" THOSE WHO PROFESS TO FAVOR FREEDOM, AND YET DEPRECIATE AGITATION, ARE MEN AND WOMEN WHO WANT CROPS WITHOUT PLOWING UP THE GROUND. THEY WANT RAIN WITHOUT THUNDER AND LIGHTNING, THEY WANT THE OCEAN WITHOUT THE AWFUL ROAR OF ITS WATERS. THIS STRUGGLE MAY BE A MORAL ONE; OR IT MAY BE A PHYSICAL ONE; OR IT MAY BE BOTH MORAL AND PHYSICAL; BUT IT BE A STRUGGLE. POWER CONCEDES NOTHING WITHOUT A DEMAND... IT NEVER DID...AND IT NEVER WILL...FIND OUT JUST WHAT THE PEOPLE WILL SUBMIT TO AND YOU HAVE FOUND OUT THE EXACT AMOUNT OF INJUSTICE AND WRONG WHICH WILL BE IMPOSED UPON THEM; AND THOSE WILL CONTINUE UNTILL THEY ARE RESISTED WITH EITHER BLOWS OR WORDS, OR BOTH. THE LIMITS OF TYRANTS ARE PRESCRIBED BY THE ENDURANCE OF THOSE WHOM THEY OPPRESS-----"
FREDRICK DOUGLAS 1857
Thanks to Scott Thursby! spthursby@aol.com
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Maine SP Bill Status
Annie,
The bill LD 1365 has had it's first hearing and will be discussed in Augusta at the "work session" on May 1 at 9:30. During the hearing I disapproved of the method of "funding"; I also suggested that they table the bill until next year when the national bill will presumably be finished; we can more adequately focus on this bill.
Jerry
The bill LD 1365 has had it's first hearing and will be discussed in Augusta at the "work session" on May 1 at 9:30. During the hearing I disapproved of the method of "funding"; I also suggested that they table the bill until next year when the national bill will presumably be finished; we can more adequately focus on this bill.
Jerry
single payer in Maine?
Does anyone know what the status of single payer is in the Maine legislature? A friend mentioned it was on its way to passing but another friend said that Maine was 'broke'.
Monday, April 20, 2009
MPBN - Bought/Paid For
Jerry
if you visit Maine Watch's homepage:http://www.mpbn.net/MPBNLinks/MaineWatch/tabid/477/Default.aspx you'll see that Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield is their corporate sponsor
don't hold your breath [to be on Jennifer Rook's show]...
Kate
if you visit Maine Watch's homepage:http://www.mpbn.net/MPBNLinks/MaineWatch/tabid/477/Default.aspx you'll see that Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield is their corporate sponsor
don't hold your breath [to be on Jennifer Rook's show]...
Kate
NHS Financing
Jerry
There is a thought I have had lately, regarding the difficulty in the transition that would be required in moving to National Health care.
With a national plan we would create a situation where everyone would contribute the same way, I assume through a tax, like social security, correct?
The problem is that in our current situation, people's medical insurance is paid for all different ways. For example, I pay all my medical insurance out of pocket, as a small business owner. Some one else may receive medical insurance as part of their compensation for their work. Maybe it is totally paid for or partially paid for. Consider if then we need to contribute to the plan. That would be great for me, because I am paying already and it will likely be less. Someone who receives health insurance as part of their compensation for their work will, essentially, be paying twice. How to make that transition. It is very complicated. If employers pay in for their employees we continue to have the awful situation of Health care being attached to one's job. Also many employers don't and can't afford to pay for that benefit for their employees. Their employees don't generate enough revenue to afford it. To start to pay that additional compensation would be impossible for many businesses, especially now. Myself included. 5 years ago I did provide health insurance, but had to stop when it got to costly. At that time I gave my employee a raise equal to what I had been paying for insurance. I would have to cut his pay to go back to providing moneys for health care. Actually, this week my staff is on temporary layoff due to lack of work, so there is just no money at all.
Have you thought about this? It is very difficult and really don't see how we can possible make that transition without there being such inequities.
Maybe companies paying for healthcare could give that money to their employees, like I did, in the form of a raise. Then the employees would pay that into the government plan.
-Nancy
There is a thought I have had lately, regarding the difficulty in the transition that would be required in moving to National Health care.
With a national plan we would create a situation where everyone would contribute the same way, I assume through a tax, like social security, correct?
The problem is that in our current situation, people's medical insurance is paid for all different ways. For example, I pay all my medical insurance out of pocket, as a small business owner. Some one else may receive medical insurance as part of their compensation for their work. Maybe it is totally paid for or partially paid for. Consider if then we need to contribute to the plan. That would be great for me, because I am paying already and it will likely be less. Someone who receives health insurance as part of their compensation for their work will, essentially, be paying twice. How to make that transition. It is very complicated. If employers pay in for their employees we continue to have the awful situation of Health care being attached to one's job. Also many employers don't and can't afford to pay for that benefit for their employees. Their employees don't generate enough revenue to afford it. To start to pay that additional compensation would be impossible for many businesses, especially now. Myself included. 5 years ago I did provide health insurance, but had to stop when it got to costly. At that time I gave my employee a raise equal to what I had been paying for insurance. I would have to cut his pay to go back to providing moneys for health care. Actually, this week my staff is on temporary layoff due to lack of work, so there is just no money at all.
Have you thought about this? It is very difficult and really don't see how we can possible make that transition without there being such inequities.
Maybe companies paying for healthcare could give that money to their employees, like I did, in the form of a raise. Then the employees would pay that into the government plan.
-Nancy
Sunday, April 19, 2009
"Private" Universal Non-profit HC?
Just found this interesting site. A doctor has written a "paper" on an idea for a privately run non-profit universal healthcare system in America. I haven't read it yet (only about 60 pages) but sounds interesting. It was written up by Huffington.
http://uhc.helpeachother.com/
http://uhc.helpeachother.com/
Friday, April 17, 2009
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