I’d like to see the Democrats take these bulls by the horns more often. That alone, almost certainly would help the “favorables” for the new Congress.

This is yet another of those wingnut welfare operations run by a few people on a slush fund of tax-deductible dollars, that gets revived for GOP duty. The FEC reports aren’t the motherlode here: the GuideStar links to Form 990s are. Others have pointed out how much Hal Daub made as President/CEO in 2005.

Politically I agree with your assessment, but it is impossible to overlook the needs.

You can judge a society by the way they treat their young and their old.

So far we are not doing this well

The new megacorps running Part D drop and change coverage for individual meds all the time – with no warning.

For patients, this means they show up at the pharmacy and their meds aren’t covered.

I’ve heard of this happening. The word unconscionable springs to mind…Beyond that, I’m semi-speecchless. Once again, of course, we who said, before the Rx “coverage for seniors”, that it was a really bad plan, were absolutely right. Seems to be doing us (liberals, dems, etc) about as much good as being “right” about it being your turn at the 4-way stop.

Wish everyone were like you both.

Good on ya!

Remember the 3 dead GOP consultants in Florida…the story is getting weirder:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/8/29/9114/64392

Wha-a-a?
(ok, back from skimming articles) Man! You justcan’t make this stuff up!

Many thanks for telling it like it is and not squirreling around “the doughnut hole” excuse. What a crock that is! What an insult to people’s intelligence that is!

The Medicare Adv. subsidy for Big Insurance is part of the “Part C” group…

On a practical level, this means when shopping for “gap plans”, the Medicare Adv. plan regs were written by the Bushies.

Just knowing that makes me think the previous “medigap” plans will be less of a gouge.

tejanarusa @ 8

Hmmmm. The target list is indeed interesting — but there’s another question I’m surprised you didn’t mention: Is any of the ads’ descriptions of the CHAMP act accurate?

I confess, I wasn’t aware that the Children’s medical provisions cut anything in old folks’ care. I kind of find it hard to believe,actuallly. But, given, that our representatives themselves, who presumably have access to the texts of legislation, keep voting without having read said texts, I could be all wet.

I addressed the underlying issue of the allegations made by these ads at a post on my own blog, The Progressive Connection.

But in a nutshell, the CHAMP Act extends SCHIP to 5 million previously uninsured children by cutting funds to the Medicare Advantage program. Now, Medicare Advantage is a program that was instituted by Republicans to privatize Medicare. Seniors can use Medicare Advantage to sign up with private insurance companies. And, needless to say, those private insurance companies have been providing inferior care while earning obscene profits.

That’s why the CHAMP Act was endorsed by both AARP and the AMA.

But the private organizations aren’t about to give up without a dirty fight.

Babaloo, tejanarusa, and most of all Christy…

Thanks for shining a light on this steaming pile of lobbyists and megacorps.

Freaking Medicare Advantage – IIRC – pays private HMO companies (who are already providing Medicare HMO plans) even more money than market ratess.

Yep, can’t let Big Insurance suffer with merely free market gouging – subsidize it.

Part of the Rethugs’ two-pronged strategy to divert public funds to their cronies and destroy the public sphere in the process.

Medicare Adv. drains the Medicare Trust Fund to give a big sloppy megacorp reacharound – with not net return.

Medicare is delivered by “Parts”: Part A is inpatient insurance, Part B is outpatient care (roughly), Part D is drugs.

[Formally, “Part C” doesn’t exist - informally, this term is used for the Big Insurance private plans that (kinda) cover the gap between Medicare and what the hospital/doctor charges. (These “gap plans” are known as either “Medicare Choice” or a different critter called “medigap” that do the same sort of stuff.)]

Part D is new – like Med Adv, set up by the Bushies.

Part D is an even sloppier jucier wet orifice by which megacorps may explore our Treasury.

Part D gives huge public subsidies to:

Big Pharma, for providing drugs without volume discount.

Big Insurance, for being paid massive overhead (15? 25? percent) to administer the same medication programs state plans used to run – for less than one percent overhead.

Oh – and my public clinic patients who used to get their essential psych meds without fail under Medi-Cal (the CA state program for medical ins) now often go without meds.

The new megacorps running Part D drop and change coverage for individual meds all the time – with no warning.

For patients, this means they show up at the pharmacy and their meds aren’t covered. Under Medi-cal, the pharmacies had work-arounds.

Part D is so rigid work-arounds fail, so now my patients often get told “no meds”. These are (non-abused) drugs which can case seizure when abruptly discontinued.

Oh – aside from withdrawal, people’s severe disabling psych symptoms can abruptly return.

Really great for the patient – and their family. And the public hospitals and ER’s.

But – hey – makes money for the Bushies’ pals.

What more do we want?