The Amazing Maze of US Health Care

The Building Trades were well represented at the Health Care for America NOW rally on Thursday, June 25, 2009.

IBEW members at the Health Care for America NOW rally on Thursday, June 25th.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) brightened the audience with their yellow shirts everywhere.  The Bricklayers and Allied Trades (BAT) cemented their presence with bright orange shirts.  Laborers International Union (LIUNA) carried their brown and yellow shirts well.  Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 5 from Washington DC gathered around their prominently placed banner.  I hope to hear from others that I missed.

The Building Trades have not always been in front of the charge for health care reform.  And in some ways there issues offer both insight into how health care has changed and guidance for how it could change. Read the rest of this entry »

Ten thousand people gathered in Senate park on Thursday, June 25 to call out their legislators for meaningful health care reform. The long lines at the porto-potties was evidence that the crowd far exceeded expectations.

Retired Steelworkers and single payer advocates rest outside Union Station after a long day rallying and lobbying for health care on June 25, 2009.

Members of the Bricklayers were just of few of the Building Trades represented at the Health Care for America Rally and Lobby Day on June 25th, 2009

The organizers called out their legislators and asked them to support a strong public plan option that would not be weakened by triggers or coops.

Some conservatives in Congress have supported the idea that the public plan only after certain coverage goals have not been met. This would “trigger” the public plan option. Another suggestion would create regional “coops” as an alternative to the public plan option.

To Chris Farrell

Chris Farrell is Economics Editor for American Public Media’s Market Place which airs on approximately 330 public radio stations including WAMU in Washington, DC.

You almost had a break through moment.  Then you broke down. Your straight story took a nose dive.

On June 19th, your Straight Story opined on health care reform.  Health care needs to be de-coupled from employment, you stated boldly.  Your words were, “sever the link between your job and your health care.”  You went on to say:

It makes no economic sense to me  that if someone loses their job their family loses their health care insurance  and don’t tell me that COBRA covers it, because COBRA is so expensive very few people who lost their job can pay for it even with the new subsidy.  It makes no sense; it is so inefficient; and it is immoral.

But wait a minute.  You also said that by “severing the link between your job and your health care” you could lose your job and still have health insurance. Read the rest of this entry »

An E-mail came across my desk recently.  It was from one of the many employee benefit-consulting firms and information services that have uncovered my e-mail address and bombard me with information.

This one had some startling advice.

It advised employers to deny all applicants for the COBRA subsidy.

Why, you ask.

Well, it seems that our federal government speaks with forked tongue on whether to make it easier for recently unemployed workers to continue their health insurance.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) says that employees who are involuntarily terminated can apply for COBRA continuation coverage.  If they have been involuntarily terminated, they become an Assistance Eligible Individual (AEI to the cognoscente).

An AEI (you are now part of the cognoscente) pays 35% of the normal COBRA premium – a fairly substantial premium subsidy, although for the unemployed, still a hefty burden. Read the rest of this entry »

New York Times columnist, Nicholas Kristof, injected some balance into the health care reform discussion on Thursday.  In a forceful counterpunch to conservative criticisms of the Canadian health care system, he reported the “real life story” story of Diane Tucker, an American living in Canada, who has had significant encounters with health care on both sides of the border.  The one in Canada was positive, the one in the US was not.

In his follow on blog, Mr. Kristof writes that

Canada does have health care problems, including waits and escalating costs, but the U.S. has even worse problems – including that we spend twice as much per capita and get significantly worse results.

What is most refreshing is that it quickly became the number one e-mailed article on the New York Times on-line edition.  Comments to both his column and his blog clearly indicate that, at least among Mr.Kristoff’s readers, a Canadian style health care delivery system would be a significant improvement over our current system. Read the rest of this entry »