Mental Illness, The Red Headed Stepchild of the Health Care Industry

Mental illness has long be hidden in the cloak of shame. Families have felt they needed to lie about family members having a mental illness because it has been looked upon as a “shameful” disease rather than a “medical disease”.

Let me clearly state that mental disease is a much a medical disease a diabetes is. Why is it not treated as such? Untreated mental disease is as debilitating and deadly as diabetes. Yet, if treated, those who have either disease can have a long and productive lives.

The insurance industry treats mental disease much different than other medical diseases regarding payments for services and drugs.

Medicare does cover treatment for mental disease but the patient's share is fifty percent of the allowed charge as opposed to the treatment of diabetes at eighty percent.  This often puts an unfair burden upon the patient.

Commercial insurance companies have various way of dealing with the reimbursement.  Many have no benefits allocated to mental disease.  Most have very limited benefits.

The House introduced and passed one bill to help address the parity in mental disease coverage on March 5, 2008.
Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, H.R. 1424.
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h1424/show

Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), the bill’s primary sponsor gives this pitch for the bill on his website:


There is no medical reason to discriminate against mental health, and there is no financial reason either; every credible study of states’ experiences – and that of the 9 million member Federal Employee Health Benefits Program – implementing mental health parity has shown that mental health costs rise minimally, or fall, after the enactment of parity, as people gain greater access to less expensive forms of treatment. The current absence of mental health parity costs our society economically in many important ways, as research shows that better mental health care results in lower costs and savings to businesses in the form of lower absenteeism and higher productivity.

The Senate has also passed a similar version S558 on September 7, 2007.
 http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-s558/show

When will the House and Senate reconcile these two bills and pass it to the President to be signed?  That is if he will.

Neither of these bills address the violence commited against the people who suffer from mental disease.  That is for another post.

So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

An Outrageous Attempt by the Bush Administration to Undermine Women\'s Rights | Reproductive Health | RHRealityCheck.org

An Outrageous Attempt by the Bush Administration to Undermine Women's Rights

The Bush Administration is up to its old tricks again, quietly putting ideology before science and women's health. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is poised to put in place new barriers to accessing common forms of contraception like birth control pills, emergency contraception and IUDs by labeling them "abortion." These proposed regulations set to be released next week will allow healthcare providers to refuse to provide contraception to women who need it. We can't let them get away with this underhanded move to undermine women's health and that's why I am sounding the alarm.
These rules pose a serious threat to providers and uninsured and low-income Americans seeking care. They could prevent providers of federally-funded family planning services, like Medicaid and Title X, from guaranteeing their patients access to the full range of comprehensive family planning services. They'll also build significant barriers to counseling, education, contraception and preventive health services for those who need it most: low-income and uninsured women and men.
The regulations could even invalidate state laws that currently ensure access to contraception for many Americans. In fact, they describe New York and California's laws requiring prescription drug insurance plans to provide coverage for contraceptives as part of "the problem." These rules would even interfere with New York State law that ensures survivors of sexual assault and rape receive emergency contraception in hospital emergency rooms.
We've seen this kind of ideologically driven move from the Bush Administration before. Senator Patty Murray and I went toe to toe with the Bush Administration to demand a decision on Plan B by the FDA. We won that fight and we need to win this one too.
When I learned about these proposed rules, I immediately joined with Senator Murray to call on the Bush Administration to stop these dangerous plans. I am joining with New York family planning and healthcare advocates to spread the word. Now is the time to raise our voices. I will continue to press HHS and I hope you will join me. I have posted information on how to get involved at www.hillpac.com.

This is a call to all who care to please call your congress person and senator to let them know how you feel.

Stop Bush now.

Do They have Their Heads up Their But?

Medicare does the dumbest thing by now having vaccines under the wing of the Part D Plans, that is the prescription plan of Medicare.

"Options to Ensure Adequate Access Under Part D to
Covered Vaccines
In-Network Distribution Approaches
In-Network Access to Retail Pharmacies: Enrollees could
obtain a prescription from the physician and bring it to their
local network retail pharmacy for filling. In some states, it will
already be possible for the vaccine to be administered by the
pharmacist. Forty-six states currently allow pharmacists to
provide some type of vaccinations. When it is safe to
dispense and administer these vaccines in the pharmacy,
plans will be exploring utilization of their network
pharmacists as a provider of adult Medicare Part D vaccines."

I live in Florida and pharmacists cannot administer vaccines in this state as well as three other states.
So where does this leave the Medicare Beneficiary? Up the creek without the paddle, and do they care? hell, no.
So, the patient takes the script to the pharmacy, gets the vaccine, (which in the case of Zostavax, must be kept frozen) and does what with it?
A physician's office cannot take responsibility to administer the vaccine, if it has not been kept frozen it may cause more harm than good.
I guess I should explain what Zostavax is. It is the vaccine to help prevent herpes zoster, or otherwise known as "shingles". Shingles is a very painful condition caused from "chicken pox" virus in older adults. It can cause blindness if condition manifests in the eyes.

This isn't the first really stupid thing they have done..like Medicare will pay for tetanus vaccine but the only thing close to hat vaccine is the tetanus-diphtheria vaccine, no vaccine manufacturer makes a tetanus vaccine.

Well, if I continue ranting on this subject, I'll just get myself more upset and start using four letter words.

So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Al Gore Calls for 100% Clean, Renewable Energy in Ten Years

Al Gore's speech on July 17th calling for clean, renewable energy in ten years is a challenge.

Is it possible to change our electricity generators from a carbon base to a clean, renewable base fuel in just ten years?

Does a bear do it in the woods? Hell yeah!

If Americans didn't invent it, they sure as hell perfected it, or that used to be our history in challenges.

I cannot in my wildest imagination think that Americans could not collectively solve any problem which arises if we put our minds to it.

There is no reason in the world why we cannot do it. Will it be easy? No

New York City could power their entire city with electricity just from methane gas. Yes, gas which comes from waste. And that, my friend is renewable.

Florida has enough sun to power most electricity from solar panels, enough tide to power from the ocean and gulf and of course bio energy resources, you know, landfills, garbage.

There are areas in the U.S. that have almost constant wind, we could establish windmills in those areas.

Can we do it? Hell yeah! The American people are the most innovative resourceful people any where.

Who benefits when we do this? You and me and all the following generations.

BUT, will we?

Do we have the will to get this done?

Does "We the people" mean anything any more?

Who does not benefit from this proposal? Big oil, big coal, nuclear speculators.

Can we do it? es, yes, yes!

Will we do it? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Offshore Drilling Part 2

Some times I think I should have tittled this blog "Thinking out loud", lol.
While looking on the website of the State of Florida, for information as to why Charlie Crist, the governor changed his mind about offshore drilling, I came upon a document tittled
OFFSHORE DRILLING: A REVIEW OF THE FEDERAL PROCESS
It is an interim report by the Sate Senate, dated November 2006. Much of the report is quite "dry", but there is a part which made me think we are being lied to by the people in D.C. and the news media.

The news media has reported that it would be ten years before offshore drilling would produce. Not true.


On September 5, 2006, Chevron and its partners,
Devon and Statoil, announced the discovery of a huge
reserve of oil and natural gas in the Gulf of Mexico in
the Walker Ridge Area which is about 270 miles
southwest of New Orleans and 175 miles off the coast
of Louisiana. The discovery, however, is very deep.
Chevron had indicated that it drilled to a total depth of
28,175 feet in waters that are 7,000 feet deep.
It is estimated that this discovery could increase the
U.S. reserves of oil by as much as 50 percent. Chevron
estimated that the 300-square-mile region where its test
well sits could hold between 3 and 15 billion barrels of
oil and natural gas liquids.26 However, these amounts
are speculative and the area would not come on line for
at least 4 to 7 years. Production would probably not
start until 2010 at the earliest with full production not
until 2013 at the earliest.


www.energybulletin.net/20140.html


Production could start in 2010, two years from now and produce as early as 2013.

So, I stand corrected.

So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

T Boone Pickens Plan

T. Boone Pickens, the man behind the "swift boating" of John Kerry in 2004 is now offering a plan to help Americans become oil independent.  Can you trust him?  Is his plan in the best inerest of the American people or in the best interest of Pickens pocketbook?

He suggests 20% of our power could be gained by using wind.  Not a bad idea, but whose land is it on, who builds the infrastructure to transmit the power from that land, and last but certainly not least, who gets the money from that energy?

There is more to the plan than just wind power and that also is his profit area, natural gas.  He has made a great deal of money on that product.

I am posting his video.



I haven't made my mind up about this idea, just like offshore drilling, I am still in the process of gathering information.



So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Offshore Drilling

To Drill or Not to Drill

That is the question. Is it more noble to refrain from drilling offshore or to take advantage of the natural resources close to home.

We need to be looking for alternative and renewable energy resources. But what do we do in the mean time?

I feel like a spectator at a tennis match. Democrats serve, Republicans return. Republicans serve, Democrats return. Back and forth, back and forth. My neck hurts from the whipping from side to side.

There are good arguments on both sides.

Drilling offshore will not relieve gas prices today, True. Drilling offshore will not yield oil for 10 years or more, True.

So the big question is...Where will we be 10 years from today?
Ten years ago, gas price for regular, was under $1.00 a gallon. So that means gas has risen 389 per cent. At that rate gas will be $1513..21 per gallon in ten years. Hmmmm, I can’t afford that, can you?

During the Carter Presidency, we were promised oil independence and renewable energy.  That was how many years ago?  30 years.  Carter even installed solar panels on the roof of the White House in 1979 but Reagan had them removed in 1986.

http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org/newsreleases/2007/07-18.pdf

I personally have reservations about offshore drilling.  If we continue to find more places to pull out fossil fuels, will we put the proper resources forward to find and put in to common use renewable energy.  Putting aside the "global climate change issue", what are we doing to the air we breathe?  How much more pollution can we put into the air?  We are not alone on this planet.  China and India are growing industrial nations putting out thousands of tons of carbon gas (smog).

The other part of this is, I have no grandchildren, so why do I concern myself about a future beyond my children's life span?  I don't know, but I am concerned.

To drill or not to drill offshore, yes that is the question.

So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Tax Cuts and Smaller Government

I like the “idea” of lower taxes and smaller government. But, now here is where the real issue is, when “they” say smaller government it is different than my ideas.
From where I sit, I see a great deal of “waste”.
They see the Food & Drug Administration funding as a waste. For instance this deal about the salmonella outbreak linked to tomatoes, but apparently there is not enough “staff” to track down exactly where and what it is. I want “country of origin labels” on the food products I buy. I want inspectors checking the growing and processing of the meat products I buy. Britain allowed “mad cow disease” to get out of control and that devastated their beef industry.
Or the inspection of items coming in from foreign manufacturers. Toys with lead paint. Or “Aqua Dots” which contained the chemical used in “date rape drugs”. The toy was supposed to contain the non-toxic chemical 1,5-pentanediol, but instead contained 1,4-butanediol which is metabolised into the drug gamma-Hydroxybutyric (GHB, an anaesthetic used as a recreational drug ). The affected children had seizure-like activity, which is an occasional side-effect of severe GHB overdose.

U. S. Product Safety Commission website is pages long with the list of recalled toys imported from countries who do not follow our standards for “safe toys”.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html

Check it out. If you are a parent, grand parent or care about the health and safety of children, please check it out.
Another wasteful issue, I think, is the “Economic Stimulus Package”. The government is sending me $600.00 so I can go to WalMart to buy products “made in China”. We have to borrow the funds from China to send each per this $600.00 check. It does not make sense to me. We owe $9.5 trillion dollars in our national debt. How many zeroes are there in a trillion? We owe China 502 billion. We are living on borrowed money. My Mother taught me better than that, who and what was taught to our elected officials?
I guess smaller government is in the eye of the beholder, I see oversight of consumer products a vital part of what expect my government to do. I want the budget balanced.

The Gross National Debt

So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Independence

I received an interesting comment on my blog for the 4th of July. I posted copy of the Declaration of Independence along with the audio reading.

"Struggle For Justice said...
It didn't become de facto for women until the 19th Amendmentto the Constitution was ratified. How could anyone be independent without access to government through the vote?Before that event the Declaration of Independencewas a mockery of justice.Please se my webloghttp://letjusticeprevailnow.blogspot.com/"

The document of 1776 declares independence for "white males". But this was "The Beginning"
It was not until the following century "independence was declared for the "black males". Women of all color did not receive the "right to vote" until 1920 with the Women's Suffrage Movement, but they still were not "free".

Roe versus Wade in 1972 finally gave women "some" rights over her own body.

It has been a long struggle, but in most communities women now have a "right" to charge their husbands with rape. I remember the time when that was not so. That is a personal observation.

The "Equal Pay Act" was signed into law in 1963, but as of today, 45 years later, the law has not been enforced. Women make 77 cents for every dollar their male counterpart makes.

I live in Florida. Working women in Florida are farther along the road to equal pay than women in many states; in 2000, Florida’s working women earned 81.3 percent as much per hour as men, while nationwide women earned only 77.6 percent as much per hour as men. Florida ranked sixth among all states in equal pay.

At the current rate of change, working women in Florida—as well as working women nationwide—won’t have equal pay until after 2050. I will be 97 years old, don't think I will be around for that.

Yeah Baby, We've come a long way, but the path has been long and rocky in places. The journey is not yet over, many miles more to go.

So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Thank the Senators Who Voted: Yes

The Senate passed H.R. 6331. YES!  YES!  YES!
18 Republican Senators crossed over to pass this bill to make it "veto proof".

The bill is " Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008"
Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of additional preventive services. Provides for gradual elimination of copayment rates for Medicare psychiatric services.


Places prohibitions and limitations on certain sales and marketing activities under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and prescription drug plans.

Requires offering of a range of Medicare supplemental policies.

Extends the qualifying individual program. Provides for application of a full low-income subsidy assets test under the Medicare Savings Program.

Eliminates Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) late enrollment penalties paid by subsidy-eligible individuals.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states for state health insurance assistance programs, area agencies on aging, and aging and disability resource centers. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states for increasing the delivery of mental health services or other health care services to meet the needs of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom living in rural areas. Permits re-basing for sole community hospitals.

Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration project for development and testing of new community health integration models in certain rural counties.

Amends the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, to extend through FY2009 the reclassification of certain hospitals.

Increases physicians' payments. Revises requirements for and extends the quality reporting system, including incentive payments.

Directs the Secretary to establish a Physician Feedback Program. Provides for:

(1) incentives for electronic prescribing of medicine;

(2) expanded access to primary care services;

(3) extension of the floor on Medicare work geographic adjustment under the Medicare physician fee schedule; and

(4) an accreditation requirement for advanced diagnostic imaging services.

Revises requirements for Medicare anesthesia teaching programs. Makes permanent the exception to the 60-day limit on Medicare reciprocal billing arrangements between two physicians over a longer continuous period during all of which one of them is ordered to active duty as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces.

Provides for coverage of pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation.

Extends increased Medicare payments for ground ambulance services. Amends the Public Health Services Act to direct the Secretary to establish pilot projects with respect to chronic kidney disease.

Revises requirements for renal dialysis.

Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to delay generally until after 2011 full implementation of the Medicare competitive acquisition program for the purchase of durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS). Revises such program, dividing its implementation into two rounds, and specifying covered item updates for 2009-2014. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for a competitive acquisition ombudsman within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to respond to complaints and inquiries by suppliers and individuals. Provides for phase-out of indirect costs of medical education from capitation rates.

Revises requirements for MA private fee-for-service plans as well as MA plans for special needs individuals.

Modifies requirements for quality improvement programs.

Requires prompt payment of clean claims by prescription drug plans and MA-Prescription Drug plans under Medicare part D. Revises the definition of medically accepted indication for drugs.

Directs the Secretary to:

(1) contract with a consensus-based entity for certain activities relating to health care performance measurement; and

(2) evaluate and report to Congress on approaches for the collection of data regarding health care disparities.

Creates the Medicare Improvement Fund. Extends the transitional medical assistance (TMA), the abstinence education program, and allotments for disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs) under SSA title XIX (Medicaid). Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to extend supplemental grants under SSA title IV part D (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF). Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend special diabetes grant programs.



Votes by Senator


Name Voted

Sen. Daniel Akaka [D, HI] Aye

Sen. Lamar Alexander [R, TN] Aye

Sen. Wayne Allard [R, CO] Nay

Sen. John Barrasso [R, WY] Nay

Sen. Max Baucus [D, MT] Aye

Sen. B. Evan Bayh [D, IN] Aye

Sen. Robert Bennett [R, UT] Nay

Sen. Joseph Biden [D, DE] Aye

Sen. Jeff Bingaman [D, NM] Aye

Sen. Christopher Bond [R, MO] Nay

Sen. Barbara Boxer [D, CA] Aye

Sen. Sherrod Brown [D, OH] Aye

Sen. Samuel Brownback [R, KS] Nay

Sen. Jim Bunning [R, KY] Nay

Sen. Richard Burr [R, NC] Nay

Sen. Robert Byrd [D, WV] Aye

Sen. Maria Cantwell [D, WA] Aye

Sen. Benjamin Cardin [D, MD] Aye

Sen. Thomas Carper [D, DE] Aye

Sen. Robert Casey [D, PA] Aye

Sen. C. Saxby Chambliss [R, GA] Aye

Sen. Hillary Clinton [D, NY] Aye

Sen. Thomas Coburn [R, OK] Nay

Sen. Thad Cochran [R, MS] Nay

Sen. Norm Coleman [R, MN] Aye

Sen. Susan Collins [R, ME] Aye

Sen. Kent Conrad [D, ND] Aye

Sen. Bob Corker [R, TN] Aye

Sen. John Cornyn [R, TX] Aye

Sen. Larry Craig [R, ID] Nay

Sen. Michael Crapo [R, ID] Nay

Sen. Jim DeMint [R, SC] Nay

Sen. Christopher Dodd [D, CT] Aye

Sen. Elizabeth Dole [R, NC] Aye

Sen. Pete Domenici [R, NM] Nay

Sen. Byron Dorgan [D, ND] Aye

Sen. Richard Durbin [D, IL] Aye

Sen. John Ensign [R, NV] Nay

Sen. Michael Enzi [R, WY] Nay

Sen. Russell Feingold [D, WI] Aye

Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D, CA] Aye

Sen. Lindsey Graham [R, SC] Nay

Sen. Charles Grassley [R, IA] Nay

Sen. Judd Gregg [R, NH] Nay

Sen. Charles Hagel [R, NE] Nay

Sen. Thomas Harkin [D, IA] Aye

Sen. Orrin Hatch [R, UT] Nay

Sen. Kay Hutchison [R, TX] Aye

Sen. James Inhofe [R, OK] Nay

Sen. Daniel Inouye [D, HI] Aye

Sen. John Isakson [R, GA] Aye

Sen. Tim Johnson [D, SD] Aye

Sen. Edward Kennedy [D, MA] Aye

Sen. John Kerry [D, MA] Aye

Sen. Amy Klobuchar [D, MN] Aye

Sen. Herbert Kohl [D, WI] Aye

Sen. Jon Kyl [R, AZ] Nay

Sen. Mary Landrieu [D, LA] Aye

Sen. Frank Lautenberg [D, NJ] Aye

Sen. Patrick Leahy [D, VT] Aye

Sen. Carl Levin [D, MI] Aye

Sen. Joseph Lieberman [I, CT] Aye

Sen. Blanche Lincoln [D, AR] Aye

Sen. Richard Lugar [R, IN] Nay

Sen. Mel Martinez [R, FL] Aye

Sen. John McCain [R, AZ] Abstain

Sen. Claire McCaskill [D, MO] Aye

Sen. Mitch McConnell [R, KY] Nay

Sen. Robert Menendez [D, NJ] Aye

Sen. Barbara Mikulski [D, MD] Aye

Sen. Lisa Murkowski [R, AK] Aye

Sen. Patty Murray [D, WA] Aye

Sen. Ben Nelson [D, NE] Aye

Sen. Bill Nelson [D, FL] Aye

Sen. Barack Obama [D, IL] Aye

Sen. Mark Pryor [D, AR] Aye

Sen. John Reed [D, RI] Aye

Sen. Harry Reid [D, NV] Aye

Sen. Pat Roberts [R, KS] Aye

Sen. John Rockefeller [D, WV] Aye

Sen. Ken Salazar [D, CO] Aye

Sen. Bernard Sanders [I, VT] Aye

Sen. Charles Schumer [D, NY] Aye

Sen. Jefferson Sessions [R, AL] Nay

Sen. Richard Shelby [R, AL] Nay

Sen. Gordon Smith [R, OR] Aye

Sen. Olympia Snowe [R, ME] Aye

Sen. Arlen Specter [R, PA] Aye

Sen. Debbie Ann Stabenow [D, MI] Aye

Sen. Ted Stevens [R, AK] Aye

Sen. John Sununu [R, NH] Nay

Sen. Jon Tester [D, MT] Aye

Sen. John Thune [R, SD] Nay

Sen. David Vitter [R, LA] Nay

Sen. George Voinovich [R, OH] Aye

Sen. John Warner [R, VA] Aye

Sen. Jim Webb [D, VA] Aye

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse [D, RI] Aye

Rep. Roger Wicker [R, MS-1] Nay

Sen. Ron Wyden [D, OR] Aye

Please call, write or send an email to the Senators who voted yes and tell them "Thank You!" 
One down and ten to go,
So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Congress has not officially declared war since 1942

War Powers Act needs fixing, bipartisan panel says. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States needs a new law requiring that the president consult with Congress before going to war, a blue-ribbon panel led by two former secretaries of state said Tuesday. The current War Powers Resolution is "ineffective, and it should be repealed and it should be replaced," James Baker said in a joint appearance with Warren Christopher, announcing the results of the study they led. The recommendation follows failed efforts by Democrats in Congress to put a stop to the war in Iraq or to put conditions on President Bush's conduct of it. Congress passed a joint resolution to authorize armed force against Iraq in 2002, but some Bush opponents say it should not have been interpreted as a blank check for the United States to invade and occupy the Persian Gulf nation. Baker, who served in George H.W. Bush's administration, and Christopher, who served under President Bill Clinton, said their project was not prompted by any specific war, with Christopher adding that the commission had "tried very hard not to call balls and strikes on past history here." "We didn't direct this report at any particular conflict," Baker added. The existing law, the War Powers Resolution of 1973, has been regarded as unconstitutional by every president since it was passed as a response to the Vietnam War, Baker and Christopher said. It requires presidents to report regularly to Congress about ongoing conflicts, but the provision has been flouted. "No president has ever made a submission to Congress pursuant to the War Powers Resolution since 1973," former Sen. Slade Gorton, a Republican member of the committee, said Tuesday. The panel, formally called the National War Powers Commission, said a new law should be created requiring the president to consult with key members of Congress before sending troops into combat expected to last more than a week, or within three days of doing so in the case of operations that need to be kept secret. It should also make clear exactly who the president needed to consult. The panel suggests that the president talk to "a joint Congressional committee made up of the leaders of the House and the Senate as well as the chairmen and ranking members of key committees." The new committee would have a permanent professional staff with access to intelligence information, Baker and Christopher said. Congress, in turn, would have to declare war or vote on a "resolution of approval" within 30 days, they said. If a resolution of approval failed, any member of Congress could introduce a "resolution of disapproval," but it was not clear that such an act would stop a war in progress. Christopher was unable to say in the news conference what practical effect congressional disapproval would have. Baker said the commission had been in touch with the presidential campaigns of Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, as well as leaders of Congress. He declined to reveal what they thought of the proposal, but said: "We haven't gotten a negative reaction." Congress has not officially declared war since 1942, when the United States entered formal hostilities with the Axis powers in World War II. But since then, presidents have sent troops into countries including Korea, Vietnam, Grenada and Iraq. The Constitution makes the president the commander in chief of the armed forces, but gives Congress the power to declare war and approve military budgets. Should we follow the Constitution? If the Constitution only gives Congress the power to declare war, how the hell did we get in this mess in Iraq? Oh, geez, I forgot. We are not at war with Iraq, it's an occupation, Right? So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

US Senate Deserts America’s Seniors, Active Duty Military Personnel and Their Families

06/27/2008

Statement from Brian P. Wicks, MD, President of the Washington State Medical Association
“A bill that would have prevented an already seriously eroded access to care problem for Medicare beneficiaries and our military and their families from getting much worse was defeated on a procedural vote in the US Senate yesterday when 40 Senators decided politics and other interests should come first.
“The failure of 40 Senators to allow HR 6331, The Medicare Improvements to Patients and Providers Act, to go to the floor for debate and action is reprehensible. Senate rules require 60 votes to override a filibuster so a measure can be debated on its merits. Yesterday’s vote was 58 to 40."

"The entire Congress has had six months to deal with the cut. Now, thanks to a few Senators, we stand at the brink of a Medicare meltdown. On July 1 the government will slash Medicare physician payments by 10.6 percent, forcing many physicians to make the difficult choice to limit the number of Medicare patients in their practices, or even stop taking Medicare patients altogether. Medicare's current payments are already below most physicians' practices' cost to provide care - these new cuts will push more practices to further limit access for these patients.
"Those senators who voted against the bill must return from their recess and political picnics and make Medicare their top priority. This is not a partisan issue - it is a patient access issue."
The Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) represents over 9,000 physicians and surgeons throughout the state of Washington. More information about the WSMA can be found at www.wsma.org.

Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of additional preventive services. Provides for gradual elimination of copayment rates for Medicare psychiatric services. Places prohibitions and limitations on certain sales and marketing activities under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and prescription drug plans. Requires offering of a range of Medicare supplemental policies. Extends the qualifying individual program. Provides for application of a full low-income subsidy assets test under the Medicare Savings Program. Eliminates Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) late enrollment penalties paid by subsidy-eligible individuals.

The House and Senate go on vacation without taking care of unfinished business vital to the interest of American seniors.
If the issue of payment to physicians is not resolved quickly, many will will be forced to stop treating the elderly.

Disgusted with Congress? I am.

So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Employers Fight Tough Measures on Immigration

By JULIA PRESTON
Published: July 6, 2008
Under pressure from the toughest crackdown on illegal immigration in two decades, employers across the country are fighting back in state legislatures, the federal courts and city halls.
Business groups have resisted measures that would revoke the licenses of employers of illegal immigrants. They are proposing alternatives that would revise federal rules for verifying the identity documents of new hires and would expand programs to bring legal immigrant laborers.
Though the push back is coming from both Democrats and Republicans, in many places it is reopening the rift over immigration that troubled the Republican Party last year. Businesses, generally Republican stalwarts, are standing up to others within the party who accuse them of undercutting border enforcement and jeopardizing American jobs by hiring illegal immigrants as cheap labor.
Employers in Arizona were stung by a law passed last year by the Republican-controlled Legislature that revokes the licenses of businesses caught twice with illegal immigrants. They won approval in this year’s session of a narrowing of that law making clear that it did not apply to workers hired before this year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/us/06employer.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1215355511-y4hoELscvAXkgLpkXyFiYg
Let me state quite clearly that I am not against "legal immigration". I work for two doctors who legally immigrated to this country. Both are hard working model citizens.
My issue is not with the illegal immigrant, they come here because there are employers who hire them. They come because they want better conditions for their children and the the "American Dream".
The "illegal employers" hire illegal immigrants to take advantage of their status. They pay them less in wages. Often the working conditions are less than crappy. The illegal worker has no choice, they cannot go to the authorities to report any abuse.
The employers benefit greatly by driving down the wages of the working people of the U.S. By driving down wages they put more "bucks" into their own pockets. Products don't cost of less at the retailers, houses don't cost less when they are built with "illegal immigrant labor".
Our so called leaders, The House of Representatives and Senate will not stand up to the "illegal employers" to tell the NO.
So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Congress

As the title of this blog indicates, I am a working class woman. That being said, when I plan to go on vacation I make sure my desk is clear and all matters that are urgent are taken care of before I leave for my vacation.

What does Congress do?

The economy is in the toilet.

Thousands of families who own homes are being foreclosed on.

The government can listen in on your phone calls, search your property, car or person with a warrant. Ther is a war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The issue with ilegal immigrants is not yet resolved.

The health care system sucks, for those without insurance provided by their employers.

Congress goes on vacation while many Americans suffer with the rising costs of gasoline. When gasoline prices go up.... everyting else goes up except wages.

If Congress had to account to an employer the way most Americans do, they would do a better job. They would have to finish their chores before going on vacation. They would have to get a review beore receiving a raise in pay.

But wait, they do have employers, you and me. My question is, will we hold them to account for the lousy job they have done or will most of the be re-elected?

So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Declaration of Independence

Audio of The Declaration of Independence is below.

Stuck in the middle with you

Clowns to the left....joker to the right..most of us are in the middle.

Surprise!

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