The Observation Deck

All throughout August, our members of Congress are back in town. Insurance companies and partisan attack groups are stirring up fear with false rumors about the President's plan, and it's extremely important that folks like you speak up now.

So we've cooked up an easy, powerful way for you to make a big impression: Office Visits for Health Reform.

All this week, OFA members like you will be stopping by local congressional offices to show our support for insurance reform. You can have a quick conversation with the local staff, tell your personal story, or even just drop off a customized flyer and say that reform matters to you.

We'll provide everything you need: the address, phone number, and open hours for the office, information about how the health care crisis affects your state for you to drop off (with the option of adding your personal story), and a step-by-step guide for your visit.

According to our records, you live near Rep. Dennis Kucinich's office in Lakewood, OH.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/officevisit?office=779&source=20090809
Sign up now to visit Rep. Dennis Kucinich's office in Lakewood this week.

(Not your representative, or think there might be another office that's easier for you to get to?
http://my.barackobama.com/page/m2/55c13c20/5000335a/27872d6e/1188570e/1294967174/VEsH/ Click here to find a different office.)

As you've probably seen in the news, special interest attack groups are stirring up partisan mobs with lies about health reform, and it's getting ugly. Across the country, members of Congress who support reform are being shouted down, physically assaulted, hung in effigy, and receiving death threats. We can't let extremists hijack this debate, or confuse Congress about where the people stand.

Office Visits for Health Reform are our chance to show that the vast majority of American voters know that the cost of inaction is too high to bear, and strongly support passing health reform in 2009.

Don't worry if you've never done anything like this before. The congressional staff is there to listen, and your opinion as a constituent matters a lot. And if you bring a friend, you'll have more fun and make an even greater impact.

Click below to sign up for an Office Visit for Health Reform:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/officevisit?office=779&source=20090809
http://my.barackobama.com/OfficeVisit

Wherever you live, these visits matter: Many representatives are pushing hard toward reform, and they are taking a lot of heat from special interests. They deserve our thanks and need our support to continue the fight. But those who are still putting insurance companies and partisan point-scoring ahead of their constituents must know that voters are watching -- and that we expect better.

Earlier this week, the President wrote that "this is the moment our movement was built for" and asked us all to commit to join at least one event this month. This is the way to answer that call, and rise to the challenge of this moment together.

Thank you for going the extra mile when it matters the most,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

Across the country, members of Congress who support reform are being shouted down, physically assaulted, hung in effigy, and receiving death threats.

Physically assaulted?

It's funny, this group called "Organzing for America" seems to be concerned that Americans are organizing without them.

re "denny do nothing" solution to answering questions versus facing the residents of Ohio-10 IN PERSON

1- Go elsewhere to give his powerpoint? stump speech

2- Have staff use a fill in the boxes form for residents comments with a very large
box for capturing claimed health care disasters which staff can collect and have denny wave in front of local or DC TV news group cameras

3- NOTE - Limit form/discussion to ONLY Health care related issue(s) -

4- USE Lakewood office only since Parmatown office locked 24/7 and one needs to show ID to be buzzed in . ( Note office located directly across ( 40ft ) from Ptown mini-police station so non-existant security issues are minimal )

5- Ask what is denny health care plan ( him/family ) , how much does "he" ie we pay for this super-VIP plan and how long ( in minutes ) is the typical Congressional wait for service which are done ON SITE ? I am sure it beats the NE Ohio local Emerg room or 3 months wait for specialist appt .

6- Ask if denny will drop his present super-VIP health plan and accept/use the plan he proposes for us common folk ? "SURE" - Same odds that will occur as the return of the 29.9 cents per gallon of gas total costs .

7- Finally you are NOT SPEAKING with denny only one of his staff flunkies -who may discard any negitive comments received . Thus insuring anything summarized and forwarded to denny is 100% pro

8- he has a MONTH to face the residents of Ohio-10 not Il , Maine , Calif etc on Health Care and OTHER ISSUES - Will he ? ( see odds in #6 above ) probably too busy with his on-going "pennies for denny" out of state "pres" campaign to do local activities ..

Dennis J Kampe wrote:office locked 24/7 and one needs to show ID to be buzzed in . ( Note office located directly across ( 40ft ) from Ptown mini-police station so non-existant security issues are minimal )

After reading your blind hate rants for 5 years, one can understand the need for security.


.

IN the same spirit

JOB aka J(Sn)

After reading your "i love denny" posts for many years , I expect you visit the "dermatologist" very frequently for lip treatment caused by your near daily kissing of a certain part of his denny's anatomy.

BS aside, I am going to go voice my opinion. I am one of those millions of uninsured. One of the many that can't get care except from an ER. I love my country and the BS needs to be set aside. We need to do better, we can do better.

And I'm not getting pulled into this argument, I know the reality of living without health insurance. I know the reality of having hospital bills in the extreme. And I know that something must change, so for that I will go make my voice heard.

Danielle Masters wrote:BS aside, I am going to go voice my opinion. I am one of those millions of uninsured. One of the many that can't get care except from an ER. I love my country and the BS needs to be set aside. We need to do better, we can do better.

And I'm not getting pulled into this argument, I know the reality of living without health insurance. I know the reality of having hospital bills in the extreme. And I know that something must change, so for that I will go make my voice heard.

Count me among those who are uninsured, and cannot afford to get insurance on a part-time salary. I recently wrote a letter to the President, Vice President, Congressmen and Senators expressing my opinion. I'd encourage all of you to do the same, for or against.

Dennis J Kampe wrote:2- Have staff use a fill in the boxes form for residents comments with a very large
box for capturing claimed health care disasters which staff can collect and have denny wave in front of local or DC TV news group cameras

7- Finally you are NOT SPEAKING with denny only one of his staff flunkies -who may discard any negitive comments received . Thus insuring anything summarized and forwarded to denny is 100% pro

I agree with Dr Kampe on the general premise of these. Seems like an effort to flood America about health care disasters in an attempt to sway public opinion so Dems don't feel the heat from constituents when they ultimately pass it.

If we are going have reform, then we might as well implement some “free” (paid for by higher taxes for ALL and controlled costs) system that doesn’t charge for office/hospital/ER visits (i.e. France, etc). This half-assed attempt at reform is going to turn into one huge cluster-$#%! for all.

Charlie Page wrote:

Dennis J Kampe wrote:2- Have staff use a fill in the boxes form for residents comments with a very large
box for capturing claimed health care disasters which staff can collect and have denny wave in front of local or DC TV news group cameras

7- Finally you are NOT SPEAKING with denny only one of his staff flunkies -who may discard any negitive comments received . Thus insuring anything summarized and forwarded to denny is 100% pro

I agree with Dr Kampe on the general premise of these. Seems like an effort to flood America about health care disasters in an attempt to sway public opinion so Dems don't feel the heat from constituents when they ultimately pass it.

If we are going have reform, then we might as well implement some “free” (paid for by higher taxes for ALL and controlled costs) system that doesn’t charge for office/hospital/ER visits (i.e. France, etc). This half-assed attempt at reform is going to turn into one huge cluster-$#%! for all.

Sp let me make sure I understand this.

It is OK to misspeak and misrepresent when taking a nation to war and over throwing 200
years of not being the agressor for the benefit of big business and a few.

But you are both outraged if it would lead to healthcare for those in America who cannot
afford it or even get it like myself?

I am not saying wither is right, I am just trying to figure Charlie out. I have Dr. Kampe
all figured out.

Charlie, you can get Congressman time anytime you want. Do not be afraid, call him, have
you and Mel go to dinner with Elizabeth and the Congressman. She is the publisher of
one of the largest papers in his district, and loves the Observer. But you better bring your
A game, or opened mind.

.

Let me get this right, is it wrong of me to go tell my congressman the story of why I can't get insurance coverage? It's wrong of me to tell him how it affects me and my family? It's wrong to bring my outrageous hospital bills (over $10,000)? I mean god forbid we sway their opinion with a little dose of reality. It may not be everyone's reality, but it is mine and I am not alone. Once again, who cares we don't matter. Sometimes I just shake my head.

I'll try and break it down for you Jim

Jim O'Bryan wrote:Sp let me make sure I understand this.

It is OK to misspeak and misrepresent when taking a nation to war and over throwing 200
years of not being the agressor for the benefit of big business and a few.

Not sure where this comes in but hey...why throw away a chance at bashing Bush. You're quite good at that...practically just types itself.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:But you are both outraged if it would lead to healthcare for those in America who cannot
afford it or even get it like myself?

First, I'm not outraged. Second, if the people for and the people against Obamacare would put even half the energy and money used fighting against and defending the current bill into working out some type of FREE care, our country would be leaps and bounds ahead. Instead, Obamacare is being rammed down our throats. Like or not here it comes.

Note: I said against Obamacare...not all forms of health care reform...just Obamacare.

From previous post...

Charlie Page wrote:If we are going have reform, then we might as well implement some “free” (paid for by higher taxes for ALL and controlled costs) system that doesn’t charge for office/hospital/ER visits (i.e. France, etc). This half-assed attempt at reform is going to turn into one huge cluster-$#%! for all.

By saying I agree with the premise of Dr Kampe's statements, I agree that talking to congressional staffers and filling out forms is essentially a contest in which the winner(s) get a part in the largest dog and pony show in modern history. It's not a slam agaist Kucinich or his staffers. It's a slam against "Organizing for America" (whoever that is).

Sorry JOB aka J(sn) - re "I Have Dr Kampe all figured out".

Please educate me on myself about this individual or for that matter anything else .

For example - am I a dem . rep , indep , other ? Hell I've only told you 3 or 4 times so far !

Do I think someone who claims to represent me would actually ask/expect my opinions BEFORE running his mouth ?

For a paid or in his case well over paid representative should I expect him to follow what the vast majoity of the residents he claims to represent wants/expects vs his own best interests BEFORE those ?

Should I expect something(s) Positive for the LOCAL region after 10+ years of his "leadership" vs further job loss , resident fleeing and business closings ?

For a small area that contains I-71 , I-77 , I-480 and I-90 , should I expect more not less than the average Gasoline tax surcharge dollars to flow back to Ohio-10 ?

Shold I expect a no-holds barred Q+A Town Hall session yearly or even every six months as he "works" approx 100 days a year for $170k/yr + perks . No-Hold means ANY and ALL Questions accepted so the "This is for SS Only , This is for Health Care Only ( ie am-1100 ) response he is now using is TOTALLY UN-ACCEPTABLE ?

Should I expect after 12 or 40 years as a pol that he would get started BEFORE a major negative local decision is set in concrete and all one hears from him is HOW bad this is ie cry stories etc before he moves on to the next local disaster .

Should I expect him to spend some time "working" at the never open to the general public Parmatown office as it might interfere with the politically connected office manager who needs to shop on her 2 hour lunch periods etc ? Does DL or boy wonder have any pixs of denny in Parma besides riding in the yearly parades or the 3 year ago town meeting - A few more years after Ohio-10 is dissolved and these pixs will become collector items and have some value ( IF they exist and are not photo-shopped )

I could continue on specific legislation or lack thereof but to what end ? denny does whatever denny wants while answering to no one here in Ohio-10 - pushing whatever is in his best interests or those of his Calif $upporters .

Truely a PATHETIC USELESS Career

I had 4 surgeries in the past year, and am glad that I had good health coverage. My employer pays a good portion of the premium and I am able to cover the family as well for a reasonable rate. Still, I think the health insurance market needs to change.

Since so many of us get our health insurance from our employer, the market does not need to respond to the individual buyer. If we simply purchased our insurance individually again, we can get the level of coverage we want and pay the appropriate rate. I benefit from the current insurance market due to my now pre-existing condition, but I still don't think it makes much sense. I should be able to choose more or less coverage than my current plan, but can't because I don't buy the insurance. I should be the buyer, not my employer. I buy my life insurance, car insurance, home owners insurance and whatever else insurance on my own and I choose the level of coverage. Why not health insurance?

The government currently has 3 health care plans, Medicare, Medicaid and the VA system. There seems to be consensus that these 3 plans all need some attention. Shouldn't we look to fix these, our current entitlements first? Why do we need three different plans? Isn't one enough? Might we find cost savings by consolidating services? Maybe we should experiment with these plans so we can see the benefits of the current reforms being proposed.

Carl Schneider wrote:I had 4 surgeries in the past year, and am glad that I had good health coverage. My employer pays a good portion of the premium and I am able to cover the family as well for a reasonable rate. Still, I think the health insurance market needs to change.

Since so many of us get our health insurance from our employer, the market does not need to respond to the individual buyer. If we simply purchased our insurance individually again, we can get the level of coverage we want and pay the appropriate rate. I benefit from the current insurance market due to my now pre-existing condition, but I still don't think it makes much sense. I should be able to choose more or less coverage than my current plan, but can't because I don't buy the insurance. I should be the buyer, not my employer. I buy my life insurance, car insurance, home owners insurance and whatever else insurance on my own and I choose the level of coverage. Why not health insurance?

The government currently has 3 health care plans, Medicare, Medicaid and the VA system. There seems to be consensus that these 3 plans all need some attention. Shouldn't we look to fix these, our current entitlements first? Why do we need three different plans? Isn't one enough? Might we find cost savings by consolidating services? Maybe we should experiment with these plans so we can see the benefits of the current reforms being proposed.

Carl

A couple different questions but the first and most important to me and maybe others. How are you "I benefit from the current insurance market due to my now pre-existing condition, but I still don't think it makes much sense." With my now pre-existing condition I live in fear of losing my health care provider, and program figuring I will not find coverage
anywhere else. Hoe can I turn that into a benefit?

As for the three programs, from most VetsI am working with they seem pretty happy with
with their program. I hear good things about Medicare from most users, and I am personally
dealing with Medicaid on an estate issue and find them to be very brutal to deal with, but
they did their job when the person was alive.

So are you advocating for single payer?

.

Here are some thoughts on the medical coverage emergency we are constantly hearing about. I’m not a Republican and don’t purport to speak for them. I am a Democrat, but probably not a very good one as I don’t feel obligated to support their positions unless they make sense.

First, I don’t think we have an emergency situation here. No one is dying from being refused treatment. Some people without insurance are embarrassed about getting treatment they won’t pay for, but they can get treatment and their embarrassment is hardly an emergency. Some people have been driven into bankruptcy by the cost of medical care, but the bankruptcy resolves that situation, and there is no evidence that they are refused medical treatment because of the bankruptcy, so that doesn’t seem to be an emergency. One of the distortions and misrepresentations that the President is warning us about is his own assertion that we have an emergency and that immediate legislation is needed. To me, this is a situation that should be studied extensively so we can be more certain that what we approve will actually work. This is an emergency only in the sense that the Democrats feel they have to demonstrate that with virtually total political control, they can do something, and I don’t think they care too much about what it will do to the country over time, since they will be retired with fat pensions before their plan implodes.

I understand that improvements in the practice of medicine have driven up costs. We are surviving events today that would have killed us twenty or thirty years ago. New equipment has been invented and using that costs money. Further, since we are surviving events that would once have killed us, there are more of us, and particularly more of us who are old, and I think more medical care is needed for the elderly, than for the young. So even if we kept prices down, costs would increase because of the need for more treatment. I think we’ll have to learn to live with that.

Certainly the glut of attorneys looking for a quick buck has had an effect. Doctors now practice, and we pay for, defensive medicine which in short means that their first concern is being able to defend a possible lawsuit, rather than to provide competent affordable treatment. We could substantially reduce the costs of medical care by ending the involvement of the tort attorneys in the system and providing an alternate form of resolution, but there is no chance of getting that through a congress and white house filled with attorneys.

When I was young, my father worked and had hospitalization coverage, Blue Cross if I recall correctly, yet medical costs were reasonable, even for those without hospitalization coverage. In the 1960's the federal government got into the hospitalization coverage business, with Medicare and Medicaid., and costs started to soar across the board. I don’t think it is a coincidence that costs have soared with this government involvement. Costs have soared even for those not covered by the government programs, because, as I understand it, treaters are forbidden to charge more to medicare and medicaid patients than they charge to the non-covered. Assume a doctor charges $130 for an office visit. The government programs will approve perhaps $45 and pay that, and bar the treater from collecting the balance from the patient. But a non-covered patient has to be billed $130 for a like office visit, and has to pay the whole tab. So this visit nets the treater $45 from one patient, and $130 from another. If the treater is satisfied with $45 and charges the non-covered patient $45, the government will, if it finds out, fine the treater, possibly jail her, and adjust their payment for the covered patient to a fraction of the $45. Insurance companies work very much the same way. In fact, I read somewhere that the government contracts with the insurance companies to process the government claims. I think its fair to say that this is no way to run a railroad, and I want to see them straighten out the medicare/medicaid mess before they expand their business.

As a point of comparison, I have always equated doctors and dentists; they are both medical professionals that provide you valuable services. The government has not yet gotten involved with dentistry; medicare and medicaid don’t cover it, except in the case of injuries. Now, there have been advances in the practice of dentistry, just as there have been in the practice of medicine, yet the costs of dental care seem to have remained reasonable. Have you ever heard of someone complaining about the costs of a dentist?

But I think finding out what has gone wrong with the government programs is an essential first step, and I hope the voting public won’t let them put another brick in the wall until they have demonstrated that they can fix the bricks they already laid.

Once they fix that, I would like to see an unbiased study of all medical care systems around the world, so we can see the advantages and disadvantages of each, and pick out what would work for us. I am fed up with people with axes to grind who cull out a single feature of a system to show that it works or doesn’t work, such as tales of Americans lining up in Canada to fill prescriptions, while Canadians line up at American hospitals to get same-year service.

Perhaps while they’re at it they could look into the mother of all Ponzi schemes: Social Security. Another program that is nearing failure because of poor design.

I don’t understand the digs at VA medical service; the veterans I know who receive service through the VA (a body that has increased dramatically over recent decades) seem very satisfied with their treatment. Perhaps someone could enlighten me.