Public Support For Health Reform Increases in September, Reversing Summer Declines as Congress Takes Up Legislation

From a Kaiser Family Foundation Press Release:

Survey Finds Support For New Proposals For Fees And Taxes on Insurance Companies to Help Pay For Overhaul

Public support for health reform ended its summer slide, reversed course and moved modestly upwards in September, according to the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll.

Fifty-seven percent of Americans now believe that tackling health care reform is more important than ever -- up from 53 percent in August. The proportion of Americans who think their families would be better off if health reform passes is up six percentage points (42% versus 36% in August), and the percentage who think that the country would be better off is up eight points (to 53% from 45% in August).

Despite the uptick, a substantial share of the public (47%) favors taking longer to work out a bipartisan approach to health reform, compared to 42 percent who would prefer to see Democrats move faster on their own. Meanwhile, the public continues to view the action in Washington with mixed feelings: The largest share (68%) said they were "hopeful" about reform, but 50% are "anxious" and 31% "angry."

"Opinion in the coming months is hard to predict, but as the focus shifted from the town halls and hot button issues to the President, the Congress and the core issues in the legislation that affect people the most, the summer downturn in support was largely erased," said Kaiser President and CEO Drew Altman.

Upswing in Support Driven by Changes Among Republicans and Independents

Republicans and political independents became markedly more pessimistic about health reform in August, but those viewpoints softened in September. While 49 percent of Republicans say their family would be worse off if health reform passes, this is down from 61 percent in August. The percentage of independents saying they would be worse off fell from 36 percent in August to 26 percent this month.

Democrats remain overwhelmingly in favor of tackling health care now (77%), while most Republicans say we cannot afford to do so (63%) and independents are more evenly divided (51% in favor and 44% opposed).

Fifty-seven percent of the public -- including 56% of independents -- say the GOP is opposing reform plans more for political reasons than because they think reform will be bad for the country.

Hear My Story: I Chose Sight for My Daughters Over Preserving My Own Vision

This story of a mother in Florida could be anyone unlucky enough to be born with the hereditary syndrome that makes her progressively blind. The family's health insurance can only pay for the mother's treatments, or that of her daughters. What a choice to make, eh?

To think that in developed countries all around the world, no other people are forced to make these kinds of unbearable choices. The full story's here, in the St. Petersburg Times.

Climate Crisis: If a Three Year-Old Gets It, Why Don't Republicans?

I've been both dreading and looking forward to the conversation I had tonight with my three year-old daughter. We bought a book at the Monterey Bay Aquarium a few months ago called Why Are the Ice Caps Melting? in preparation, but I wanted the right moment. Tonight, she got in bed early and then (predictably) had a second wind and started talking with me. Somehow we got on the topic of climate, so I decided to give her the 411, topped off with the book.

Knowing my daughter's sensitive nature, I expected she would be sad, a little scared and concerned about the animals and plants, but I didn't anticipate so many questions. The book explores all aspects of the problem - garbage, auto pollution, aerosol sprays, storms, rising water levels and the greenhouse effect - it's like a mini version of Al Gore's slideshow. That's a lot to digest, but it's all connected.

What fascinated me about the discussion was how quickly my daughter seemed to grasp the problem: Too hot, plants dying, animals and people dying, big storms, houses flooding = bad. And she already wants to help. [Proud mom moment.] Meanwhile, the national policy discussion is slowly turning to security and its connection with "climate change" (aka euphemism of the century) and only now are Republicans starting to listen. To the credit of whoever made the decision to turn this into a talking point, it's a powerful one. Keep it going.

But really, if a three year-old can understand that a sick planet = dead people and animals, I have little patience with Ivy League educated legislators who gloss over the problem. Sick environment = sick people = weak security = hostile takeover = imminent destruction. Sure, there are combinations and permutations of the equation that are more complicated, involving Anthrax, methane, CO2 poisoning, etc. but the bottom line is the same. People aren't stupid, but we can be lazy and spoiled. And although the Republican party line previously was to say there's no proof, the continuous mounting evidence is now irrefutable. I also think the state of the economy is such that now people have already started tightening belts and being frugal, it's a little easier for them to look at going green as part of the solution. However, some legislators are still afraid to vote their conscience and take serious measures in terms of environmental legislation. We're making progress, just not enough.

So now I'm wondering: do we need to send a copy of this book to every member of Congress and every Republican still dragging their heels? Yes, it's made of paper, but it's small and can be passed around, loaned out, reused. It takes ten minutes to read and it's easy to understand for anyone - including the minimally educated. It may be more on the level of a grade schooler than a preschooler, but it's no more complicated than a ballot. It may be a tough conversation to have with policy makers and kids alike, but it's a lot easier than the alternative. Fifty years from now, our kids will all thank us for it, and I'd like to be around for that conversation.

...

Sarah Granger also writes for the Huffington Post and her articles have appeared in ecofabulous, the Silicon Valley Moms Blog and Bay Area Parent. She formerly served as an Environmental Quality Commissioner for the City of Menlo Park, California.

Vanilla Iced

I love plain vanilla ice cream.  Love it.  My favorite is the soft serve vanilla at Carvel's.  The rest of my family doesn't understand my vanilla compulsion.  My husband is a ice-cream omnivore.  My oldest daughter favors the fruity sherbets, and my youngest has already demonstrated a strong disposition towards anything that includes chocolate.

I am simple, uncomplicated.  And to me, it is the simple, and uncomplicated repetition of vanilla that draws me to it again, and again, and again.  I know what I'm paying for, and I know what I'll get.

So needless to say, that I took it as a personal affront this week when my favorite comedian-politician, Barney Frank, announced that the House has revised the administration’s proposal for a new consumer financial protection agency by removing the requirement that banks and other financial services companies offer "plain vanilla products", like 30-year fixed mortgages and low-interest, low-fee credit cards.  My favorite comedian-secretary, Timothy Geithner, came around quickly, announcing the administration's acquiescence in the deletion.

On what planet does it make sense that I could walk into any ice cream store tomorrow and find out that vanilla is no longer available?

Senator Gillibrand Speaks Out about Senator Kyl's remarks

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who has a strong record of working to improve health care access coverage for all Americans, today issued a statement in response to Senator Kyl's (R-AZ) objection to covering maternity care:

I was very disturbed at Senator Kyl's remark that insurance companies should not be required to offer maternity care. Proper maternity care should be a basic right that every woman has affordable access to. Since he doesn't need maternity care, he does not understand its importance.

When I gave birth to my children, I was fortunate to have the coverage I needed. But it's becoming more and more difficult for millions of women around the country to gain access to basic maternity care.

I'm pleased that the Senate Finance Committee defeated the Kyl amendment, which would have stripped the ability of the federal government to define which benefits are covered in a standard private insurance package.

I'd prefer that we didn't need to force private insurers to do the right thing but the fact that only 60% of private insurance plans in the individual insurance market cover maternity care highlights the need for health insurance reform.

Hey Senator Kyl, GOP: Nice Family Values (NOT!)

Have you heard about the (fortunately now failed) amendment to health care reform that directly affected maternity care? Or read Senator Kyl's now infamous statement and Senator Stabenow's classic rebuttal? If not, check out Karoli's summary and take on it.

Insurance loved Kyl's position, of course.“The point of insurance is to insure against catastrophic care costs. That’s what you’re trying to aggregate and pool for such things as heart attacks and cancer,” said an Anthem Blue Cross spokesman. “Having a child is a matter of choice. Dealing with an adult onset illness, such as diabetes, heart disease. breast or prostate cancer, is not a matter of choice.”

As much as it pains me deeply at this precise moment to just let the "choice" discussion slide (and the point that diseases deserve to be treated but not pregnancy) -- for now -- I will to make a larger point. Unfortunately, Kyl's position (and the insurance industry's position) is a horrifically short-sighted view on the cost of maternity care. When maternity care is excluded, it can become a catastrophic event for families. That can lead to sicker mothers (more costly), sicker babies (more costly), and even tougher choices. When women lack the financial resources and health care to manage a pregnancy and child, they are more likely to abort or adopt out the baby.

Sen. Kyl, Family Research Council: Flip-Floppers on Families

We all know that Republicans are pro-family, right? After all, whenever there are cameras on they're more than willing to beat their breasts and wail loudly to anyone who will listen over the modern decline of 'the family', especially when they can blame progressives.

As Senator Kyl proved in today's markup session on the Baucus health care reform proposal, all their support for families evaporates rapidly when it bumps into influence, lobbying, and a little help from the extremists over at the Family Research Council.

From today's session, this tasty tidbit:

KYL: I don’t need maternity care, and so requiring that to be in my insurance policy is something that I don’t need and will make the policy more expensive.

STABENOW: If I could just interject once with my colleague — I think your mom probably did. (LAUGHTER)

KYL: Over 60 years ago my mom did. (LAUGHTER) You notice I wasn’t too specific with regard to that.

Go Listen: BlogHer Call with Senator Amy Klobuchar on Health Care Reform

BlogHer recently hosted a conference call on health insurance reform with Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. MOMocrats writers Karoli, Jaelithe and Joanne participated in the call, which included several BlogHer members with various backgrounds and political opinions, and was moderated by Nancy Watzman from the Sunlight Foundation, a non-partisan organization dedicated to improving government transparency

Senator Klobuchar, a Democrat, a mother, and one of only 17 women Senators currently serving in Congress, supports health care reform and has expressed a preference for a plan that would end exclusions for pre-existing condition, include a health insurance exchange that would allow small businesses and independent contractors to use collective bargaining power to access lower health insurance prices, and include a public option that would give Americans the choice of buying into a non-profit government-run insurance plan.

During the call, the Senator discussed her views on the best ways to reduce health care costs for both consumers and the government, spoke about the need to provide better support to families caring for elderly relatives, and expressed her outrage at learning that some private insurance companies have been denying coverage to victims of domestic violence.

Senator Klobuchar also talked about ways that ordinary citizens who support health care reform can help make a difference by promoting reform in their own communities.

Visit the BlogHer website to listen to the BlogHer conference call with Senator Amy Klobuchar or read a partial transcript. And don't forget to check back next week for a BlogHer conference call with Republican Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

Will Ferrell "Defends" Health Insurance Companies

Well, sort of.

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

I could really laugh at this if it wasn't spot on.

Aside from thinking about health insurance reform here, Joanne Bamberger is also trying to get her head around it at her place, PunditMom.

Watch this 4 Minute Video to Understand The Obama Health Care Reform Plan

David Axelrod emailed me (and probably many, many other people) to say that if I spent 4 minutes watching 1 video, I could completely understand just what I'd get from health insurance reform.

I met David Axelrod mano-a-mano once for probably exactly 4 minutes and I'd say I learned just what I needed to in that time, so I decided to give him four minutes. One, I'm always interested to better understand exactly what we're proposing here to reform health care. Two, I like four minutes. I have four minutes. I bet you do, too.



Link to the site for more information, downloads and links:

Axelrod wrote, "The details the President outlines in this video are those that every American needs to know. No matter your political party or whether or not you have insurance, his plan for health care security and stability matters to all of us. Millions of American citizens cannot get health insurance — and 14,000 are losing their insurance every day. If we do nothing, half of Americans under the age of 65 will lose their health insurance at some point in the next ten years. That’s not right. Plain and simple."

I agree.