Sunday, July 2, 2017

Politicians can’t be trusted with life and death healthcare decisions for your family

ILLUSTRATION BY LYNE LUCIEN/THE DAILY BEAST
The politicians in America hold their political seats by the grace of billionaires who make or break them.  They are in the seats they hold to ensure a death rate that provides cover for the rich to enrich themselves at the expense of everyday Americans.  The politicians view our military families as dumb animals who do what they are told to protect the assets of the billionaires. 

The Democrats’ party died with the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and the installment of George W. Bush by the Zionist wing of the Democratic Party.  The Republican Party has devolved into the party of death and destruction tasked with destruction of humanity in the cruelest ways possible.  No politician should be allowed to make any decision regarding the health, education, and financial well-being of the American people as they are devoid of morals and compassion.  Any life and death decision must be brought before the people in the form of a referendum that the politicians must abide by.


As our millionaire, pampered, underworked, overpaid political class leave for another vacation/recess before their month-long August vacation the American people are left to fend for themselves against a predatory medical/pharma/banking/military prison system of state sanctioned apartheid.  From Connie Schultz at Creators.com:

Excerpt:

No Recess For The American Public

On Tuesday, public outrage forced the Republicans to postpone their vote to gut the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid.  Two hours later, I stood with a loved one in an emergency room in small-town Ohio and got an earful from the nurse taking care of him.  The nurse, with more than 20 years in the profession, had spent the workday running nonstop and hadn’t heard the news. When I told her, she was relieved — and outraged.

“Thank God,” she said. “They have no idea.” She pointed out toward the row of other examining rooms. “Those senators? They have no idea what we’re dealing with here.”  She was talking about the opioid epidemic.  She was also talking about her daughter.

“We’re one of the lucky ones,” she said. “My daughter was addicted, but she survived — and went to prison.” She waved off my sympathy. “No. She’s 32 years old, and this was the best thing to happen to her. She’s clean now and doing so much better. She told me, ‘Mom, I’m so glad I have a roommate who doesn’t want to date me or kill me.”

Others, she said, are not so fortunate. She sees those addicts every week. Many of them live — thanks to an emergency dose of Narcan, an opioid antidote…  Without Medicaid insurance, more of them will die.  The Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on major health care issues in America, offers sobering numbers about our growing opioid epidemic.  A few snapshots:  In 2015, more than 2 million people in America were addicted to prescription opioids, and another 591,000 were addicted to heroin.

Between 2002 and 2015, opioid deaths tripled.  Medicaid covers a range of treatment services for more than 650,000 non-elderly adults with opioid addiction. This is in the states that expanded Medicaid coverage. Of the 26 states with an above-average rate of opioid overdose deaths, eight have not done so…

Between 2000 and 2014, opioid-related inpatient stays increased by 64 percent. Opioid-related emergency department visits increased by 99 percent.  That ER statistic — that’s the one all of us should be citing: Opioid-related emergency department visits increased by 99 percent.

It is impossible to believe that congressional Republicans don’t know this… 

McConnell said there will be no vote to repeal health care until after THE SENATE HOLIDAY RECESS. We have no idea how many of the Republicans will return to their states and face their constituents over the holiday weekend.  What we do know is that there is no recess for the American public.  I keep thinking of that emergency room nurse’s lament: “Those senators? They have no idea.”

The Republicans in congress never intended to get rid of Obamacare, the Republican written healthcare law.  As a matter of fact, they have been quite content with the generous subsidies they have given themselves to pay for their Obamacare while demanding to slash subsidies for the American people who are underserved and actually abused by Obamacare.  From CNS News:

Excerpt:

$174K-Per-Year Congressmen Will Get Special Obamacare Subsidy

Under the OPM deal arranged in August, the average member of Congress who makes $174,000 a year will be able to keep his approximately $10,000 health insurance subsidy, like he used to get under his old plan, before Obamacare.  Congressional staffers who buy through the exchange will also get to keep the subsidies they were receiving.  (See Congress Salary CRS Report.pdf)

Before Obamacare, Congress’ plans were administered by the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and the government paid a yearly contribution to those plans of $4,966.80 for singles and $10,048.76 for families.  The Obamacare law was supposed to eliminate that FEHBP subsidy but the OPM essentially put it back in.

Here are two hypothetical examples of families buying health insurance, under the current rules, through the Obamacare exchanges: 1) a family of four – two adults both age 58, and two children under age 21 – living in D.C. who run their own small business; and 2) a female member of Congress, age 58, with a spouse and two children living in D.C.

Using the Kaiser Family Foundation Subsidy Calculator, the D.C. family of four making $94,250 a year, or just $50 above the 400% of poverty level, would pay $15,481 a year for their family health plan if they chose the silver plan (the middle-tier plan used by Kaiser). They would receive $0 in subsidy.

The congresswoman and her family living next door makes $174,000. Her income is 739% of poverty level and her insurance plan, at the Silver level, would also cost $15,481.  But the congresswoman would qualify for a subsidy of $10,048.76.

(The Kaiser calculator uses the Silver tier plan for its calculations and the OPM rule requires Congress to purchase at the Gold tier, but the federal subsidies are applicable to either tier plan: Gold, Silver, Bronze.)

UNLIKE THE D.C. FAMILY THAT GETS NO TAX-CREDIT SUBSIDY UNDER OBAMACARE, THE MEMBER OF CONGRESS GETS MORE THAN $10,000 BECAUSE OF THE DEAL ARRANGED AMONG THE CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP, THE WHITE HOUSE, AND THE OPM IN EARLY AUGUST 2013.

Congressional staff members would also qualify for subsidies even if their income exceeds the 400% of poverty level.

It is one set of subsidy rules for the electorate, and a different set of subsidy rules for those who work in Congress.

The American people have been removed from the election process through the legislated campaign finance laws, the exemption for members of congress and their staff from insider trading laws, the ALEC written voter I.D. laws and redistricting to dilute the will of the American people to choose their legislators.  America has become an open air prison with our elected officials our jailors deciding who will live and who will die.  Who will eat and have a roof over their head is dependent upon their degree of subservience to their political masters. 

If there is any doubt that the members of our pampered oligarchical congress serves only their wealthy donors and the special interests who ensure their lifestyles of the rich and famous, one need look no further than the abomination of Obama Care.  The health insurance program written by the Republican funded Heritage Foundation codified into law a healthcare program designed to enslave the American people into a system of government funded profits for the American Medical Association and big Pharma. 

When the American people elected a Democratic President, House and Senate who promised Medicare for all, the Democratic Party betrayed their voters.  Barack Obama, Rahm Emmanuel and the Chicago gang of thugs proceeded to pass a Republican agenda that no Republican administration had been able to pass since the 1970’s.  From The Intercept:

Excerpt:

DEMOCRATIC SUPERDELEGATE, IN ROOM FULL OF HEALTH INSURANCE EXECUTIVES, LAUGHS OFF PROSPECT OF SINGLE PAYER

ACTIVISTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY have provided real momentum to the idea of a single-payer health care system, pressing the issue in California and among leading figures in the Democratic Party.  The mere prospect of single payer, however, has elicited swift derision from some corners of the party, with Dick Gephardt, the former Democratic House minority leader, laughing off the idea at a health insurance conference earlier this month.

“Not in my lifetime,” scoffed Gephardt, when asked if the United States will ever adopt such a system.  Gephardt, who serves as a Democratic “superdelegate” responsible for choosing the party’s presidential nominee, was asked about the possibility of single payer at the Centene Corporation annual investor day conference at The Pierre, a ritzy five-star hotel in New York City…

“There is no way you could pass single payer in any intermediate future,” Gephardt declared. America, he added, has the “greatest health care system in the world, bar none.” And while single payer would provide universal coverage, there would be less quality and innovation without the “involvement of the private sector.”

Haley Barbour, the former Republican National Committee chair, another speaker at the event, chimed in to agree. “Hear, hear. Put me down as agreeing with Leader Gephardt as usual,” Barbour chuckled.

The claim that single payer suppresses innovation is an old argument that does not stand up to scrutiny. Most medical innovation in the U.S. are already government funded, through universities receiving federal subsidies and grants, as well as through the National Institutes of Health. A single-payer insurance system, like Medicare, would simply negotiate for lower prices from providers… 

Despite well-entrenched opposition from much of the private health care industry, political momentum for single payer has enjoyed a rapid boom of late…  When Colorado debated a ballot measure to adopt single payer during the election last year, a small army of Democratic Party consultants descended upon the state to help health care industry interests defeat the measure.

Gephardt, notably, became a corporate lobbyist after serving as a populist Democratic lawmaker from Missouri. His clients have included Peabody Coal and Goldman Sachs, among others. He also serves on the board of Centene, receiving annual compensation of around $315,965 in cash and stock awards.

Yes, Dick Gephardt formally the Minority leader in the Democratic Party and Super Delegate who defied the American people’s will and installed Barack Obama as president in 2008 believes “America, has the “greatest health care system in the world, bar none.”  That is true if you are a pampered, super rich politician in America, but if you are a normal American not so.  Congress has a hatred and disdain for the American people and wants them to “hurry up and die.”  The GOP plan keeps congress’ subsidies while removing subsidies from Americans to give themselves yet another tax break on their ill-gotten gains.   From The Intrepid Report:

Excerpt:

Trump, Republicans seek to euthanize 80 million young and old Americans

 “These county lessons are significant because Medicaid is the largest funder of preventive health, births/pregnancy, drug recovery and mental health treatment services. When we talk about the growing costs of Medicaid, it is prudent to remember the population being served. Of the 80 million individuals covered by Medicaid today, more than 34 million are children under 18 years old, 7.3 million are low-income elderly and 11 million are disabled…

“Low income people—an estimated 23 million—will be stripped of all health coverage. Millions of people will suffer needlessly, and many thousands will die an early death. For the authors of these bills and their corporate backers, this is not an unfortunate byproduct, but the deliberate aim of their health care reform.

For the richest 10 percent who tower above the lower orders and control the political system and its two major parties, the diversion of money from profits and private bank accounts to keep working people alive and reasonably healthy—especially those too old to serve as a source of surplus value and profit—is an intolerable affront.

Life expectancy in America is already declining and mortality rates are rising for the working class, in tandem with the colossal growth of social inequality. The ruling class wants to accelerate this process…”

Blood is flowing from the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. Lingchi, or death by 1,000 cuts, is the Republican’s preferred method for turning the American Republic into a corporate and security state while culling the non-productive human herd in America…

Trump and the Republicans—and their woeful Democratic “opponents”—have taken wickedness to a new levels of savageness...  The butchers in the Office of Management and Budget and Treasury could care less about 70 percent of the country’s populace.

In case the death rate isn’t escalating fast enough the “Liberal” Democrats delivered another blow to the American people to ensure death and destruction of the American way of life.  Corey Booker, the Obama wannabe and whore extraordinaire who gained fame as Mayor of Newark trotting around for a photo shoots helping to shovel out his constituents after a snowstorm, is now shoveling favors to big Pharma in the U.S. Senate.  From The Slot Jezebel:

Excerpt:

For Some Reason, Cory Booker and 12 Other Dems Helped Kill a Bill That Would Lower Drug Prices [Updated]

Last night, Senate Republicans took their first leap towards repealing Obamacare by approving a budget procedure that would allow them to avoid a Democratic filibuster. The 13 Democrats who subsequently voted against making drugs cheaper for people deeply undercut the ability of that party to speak with credibility on behalf of the working class.

The amendment, which was proposed by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Bernie Sanders, would have allowed the importation of drugs from Canada. Trump has taken a more Democrat-friendly tone on drug prices—at one point during yesterday’s maniacal press conference he accused pharma companies of “getting away with murder,” which sent stocks tumbling—and 12 Republican senators, including John McCain, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, ended up voting in favor of the bill…

Between 2010 and 2016, a handful of the Democratic senators who voted “nay” were amongst the top Senate recipients funded by pharmaceutical companies: Sen. Booker received $267,338; Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) received $254,649; Robert Casey (D-PA) received $250,730; Michael Bennet (D-CO) received $222,000.

As the former mayor of Newark, Cory Booker faced corruption scandals and increased crime and unemployment levels as his star power outside the state rose. He is heavily favored by Wall Street, with securities and investment firms donating $1.88 million to Booker during the 2014 midterm elections; their second-favorite candidate was Mitch McConnell.

Facing a 2020 lineup that apparently also includes fucking Andrew Cuomo, Democrats certainly appear to be setting themselves up for a massive failure, don’t they?

Corey Booker has his snout firmly entrenched in the Wall Street lobbyist trough.  But no matter how much pay, kickbacks, bribes and perks congress receives it is never enough, they want more.  The Tea Party, the Koch Brothers’ caucus has portrayed themselves as fiscal policemen in congress.  Although much showboating has taken place to give the illusion that they are fiscal warriors for the people, they are just the same politicians with a different mask.  From Huffington Post in 2012:

Excerpt:

Living Large on Capitol Hill

Last year, 21 freshman members of the House of Representatives made a show of sleeping in their offices. Instead of renting apartments and living among the city’s lobbyists, reporters and political hacks, the incoming Republicans wanted to be seen as outsiders, unsullied by the ways of Washington…  Despite a series of ethics reforms targeting things like outside income and unseemly junkets, members of Congress receive grandiose compensation and live a lifestyle that’s too big to fail.

At a town hall meeting in Wisconsin last year, a constituent challenged Rep. Sean Duffy, one of the new Republican couch surfers, about his salary. “I’m just wondering what your wage is and if you guys would be willing to take a cut?” the man asked, according to a video of the event.  The man seemed surprised by Duffy’s answer: Members of Congress make $174,000 a year, the congressman said, after some hemming and hawing.

“That’s three times—that’s three of my family’s­—three times what I make,” the constituent stammered. He described himself as a builder who’d been having a hard time finding work since the economy tanked.  Duffy pushed back against the perception that his salary meant he was a member of the nation’s white-collar elite.

“I guarantee that I have more debt than all of you,” Duffy told the town hall attendees. “With six kids, I still pay off my student loans. I still pay my mortgage. I drive a used minivan. If you think I’m living high off the hog, I’ve got one paycheck. So I struggle to meet my bills right now.”

Duffy may have debts, but the reality is that, when compared to the population at large, members of Congress still manage to live on the uppermost portion of the hog. A congressman’s salary is more than three times the median income of American households—currently about $49,445. That paycheck comes fully loaded, with generous health insurance, retirement benefits and other perks that set lawmakers apart from average Americans—AND SET THEM UP FOR A LIFETIME OF FORTUNE AND COMFORT.

So, all gestures of austerity aside, the guys and gals on the couches are still doing very, very well, thank you.

Amazing that with $174,000 per year and unbelievable package of perks reserved for the rich and famous members of congress, they actually feel that they are underpaid.  They don’t receive enough they want more money so they can move out of their offices.  From Local Kicks.com:

Excerpt:

Chaffetz calls for $2,500 legislator housing stipend

WASHINGTON, DC. - Just days before he resigns from Congress, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said Monday that House and Senate lawmakers should receive a $2,500 per month housing allowance — something he explained would help ease housing costs for members who can’t afford two mortgages or rents.

“I really do believe Congress would be much better served if there was a housing allowance for members of Congress,” Chaffetz told The Hill in an interview in his Capitol office, where he sleeps whenever he’s in Washington. “In today’s climate, nobody’s going to suggest or vote for a pay raise. But you shouldn’t have to be among the wealthiest of Americans to serve properly in Congress.”

The comments from the fifth-term lawmaker suggest that financial considerations were a big part of his surprise announcement in April that he was stepping down from Congress and relinquishing his Oversight Committee gavel.

Yes, American people ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do to better “serve congress.”   Unbelievable but that is what our “Democratic Republic” has devolved to.  Our elected officials do not serve America, the American people serve our “elected” officials. 

These are the people who are deciding whether you and your families live or die.  These are the people who decide whether or not your child will have access to an Epi-pen when they are lying on the ground writhing in pain unable to breathe.  These are the people who decide if your parents after working a lifetime must forfeit everything they have earned in life just to live their   last days in dignity.  From Forbes:

Excerpt:

Draining The Swamp? Not With Tom Price As Head Of Health

Rather than “draining the swamp” and appointing respected and ethical cabinet members, PEOTUS appears hell-bent on surrounding himself with people who will rapidly deepen the quagmire.  Explosive new information has come out further suggesting that Rep. Tom Price is one of those, mired in questionable ethical practices.

Price, ethics and conflicts of interest

In December, the Wall Street Journal reported that Price “traded more than $300,000 in shares of health-related companies" in just four years, “while sponsoring and advocating legislation that potentially could affect those companies’ stocks.” He did this while serving on powerful, health-related committees in Congress.  In 2015Price also became Chair of the House Committee on the Budget. 

In August, Price purchased between $50,000 and $100,000 of stock in an Australian biotech company called Innate Immunotherapeutics (ASX: IIL).  The company’s key drug is for multiple sclerosis, known as MIS416, and it is seeking FDA approval. Price bought shares at a steep discount of just 18 cents a share. The offering was not public. The stock price subsequently rose to 90 cents and could go as high as $2. (A second, larger investor was Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY), who also sits on an important health committee, and whose family now owns 20% of the Australian company. Collins also sits on the board of Innate Immuno—but hey, there’s nothing to see here.) 

The Kaiser Health News Report notes that Innate Immuno is specifically targeting a U.S. market, given that new drugs here can carry a higher price tag—likely $5,000 per month or more.  The 21st Century Cures Act, which Price supported and which passed Congress in December 2016, will be an asset for Innate Immunotherapeutics, as it will weaken safety testing and clinical trials in order to expedite approval of drugs and devices…

CNN just reported that last year Price bought shares in Zimmer Biomet (NYSE:ZBH), a medical device manufacturer…   What is quite disturbing, however, is that less than a week later, Price introduced the “HIP Act,” a bill that greatly benefited Biomet financially by delaying implementation of certain new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulations.

Zimmer Biomet expressed its appreciation by donating to Price’s reelection campaign.  “Devices cost $76 billion annually in the United States alone, and the profit margin for devices like defibrillators and prosthetic hips is over 20%...”  “Providers of home medical equipment have ranked as key Price backers, contributing $52,600 to his campaign since 2013.” Home health companies contributed an additional $24,000. 

The days of the voters choosing their representatives is over, today the politicians choose their voters.  Our political elite have made insider trading for members of congress and their staff legal.  The laws they pass financially benefit themselves, especially healthcare related laws.  Every agency of the American government has been infested by special interests that effect our lives. 

This 4th of July as we celebrate Independence Day, we find ourselves enslaved by the very politicians that were elected to preserve our independence.  I guess freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose and that’s all the politicians have left us.  God bless America land of the enslaved, sick and dying for profit.  Politicians who are enriched by the suffering of Americans should never be allowed to make life and death decisions for us and our loved ones.


By Patricia Baeten

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