Saving our nation's health care from greed and demise.

The Republicans won't be joining us, with the exception of one or two in the Senate, in 'cleaning up' the health care industry in the USA. I think there are recommendations from one Republican Senator that have studied the subject and set a goal for reform before President Obama was even a candidate. That would be Senator Baucus. Unless the winds have shifted with him since this article in USA Today.

...Senator Baucus (click here): "Well, we are going to cut spending and that's the basic way we're able to come up with a way not to add to the national debt. People think it adds to the debt. But the dollars spent on health care will not add one thin dime to our national debt."...

...Senator Baucus: "Nothing is certain. But I think that this is a lot different than when President Clinton attempted health care reform. This time around costs are so high and second the major groups are on board."...

The President tried to reach out in bi-partisanship, but, for that effort there are Republicans such as Grassley that rather try to make a fool of Presient Obama for his trust placed with Senator Grassley. It is why I stated, Senator Grassley is incompetent. I defy any member of the Senate or Congress to come forward 'in good faith' to be an advocate and participant in bipartisanship only to laugh behind our President's back for acting in good faith in return. That isn't even politics. That is playing with the future of our nation. Grassley is incompetent. He might be a joker too, but, more than that he is a joke.

It's time for Obama to stop handwringing and put on the boxing gloves (click title to entry - thank you)

...It's beyond ironic that those rallying in rage at town hall meetings portray Obama as some malevo.lent tyrant driving a steamroller over them and their concerns. In fact, though, he's cripplingly starry-eyed about bipartisanship, dialogue and compromise when it's quite clear that his opponents see this as a weakness they can exploit....

Kyl is the Senate Minority Whip. It doesn't take any more words from the GOP to know they have every intention of ending a health care debate.

Secretary Sebelius mentioned the 'idea' of Health Care Insurance Co-ops as an alternative to a Government Option that was being proposed by the Senate. Well, she put faith in the "W"rong people. The Senators that were proposing such a 'competitive' option aren't going to anymore. They have withdrawn from any participation and are completely opposed to health care reform in the USA.

They don't care. It is better that the President, his staff, his cabinet and leadership in the House and Senate come to terms with the fact the only interest Republicans have in health care reform is to stall it as long as possible in hopes of defeating it.

I suggest the President ask Commerce and Treasury to convince any Democratic Senators and House members of the soundness of this measure while they linger in doubt today.

I'll tell you something, this House Bill is really 'dry' reading. From page 30 forward it spells out all the particulars in deployment of the bill after it is passed and how the administrative components will manifest. Sadly to some there is no additional salary to the members of any board. Traveling expenses, but, no additional salary to the one they already receive. In other words, the Surgeon General has to add this to his job description.

The bill requires 'plain language' by any insurance entities, it requires fairness in advertising and this is a good one, it demands timely payment of claims. There will definitively be data collection for the purpose of finding further efficiencies:

Page 43, Lines 19 through 24:

DATA COLLECTION.—The Commissioner shall collect data for purposes of carrying out the Commissioner’s duties, including for purposes of promoting quality and value, protecting consumers, and addressing disparities in health and health care and may share such data with the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Don't fool yourself to believe your insurance companies aren't already doing this for internal purposes such as finding greater profits. In addition, this is like the CIA and FBI sharing information. I don't know if that is a great analogy, but, at least the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the CDC won't be duplicating work. That is a savings all by itself. And the best part is that the data will be real and truthful, not derived statistically by a study group.

The bill provides for clear and concise language to be used that already exists within the USA health care industry. There is no trickery or anything up anyone's sleeve. The language in all documents between the government and any private entity or citizens themselves will reflect words already defined and used by the industry. The 'additional' definitions of the bill that does not exist in the industry today is due to the 'new' entity of that this bill produces.

The bill leaves open the ability of the Commission to consultation with any other entity, including attorneys general, NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners, regulators, appropriate state agencies, etc. The new Commission will be fluid and blend with existing authority without undermining any other authority that already exists. The new entity for our health care reform will consult with any state or federal agency to apply the new standards without misinterpretation.

There will be the creation by appointment of a Qualified Health Benefits Plan Ombudsman. This basically is a consumer advocate that receives complaints and administrates them. Most every state has at least one, especially when it comes to dealing with issues of the elderly. This is just a different level of government that will do basically the same thing to be sure there is equity in the administration of the policy set forward by the bill. As a rule, Ombudsman are blind to government when it comes to advocacy for citizens. The Ombudsman will receive complaints from individuals and not the industry alone. The Ombudsman will answer directly to Congress in oversight by annual reports. That removes any conflict of interest in administering any health care insurance or care.

The way I see the Ombudsman is as a critical component in the first year or two of the new law until everyone gets used to it. The volume of its work will probably diminish as time goes by and there is better understanding of the law.

The House bill goes on to state this new law will not interfer with any previous government health insurance already existing. There is also a provision that laws regarding state laws and their application to any circumstance when providing a greater benefit. I have to mention here that it is my opinion, the passage of this bill help relieve some state budgets of their current health insurance initiatives. There is a good chance that 'charity care' or whatever other verbiage one wants to call it may very well be something of the past if people currently uninsured now find themselves insurable and a member of a plan. That will assist many states with budget issues they are facing today.

There are provisions that prevent discrimination. That is something never addressed by any entity anywhere in the government, except, at some state agencies that administer their own plans. But, that is a vital part of this bill. It will be the first time Americans cannot be discriminated against for any reason in applying for and using the health care industry in this country. It will literally be a brave new world when this bill is passed. Nice. I think that is very appropriate for the USA. Absolutely. It is a matter of civil rights.

There is also protection for Whistleblowers, too. That is always a good thing. No misbehaving by anyone.

This may be one of the big reasons Republicans simply cannot get their minds around reform:

Page 53, Lines 9 through 14

SEC. 154. CONSTRUCTION REGARDING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.
Nothing in this division shall be construed to alter of supercede any statutory or other obligation to engage in collective bargaining over the terms and conditions of mployment related to health care.

See, if anyone can get Kyl to say 'Collective Bargaining' without fainting. If you do, get it on tape, it will be a once in a lifetime chance.

Page 53, Lines 21 and 22 start talking about 'Ensuring Value and Lower Premiums.' Wow.

Subtitle G—Early Investments
SEC. 161. ENSURING VALUE AND LOWER PREMIUMS.

Ready for this one. Sit down you won't believe this one. Seriously, sit down for this one. Ready? We get money back. This that flyin' amazing or what?

‘‘SEC. 2714. ENSURING VALUE AND LOWER PREMIUMS.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each health insurance issuer that offers health insurance coverage in the small or large group market shall provide that for any plan year in which the coverage has a medical loss ratio below a level specified by the Secretary, the issuer shall provide in a manner specified by the Secretary for rebates to enrollees of payment sufficient to meet such loss ratio.

Why don't I end there on a good note. I don't care how long it takes to get through this bill. It has its upside in actually reading this and writing about it. I think it is a historically great document. In sincerely do.

Until tomorrow.

Chevy Volt - The Future is Here. I am more happy than measurable. I am even more happy it is Chevy. Nice. Very nice.

230 miles per gallon.

Nice job !!!

It's over.

The struggle for the future is over.

Chevy gave it to us.

We now have sane transportation with no tropospheric insult.

What would have happened to the Volt if we didn't save GMC? Americans have every reason to be proud of their leadership in saving the American Auto Manufacturer. Look, we all knew it wasn't going to be cheap taking the country back from decades of corruption. This is the future of our children. I think it is worth it. Very worth it.

I don't want to hear about the $40,000 sticker price either. The vehicle will pay for itself in one year or less, on fuel savings alone.

Now, if we could just stop those stacks from emitting !

The USA needs to stay out of the civil wars of Iraq. This is not sectarian violence. The Autonomous Kurdish Area will secede from Iraq.

Further war was completely destroy any economy that still exists in the Autonomous Kurdish Region.

A general view of Dukan Resort, where three American hikers were last seen, near Sulaimaniyah, 260 kilometers (160 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Aug. 3, 2009. Iranian authorities have given no word on three Americans detained after reportedly wandering across the border with Iraq last week during a hike in the Iraqi Kurdish region. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

There are free elections being conducted in the region. It explains much of the violence there.

Kurdish Candidates in Iraq Campaign in Final Hours before Election (click here)
By Edward Yeranian Cairo
24 July 2009
...A number of independent parties are also competing in the election to determine the composition of Kurdistan's 111-seat parliament, and its next president. Challengers to the two main parties stand to gain seats, but appear unlikely to gain a majority....

The USA has no right to interfer. The USA will only propagate violence. Troops home now!

Iraq May Hold Vote On U.S. Withdrawal (click title to entry - thank you)
As American Focus Turns to North, Troops Could Be Forced to Leave Early
BAGHDAD, Aug. 17 -- U.S. troops could be forced by Iraqi voters to withdraw a year ahead of schedule under a referendum the Iraqi government backed Monday, creating a potential complication for American commanders concerned about rising violence in the country's north....
... The Maliki government's announcement came on the day that the top U.S. general in Iraq proposed a plan to deploy troops to disputed areas in the restive north, a clear indication that the military sees a continuing need for U.S. forces even if Iraqis no longer want them here....


U.S. troops may be sent to Iraq's Arab-Kurdish 'trigger line' (click here)
...Their goal, he said, would be to build trust between Iraqi security forces representing the Baghdad government and Kurdish militia answerable to the Kurdish regional government at a time when an increase in bombings attributed to the militant group Al Qaeda in Iraq has sent tensions between the two administrations soaring....

Pentagon 'very nervous' about Arab-Kurdish feud (click here)
By Adam EntousWASHINGTON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Tuesday it was "very nervous" about ethnic tensions in Iraq between Arabs and Kurds despite initial talks between their leaders, and a top U.S. commander warned the feud over land and oil could still turn violent.
While the sectarian fighting that nearly ripped Iraq apart has died down, the row between northern Iraq's largely autonomous Kurdistan region and its Shi'ite Arab-led government in Baghdad is seen by Washington as one of the greatest threats to the country's fragile stability....

Iraq's Kurdish Government Negotiating Cabinet Posts; Kurdish Forces Accused of Torture (click here)

...Asayeesh Reported to Torture Prisoners
Chawder newspaper reported that according to a report published by the Ministry of Human Rights for April, May, and June 2009, the Kurdish secret police, Asayeesh, in Bardarash Sub-district used torture against four prisoners. In related news, Rozhnama newspaper reported that one prisoner was beaten by four police officers at the Sulaimanyah Police Station. Also Rudaw newspaper reported that the Youth Empowerment Organization published a report, in which it said that police and Asayeesh are still using torture against prisoners in many forms from assault to rape. The report added that human trafficking is present in Kurdistan Region....

These are local crimes. This has nothing to do with war. The local authorities have to solve their own problems. It would appear as though the Iraqis have many 'rights' organizations policing their government and prisons.

Regional tensions are not new.

Turkey marks 25 years of Kurd rebellion (click here)
By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA (AP) – 3 days ago
ISTANBUL — Turkey marked 25 years Saturday since the first Kurdish rebel attacks, with political leaders calling for reconciliation, though the government has yet to offer a new plan for ending the conflict.
Fighting has died down since the 1990s, but the Kurdish conflict remains a drag on Turkey's drive to modernity and an obstacle to the country's joining the European Union.
The fighting began on Aug. 15, 1984, when separatist rebels attacked police and military units in the southeastern towns of Eruh and Semdinli before fleeing to bases in northern Iraq.
Since then, some 40,000 people have died as the rebels seek autonomy for Kurds concentrated in Turkey's southeast.
Kurdish activists held a festival Saturday in Eruh, where extra security forces were deployed.
Speakers appealed for peace, and crowds listened to traditional music at an open-air concert.
Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin called for reconciliation with the country's Kurdish minority.
"I see a great advantage in putting aside all prejudice," he said on Turkish television, dismissing nationalist claims that allowing Kurds to have more rights would "divide Turkey."...

Arrest of US hikers mars Iraqi Kurd tourism boom (click here)
By YAHYA BARZANJI and ERIC TALMADGE (AP) – Aug 4, 2009
SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq — In Iraq's Kurdish region where three American hikers fell into Iranian custody, the attractions for intrepid hikers and travelers are many. Visitors shop for crystal glasses and enjoy long walks in lush mountain resorts renowned for their pistachio groves.
Safety is a big selling point — tourism promoters boast not a single foreigner has been killed or kidnapped since 2003.
Still, in a region without a well-marked border, going off the beaten path in Kurdistan is very risky — as the three Americans discovered after they apparently wandered down the wrong side of a mountain last week and were taken into custody by Iranian border guards. Other than a frantic call to one of their friends, they haven't been heard from since.
The three — Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Joshua Fattal — were under arrest in Iran on Tuesday for illegally entering the country, and an Iranian lawmaker said that authorities were deciding whether to accuse them of spying. The U.S. State Department rejected the allegation, and relatives and Kurdish officials said they were merely hikers who got lost. The case is the latest source of friction with Washington at a time of political crisis in Iran.
Kurdish tourism officials are trying to keep the incident from drying up a budding business with the West....

Attacks on the people of Afghanistan for the sake of attacks.

The upcoming Presidential elections favor four candidates, the incumbent Hamid Karzi, the former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, the former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani and a populous favorite Ramazan Bashardorf. None of these candidates are pro-Taliban. The disruption of the elections serve only one purpose and that is to undermine any attempts at democracy for the Afghan people.

"The Christian Science Monitor" makes this observation:

High voter turnout this spring (click title to entry - thank you)
Mr. Hamidzada pointed out that large numbers of Afghans this spring defied the dangers and showed up to register for the elections.
"We have every reason to believe they will show up on election day and will not be deterred," he said. He added that he sees a positive side to the challenges: "This will give us an opportunity to demonstrate our resolve."
Like the car bombing Saturday at the ISAF headquarters, Tuesday's car bomb appeared to be quite large, knocking out windows in a 1,000-foot radius. The bomb struck within hundreds of feet of a British military compound, and also near the Independent Election Commission, the United Nations, and a US military base.
Eyewitnesses described a Toyota Corolla ramming into a convoy of foreign troops.
"I fell unconscious for a moment. When I woke up ... I saw people lying in the road and I tried to help," says Mohammad Ullah. "Later ISAF arrived there and surrounded the area and wouldn't allow anybody inside."
An hour after the blast, ISAF continued to keep out even Afghan Army and police units. At the scene of Saturday's blast, ISAF forces turned away the Kabul police chief in charge of security for elections....

The Monitor points to the fact there were similar dangers in other elections and the people of Afghanistan came to vote regardless the dangers they faced. Basically, the tactics of The Taliban don't work. They have to know they don't work, so why persist? I makes no sense.

Afghanistan has known nothing but war for a very long time. The people of that nation have been visited by every international criminal that is still alive to hide in the mountains and plot against civilization. They have hosted warlords of Poppy cultures, so another turbulent election cycle is nothing for them. Unfortunately, it is nothing for them. I admire these people. I always have. They live their lives in contentment of serving tea to passing guests and bringing to their family new children to love and hold in their arms until tragedy takes them away.

Nothing will deter the vote tomorrow.

And tomorrow services to be a historic Presidential election. For the first time since the inception of the new republic there may very well be a viable challenge to the current President Karzai. All four candidates are worthy, all are concerned for the people of Afghanistan, but, as in any multi-candidate election there will more than likely be a split vote propelling the top two candidates to a final vote later this year.

This may be the year President Karzai will not achieve more than 50% of the vote and that is the sincere challenge of the Afghan people tomorrow. Will they elect a steadfast figure for another five years, or will they elect the two most admired candidates in the country to a run off and still yet another democratically free election in Afghanistan?

I look forward to the results once again of the 'people of conscience' of Afghanistan. It will prove to be an exciting day with promise of more elections or a return to steadfastness of leadership. I wish them all good luck in achieving yet another democratic election with peril so few other democracies have to face. I admire them beyond their knowledge. I look forward to the outcome.

Since the USA has returned to the battlefield in Afghanistan there has been increasing stability of the region, including Pakistan.

"Circle of Blue" is an international journalist organization to follow climate and policy. (please title to entry - thank you)

There are some fascinating documentaries within the talents of this organization. There is a very good video on Australia and the West Bank.

In a Drying Land, a Constant Struggle for Water
PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEFANO SERRA
Story by Sarah Haughn
Circle of Blue Reports
Perched between the sea and the desert, Israel and Palestine are facing more than five years of drought-like conditions. The summer of 2008 was particularly harsh, as drought engulfed much of the Middle East in one of the driest years on record.
Italian photographer Stefano Serra spent October of that year documenting the drought. Traveling through the West Bank, he photographed its effects on the region and its people.

There is a fair amount of activity in the Gulf of Mexico today.

I'll take the conservative approach and continue to estimate that "Bill" will follow a path along the islands. It is very near the Lesser Antilles already. If "Bill" starts to swing north it will lose its velocity. Central Presssures are at 963 and falling. I don't know, I think we still have a chance to see a repeat of the late season of 2007 with this storm.

August 18, 2009
1415z
UNISYS water vapor GOES East satellite (click title to entry for 12 hour loop)

Add "Bill" to the mix with a still burgeoning tropical system again seemingly consolidating off the African coast and there is a very active troposphere trying to rid itself of heat into its oceans.

August 18, 2009

1217gmt

Tropical Atlantic Ocean Satellite

"Ana" is still a diffuse storm system now over Cuba. And htere is a clock-wise circulation system over the Gulf which is assisting in an accumulation of between Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula. I don't believe any of these storms can be completely discounted as minor.

August 18, 2009
1443 gmt
Gulf of Mexico Satellite