really possible that insurance premiums wouldn’t go up for people in private plans?

Ms. Pelosi explained that there were several provisions in the House bill for Audrey’s situation. There will be no discrimination for pre-existing conditions. Insurance companies couldn’t drop coverage if you get sick. There will be no co-pays for prevention and wellness. There will be yearly and lifetime caps on what you pay out of pocket. If you have a disability or chronic medical condition like Audrey, there will be a cap on what you pay. Ms. Pelosi told Audrey that her case is exactly why the current system needs reform.

The next question came from a woman in Chicago, who happened to be waiting at the DMV. (I didn’t catch her name, sorry DMV lady!) The caller was extremely concerned about the expansion of government into the health care system. “It strikes fear in my heart,” she said, asking Ms. Pelosi to help calm her fears. “We are not doling out health care. We are helping people pay for health insurance,” Ms. Pelosi replied. Ms. Pelosi went on to say that health care reform would be paid for by reducing fraud and waste in the current system. She also insisted the public option has to pay for itself and be “actuarial sound,” which I freely admit is an accounting term that’s way over my head.

Heather from Los Angeles, who has a blood clotting disorder that makes her pregnancies high-risk, asked if there would be any “gray area” on pre-existing conditions. Absolutely not, Ms. Pelosi replied. “There can be no discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions.” She reiterated that all insurance companies who want to participate in the insurance exchange will be required to have maternity care and that insurance companies will want to operate in the exchange because they will have access to millions of new customers.

On the issue of pre-existing conditions, Ms. Pelosi expressed disbelief and disgust at the discrimination women face by insurance companies. “Can you believe that C-sections and domestic violence are pre-existing conditions?” she asked, incredulously.

A caller from St. Louis asked about the proposed cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. Ms. Pelosi said they were going to eliminate the waste, fraud and abuse” in Medicare and Medicaid. She said these efficiencies would extend Medicare solvency by another five years. She quoted the AARP as saying the changes to Medicare would make Medicare more efficient.

Throughout the call, Ms. Pelosi talked about the proposed health insurance exchange. “Reform must take place in the exchange… A public option should be in the exchange.” There will be assistance for individuals (and families, I think) making up to 400% FPL and small businesses to purchase health insurance through the exchange.

After nearly every caller, Ms. Pelosi said, “Keep watching what we’re doing. Hold us accountable.” She said the final House bill she be done within a week or two. It will be posted online at least 72 hours before debate begins on the House floor so look for that.

This was a great opportunity to be a part of this conference call so thank you, BlogHer!

Note: This was written off my notes from the conference call. Actual quotes on the transcript on Blogher.com may be slightly different.

Is Health Care a Privilege or a Right?

I recently watched this intriguing video on health care reform (via CrissWrites.com) which raises the question: Is health care a privilege or a right in this country?

If health care is a right, like the right to free speech or the right to bring a loaded firearm to a presidential town hall, then doesn’t the government have an obligation to help every American get access to quality, affordable health care?

If it is a right, is the government obligated to guarantee quality health care for every citizen?

I think so.

There is no reason why an American should die because she cannot afford quality health care, whether that’s a Pap smear, seizure medication, chemotherapy or prenatal care.

On Friday, First Lady Michelle Obama eloquently made the case that health care is a woman’s issue. She’s right, of course. The health care sob stories always seem to be about women: someone with MS who can no longer work and is about to lose her house because she can’t pay the mortgage; a woman with breast cancer who is facing bankruptcy despite working full-time and having insurance; a woman who works two jobs and simply cannot afford insurance.

Sometimes I wonder whether we would still be debating the need for universal health care at all if these stories were about fifty-year-old (white) men not being able to afford their cholesterol medicine.

Or Viagra.

I Can Live Without a Public Option

I can live without a public option. I can’t live without health care reform. I understand the argument for a strong public option. A government-run insurance plan wouldn’t have the high overhead that private plans do. The American public’s need for quality health insurance that can’t be denied if you have a pre-existing condition or cancelled if you get sick is not being met in our current system and far too many are going without health insurance and indeed, health care.

A public plan, crafted in Congress and based on the needs of consumers, not the bottom line of for-profit insurance companies, has the potential to transform our health care system in ways we probably cannot imagine right now.

But the reality is that change is hard and I don’t want a repeat of the Clinton health care debacle. I am willing to settle for some health care reform, even without a public option, rather than no reform at all. I want as many people to have health insurance as possible. It’s especially important for women.

Seventeen million women have no health insurance at all. Millions more are underinsured. They are not just statistics. In the past three weeks alone, I have learned that two friends of mine are currently without health insurance. One is a young woman in her twenties who changed jobs over the summer. She is currently without health insurance as her old policy ran out and the new policy doesn’t kick in for another month.

My other friend is a married mother of two who owns a small business that employs half a dozen people. Her husband works full-time but doesn’t get insurance through his job and she can’t afford to provide insurance for herself or her employees.

There are also nearly ten million women on Medicaid. As some of you know, I am one of those women. I talk about it a lot because Medicaid is a government-run insurance program (aka Socialized Medicine) and I think it’s important to put a human face on what this Evil Descent Into Fascism really looks like.

Beyond all the rhetoric, what’s really important is this: Without health insurance, you can’t get health care. Going without health care? That’s playing Russian roulette. Just ask Heather Sherba, who was injured in the recent Pittsburgh gym shooting. A recent college graduate, Ms. Sherba thought she was healthy enough to go without health insurance until she found a job.

Um… yeah.

This might be naïve, but I don’t honestly care how we achieve health care reform as long as everyone gets quality, affordable health insurance. If a co-op works, fine. If the Wyden-Bennett plan works, fine. If the public option works, I’ll be thrilled

Progressives, please find a way to do this. It’s a life and death thing for people like me and so many others.

Don’t screw it up.

Kagen Town Hall: The "Illegals" Are Coming!

Rep. Steve Kagen (D-WI) answering questions at town hall in Minocqua, WI, on August 19, 2009

This morning I attended Congressman Steve Kagen’s health care town hall in Minocqua, WI. If you watch MSNBC, you’ve probably heard about Kagen’s first two town halls this summer, which were a little contentious. Since then, he’s had a few more town halls which seem to have gone better. In any case, I haven’t heard about them on Maddow or Countdown so progress, right?

Speaking of the divine Ms. Rachel, Dick Armey must still be smarting from the smackdown he got on Meet the Press last weekend. From what I could tell, most people attending were local; FreedomWorks had skipped this party. There were a few people from out of town but Minocqua is a popular tourist destination so that makes sense.

The “tone” was pretty subdued, quiet and respectful. I think this is partly due to the location. The event was held at the Campanile Center, which used to be a Catholic Church. It was kind of neat; on the quarter hour, somehow they got the bell-player-music-people to play patriotic music instead of the regular chimes. Coolio. (I can’t pull that off, can I? Shucks.)

The church (once a Catholic church, always a Catholic church) was about 75% full and rough half and half men and women, although probably a few more men than women. 90% were over 60 years old. I think I was the youngest person there. The town hall lasted for about an hour and 45 minutes and old men dominated the conversation. Only four men under 60 and five women (including me) total got to ask questions.

The great majority of the old men, except one or two, were opposed to health care reform. Strangely enough, they seemed to be more worried about the “illegals” getting free health care rather than the rising costs of health care, the millions who are uninsured or even the national debt.

One of my favorite questions/comments came from a gentleman who said “illegals” are 40% of the 47 million people without health insurance. He mistakenly believed the “illegals” would be covered under health care reform. “How can you support that?” he asked the congressman. Kagen replied, “I disagree with your numbers.” He said 2/3 of the uninsured are working families. When the man said health care reform is “going to raise our taxes,” Kagen had a very simple answer for him: “That’s not true.”

Another man said, “The government says we can’t round up all the illegals… When they come [for free care] why can’t they get picked up right then and there?”

A third attributed all the problems in our prisons, schools and health care systems to the “illegals”. A recurring theme was that if we just get rid of the ‘”illegals” problem, America would be hunky-dory. I had to laugh when I heard the guy behind me mutter, “If you deport everybody, you’ll have to pick your own tomatoes.”

Many people were upset about the “government takeover” of health care. As one guy (probably in his 30s) put it, “No matter [what you call it], it’s still socialized medicine.” Kagen tried to make the case for health care, but he wasn’t especially convincing. If I had been against health care reform, I don’t think he would have changed my mind. This may be due to his personality and demeanor. He seems to be quiet, polite and respectful, but I can’t see him doing the big stump speeches, rallying the crowds in a “Yes, we can” style.

Kagen said health care-related debt contributes to 2/3 of bankruptcies in northeastern Wisconsin, his district. A constituent disputed Kagen’s statistics. Instead, the man attributed a significant portion of bankruptcies to predatory lending by mortgage giants like AIG. Kagen’s reply? “I got my numbers from the (local) courthouse.”

(Genius. This is Wisconsin, not New Jersey. Except for Madison and Milwaukee, we all live in relatively smaller communities and most of us probably know someone who works for the state or local government. It’s much harder to say government is corrupt when it has a human face: your family, friends, neighbors, etc. So that knocked the wind out of the bankruptcy argument.)

After a particularly boneheaded rant against socialized medicine, I walked up to the front of the church, introduced myself and said,

“With Governor Doyle not running for re-election, we don’t know who the next governor will be and we don’t know what their priorities will be. We don’t know if they’ll keep funding BadgerCare and Medicaid at the current levels. So my question for you is, do you support the public option?”

And then Kagen hedged. He wouldn’t commit to the public option. Here’s the bottom line on Steve Kagen: He wants health care and health insurance reform. That doesn’t necessarily mean a public option. He repeatedly referred to a plan “whether you call it a public option or a co-op or something else”. He wants more investments in prevention. He wants medical providers to openly disclosure fees for all services.

My sense is that he wants a non-profit insurance plan that would be able to put patients’ needs ahead of profit. I don’t think Kagen really cares if it’s the public option, co-op or something like the Wyden-Bennett bill (if that had the necessary protections for patients).

I left feeling like Steve Kagen is an incredibly decent man. I briefly told my story and his eyes kind of popped out. (I had a spinal cord injury 4 years ago and I’ve recovered for the most part). He repeatedly told people he appreciated their comments or questions, even when they were belligerent or stupid. (Those are my words, not his.) He was assertive enough to correct people when they were wrong. By my count, this was his fifth town hall this month. If today’s event was one of the “good” ones, he must really be committed to communicating with his constituents about health care. In contrast, Dave Obey has yet to schedule a single town hall.

There’s lots more to tell about the town hall but it’ll have to wait for tomorrow when I can think clearly again.

Re: public option – I'm so mad I could spit

I woke up this morning at 5:00 AM, two hours before my alarm was set to go off and couldn’t fall back asleep. Why? I am so furious about the supposed demise of the public option I could spit, or scream or both. I don’t care if it’s not lady-like. It’s true.

Why the hell is the public option even up for negotiation? How many times have we heard President Obama say he wants a “uniquely American solution” to the health care crisis? I understand not wanting to dismantle the health insurance industry, if only because of the hundreds of thousands (millions?) of people it employs. Still, the health insurance industry is currently failing at least 46 million people who don’t have insurance. Those are the ones we know about. Then there are the underinsured. Don’t forget the illegal immigrants who emergency, stabilizing treatment in emergency rooms, which hospitals are required to do and adds to all of our health care bills. (Not mine, obviously. I’m one of those “socialized medicine” Medicaid leeches. Yes, I’m that furious today. The sarcasm meter has been broken it’s so high. It’s either that or just have this entire post be a string of @#%&*(!)

Her’s what Howard Fineman had to say about Obama appearing to back away from the public option last night on Countdown:

“My sense of it is, and it has been for a long time, even going back to the rhetoric on the campaign, that Barack Obama has been much more interested in the idea of universality and in making history that way than in the public option, per se”

Thankfully, the fight doesn’t appear to be over. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senators Russ Feingold and Jay Rockefeller all pushed back in a Washington Post article this morning. Rep. Anthony Weiner has been on the offensive over the last 24 hours. Finally, this morning, the White House seems to gotten their act together – sort of. From Thehill.com:

Gibbs reiterated that the president’s preference to create competition and quality in health insurance is through a public option, but Obama is willing to listen to other ideas that would achieve the same outcome.

I’m not asking for a handout. In fact, just the opposite. I’m asking for help in getting off Medicaid, off the government programs. I want to be self-sufficient. I want to buy my own insurance.

Why is this so @#$!@%! difficult?

Seriously? No Public Option?

Today is one of those days where my body is laughing at me saying, “Ha! You really think you could ever work a normal full-time job? Seriously? Are you out of your blooming mind?!” I won’t go into the details but suffice it to say that mobility returned to the extremities but not all of the internal organs. You figure it out. In any case, my full-time job over the last few days has simply been taking care of my physical needs.

I guess that’s why I’m on disability. I really wish I weren’t and I am working hard towards the day when I won’t be. As I’ve said before, I need low-cost health insurance (and a living wage) to get off SSI and Medicaid. That’s why I’m in favor of the public option.

But what the heck, President Obama? Over the past 48 hours, the Obama administration appears to be backing away from the public option. At Saturday’s town hall, President Obama gave a long-winded, three-point answer in response to one question on the public option. Later, while discussing whether or not a private plans could compete with a public option, he said:

This is a legitimate debate to have. All I’m saying is, though, that the public option, whether we have it or we don’t have it, is not the entirety of health care reform. This is just one sliver of it, one aspect of it.

Then, yesterday HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told John King on CNN that the public option is “not essential.” Watch:

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was on CBS’ Face the Nation, where he where he said, “the bottom line for this for the president is, what we have to have is choice and competition in the insurance market.” He did say that the president favored the public option “thus far.” Watch:

On the one hand, I can live without a public option. My only main objective is that health insurance is affordable for low-income people like me. On the hand, seriously?! What the hell have we gone through all of this crazy B.S. for if there won’t be a public option. I’ve shed tears over this. Last week, I stood on a picnic table in front of strangers and briefly told my story. I let Sen. Russ Feingold tell the entire world my story on the Senate floor, all the freakin’ hope that maybe someday I will be financially independent again.

If Obama was going to cave on the public option, why bother even talking about it in the first place? This country has been torn even further apart because the Fox News crowd is using “socialized medicine” to stir up racial tensions. Members of Congress have gotten death threats. In my personal life, I fear I have lost or damaged at least one relationship with a loved one over this issue.

If Obama was going to cave on the public option, why did any of us even bother? Why did we elect him in the first place? I voted for Hillary Clinton in the primary and I’m really proud I did. Where is my fierce advocate in the White House?

Progressives, if you believe in the public option, now is the time to get busy. Call, write, email, fax or tweet your representative and senators. (Find your representative here and your senators here. See top of page on both websites.) Last night on Twitter, Melissa Harris-Lacewell (@harrislacewell) suggested that everyone contact the White House demanding they support the public option. You can do that here.

The time is now. We need health care reform. We need a public option.