what can we do to help? was:HMOs Over Patients

[Guest guest]

Hi Cherish,

 

I think that the best thing for all of us to do is to try and pass

information on to others in the hope that they become aware and

knowledgeable to what is really happening in the hopes of combating

the misinformation that they are receiving. Unfortunately, the battle that

is going on is not limited to dietary supplements.

 

The big lies only work if most people believe them. If no one

believes them and they are exposed as liars, then and only then will

things change.

 

The fight is not about your personal preferences and beliefs in

politics, religion, lifestyle, etc. against my beliefs. Although they

are using that to divide, confuse and conquer us. If they can try and

make the struggle seem to be about those things, they divert us from

what it is really about. The battle is about something much greater

and more dear than that. It is about you and I not being able to have

the simplest freedoms concerning our own health and most other areas

of our lives. It is about the people in " authority " being able to do anything

and everything to us and our society in whatever way that they want and we will

have no right or any say in the matter. ( that is already happening in a lot of

the areas of our lives, but most people haven't " woke up " to that fact yet.)

 

It is about the middle class going away and a thousand other things.

It is about our society going from a relatively weak partcipatory

democracy to some kind of militant autocracy disguised up as a sham democracy.

 

It is about you and I losing most of our freedoms, opportunities to

live as we wish or make significant choices in most areas of our

lives. We either bring these things to light and make these things known to all

or we may as well get in line to become " good " citizens of the next fascist

state.

 

So, I say again that if each of us will just pass on what we think is

important for our own good as well as us as a collective good that it

is the most important thing at this point. Pass on what you think is important

to other groups, newletters, family, friends, mailing lists, etc to as many

people and places as you can.

 

my 2 cents,

 

Frank

 

" We have met the enemy and he is us " ... Pogo (newspaper cartoon

character.circa 1950's)

 

 

 

 

-- In , " Cherish F "

<cherishtoo@h...> wrote:

> Frank, what can " we " do to help?

>

> By the way, thank you so much for your dedication, and the useful

> information you continually supply us with. I have learned so much

through

> your contibutions and unbiased posts.

>

> Cherish

>

>

> >Frank <califpacific>

> >

> >alternative_medicine_forum

> > HMOs Over Patients

> >Tue, 22 Jun 2004 12:10:15 -0700 (PDT)

> >

> >

> >americanprogress.com

> >

> >HEALTH CARE

> >

> >HMOs Over Patients

> >

> >The Supreme Court yesterday ruled that patients cannot sue HMOs

under state

> >law, even " if their HMOs refuse to pay for doctor-recommended

medical

> >care. "

> >

> >The decision " could affect millions of patients " and " invalidated

an

> >important part of patient rights laws in several states. "

> >

> >Patients will now be able to fight for their rights only in

federal court,

> >where HMOs are protected from having to pay punitive damages and

where

> >cases are more restricted.

> >

> >Because Congress and the White House have refused to pass a

federal

> >patients bill of rights, the Supreme Court was forced to " rely on

a federal

> >pension benefit law that predates the rise of managed care. "

> >

> >For his part, the President threw the full weight of the White

House behind

> >the HMO industry, arguing for the defeat of the Texas law. Despite

this,

> >White House spokesman Trent Duffy claimed, " The president

continues to

> >support Texas's law. "

> >

> >DECISION STRIKES DOWN EFFORTS TO REIN IN HMOs:

> >

> > According to Public Citizen, The Texas Health Care Liability Act

that was

> >struck down " was the first state law to give patients the right to

sue HMOs

> >for denying 'appropriate and medically necessary' treatment. "

> >

> >The state passed the law in 1997 " to prevent HMOs from padding

their bottom

> >lines through abusive denials of coverage by holding HMOs to a

professional

> >medical standard of ordinary care. "

> >

> >Nine states have since followed Texas's lead and enacted similar

> >legislation. Without a federal patients' bill of rights, HMOs have

been

> >allowed to continue these practices, even as their profits

increased 52

> >percent last year alone.

> >

> >BREAKING PROMISE, BUSH HELPS DEFEAT LAW HE BRAGGED ABOUT:

> >

> >According to AP, the Texas cases that brought the decision " were

filed

> >under a patients' rights law passed when President George W. Bush

was

> >governor. "

> >

> >But the White House " sided with insurance carriers when the two

cases

> >reached the high court. "

> >

> >The position stands in stark contrast to 2000 presidential

candidate George

> >W. Bush, who bragged the Texas law would be the kind of thing he

would

> >support in the White House.

> >

> >In an 8/17/00 USA Today op-ed entitled, " I Will Build On My

Record, " Bush

> >wrote, " I signed into law some of the toughest patient-protection

laws in

> >the nation, " and claimed, " I support a patient bill of rights for

all

> >patients, similar to those already enacted in Texas. "

> >

> >He also claimed in a 2000 presidential debate that " I don't want

the law to

> >supersede good law like we've got in Texas. "

> >

> >GOING TO BAT FOR CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTORS:

> >

> >The president's decision to reverse his previous position aligned

him with

> >two managed care companies in the case – Aetna Health Inc. and

Cigna.

> >

> >Since 2000, Aetna executives have given President Bush more than

$22,000,

> >and have given the president's party more than $835,000 in soft

money.

> >

> >Similarly, Cigna executives have given the president more than

$27,000 and

> >the Republican Party more than $850,000.

> >

> >In a letter protesting the president's stance, the nonpartisan

Foundation

> >for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights noted that " Among your campaign

Pioneers

> >(bundlers of $100,000 or more in contributions) are seven former

or current

> >HMO executives " whose companies will benefit from the policy

reversal.

> >

> >

> >

> >