Tag: AMA
Senate Republican Health Care Bill – Devastating effect for millions of Americans!
Who? Who elected this men in shiny suits and grins in the Capitol and who walk around like gentleman and ladies in Washington D.C. That is the question I ask today, since first the House of Representative under the key leader Paul Ryan passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA) to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This was done on the 4th May 2017 and they had such a wonderful victory speech by President Donald Trump in the rose garden. Than, after the vote, the CBO score came in and it showed no mercy to the ones who needs medical care or health care, neither was the legislation made for safety of the American people, more a tax-relief for the wealthy who pays for poor. So they can get health-care under current legislation. That is something sinister in the eyes of Republican Party in the United States. Therefore, they have behind closed doors in the Capitol or the Congress, worked to make a new Health Care Bill based on the House of Representative vote in May 2017. And by June the legislation made in the dark, has come to light. Yesterday, the leak of the “Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017” was also broke down by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), BCRA are the still an ugly duck compared to the ACA or Obama-Care. Just take look at important quotes from their report and it proves the devastating acts of the Senate and House of Representatives,
The quotes I have taken, is just like last go-around on the members of society who will be cut off from Health-Care by new legislation. How much monies the 1% saves and how much the wealthy get tax-relief is benign since it is so many lives at stake and so many more people who will not be covered or can afford a Health Care Plan or Health Insurance under the new legislation. That is more dire, than if the state saves a few billion dollars, because the rich cannot afford to have some solidarity because their need for golden showers and Bentley’s. Take a look!
“The Senate bill would increase the number of people who are uninsured by 22 million in 2026 relative to the number under current law, slightly fewer than the increase in the number of uninsured estimated for the House-passed legislation. By 2026, an estimated 49 million people would be uninsured, compared with 28 million who would lack insurance that year under current law” (CBO, P: 1, 2017).
“CBO and JCT estimate that, in 2018, 15 million more people would be uninsured under this legislation than under current law—primarily because the penalty for not having insurance would be eliminated. The increase in the number of uninsured people relative to the number projected under current law would reach 19 million in 2020 and 22 million in 2026. In later years, other changes in the legislation—lower spending on Medicaid and substantially smaller average subsidies for coverage in the nongroup market—would also lead to increases in the number of people without health insurance. By 2026, among people under age 65, enrollment in Medicaid would fall by about 16 percent and an estimated 49 million people would be uninsured, compared with 28 million who would lack insurance that year under current law” (CBO, P: 4, 2017)
“Medicaid. Enrollment in Medicaid would be lower throughout the coming decade, with 15 million fewer Medicaid enrollees by 2026 than projected under current law in CBO’s March 2016 baseline (see Figure 4). Some of that decline would be among people who are currently eligible for Medicaid benefits, and some would be among people who CBO projects would, under current law, become eligible in the future as additional states adopted the ACA’s option to expand eligibility” (CBO, P: 16, 2017).
Just think about it, 49 Million uninsured compared to 28 million. The 28 millions uninsured under current legislation should be the worry today, not make sure there are another 21 millions who joins the club of ill-health and possible side-effects of not affording to pay for their health care bills. The Republican party and the Senate, as the House of Representatives are morally bankrupt. They don’t care or have no issues making provisions for a possible 21 million citizens without health-care. That means, they can easily do so, since the donors and rich-backers needs a Tax-Holiday. That is the seriousness and the bottom-line. Nothing beautiful about this. Just hardcore tax-relief so fewer people can afford to treatment and get people healed through Health-Insurance. Seriously, who votes this gang of brothers in and who would accept this sort of treatment? Can someone please explain to me what this dude Mitch McConnell still doing in the Capitol when he can serve this sort of legislation?
The numbers themselves are insane and the other aspects of the law is bad. There aren’t any good news in this one, unless your wealthy and don’t care about the society you sponge of in general. That is what this bill does, it isn’t “Better Care Reconciliation of 2017”, so to translate to a proper name of the bill it should be named: “We don’t Care Act of 2017”. Sponsored by the honorable men and woman of the Republican Party, with they new slogan to the public: “because we don’t care! We don’t care if you cannot afford to go to the hospital, have a per-existing condition, planned parenthood or any sort of benefits because of your low-pay-grade, you are just a Smuck-On-Wheels for voting for us and we are making sure that you cannot be covered in the future”. Why you say? We the Republican’s Just don’t Care! Peace.
Reference:
Congressional Budget Office – ‘H.R. 1628 Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017’ (26.06.2017)
Trump’s Draft Executive Order on Big Pharma isn’t the remedy the Public needs!
There has been a draft release Executive Order without a date, but planned for June 2017 by the Trump Administration. The United States Government and soon the American Health Care Act (AHCA) or the Trump Care is run through the Senate after the amendments for the law after the vote in the Representatives House. So it seems like the Trump Administration trying to patch the ill-will and the gained reputation for draconian laws with a medicine and a remedy. Still, if people cannot afford health care plans or afford health-care insurance, what help is in making medicine and pills cheaper. When you cannot afford to get to the doctor, what help is that the pills and medicine cost less. Needs help from the doctor to find the needed treatment. That is simple, but forgotten math by the Republicans and the Congress these days. Not like President Trump understands that, unless tanning became more expensive for him.
While we’re at it, let’s look into major quotes from the Draft Executive Order:
“Section 1 Policy:
b) Reduce burdens caused by regulatory and administrative actions that inflate or distort prices for beneficiaries of Federal health programs or that provide more favorable pricing for intermediate actors in the medical product supply chain than the prices available to beneficiaries” (Executive Order, 2017).
So the Trump Administration plans to put down the prices and control the prices of medicine. It is special that the Administration cares about the Federal Health Programs, when the new TrumpCare laws want to relief the state of Medicaid and other supplementary subsidized programs through the Affordable Health Care Act (AHCA) or ObamaCare. Health Care News Emily Kopp: “This probably refers to the 340B program, which provides hospitals that serve low-income patients with a discount on intravenous drugs, anti-nausea drugs for cancer patients and some other outpatient drugs. Donald Trump’s interagency working group on drug prices has weighed scaling back the 340B program, KHN reported earlier this month. Critics say the discounts don’t truly benefit patients, including PhRMA, the influential pharmaceutical lobby” (Kopp, 2017). Certainly, the repeal will make sure these sort of programs get phased out as well as the pricing on the Health Care plans that the citizens has to get through insurance companies. But this draft plans to take it further do.
“c) Facilitate, where appropriate, the ability of Federal health programs to enter into reimbursement arrangements for medical products that are based on the value of such products to patients rather than the volume of such products purchased” (Executive Order, 2017).
That the State will have value-based pricing, which means that the States and Federal Government have decided prices depending on the needs and than that the patients has to cover the cost of the medicine. Which is a nice idea, but I am skeptical as before, since the reality doesn’t change, even if the State and Federal Government can control the buying-in and the prices of it. The rising prices of insurance under new law will not be helped by this remedy. Neither is this too.
“d) Ensure that the laws intended to help lower-income or vulnerable Americans and strengthen the safety net healthcare providers that serve them are carried out in such a way, that the benefits of such programs accrue primarily to the intended populations, including by the rescinding or revising of regulatory or administrative actions” (Executive Order, 2017).
This here is main reason for it in a way, if the Trump Administration did care, but if they though the world works like that and these provisions would change the ways of buying-in and research of medicine would change. Still, Health Care News Emily Kopp says this: “This probably refers to the 340B program, which provides hospitals that serve low-income patients with a discount on intravenous drugs, anti-nausea drugs for cancer patients and some other outpatient drugs. Donald Trump’s interagency working group on drug prices has weighed scaling back the 340B program, KHN reported earlier this month. Critics say the discounts don’t truly benefit patients, including PhRMA, the influential pharmaceutical lobby” (Kopp, 2017).
Again, Trump Presidency has to be self involved and not understanding the world order, therefore, this had to be inside the EO: “e) Ensure that American citizens do not disproportionately subsidize medical product innovation for the rest of the world, or allow foreign governments to unfairly devalue American innovation” (Executive Order, 2017). Again, let me quote Emily Kopp: “The Trump administration is making the implicit argument that longer monopoly rights for drugs and higher drug costs in foreign markets will lead to lower prices in the U.S. Not so, according to James Love, director of Knowledge Ecology International” (Kopp, 2017). So, in Alice in Wonderland, this sort of provision might work, even in Narnia, but I am sure it has the same effect as Wall towards Mexico or the sudden love for Solar Panel on the wall, which is insane in it self. That Trump Administration believes in this wouldn’t surprise anyone and that Sean Spicer would defend it would be field day for journalists.
Las piece of the Executive Order, that I will put forward is this one: “f) Rescind, revise or simplify regulations and other administrative actions that inappropriately or unfairly contribute to higher prices or cost-sharing for medical products for American patients” (Executive Order, 2017). Just as before, kind of hard to get lower prices if the repealing of Obama-Care law gets into effect. It like thinking you get lower cost, when the insurance sky-rockets and the 1 percent of American citizens get a giant tax-break. The relief again would only suit the ones without already hard-earned pockets, the rich would earn more and the R&D of medical suppliers would secure more funding. This would not earn the citizens in the United States.
This is maybe why this law hasn’t been signed and hasn’t been enacted, as the Senate are working on their bill and this would counter it. Secondly, the lesser prices for medicines wouldn’t help the provisions in the new Health Care law. United States would really be a place for the wealthy and the poor would suffer more. That is reality of the Health Care bill that the Senate are putting forward. This Executive Order wouldn’t help, but be a field day for the Big Pharma to get new system for subsidized medicine, so the people wouldn’t feel this. Unless, the Health Care plans inside the Senate bill would actually serve the public and not just the wealthy. Peace.
Reference:
Donald J. Trump – ‘Executive Order – REDUCING THE COST OF MEDICAL PRODUCTS AND ENHANCING AMERICAN BIOMEDICAL INNOVATION’ (Draft Paper for June 2017).
CBO scores on AHCA proves damaging results for millions of Americans!
Again, the House of the Representatives passed the baby of President Donald Trump and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. This is the American Health Care Act, it was passed on the 4th May 2017 and it 20 days after it’s passing the CBO came. This shows the disregard of checks and balances of the Congress. That the Representatives couldn’t trust the results of the Act and the bill, shows the proof that there are certain damaging reports in the report. The Republican Party representatives are clearly afraid of insights into the act. Therefore, the AHCA are really explosive, even as the knowledge of certain representatives didn’t even read it before voting for it.
“Republican Rep. Chris Collins admitted Thursday that he did not read the full health care bill before voting for it. “I will fully admit, Wolf, I did not. But I can also assure you my staff did. We have to rely on our staff,” Collins told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room.” (Manduley, 2017). So when the Republicans cannot even read their legislation, the paperwork that can affect millions of citizens. It shows disregard for the public and for the ones they represent, but clearly it is more important to take the calls of donors. Than the citizens who needs health-care. So I will not go through how much monies this ACHA does, and possible change the economy. What I will look into is the estimated people who are cut-off from health-care and insurance. As the ACHA might be damaging for the people, as the former CBO on the TrumpCare was really bad. Therefore, we can expect this one to be destroying lives for the poor Americans. So here are the quotes I think is worth remembering, as this proves what the Republican Party does to the ones they represent.
“CBO and JCT estimate that, in 2018, 14 million more people would be uninsured under H.R. 1628 than under current law. The increase in the number of uninsured people relative to the number projected under current law would reach 19 million in 2020 and 23 million in 2026. In 2026, an estimated 51 million people under age 65 would be uninsured, compared with 28 million who would lack insurance that year under current law” (CBO, P: 4, 2017).
That the ACHA is damning, is seen by just this 14 million more people will lose their insurance, in 2020 it would reach of 19 million and in 2026 would be 23 million. Therefore the estimated 51 million by 2026. With current ObamaCare it would be 28 million, which is also to many, but the new law doubles the amount of people without health insurance.
These two stats, show the damaging effects of the Republican bill, as not only massive amounts people without insurance, but also the different prices on the insurance after the repealing on the bill. These statistic is telling and the reason why the Republicans doesn’t want to understand their efforts to work of the private healthcare industry and insurance companies, instead of for the people who needs the health care. Peace.
Reference:
Congressional Budget Office – ‘H.R. 1628 – American Health Care Act of 2017 – As passed by the House of Representatives on May 4, 2017’ (24.05.2017)
Manduley, Christina – ‘Congressman admits he didn’t read full health care bill before voting’ (04.05.2017) link:
Opinion: Repealing ObamaCare proves that Trump’s America is morally and financially bankrupt!
The United States of America must be bankrupt, broke and in ill fatigue because it cannot afford to insure millions of citizens through medical insurance. At least that is the new report from Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on the new TrumpCare Act that Paul Ryan spoke so nicely about like it was a genuine idea from one of his donors.
This act of repealing and changing ObamaCare or the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA) is not because the Republican Party cares about the health of the United States Citizens. It is clear by the numbers that they want the health care industry and the ones selling insurance to earn more bucks on the ones who aren’t healthy and add higher price tag on their premiums.
Look at the numbers:
“CBO and JCT estimate that, in 2018, 14 million more people would be uninsured under the legislation than under current law” (…) “Later, following additional changes to subsidies for insurance purchased in the nongroup market and to the Medicaid program, the increase in the number of uninsured people relative to the number under current law would rise to 21 million in 2020 and then to 24 million in 2026. The reductions in insurance coverage between 2018 and 2026 would stem in large part from changes in Medicaid enrollment—because some states would discontinue their expansion of eligibility, some states that would have expanded eligibility in the future would choose not to do so, and per-enrollee spending in the program would be capped. In 2026, an estimated 52 million people would be uninsured, compared with 28 million who would lack insurance that year under current law” (CBO, P: 2, 2017).
So who cares about the trillions of dollars possibly saved? Certainly when the nation is so poor that it cannot secure possible health care for such amount of people. I know I proclaimed that Trump could create a Banana Republic back in November 2016. These sorts of act of injustice to millions of citizens as the state’s poverty levels are so the minority of rich can get cheap premium insurance. The others are the already healthy who can afford under the new law. Certainly this will be more costly on the ones that need insurance and the ones that is sick and need it. So if you have preconditions before signing up you are likely to pay more. This whole scheme is so the already expensive health care system can benefit more from the citizens, while the Republican government can spend more on bullets and guns. Such, wealthy and rich countries do.
It is sick and uncommon that a government wish to see more of their citizens not having the ability to get treatment and afford it. Usually it would do whatever it could to drastically make it better, if the government and the republic cared about its citizens. Apparently the Congress, the Representatives and the local government of United States, doesn’t care about the citizens and their well-being.
We can rest assured with every move President Trump does, it getting close to an America, where the Banana’s will go grow quicker. Especially, when we are considering the lack of insurance for such amount of millions that would have under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or the ObamaCare. The new America Health Care Act will hurt many people and most likely make the difference between the rich and poor even bigger.
So with the knowledge of the already rising gap between citizens, Trump’s America seems to look to make it bigger:
“The wealth disparity between upper and middle income Americans has hit a record high, according to a new Pew Research Center Report. On average, today’s upper-income families are almost seven times wealthier than middle-income ones, compared to 3.4 times wealthier in 1984. When compared to lower income family wealth, upper income family wealth is 70 times larger” (Salles, 2014).
That the wealth gap and riches is now enormous, it seems out of this world that they cannot afford to pay more in Medicaid to secure more people getting treatment. Since the rich can own bunch of cars and giant mansions, but cannot afford to pay extra tax to the IRS. That shows how poor the solidarity in the United States is. The individual can by all means take cares of only their own and the collective burden isn’t important.
Therefore, the Republic is really poor when they cannot have the funds or the laws to reassure their citizens. The people are morally poor when the riches cannot pay a little extra to help the ones in need. So the United State is doubly bankrupt and they have a reality star running the show. Surely, the losing end is the ones who is poor and the ones on the lower end of the trailing middle-class; the only one earning on Trumps America is the wealthy. They will win on this; the rest is out goose hunting. Peace.
Reference:
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE – ‘American Health Care Act Budget Reconciliation Recommendations of the House Committees on Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce, March 9, 2017’ (13.03.2017)
Salles, Joaquim Moreira – ‘The Wealth Gap Between Rich And Poor Is The Widest Ever Recorded’ (18.12.2014) link: https://thinkprogress.org/the-wealth-gap-between-rich-and-poor-is-the-widest-ever-recorded-6e9579966adf#.s82a0l91l
The American Medical Association letter to Congress on the #TrumpCare Act (07.03.2017)
South Sudan: Extreme levels of Food Insecurity expected across South Sudan in 2017 (December 2016)
SPLM-IO: On the Allegations of detention of Tanzanian Citizen (02.01.2017)
End of the year 2016 message, on behalf of Moustapha Soumaré, the Acting UNMISS SRSG and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (30.12.2016)
JUBA, South Sudan, December 30, 2016 – End of the year 2016 message, on behalf of Moustapha Soumaré, the Acting UNMISS SRSG and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan:
I would like to extend warm greetings to all the people of South Sudan as we enter this holiday season. As we approach the end of 2016, let us be reminded of the universal values of unity, equality and compassion, which bind us together as human beings – the spirit of Ubuntu (humanity). These values should always be far stronger than anything that divides us.
Sadly, our hopes for sustainable peace were not realized this year and prospects for an end to the conflict have been thwarted with a resurgence of violence in the capital and in many other areas of the country. This has resulted in terrible humanitarian and economic consequences for many South Sudanese. I call on all those engaged in conflict, be with organized forces, armed groups, militias, youth groups with arms and others, to stop all fighting and silence the guns immediately.
While there is no doubt that the fighting has cast a dark shadow over the implementation of the August 2015 peace agreement, we must never lose sight of the ultimate goal – a peaceful and prosperous future for the people of South Sudan. My colleagues and I serving with the United Nations stand ready to support South Sudan as it renews its commitment to the peace process and to help address its pressing humanitarian needs.
Opinion: Polarization will be the key protocol to follow in 2017!
No matter if it is local politics, if it international or trade, the most important backbone to policies in the next year will be polarization. That is not Polar Bears dancing on the dwindling ice, if so the U.S. TV station would have better ratings. No, this is the importance of local and national industries, while stressing ignorance towards immigration and imports to add more GDP value and also stop inflation. A balance that is hard to carry as the trust in local currency and local production doesn’t change overnight. That has to happen with steady policies and ability to trade products and create market for the ones that we’re in the past produced far away.
“Definition of polarization
1: the action of polarizing or state of being or becoming polarized: as
a (1) : the action or process of affecting radiation and especially light so that the vibrations of the wave assume a definite form (2) : the state of radiation affected by this process
b : an increase in the resistance of an electrolytic cell often caused by the deposition of gas on one or both electrodes” (…) “2 a : division into two opposites b : concentration about opposing extremes of groups or interests formerly ranged on a continuum” (Merriam-Webster – Polarization, link: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polarization).
We are dividing ourselves while the world is into more conflicts that need assistance and securities to secure peace. There internal conflicts in Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria. Where the conflict is bloody, where people are detained for the political affiliation, where innocent dies in the streets and where guns are imported to silence the ones who is not succumbing to the regimes who hold power.
We are living in a time where opposition victors doesn’t get into power, because the leaders of old are not allowing and keeping power by the gun, are using the police force and army to monitor the opposition and even rigs the election to secure the “validation” of their rule. This has happen in many Republics and Nations this year and proves that progress of governance and accountability is dying, like innocence and justice is impartial and only for the elites. The rest of us just have to be lucky to see just systems and laws for the common folk.
Like Adama Barrow is the President-Elect in Gambia, Jean Ping should have become the President in Gabon, Dr. Kizza Besigye in Uganda and Moise Katumbi should have risen to power in DRC if there we’re any justice and transition of Power in the Republic. But the big-man and long ruling Presidents of these nations doesn’t give-in or leave office. They continue to stay without any fear or without any mercy as the monarchs they acts of. Instead keep polarising the political elites and societies with paying the elites and silencing the ones who stand in their path. Also, by forging alliances with nations to make sure justice doesn’t prevail in their path.
While these tragedies are appearing in front of our eyes in our times, the borders and the helping hands are not appearing, the funds and allocations of necessary funds to the refugee camps, the direct food aid and agents of humanitarian actions are not sufficient. The reality of these missing steps should boggle our mind and should freeze our hearts out, as the news of burning convoys into Aleppo, lack of food into refugee camps in Adjumani in Uganda and the lacking rations of food in refugee camps in Tanzania. These should all be a reminder of the fate we have put our world in. The steps of lost grace and mercy on the weakest of humanity, where hospitals and humanitarians are put in the lines of bullets and grenades in between the battlefield as the soldiers fight for keeping merciless tyrants to stay in power.
While the superpowers are claiming the fight for justice, the innocent dies, the towns are battlefields and turns into dust, the graves are not cleared and the lives are lost in vain. This while UN cannot impose arms-embargoes or create a possible cease-fire to get civilians into safety, this while Italian and Greece authorities are working and trying to find ways to impose fleeing civilians on Turkey, because the rich European states fears that fleeing civilians could be terrorists. The humanity and just behaviour is dying while the states are flogging their responsibility to the ones in need.
We can question ourselves if this is right, if we can sleep knowing the indebtedness we have in riches. In the time of peace in our states, where we have possible houses and shelter for the ones fleeing possible genocides and acts against humanity; Europe impose stricter rules on immigration and Brexit proves the fear of Polish and other ethnic groups as they want to secure their borders as key argument to stop being an EU Member State.
We can wonder why the world has come to this that polarization of between ourselves the ones who see the innocent die and the ones who want to keep their own by any means. That the own nationals are going against each other and seeing it as only fit, instead of thinking for instance for a hot minute, what if the war came to our shores and to our homes, wouldn’t we flee? Wouldn’t we do what we could to leave our wealth, our riches to save our own?
Why shouldn’t the Syrians and all other who are in conflicts leave grenades, tanks and bombs, would we live on the streets with daily shooting and killing if we had an option to flee? Would we stay and risk everyday our lives to get a loaf of bread? I doubt that. We would travel to safety and to places where we could resettle and rehash the future of ourselves and our kids. If not we would be risking ourselves and the future of our kin. That is because it’s natural.
Still, the Europeans and citizens of fellow states don’t see it this way with fear-mongering politics and internal polarization of demagoguery, which is out of proportion. This will continue as these conflicts leads to more hurt and damage of lives, where more shelter and more merciless killings to stay in power, where more rigging of elections and more police-states are controlling the civil society. Where the states are more totalitarian and the power controlled by a little elite, while the average citizens are struggling, they will seek fortunes other places instead of in their birth-nations. Just as we would do if our destiny we’re in the limbo, if our homes were shacks and our sockets could electrocute us.
So the world of 2017, will be inflicted with the unfinished business of past, like all years has been, with as much uncertainty as the start of 2016, but with new issues and new struggles, with new people behind bars because of political affiliation, more families lost loved ones because of demonstrations, more people fleeing as the machetes and burning villages for land-grabbing, foreign investors taking land while locals cannot get deeds, as the central government are getting needed funds to supply the army with equipment and salaries, civil servants are left behind with reunification and it is happening so many places. Nobody confess nobody impose on it or even sanction this. We should question the economic challenges and the way they allocate funds, especially when many of these states get based government loans from the IMF and World Bank to basically could function; together with the reasonable taxation they can be able get from their citizens.
We shouldn’t silent on the merciless acts of men, we shouldn’t be ignorant of the world of oppression and fear, as the grand masters of our times are destroying and depleting lands for fortunes, as the multi-national companies see only profits and not see the populations they are forcing into unjust working conditions to trade resources into high profits abroad. These acts shouldn’t be forgotten, as industries and the trade are made for the international companies to gain and not all locals, therefore the polarization are created in these, create more havoc and even more injustice, as the unfair world we live in doesn’t give hands to ones in need. The rich can get it all, while the poor is lucky if they have enough for a jerry-can to buy water. That isn’t justice, that isn’t right when others are only drinking imported expensive French Water.
We should questions the systems and revise them for more balanced between the rich and poor, for more functioning United Nations, for more diplomatic efforts and for stronger laws that cannot make Presidents into Emperors! The reality is that 2017 will start where 2016 and that is not in positive looks into the future, because the powers we have, the armies and police are targeting fellow citizens who deserves better. We all deserve better and we all should know better. Peace.