Progress Report: A Plan for a Healthy America

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Wed, 23 Mar 2005 08:50:04 -0800

Progress Report: A Plan for a Healthy America

" American Progress Action Fund "

<progress

 

 

The Progress Report

by Christy Harvey, Judd Legum and Jonathan Baskin

with Nico Pitney and Mipe Okunseinde

 

March 23, 2005

HEALTH CARE A Plan for a Healthy America

VALUES DeLay's Divorce from Morality

UNDER THE RADAR Go Beyond The Headlines

 

 

ThinkProgress.orgFor news and updates throughout the day, check out

our new blog at ThinkProgress.org.

 

HEALTH CARE

A Plan for a Healthy America

 

Since 2000, the number of uninsured Americans has risen by five

million, to 45 million, or nearly 16 percent of all Americans.

Millions more are struggling to pay soaring Medicare premiums, which

routinely dwarf annual wage increases. The result is that many

Americans are left to " overcrowded emergency rooms, under-funded

clinics, or no health care at all. " Today, the Center for American

Progress presents a comprehensive plan to improve the health of all

Americans. The Plan for a Healthy America provides an innovative

blueprint for affordable, quality health coverage, building on the

strengths of our current system while responding to its serious

shortcomings.

 

COVERING EVERYONE: The United States spends $41 billion per year on

" uncompensated " care for people with no insurance, while the economy

loses between $65 billion and $130 billion in productivity. More than

18,000 25- to 64-year-olds die every year because they don't have

health insurance. Under American Progress's plan, health coverage

would be available and affordable for all Americans, through either

employee-sponsored insurance, Medicaid, or a new group insurance pool

modeled on the system used by federal employees and members of

Congress. The pool, based on the Federal Employees Health Benefits

Program (FEHBP), would assist all those who lack access to job-based

insurance – a problem for about 80 percent of all uninsured people.

American Progress's plan would also ensure that cost is not a barrier

to coverage by providing income-related financial assistance. In

return for guaranteed access to affordable coverage, all Americans

would be expected to enroll in one of the available options or pay an

income-related charge to support the care they will inevitably use.

 

ADDING VALUE: American Progress's plan seeks to improve the value of

health coverage in three ways. First, the plan puts wellness ahead of

illness by calling for a national focus on disease prevention and

health promotion. Coverage for preventive services would be taken out

of the insurance system and coordinated through a new, nationwide but

community-based benefit focused on training people to be better

managers of their own health. Second, the plan would increase funding

for research on " comparative effectiveness, " so individuals and their

providers would have access to the information required to make good

treatment decisions. Finally, the plan would seek to improve health

care productivity through information technology. Right now, only a

small fraction of America's medical transactions are conducted

electronically. An investment in cutting edge technology would

eventually lead to better quality and more efficient health care.

 

FINANCING THE INVESTMENT: Because of the fiscal deterioration that has

occurred under President Bush's watch – transforming a record surplus

into a record deficit – the Plan for a Healthy America calls on

Americans to make an investment in improving their health care. The

plan seeks to do this through a small value-added tax (VAT), the

revenues from which would go to a trust fund used exclusively to

finance the plan. A VAT is a tax on the value of a good or service

during various stages of production. Targeted exemptions would ensure

the tax is broad-based and fair, and would reduce its impact on

low-income individuals.

 

OUR OBLIGATION TO ACT: The United States remains one of the only

developed nations that has not met our moral obligation to provide

health insurance to our citizens. At the Center, we disagree with

those – like Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) – who say it is

" impossible " to provide quality health insurance for all Americans. In

fact, public opinion polling shows Americans believe in the right to

quality health care and they are willing to make sacrifices to achieve

it. Almost two-thirds (63 percent) of U.S. adults cite lowering the

costs of health care and health insurance as a top priority for the

president and Congress. When asked to name the single most important

issue for Congress to address in 2005, five times as many (10 percent)

say health care as say Social Security (2 percent).

 

VALUES

DeLay's Divorce from Morality

 

The Washington Post confronted Tom DeLay with this passage from

Monday's Progress Report: " At every opportunity, [House Majority

Leader] Tom DeLay has sanctimoniously proclaimed his concern for the

well-being of Terri Schiavo, saying he is only trying to ensure she

has the chance 'we all deserve.' Just last week, DeLay marshaled a

budget resolution through the House of Representatives that would cut

funding for Medicaid by at least $15 billion, threatening the quality

of care for people like Terri Schiavo. " In today's edition, DeLay's

spokesman, Dan Allen, responded. Allen said, " The fact that they're

tying a life issue to the budget process shows just how disconnected

[they] are to reality. " Allen's statement succinctly reveals exactly

what is wrong with right-wing leaders like Tom DeLay. DeLay and his

allies have divorced their conceptions of morality from their core

responsibilities as legislators, like the budget. As a result, they

are advancing amoral policies which have devastating effects on

children, the sick and the indigent. (Share your thoughts on DeLay's

response at ThinkProgress.org.)

 

THE BUDGET AS A MORAL DOCUMENT: Tom DeLay should read his mail. On

Jan. 25, a group of 60 religious leaders from diverse faiths sent a

letter to all 535 members of Congress. The letter said, " Despite its

complexity, the budget is essentially a moral document – the specific

_expression of the values of the nation, " and urged Congress to review

the budget with six essential questions in mind, including: " Does the

budget provide adequately for all of God's children, including the

poor and sick, the old and very young? " and " Does the budget provide

those in need with the assistance necessary to build self-reliant,

purposeful lives? " The religious leaders who signed the document did

so because they understand the impact that the federal budget has on

the lives of Americans. Tom DeLay, apparently, does not.

 

THE BUDGET IS A LIFE ISSUE: For many Americans, the federal budget is

an issue of life and death. Tom DeLay is pushing Medicaid cuts of at

least $15 billion over five years. (That would mean a loss of $673

million in Florida alone.) Medicaid currently " pays for health and

long-term care services for over 50 million low-income and disabled

individuals. " States are already " struggling to fund their share of

Medicaid's costs, and a number are significantly reducing coverage or

benefits. " DeLay's proposal would " reduce the federal commitment to

Medicaid and shift costs to states which would increase the pressures

that states are facing. " If DeLay's version of the budget passes, the

effect " would likely be to increase the number of low-income people in

the United States who are uninsured or underinsured. " According to the

Institute of Medicine, lack of health insurance already " causes

roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States. "

 

AMORAL TAX POLICY: DeLay and his right-wing allies claim cuts in

Medicaid and other vital services are necessary to achieve budget

discipline. They see no shortage of cash, however, to shower on the

wealthiest Americans. The House budget proposal " calls for $106

billion in tax cuts over the next five years. " An analysis by the

Urban Institute-Brookings Tax Policy Center reveals that 46 percent of

the benefits " from the dividend and capital gains tax cuts accrue to

the nation's small handful of people with incomes exceeding $1 million

a year, a group that constitutes only 0.2 percent of U.S. households. "

Pursuing these policies while cutting health benefits for the most

vulnerable shows how disconnected DeLay and his allies are from the

struggles of many Americans.

 

 

Under the Radar

 

SOCIAL SECURITY – WATCH YOUR KNEECAPS: After hitting a couple more

states as part of his 60 stops in 60 days push for his flailing Social

Security plan, President Bush started showing signs of just how

desperate he is to keep things afloat. Surrounded by some of his

congressional enforcers, Bush began cryptically threatening any

opposition: " I believe there will be bad political consequences for

people who are unwilling to sit down and talk about the issue. " Sen.

John McCain (R-AZ), who has now publicly jumped on the bandwagon, also

began criticizing opponents, including the primary advocacy group for

seniors, by saying, " They are recklessly minimizing the fiscal

problems looming for the nation's retirement system. " However, even

Sen. McCain had to admit that private accounts " will not address

Social Security's long-term funding problems. " People are talking

about the issue, and providing other suggestions, but conservatives

would rather shill for their " sideshow " than focus on fixing solvency.

 

ENVIRONMENT – AUTOMAKERS OUT TO LUNTZ: In conjunction with lobbying

and a lawsuit, an alliance of major automakers – Toyota, General

Motors, Ford, Daimler Chrysler, Mazda, BMW, Mitsubishi, Porsche, and

Volkswagen – are fighting back against the spreading adoption of

California auto emission standards. Picturing a young toddler strapped

into a carseat and happily sucking on a popsicle, their new

advertising campaign redefines the phrase " virtually emission-free. "

The advertisement " ignore greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide as

an automotive emission " and takes advantage of a convenient nuance.

Though automotive emissions of greenhouse gases have been on the rise,

the Bush administration reversed previous policy and has stopped

considering greenhouse gases to be pollutants, a decision that is now

being fought out in court. The automakers seem to be reversing their

own policy, too; late last year Toyota's president directly linked the

auto industry to emissions. Rightfully so, the nonpartisan Union of

Concerned Scientists has not only taken the automakers to task for

their deception but also produced a counter advertisement.

HEALTH – TORT REFORM WON'T FIX THE PROBLEM: How many studies does it

take to get to the center of a bogus conservative " reform " ? How about

three – one focused on Texas, another on Florida, and another that

surveys 22 states – all suggesting that President Bush's proposed

medical malpractice reforms will have little or no impact on rising

health care costs. The 22-state report, to be published in the NYU Law

Review, shows that caps imposed on awards for non-economic damages in

medical malpractice cases (caps similar to those proposed by the White

House) have merely had the effect of increasing economic damages. The

shift was so great that the median award in states with caps was

virtually the same as in states that do not limit jury awards.

Moreover, the Florida study shows that malpractice insurance rates

have skyrocketed since 2000 – even after the state passed tort reform

legislation.

HEALTH – ANTI-SMOKING FUNDS GO DOWN THE FISCAL DRAIN: Tobacco use is

the number one most preventable cause of death in the United States,

killing more Americans every year than fires, illegal drug use,

homicides, suicides, AIDS, motor vehicle accidents, and alcohol

combined. So what are state governments – particularly those

interested in promoting a " culture of life " – doing with most of the

funds from the 1998 Big Tobacco settlement? Plugging holes in their

budgets, according to the Government Accountability Office. The new

GAO study shows the largest portion of the funds – 44 percent – went

to shoring up busted state budgets (still ailing from President Bush's

repeated cuts to state grants), while just 20 percent was spent on

health-related programs. " At the time of the $206 billion settlement,

state officials said the goal was to recover the cost of treating sick

smokers, " the Associated Press notes, " but the agreement does not

restrict how the money must be spent. "

STATEWATCH – ARNOLD'S WAR CHEST: While running for office, California

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger stuck to the script and pandered to

citizens who saw their government " corrupted by dirty money, closed

doors and back-room dealing. " What a difference reality makes. These

days, Arnold spends his time raising campaign funds hand-over-fist,

collecting " a record $26 million in contributions last year, much of

it in big corporate checks from the pharmaceutical, insurance and

energy industries. " And this year, the Associated Press reports, " he

wants to raise twice that amount to push government-overhaul measures

he is trying to put on the ballot this fall. " Don't be fooled – it's

not Schwarzenegger's star-status that draws in the big bucks. It's his

irresponsible, anti-middle-class agenda. Case in point: the drug

industry's trade group recently emerged " as one of Schwarzenegger's

biggest supporters after the governor vetoed four bills in September

that would have made it easier for Californians to buy cheaper

prescription drugs from Canada. "

PATRIOT ACT – AN 'UNUSUAL COALITION' IN DEFENSE OF CIVIL LIBERTIES:

Yesterday, Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances, " an unusual

coalition of conservative groups and the American Civil Liberties

Union, " announced " a public campaign to scale back " the overreaching

surveillance powers now permitted under the Patriot Act. The group is

headed by Bob Barr, a former Congressman who originally voted for the

legislation but now insists that " keeping the law intact 'will do

great and irreparable harm' to the Constitution. " The alliance wants

Congress to let lapse sixteen of the surveillance powers provisions

that are set to expire at the end of this year as well as amend other

" extreme " provisions. Though the group has entreated President Bush to

" reconsider his support for full renewal of the law, " neither he nor

anyone else in his administration has backed away from professing

their blind support of the Patriot Act.

DAILY TALKING POINTS: A Principled and Practical Plan to Provide

Health Care for All Americans.

SOCIAL SECURITY: Jacob Weisberg on how President Bush will deal with

defeat.

HEALTH CARE: Fewer employers covering health premiums.

TERRORISM: Document shows bin Laden evaded U.S. forces at Tora Bora.

SHIAVO: A federal appeals court has denied a request to reinsert Terri

Schiavo's feeding tube.

DAILY GRILL

" The fact that they're tying a life issue to the budget process shows

just how disconnected [they] are to reality. "

– DeLay spokesman Dan Allen, 3/23/05

VERSUS

" Lack of health insurance causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths

every year in the United States. "

– Institute of Medicine, 1/14/04

DAILY OUTRAGE

In a segment on the Terri Schiavo case, Sean Hannity referred to

Florida neurologist Dr. William Hammesfahr as a " Nobel Prize-nominated

doctor " eight times in a one hour broadcast. Dr. Hammesfahr was

" nominated " by Rep. Mike Bilirakis (R-FL), who " is not qualified to

make a valid nomination under the Nobel rules. "