How Much Did You Pay For Your Senator?

Joe Lieberman - I could almost stop there and you would already know what this is about. He is a shining example, hell he is a dazzling, sparkling, blinding even, example of what a "bought and paid for" Senator looks like. It is absolutely clear that the insurance and pharmaceutical industries told him to kill health-care reform and he said, "yes sir, right away sir" and is carrying out their orders. I know I need the health-care now as Joe is making me sicker by the minute!

Today you see headlines like "Joe Lieberman Stands in the Middle of Health Care". The headline should read, "Joe Lieberman - Roadblock to Health Care". It is also claimed that he is in the political middle - again, not so. He is the Republican mole reporting back from Democrat committee meetings. He is the ears and eyes of the Republican party so they know each and every way to block health-care reform. Talk about wolf in sheep's clothing!

He does continue to shift directions - first he suggested the buy in to Medicare, and like a spoiled child once he got it he now says, "I don't want that either." There are remedies for spoiled children and the same goes for Joe. Let's just put him where he belongs - with the Republicans. Pull his Chairmanship away and he can see what the Republicans give him. It is never safe to leave a poisonous snake in a place where he can bite you, over and over and over again.

America's health-care reform is not something to be played with just to tickle his ego. Right now, some infer, he [Lieberman] is the tail wagging the dog, it's true and it needs to be stopped!

America is not his toy box and he needs to know it right now. Lieberman has clearly shown that hypocrisy is a flag to be waved and gotten away with. He stood with John McCain for President, he bashed Obama the Democratic candidate at the Republican Convention, he is a Republican through and through.

The President said in his recent meeting with his former Democrat colleges of the Senate, "...not to let ideological purity undermine the legislation." Tell me, how is this different than bending to the far right of the the Chamber?

The conservatives of the Senate are using health-care reform to legislate around Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose by not allowing funding of any kind via insurance policies. Odd how the poor are going to be the ones affected, once again, by the conservatives in the Senate and the Democrats will have let them steam roll their way right over those same poor who voted for change - who voted for a better life - who voted for a voice in Congress.

As far as I'm concerned, this Congress is about to betray those same citizens. They are willing to strip the bill of anything truly remarkable and helpful to the poor just to get it passed so they can say, "Look what we did". Lovely - you just passed not only a meaningless bill, but a bill that will crush the poor and stuff the pockets of the insurance and pharmaceutical industries even more!

This is not a time to let conservatives run rough-shot over the Democrats and this health-care reform bill. Doubly so, it is not a time to let Joe Lieberman make the Democratic party dance like someone is shooting at their cold feet! If this bill is passed in a form to only stuff the coffers of corporate America, then let's not bother - we've already paid them enough!

BlueCross BlueShield - Ally of Labor: Really?

I recently received my copy of "Labor Matters", a newsletter from Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS). It states it is a publication for, "...anyone working in or with organized labor".

In this fall issue, their front page story explains why a "public option" is a bad idea and that it, "...would undermine the ultimate goals of reform and unravel the existing employer-based system...”

On the AFL-CIO's website concerning Health Care Reform, it posts this following information:

The Washington Post reports that in the spirit of “Harry and Louise”—the phony couple created by the health insurance industry to spread lies and fear to help defeat health care reform in the 1990s—is set to reappear in North Carolina. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina are set to launch a similar misinformation campaign. The main goal? Defeat public insurance plan option. The storyboards paint pictures of months-long waits for care, rationing and other horror stories.

Chet Burrell, President and CEO of CareFirst/BlueCross BlueShield said in their 2008 annual report:

‘We expect 2009 to be challenging as the Obama Administration and Congress give priority to health care issues and as the industry prepares for a profoundly changed landscape. In this environment we seek to be a constructive force for change and to reach higher levels of service to our 3.4 million members and the larger community we serve.’

I find it strange that while BCBS claims to have the best interests at heart for those of us with and within the labor community - their actions parallel the for profit insurance companies. In the 2008 annual report, they showed in 2007 total revenue of 6.1 billion dollars with a profit of 180.5 million dollars. In 2008, they showed revenues of 6.6 billion and at the time of the report a profit of 9.3 million dollars. It is unclear how complete the 9.3 million dollar figures are. You can check out the summary of the report here: (2008 Annual Report)

How can such a "claimed ally" work against one of the fundamental pieces of healthcare reform? Without a public option, insurance companies will enjoy a feeding frenzy of profit unknown to them in their entire history. Their coffers will be bursting at the seams - due not in a small way to the mandate of the Federal Government. Without a public option, there will be nothing to stop them from ratcheting up the cost of healthcare year after year. We already see the results of similar deals. The pharmaceutical industry has already raised its prices so it has an even higher starting point down the road. This too is an industry that will experience never before seen profits. With all of America covered, Americans will now be able to see their doctor without fear of what it will cost - their doctor will prescribe medications and this will be compounded across the country.

Another huge boon to the pharmaceutical industry. One should question, when is enough -- enough?

Communications Workers of America, a labor union that proudly serves members in communications, telecommunications, newspaper, television, law enforcement, flight attendants, public workers, printing industry and others totaling approximately 650,000 members have this to say about a “Public Insurance” option.

Everyone should be able to select from several private health plans, as many can do now through their employer, and have the option of choosing a public health insurance plan similar to Medicare.

• Public health insurance plans control costs much better than private health insurance companies because of reduced administrative costs and stronger bargaining power with providers.
• A public health insurance plan will create competition in a private insurance market that is highly concentrated today.
• A public health insurance plan will give consumers another insurance choice, provide a wide choice of providers, and provide a guaranteed backup so that everyone can obtain quality health care. (See it all here)

I believe that this fight is one of the most important struggles of the American Labor Movement’s recent history. It will be another defining moment – just as Labor brought us the weekend, the 40 work week and an end to child labor, it can also bring us true healthcare reform that is the right of all societies. The labor movement is defined by its moral compass – it leads us down the path of social and economic justice. This journey can be more keenly defined as simply a path for equality. Equality for every human being on this planet. We are not just fighting for those people who are union members, we fight for all people. Labor understands and knows in the deepest recesses of its heart that making things equal for all people is the only way to lift society together, leaving not one person behind.

We must not let the spirit of greed possess the soul of equality.

Together, we are a mighty force for change. If you are a person who is covered by BCBS, send them a message and let them know that as customers, we do not want them fighting against us and the public insurance option. I was unable to locate an email address for them both, so write a great letter to Chet Burrell, President and CEO of BCBS and send an e-mail to Bonnie Summers, Executive Director of the National Labor Office, send the letters to their offices below:

Chet Burrell, President and CEO
CareFirst – BlueCross BlueShield
1501 S. Clinton Street
Baltimore, MD 21224

Bonnie Summers, Executive Director
National Labor Office
1310 G Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
bonnie.summers@bcbsa.com
202.626.8635

In Solidarity – We shall overcome!

Compare Health Care

Okay. Let's compare some Canadian healthcare to American healthcare. Click the Maple Leaf and watch.

Letter to My Representative

My letter to my Congresswoman, Donna Edwards.

October 28, 2009

The Honorable Donna Edwards
United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Representative Edwards:

My name is Lawrence Smoot, I am a constituent and supporter of yours. I pen this missive to you today to impress on you the importance of supporting H.R. 3200. I believe that you understand how vital it is that we bring our country to the same high level of health care that other industrialized nations cherish.

It is my belief this can be done without adding to the cost of our healthcare plans – an excise tax on health plans will ratchet up the cost for the employer and decrease the benefits the workers currently value and enjoy. I myself recently underwent the placement of a stent to clear blockage in a major artery leading to my heart. Without the current level of benefits I have I may not have been able to afford the surgery and would instead be living on borrowed time – an expensive and or fatal heart attack just waiting in the shadows.

I’m asking at this very moment, that you pledge to support affordable, quality health care for everyone that:

Doesn’t tax the benefits of working families like mine.

Requires every employer, except the smallest ones, to either cover their workers or pay into a fund.

Gives people a choice of private and public health insurance plans.

The concerns mentioned above are part of H.R. 3200. I know you have been a vigorous defender of working people in the past. That is why I voted for you and will continue to do so in the future. Please make this bill as strong as you possibly can.

If done right – this historic health care reform will lift this country and its people into a more secure future. FDR knew and understood this when he mentioned a “…second bill of rights…” in his historic State of the Union Address in 1944. Sixty five years have passed since that day – the American people have waited far too long for “the right” of health care.

Please – let’s make history again.


Sincerely,


Lawrence R. Smoot Jr.

Lieberman - No Friend To "The People"

Why is Joe so happy?

Maybe it is because he just got another hefty contribution from a pharmaceutical company. Yes, Joe gets some rather hefty money from companies like "Purdue Pharma LP". They happen to be a privately held pharmaceutical company founded by physicians. It makes him absolutely giddy! Purdue Pharma says that they are "...focused on the needs of patients".

Considering they gave Joe $105,100.00 in the 2010 campaign cycle and another company called "United Technologies, 'they make drugs too'"gave him $138,850.00 in the same campaign cycle and Joe is fighting Health Care reform any way he can, says something.

It says he is for "the people", as long as you are a "people" who own a drug company.

Now, I can see Purdue Pharma giving Joe a bucket-O-money - after all they are from the state that he represents. But most of his money comes from those outside his state. United Technologies is from California -- hmmm, I wonder what they want him to do for that bucket-O-bucks?

Oddly enough - his other big donors (those in the top ten) are from the companies that make war machines and investment firms. This should not be a shock to anyone since our buddy Joe is a ranking member on the Armed Services Committee! Gee, I wonder what they want for their money?

Today, Joe Lieberman announced that he would stand with Republicans to filibuster the health care bill if it had a "Public Option". He claims it has to do with what this will cost "us the taxpayer" but we know better Joe. What you are worried about is "what it will cost the drug companies".

What you're not telling us is that a Public Option will bring down the costs of health care. It will act like the steam vent on a pressure cooker - when it gets to costly, it will vent and keep things safe and secure for us all.

It will insure against drug and insurance companies raping the American public. Without a Public Option to protect us - these companies will just belly up to the feeding trough known as our savings accounts and shove it down their gullets like a starving dog! But you see, Joe doesn't care about any of this. He just needs to be sure his election coffers are busting at the seams from contributions supplied by these same companies.

Have you ever noticed our fair weather friend Joe. He's on our side when it doesn't really matter, but when the chips are down and you need him the most he is nowhere to be found...well, except for the bottom of his shoe as he kicks you down deeper and deeper into the quicksand of debt.

So - once again Joe Lieberman has failed those that he is supposed to protect. Joe, take a look man. The writing is on the wall. We will get you voted out of office and be done with you. We are tired of not being able to depend on you. (See where Joe gets his money.)

Equality March

Simply put -- It's time.

Feel The Change

More often than not, change comes along and we hardly notice it. Maybe it’s as simple as a street you have used to drive to work for years has been re-routed to make way for a big box store. You notice – tell yourself “wow, this will be great.” Or “oh man, not another one.” Then you move on and don’t really think about it much after that. It becomes part of the routine and even if you did not like the idea of it, you are now shopping there. Then, there are those times that change is so tangible you can feel it pressing on you; while it can be disguised, it still demands to be recognized.

This is one of those times. Recently Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi made a statement. She said in part:

"I have concerns about some of the language that is being used because I saw this myself in the late '70s in San Francisco, this kind of rhetoric. ... It created a climate in which violence took place. ... I wish we would all curb our enthusiasm in some of the statements and understand that some of the ears that it is falling on are not as balanced as the person making the statements may assume."

I am nearly fifty years old and in all my life that I can remember, I have never seen protesters bring guns to political events. In part, I feel that it was due to respect for the voice of all people and even some level of respect for the political figure you were protesting or at least the office they held.

Did you feel the change?

Turn on any channel where a conservative pundit or politician is speaking and you will hear the exact same statement worked into their speech. “Americans want the country they grew up with; they want “their” country back to the way it was.” Let’s think about that statement shall we?

According to an August 2008 report by the U.S. Census Bureau, those groups currently categorized as racial minorities—blacks and Hispanics, East Asians and South Asians—will account for a majority of the U.S. population by the year 2042. Among Americans under the age of 18, this shift is projected to take place in 2023, which means that every child born in the United States from this point on out will belong to the first post-white generation.

Did you feel the change?

I’ve heard people of various races say that racism no longer exists, that the problem now is “classicism”. Well, I and many others know that while classicism has been and continues to be an issue, racism is fully alive. Like a cockroach in the night, it survives. It changes its guise, but just like that nocturnal bug it hides from the light of day. But equally and just as well, we are akin to the well trained exterminator, we can find it where it hides and see it for what it is. We know the signs and signals.

“Americans want the country they grew up with: they want “their” country back to the way it was.”

Oh, there it is – you felt the “change”. The Republicans and conservative pundits say this is nothing more that heated political debate over health care. No – this is about the re-fashioned costume that racism is wearing today. This is about a once majority being terrified that they are no longer the majority. They are so afraid in fact that they are willing to do extraordinary things. Things they normally thought they could not get away with; like bringing guns to political debates. Bringing guns to a Presidential speech. It’s one thing to decry a leader for their policies, it is wholly another to portray a black leader as a witch doctor, a savage. The far right white supremacists and racists use the political backdrop to costume their hate.

They feel they are safe in their actions if it is called free speech – but we know it for what it is. Of course when the truth is raised, the far right returns to us with that play ground taunt“…I know you are, but what am I?” Do they really think this will hide their hate? Will it hide their thirst for violence? No and no again, it will not.

My life is not sequestered in a liberal, Democrat only bubble. I have people in my life that are Republicans. While we may stand on opposite sides of some issues, we are clear in what we see here today. Our perspective is shared when it comes to recognizing the rise of violent hate speech fueled not by a “hot political issue” such as health care, but fueled by racism. Either the Republicans on Capitol Hill are blinded by their own rhetoric echoing in their lofty, sealed and secure bubble or they are purposely, with deliberate effort fueling the essence of hatred. Unfortunately, I believe they do this only to raise their partisan political ends. They don’t really care what happens as long as their house stands – even if it means the death of a citizen. Those who do this are void of humanity.

During the last administration I felt as though my patriotism was bastardized. All that represented what America meant to me, what infused our nations symbols like our flag and other iconic emblems was stolen in the night. I had no wish to fly the flag at my home. Today I feel that I have my country back. My patriotism is once again infused with the nutrients that made this a country in the first place. The thing that forces it into the future – a future of humanistic hope. I admit that sometimes we as a species do need a push to evolve our minds and shove our core beliefs to a higher place. A place so high that we can see over and beyond our frailties and failings.

Let’s take a breath and look through newly opened eyes at our astonishing changing country and world. Hold that moment…

Do you feel the change?

Shutting Down The Health Care Debate

It is clear that the Republicans simply want to shut down this entire debate. They don’t want to risk losing the huge amounts of money from the industries this will affect such as insurance, medical supply and pharmaceutical. What is most insane to me is that the people screaming at these meetings are a combination of real and paid “screamers”. The “real” screamers are those who have been spoon fed lies and swallow blindly. They don’t bother to search out truth and therein by ferret out their own educated opinion. They simply regurgitate the bile the Republicans shove down their throats like force fed geese whose livers are being readied for the pate` can.

I also truly believe that the far right exploits the feelings of those who fear what they see as a shift in power; a shift from having all white people in power. Now we have people of color in powerful positions. President, Attorney General, Mayors, respected university professors and the list continues to grow; admittedly, there are some who may not understand or want to admit that this is the fear they are feeling. There is that strong under current of race in the health care debate and the Republicans and their most far right extremists are using it to destroy any progress to a more humanistic society.

We must combat the onslaught. Push it back to the dark and venomous place where it is rooted. Every voice, every word that is raised to attack must be met with measured, mindful counterbalance. The best of us as a whole will overcome the worst of us. We understand that to survive as a species we must work for the betterment of all people and not just those few privileged. Dictators throughout history have known a formula for power: Keep the people poor, ignorant and in fear and you will control them.

We shall overcome!

Justice Sotomayor

On August 6, 2009 the U.S. Senate took a vote, 68 yeas 31 nays, Sonia Sotomayor, of New York, was confirmed to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. It should be noted that nine Republicans voted in favor of her confirmation. Considering Sotomayor’s record, it is even more important to note the 31 Republicans who voted against her confirmation. When a judge has a record such as Sonia Sotomayor’s, it gives working Americans reason to pause and wonder why these aforementioned “31” said no to advancing the first Latina to the highest of our nation’s courts. Let us be clear of her record.

Scotusblog.com reported the following:

"A study by New York University Law School’s Brennan Center for Justice has analyzed 1,194 constitutional cases decided during Judge Sotomayor’s tenure on the Second Circuit and found her to be solidly in the mainstream of the bench. On the Second Circuit, Judge Sotomayor has voted with the majority in 98.2% of constitutional cases and 94% of her constitutional decisions have been unanimous."

So, according to this study, the 31 Republicans who voted against Sotomayor could not have found fault in her record. Could it be they felt it more important to be partisan? Let’s understand the word “partisan”. Mirriam-Webster defines it in part as: one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance.

Do you think as I do what the next thought should be? Who are they [the 31] aligning their allegiance to? We must reason this out. If these Republicans do not want someone who has proven to be “mainstream” in their ideals and judgments, then they must in reality desire someone who is not mainstream, someone who will use the office to interpret the Constitution more to the liking of let’s say corporate America? Mainstream rulings are used as a benchmark because “mainstream” is simply another way to say, this is the way most Americans think. Think about it, “…the way most Americans think.” Before Justice Sotomayor, the Court was overloaded with conservative, right-leaning judges. The last six appointed by Republican Presidents. Reagan, Bush and Bush II all appointed two judges each to the Supreme Court. It has been 15 years since a Democratic President appointed a Justice to the Supreme Court. It is vital to working America that we have true balance in our highest court of law. We must remember that Lady Justice holds a scale in one hand for a reason.

Justice Sotomayor is much more than a judge with a history of mainstream Constitutional rulings. She embodies what working families across America are and have always been. Just as many of our parents who worked as factory workers, truck drivers, waitresses, farmers etc. wanted us, their children to have more; we too want our children to have more. We as working America want more choices, more freedoms, and more doors that open to everyone and not just some.

She was able to use education and a work ethic learned from her mother to push open doors, proudly step over the barriers blocking women and especially women of color and to ensure freedom and fair justice to all regardless of the size of their bank account. I will say here and now that I whole heartedly agree that where we come from does frame who we become. To be sure, we are not made of stone – we reshape ourselves with each experience we encounter throughout our lives.

Americans – yes, just us regular working Americans must know and see when we are being bamboozled. The conservative vein of politics wants to be sure there is always an “Us and Them”.

We must take this time to understand what a remarkable moment it was when Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed as our next Justice to the Supreme Court. Having a Justice with true mainstream values is essential to regular working Americans all throughout this wonderful country of ours.

Justice Sotomayor has stood against unfair workplace practices including discrimination in the workplace. She has insured people are paid fair wages and received proper benefits that they were entitled too; and has recognized that being mistreated for union activity was reason for granting asylum in this country.

It is imperative to understand that when the Republicans say things like, “You should make your own way and not let government get into your personal life.” What they are really saying is, “You’re on your own buddy and leave us out of it, and we don’t really care about you, just your vote!” To often we as individuals cannot fight against large corporations. We need the government to step in and make rules and laws that protect us, the people! If the government does nothing, we are at the mercy of corporate America and they have made it clear that the supply of mercy does not meet the demand.

Justice Sotomayor will bring the mainstream’s [the People’s] voice back to the Supreme Court. We have one of our own, one who understands what it is to work hard for the life they have. Justice is blind, Justice is balanced and for the first time in our Nation’s history, Justice is Latina! The voice and heart of working families will be heard.

Proof Positive of the Need for a Public Option

Testimony of Wendell Potter, Philadelphia, PA Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
June 24, 2009 Click here to view the video

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to be here this afternoon. My name is Wendell Potter and for 20 years, I worked as a senior executive at health insurance companies, and I saw how they confuse their customers and dump the sick — all so they can satisfy their Wall Street investors.

I know from personal experience that members of Congress and the public have good reason to question the honesty and trustworthiness of the insurance industry. Insurers make promises they have no intention of keeping, they flout regulations designed to protect consumers, and they make it nearly impossible to understand — or even to obtain — information we need. As you hold hearings and discuss legislative proposals over the coming weeks, I encourage you to look very closely at the role for-profit insurance companies play in making our health care system both the most expensive and one of the most dysfunctional in the world. I hope you get a real sense of what life would be like for most of us if the kind of so-called reform the insurers are lobbying for is enacted.

When I left my job as head of corporate communications for one of the country's largest insurers, I did not intend to go public as a former insider. However, it recently became abundantly clear to me that the industry's charm offensive — which is the most visible part of duplicitous and well-financed PR and lobbying campaigns — may well shape reform in a way that benefits Wall Street far more than average Americans.

A few months after I joined the health insurer CIGNA Corp. in 1993, just as the last national health care reform debate was underway, the president of CIGNA's health care division was one of three industry executives who came here to assure members of Congress that they would help lawmakers pass meaningful reform. While they expressed concerns about some of President Clinton's proposals, they said they enthusiastically supported several specific goals.

Those goals included covering all Americans; eliminating underwriting practices like pre-existing condition exclusions and cherry-picking; the use of community rating; and the creation of a standard benefit plan. Had the industry followed through on its commitment to those goals, I wouldn't be here today.

Today we are hearing industry executives saying the same things and making the same assurances. This time, though, the industry is bigger, richer and stronger, and it has a much tighter grip on our health care system than ever before. In the 15 years since insurance companies killed the Clinton plan, the industry has consolidated to the point that it is now dominated by a cartel of large for-profit insurers.

The average family doesn't understand how Wall Street's dictates determine whether they will be offered coverage, whether they can keep it, and how much they'll be charged for it. But, in fact, Wall Street plays a powerful role. The top priority of for-profit companies is to drive up the value of their stock. Stocks fluctuate based on companies' quarterly reports, which are discussed every three months in conference calls with investors and analysts. On these calls, Wall Street investors and analysts look for two key figures: earnings per share and the medical-loss ratio, or medical "benefit ratio," as the industry now terms it. That is the ratio between what the company actually pays out in claims and what it has left over to cover sales, marketing, underwriting and other administrative expenses and, of course, profits.

To win the favor of powerful analysts, for-profit insurers must prove that they made more money during the previous quarter than a year earlier and that the portion of the premium going to medical costs is falling. Even very profitable companies can see sharp declines in stock prices moments after admitting they've failed to trim medical costs. I have seen an insurer's stock price fall 20 percent or more in a single day after executives disclosed that the company had to spend a slightly higher percentage of premiums on medical claims during the quarter than it did during a previous period. The smoking gun was the company's first-quarter medical loss ratio, which had increased from 77.9% to 79.4% a year later.

To help meet Wall Street's relentless profit expectations, insurers routinely dump policyholders who are less profitable or who get sick. Insurers have several ways to cull the sick from their rolls. One is policy rescission. They look carefully to see if a sick policyholder may have omitted a minor illness, a pre-existing condition, when applying for coverage, and then they use that as justification to cancel the policy, even if the enrollee has never missed a premium payment. Asked directly about this practice just last week in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, executives of three of the nation's largest health insurers refused to end the practice of cancelling policies for sick enrollees. Why? Because dumping a small number of enrollees can have a big effect on the bottom line. Ten percent of the population accounts for two-thirds of all health care spending. The Energy and Commerce Committee's investigation into three insurers found that they canceled the coverage of roughly 20,000 people in a five-year period, allowing the companies to avoid paying $300 million in claims.

They also dump small businesses whose employees' medical claims exceed what insurance underwriters expected. All it takes is one illness or accident among employees at a small business to prompt an insurance company to hike the next year's premiums so high that the employer has to cut benefits, shop for another carrier, or stop offering coverage altogether — leaving workers uninsured. The practice is known in the industry as "purging." The purging of less profitable accounts through intentionally unrealistic rate increases helps explain why the number of small businesses offering coverage to their employees has fallen from 61 percent to 38 percent since 1993, according to the National Small Business Association. Once an insurer purges a business, there are often no other viable choices in the health insurance market because of rampant industry consolidation.

An account purge so eye-popping that it caught the attention of reporters occurred in October 2006 when CIGNA notified the Entertainment Industry Group Insurance Trust that many of the Trust's members in California and New Jersey would have to pay more than some of them earned in a year if they wanted to continue their coverage. The rate increase CIGNA planned to implement, according to USA Today, would have meant that some family-plan premiums would exceed $44,000 a year. CIGNA gave the enrollees less than three months to pay the new premiums or go elsewhere.

Purging through pricing games is not limited to letting go of an isolated number of unprofitable accounts. It is endemic in the industry. For instance, between 1996 and 1999, Aetna initiated a series of company acquisitions and became the nation's largest health insurer with 21 million members. The company spent more than $20 million that it received in fees and premiums from customers to revamp its computer systems, enabling the company to "identify and dump unprofitable corporate accounts," as The Wall Street Journal reported in 2004. Armed with a stockpile of new information on policyholders, new management and a shift in strategy, in 2000, Aetna sharply raised premiums on less profitable accounts. Within a few years, Aetna lost 8 million covered lives due to strategic and other factors.

While strategically initiating these cost hikes, insurers have professed to be the victims of rising health costs while taking no responsibility for their share of America's health care affordability crisis. Yet, all the while, health-plan operating margins have increased as sick people are forced to scramble for insurance.

Unless required by state law, insurers often refuse to tell customers how much of their premiums are actually being paid out in claims. A Houston employer could not get that information until the Texas legislature passed a law a few years ago requiring insurers to disclose it. That Houston employer discovered that its insurer was demanding a 22 percent rate increase in 2006 even though it had paid out only 9 percent of the employer's premium dollars for care the year before.

It's little wonder that insurers try to hide information like that from its customers. Many people fall victim to these industry tactics, but the Houston employer might have known better — it was the Harris County Medical Society, the county doctors' association.

A study conducted last year by PricewaterhouseCoopers revealed just how successful the insurers' expense management and purging actions have been over the last decade in meeting Wall Street's expectations. The accounting firm found that the collective medical-loss ratios of the seven largest for-profit insurers fell from an average of 85.3 percent in 1998 to 81.6 percent in 2008. That translates into a difference of several billion dollars in favor of insurance company shareholders and executives and at the expense of health care providers and their patients.

There are many ways insurers keep their customers in the dark and purposely mislead them — especially now that insurers have started to aggressively market health plans that charge relatively low premiums for a new brand of policies that often offer only the illusion of comprehensive coverage.

An estimated 25 million Americans are now underinsured for two principle reasons. First, the high deductible plans many of them have been forced to accept — like I was forced to accept at CIGNA — require them to pay more out of their own pockets for medical care, whether they can afford it or not. The trend toward these high-deductible plans alarms many health care experts and state insurance commissioners. As California Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi told the Associated Press in 2005 when he was serving as the state's insurance commissioner, the movement toward consumer-driven coverage will eventually result in a "death spiral" for managed care plans. This will happen, he said, as consumer-driven plans "cherry-pick" the youngest, healthiest and richest customers while forcing managed care plans to charge more to cover the sickest patients. The result, he predicted, will be more uninsured people.

In selling consumer-driven plans, insurers often try to persuade employers to go "full replacement," which means forcing all of their employees out of their current plans and into a consumer-driven plan. At least two of the biggest insurers have done just that, to the dismay of many employees who would have preferred to stay in their HMOs and PPOs. Those options were abruptly taken away from them.

Secondly, the number of uninsured people has increased as more have fallen victim to deceptive marketing practices and bought what essentially is fake insurance. The industry is insistent on being able to retain so-called "benefit design flexibility" so they can continue to market these kinds of often worthless policies. The big insurers have spent millions acquiring companies that specialize in what they call "limited-benefit" plans. An example of such a plan is marketed by one of the big insurers under the name of Starbridge Select. Not only are the benefits extremely limited but the underwriting criteria established by the insurer essentially guarantee big profits. Pre-existing conditions are not covered during the first six months, and the employer must have an annual employee turnover rate of 70 percent or more, so most of the workers don't even stay on the payroll long enough to use their benefits. The average age of employees must not be higher than 40, and no more than 65 percent of the workforce can be female. Employers don't pay any of the premiums—the employees pay for everything. As Consumer Reports noted in May, many people who buy limited-benefit policies, which often provide little or no hospitalization, are misled by marketing materials and think they are buying more comprehensive care. In many cases it is not until they actually try to use the policies that they find out they will get little help from the insurer in paying the bills.

The lack of candor and transparency is not limited to sales and marketing. Notices that insurers are required to send to policyholders—those explanation-of-benefit documents that are supposed to explain how the insurance company calculated its payments to providers and how much is left for the policyholder to pay—are notoriously incomprehensible. Insurers know that policyholders are so baffled by those notices they usually just ignore them or throw them away. And that's exactly the point. If they were more understandable, more consumers might realize that they are being ripped off.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for beginning this conversation on transparency and for making this such a priority. S. 1050, your legislation to require insurance companies to be more honest and transparent in how they communicate with consumers, is essential. So, too, is S. 9 1278, the Consumers Choice Health Plan, which would create a strong public health insurance option as a benchmark in transparency and quality. Americans need and overwhelmingly support the option of obtaining coverage from a public plan. The industry and its backers are using fear tactics, as they did in 1994, to tar a transparent, publicly-accountable health care option as a "government-run system." But what we have today, Mr. Chairman, is a Wall Street-run system that has proven itself an untrustworthy partner to its customers, to the doctors and hospitals who deliver care, and to the state and federal governments that attempt to regulate it.

Health Care - Yes We Can

You know, health care is something that I used to wonder about - because I did not have any. I have had great health care for the last 16 years because of my employer. I work for a labor union who puts their money where it counts. Unions as employers still understand how valuable and important good affordable health care is. I only pay small co-pays and that's it.

I recently had a stent put in and some other 8 blockages cleared. The cost was slightly over $22,000.00 and I did not pay a cent. If I had not had good health insurance, no doubt I would still be walking around with that ticking time-bomb in my chest. Just waiting for the next bag of groceries that I carried in, or laundry basket that I toted up the stairs - the BANG, heart attack, and I would either be drowning in medical costs or dead. Not great choices hey?

The republicans are doing their best to block health care reform. The question would be why? What is the true reason they want to block it. Let's take a look at some of those possible reasons.

Today I looked up some of the funding resources of the campaign contributions of those who are trying their best to block these reforms. Odd that some are backed by very conservative "right to life" groups. I guess it would be because the government plan would pay for people to use planned parenthood or other organizations like them.

Maybe it is because the drug companies who spend a lot of their money backing republicans don't want our government to push down the price of new prescription drugs. We all know that if you buy a drug here in the U.S. it is going to cost you many times more that if you buy the same drug, from the same company in Canada. Gee, why is that? Could be because the Canadian government told them, "look, profit is profit, but then again, gouging is gouging and we will not stand for it."

Take a look at the health care page that the AFL-CIO has on their website. There is truth there. When I hear conservative republicans say that this will not help families it makes me so angry. This will help families. Those families who need health care and those who would end up filing for bankruptcy if they did not have health care coverage. Medical bills can pile up fast. In just a few months you can be hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt due to some unexpected illness. No body wants to see you lose everything just because you got sick.

Call your representatives now and tell them to get back to work and pass health care reform now because we need it now! Don't know who or how to contact them? Go here and get the info and make the call. You don't have to be concerned about how you tell them - Just tell them to pass health care reform or you will vote for someone who will come election time.

Mattew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act

Yesterday, the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator John McCain (AZ), protested that the hate crimes amendment would be an inappropriate addition to the Department of Defense authorization bill.

"Speaking on the Senate floor, Senator McCain stated:

"This is a complete abdication of the responsibilities of the Judiciary Committee, but, more importantly, could hang up this bill for a long time while we have young Americans fighting and dying in two wars."

Is it just me, or is he saying it upsets him when "young Americans" die outside the US but he's okay with "young Americans" and other Americans dying within the US? How incredulous! He is blinded like many, with a prejudice that they would say they did not have. Well, guess what Senator, we know. I am sick and tired of people being "expendable" just because they are LGBT. There will be hate crimes law, whether it is now or a little later, but it will happen; just as same sex marriage will happen by the way. (yup, had to toss that at ya too.)

I feel strongly that funding for our military is crucial. I myself am a veteran; my last four years in the Army had been spent in a special forces aviation unit. (To those of you who know, our unit motto was,"Death Waits in the Dark") I am proud of my years serving my country. Make no mistake -- I wore that uniform to protect the rights of all Americans, not just some. So, in the end, at least for today -- Shame on John McCain for thinking less of the lives of victims of hate crimes. People killed or injured by the actions of those committing hate crimes are just as valuable and worthy of our protection, of our prayers and of our humanity as any soldier fighting on our behalf in lands so far from our own shores.

I myself have been a victim of hate crimes before the phrase was even part of the American lexicon. I was fortunate that those same skills I learned as a soldier saved me here at home when people thought that the words "gay man" were interchangeable with "weak and helpless". I fought physically against hate then, and I will continue to fight against it today and in the future in any way I can.

The day will come, it is near at hand -- we will, in a unified vision, see the dawn rise on that amazing day!

Fed Up With Wells Fargo Mortgage

There comes a time when you wonder why you try to be a good and faithful customer to a business. We have been great customers to Wells Fargo anent our home mortgage. In November of last year, my partner was laid off.

When January came round and the industry was not picking up, we thought we better contact Wells Fargo and let them know we might be having problems in a few months.

We contacted them and they told us to write a "hardship" letter and fax that along with all our financial information. We got it all together complete with a lovely spreadsheet with all our finance info laid out. Little did we know that the process would take over seven months! Then to our dismay and horror, they sent an overnight letter saying, "As we discussed..." Well, first off, "we" did not discuss anything! Their offer was to let us pay half our mortgage for three months then have a balloon payment of almost $8,000.00.

I called them and said, "Hey, what's this? We have always been good customers who have been a payment ahead on the mortgage and you offer us this lousy deal?" They guy, "Derrick" went over our info and found that somehow they had lost my income information. How, I'm not sure as over the seven months we faxed all the info at least 3 or 4 times! He said, "Don't worry, we can get the updated info to the "negotiator" and they can re-work this. It is clear you have a surplus at the end of each month."

I dutifully faxed my pay stubs to them within the next few days. A few weeks later, they contact me and let me know everything was going fine. HA! What a load of horse pucky! I found out on that call that they set up the lousy deal we told them not to do and would have been expecting $8,000.00 in three months. They did this without a signed document to do so. I told them what had happened on the last call and even though they admit they made a mistake, they told me that since we "declined" their "offer" we had to start from the beginning all over again.

After seven freaking months of work! I was so angry I thought my head would explode like a frikin cartoon character! No matter what they would not budge and I would not be allowed to speak to the negotiator who worked on our loan modification request.

My solution: I am going to find others like me in the state of Maryland and we will, as a group contact not only our elected Representatives, but the Attorney General's office. If need be, this may turn into a class action law suit. I am so sick and tired of companies like Wells Fargo treating good customers like crap.

We have never missed a payment and we were always a payment ahead until they started delaying our process. Stay tuned for more on this. We will become Wells Fargo's nightmare.

We are good customers and we deserve to be treated better!

If you have a story like mine and you are from Maryland, let me know. They might treat us like crap one by one...but wait till they have to deal with us as a unified and organized group!