eNewsletter

Wisconsin Clean Elections Coalition

Promoting fair elections for all parties and candidates

eNewsletter #27

October 4, 2006

Politicians are like diapers. They should both be changed frequently and for the same reason.

This is a periodic newsletter on election and health care reform. If you wish not to receive it please unsubscribe at the bottom and accept my apologies for the intrusion.
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In this issue:

1) Health Care, New study on Milwaukee physician fees

2) Sensenbrenner Sensibilities (or lack thereof)

3) Citizen's Against Government Waste

4) More on Health Care Trends

5) Tidbits

6) Give me a Break!

7) Book recommendations

8) Contact Information

9) Removal instructions
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Health Care

Fact: Hospital patients are at great risk of contracting an opportunistic infection -- and often die from that instead of from the ailment that initially caused their hospitalization.

Tip: If you or a loved one ends up in the hospital, make sure you have a bottle of Purell disinfectant with you and insist that everyone, including doctors, nurses, aides, etc., who enters the room rub their hands with Purell.

Business Foundation Confirms Milwaukee Has Highest Physician Fees -- Milwaukee, WI…The Greater Milwaukee Business Foundation on Health, Inc. (GMBFH), known for its research on the cost, efficiency and quality of health care in the greater Milwaukee area, has released its first study specific to physician fees. It concludes that Milwaukee resides at the expensive end of the health care cost spectrum relative to physician fees, when compared to other major Midwest cities. For example, fees for the physician services studied are typically 30-40% higher in Milwaukee than in Cincinnati, Kansas City and St. Louis. See the Press Release and a list of all of their reports HERE and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel coverage HERE.

Consumer-Driven Medicine Is Not The Answer - By Maggie Mahar - Consumer-driven medicine is seen, by many, as the answer to our health care crisis. Put the consumer in the driver’s seat, we are told, and patients will drive down costs by insisting on the very best value for their dollars. See the complete Blog HERE.

The following is an interesting issue, especially when our nation's leaders proclaim that their job is to "Keep Americans safe." That only seems to mean keeping us safe from "terrorists" (i.e. Islamic fundamentalists) and not from health and safety risks created by American corporate terrorists and medical mercenaries, like those who are, in essence, running the FDA and, in fact, much of Congress and the administration.

Study Condemns FDA’s Handling of Drug Safety WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 — The nation’s system for ensuring the safety of medicines needs major changes, advertising of new drugs should be restricted, and consumers should be wary of drugs that have only recently been approved, according to a long-anticipated study of drug safety.

The report by the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, is likely to intensify a debate about the safety of the nation’s drug supply and the adequacy of the government’s oversight. The debate heated up in September 2004 when Merck withdrew its popular arthritis drug Vioxx after studies showed that it doubled the risks of heart attacks.

See complete article HERE.

And see the New York Times coverage HERE.

Cynical me. In the case of drug companies, they give millions of dollars in campaign contributions designed specifically to encourage a hands-off policy by government regulators, and it works as intended. I have not seen any political money trying to block the US protections from foreign terrorists, so I expect that effort to continue. Am I missing something here?
Me-too drugs are new formulations of old drugs, changed just slightly to warrant a new 20 year patent life. Once the original patent runs out, generic manufacturers can copy it. But the me-too formula can be marketed as a "new and improved" drug, even if it isn't as good. The FDA should require these new formulas to be tested not against placebos, which is a cake-walk since they've already done this once, but against the drug it replaces to determine if the new formulation is a step forward or instead a less effective drug.

Don't miss The Corruption of Medicine that appeared in The Week, an excellent weekly for those looking for a capsule of the news. HTML version is HERE.

And the NYT report: FDA Says Bayer Failed to Reveal Drug Risk Study

Sensenbrenner Sensibilities (or lack thereof!)

I wrote to F. Jim asking his support of a bill to allow and require Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for best price, and received his response. His response is that HR752 "would equate to national health insurance," which is both personal and political BS.

He claims that a Canadian-style system "has resulted in people having to wait months for a CAT scan" and that Canadians are "no longer allowed to pay out-of-pocket for their own health expenses." He could not have fudged this any better, and I give him that credit. But Canadian CAT scans are as accessible as the US's when they are urgent, with zero wait times. Only elective scans have a delay. And the new Canadian rules allow patients to use private facilities if they wish. Now that the health care interests in Canada have succeeded in getting their system underfunded, that may now occur more frequently, exactly what they had hoped for.

But I would have appreciated an honest note from Jim also saying:

"Besides Jack, you know full well that I receive tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the drug companies and personally own stock in Abbott Laboratories, Merck, Pfizer, Pharmacia (now also Pfizer) and several other health care companies. So what do you expect me to do??? I've got to live too!"

It would have been nice for him to admit that the Medicare D program he voted for is a $780 billion giveaway to the pharmaceutical industry he is invested in, but I may be asking too much.

You can see a chart of Sensenbrenner's financial holdings HERE and his cash flow at Follow the Money and Political Money Line

With all of the discussion about Canada, here's a note from a Canadian friend currently living in the US:

Jack: "Do you know of any good one-page comparisons of Canada-US health care systems?"
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Peter: "That's a difficult request. The Canadian system is constantly under attack from within, either by politicians and/or the healthcare industry. Each province is responsible for the administration of the Canada Health Act, a federal law, and each province has a different way to follow the law. The feds watch closely how the law is adhered to. Some provinces allow more private healthcare than others and each spends its dollars somewhat differently. But none is supposed to make access difficult. A recent federal court ruling against Quebec said that the opportunity to stand in line is not a substitute for timely treatment. Citizens can sue the government for failure to provide and in each election healthcare is a big issue that Canadians pay attention to. The provinces are always trying to get more federal money for healthcare. For all the problems in Canadian healthcare though, not one patient would vote for a U.S. style system. In Canada much of the provincial funding for all programs comes from the feds through what is called "Federal Equalization Payments". That's a system where poor provinces get redistributed taxes from rich ones, somewhat like the military base/contacts allocation here in the U.S. but not based on constant war. You can read about Canadian health issues here: http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/health/index.jsp

One good link from this page is: http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/health/article.jsp?content=20060501_126226_126226

The systems are black and white by comparison for the most part. Canada does it through taxes and everyone is in the same risk pool. Costs are controlled very tightly in each province by their own ministry of heath as opposed to no one in the U.S. is controlling costs. We have a good friend who is a CEO at a regional hospital and every once in a while I get to pick her brain when we visit. Also remember that bribe money from lobbyists in the Canadian electoral system is very small compared to the U.S. Most politicians in Canada get their corporate rewards after leaving office in the form of appointments to corporate boards and corporate jobs. Honesty of politicians is a bigger issue in Canada as most Canadians don't accept corruption like U.S. citizens seem to. There was a huge scandal recently where federal politicians in Quebec used bribe payments and kickbacks to fund the federal Liberal Party. People went to jail and were fined, and it unseated that federal party from power in the next election causing its leader to quit. As well, when there is a change in government there, there is not a wholesale change in the civil service according to their ideology. Civil servants are much more non political, religion also does not way into the political mix, though morality does. The Alliance Party is as close to the present Republicans here. They control parliament now, though with a minority government. Canada has more than 2 political parties so the smaller ones can be spoilers for the larger parties, as is the case now. It helps to keep the system more honest.

It's been a long time since I've lived in Canada (15 years) and the system there keeps changing. I have not given up my Canadian citizenship as I will probably end up back in Canada before healthcare really becomes a serious issue for me. If I can be of any further help please contact me at any time."

Peter

See the Statement of Dr. Marcia Angell introducing the U.S. National Health Insurance Act, and this single-payer FAQ

And this from the Canadian government

Canada-U.S. Gap in Health Care Grows

The list really goes on.

Does the Canadian system sound like it isn't working? The for-profit health care vultures are constantly trying to undermine their system by getting it underfunded by the politicians. They think the public will ultimately throw in the towel and accept a US-style system, but so far the public has applied enough pressure that the politicians have left hands-off, sort of. But as Peter indicates, they keep attacking.
To me this issue is no different than all others: get the political bribery out of the system and our politicians will pass laws that are in the best interest of the public. Sometimes the industry will win and sometimes the patients will win, but it will no longer be tilted toward the industry and against the taxpayers. Or toward bad solutions and against good solutions.
Good legislation does not require money to flow; bad legislation does.

And you can bet that if Rich Zipperer wins Scott Jenson's old seat (A98) you'll start seeing the Sensenbrenner philosophy spreading in the state capital. Two Sensenbrenners may be more than we can handle.

News From Citizens Against Government Waste

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) this month named all 171 members of Congress who voted against the disclosure of earmarks -- Porkers of the Month. On September 14, the House of Representatives voted 245-171 for an internal rule change (H.Res. 1000) that requires all earmarks and their sponsors to be identified in spending, tax, and authorization bills. “This is a serious step toward opening up the earmarking process,” CAGW President Tom Schatz said. Partisan politics and self-interest clearly influenced what was an easy vote for transparency and accountability. Of the 171 votes against the resolution, 147 were from Democrats. Twenty-two of the 24 Republican nay votes came from members of the Appropriations Committee, where most earmarks are anonymously slipped into spending bills by individual appropriators without debate. For ignoring taxpayers’ outrage over the waste and corruption of pork-barrel spending, CAGW names the 171 nay voters on H.Res. 1000 Porkers of the Month for September 2006. Read more about the Porker of the Month.

Thanks to the efforts of tens of thousands of Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) members, the President this month signed into law S. 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006. Better known as the "Sunshine Act," S. 2590 will require the full disclosure of the $460 billion in federal grants and $340 billion worth of federal contracts each year by directing the Office of Management and Budget to create a user-friendly database, searchable by the public, that would include information regarding each entity that receives federal funding, the amount received, how the money is being used, and where the entity is located. CCAGW members spearheaded a grassroots push for the legislation that included 21,335 e-mails, more than 15,000 petitions, and an untold number of phone calls to the House and Senate. The overwhelming show of support even helped overcome the “secret hold” placed on the legislation by powerful Senators Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.). President Bush recognized the contribution of CCAGW members to this drive for a more accountable, less wasteful government by inviting CCAGW President Tom Schatz and other CCAGW senior staff to attend the White House signing ceremony for the bill. Read more about the battle for the Sunshine Act and the "secret hold" placed on the bill by Sen. Stevens.

I like CAGW's work on these two issues, but I do not support their efforts to pass the Line Item Veto. This will transfer the balance of power from Congress to the president, and will lead to even more corruption than we have today. See my editorial on this HERE.

Tracking Health Care Costs: Continued Stability But at High Rates in 2005

"Tracking Health Care Costs: Continued Stability But at High Rates in 2005"

Oct. 3, 2006
Health Affairs, Web exclusive
Paul B. Ginsburg, Bradley C. Strunk, Michelle I. Banker, John P. Cookson

Health care spending per privately insured person increased 7.4 percent in 2005, marking the third year that the cost trend hovered between 7 and 8 percent following double-digit trends in 2001 and 2002. Data for the first quarter of 2006 suggest continued stability. The trend for 2005 reflected increased growth in spending for hospital and physician care, offsetting a sharp drop in spending growth for prescription drugs. Hospital utilization trends accelerated, while price trends decelerated in 2005. In contrast to stable spending trends in 2005, premium trends continued to decline in 2006, likely reflecting the lagged effects of earlier years’ slowing in cost trends and perhaps signaling a turn in the insurance underwriting cycle.

A free copy of this article is available at the Health Affairs Web site by clicking here. (Free access is available until Oct. 3, 2007.)

Health Benefits In 2006: Premium Increases Moderate, Enrollment In Consumer-Directed Health Plans Remains Modest

"Health Benefits In 2006: Premium Increases Moderate, Enrollment In Consumer-Directed Health Plans Remains Modest"

Sept. 26, 2006
Health Affairs, Web exclusive
Gary Claxton, Jon R. Gabel, Isadora Gil, Jeremy D. Pickreign, Heidi H. Whitmore, Benjamin Finder, Samantha Hawkins

This annual survey of employers provides a detailed look at trends in employer-sponsored health coverage, including changes in premiums, employee contributions, cost-sharing policies, and other relevant information. This year the survey also documented the prevalence of high-deductible health plans associated with a savings option, including the percentage of employers offering these plan types and the percentage of workers covered by them. The 2006 survey included 3,159 randomly selected public and private firms with three or more employees (2,122 of which responded to the full survey and 1,037 of which responded to an additional question about offering coverage). Researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Center for Studying Health System Change and Health Research and Educational Trust designed and analyzed the survey.

Free access to this Health Affairs article is available at the Kaiser Family Foundation Web site.

Center for Studying Health System Change
600 Maryland Ave, SW, Suite 550
Washington, DC 20024
tel: 202.484.5261
fax: 202.484.9258
hscinfo@hschange.org

What more can I say. Follow the money!

Tidbits

NRA Jim: I try to avoid too many of the "issues" that are affected by our moneyed political system, because the list is overwhelming. But the recent Sensenbrenner sellout to the NRA needs exposing. The MJS editorial wrote "U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, the Menomonee Falls Republican, backs a bill that would keep the public in the dark about the source of guns used in crimes and hamper the sharing of information by police departments."

It's no more complicated than that. A way of tracking the purchases of guns used in crimes, and F. Jim caved. Well, he didn't cave easily. It appears that $12,200 in NRA contributions in 13 installments over 8 years helped make up his mind.

Everybody has their price, but I thought Jim's was higher than that.

I'm not a lefty on this issue. I support concealed carry laws because crooks are getting their guns anyway, and concealed carry will reduce crime as the crooks give great pause before they strike someone on the streets who might be carrying a gun. The experience in other states is impressive. But regardless, this vote is a clear sellout to the industry and it removes public protections, not instills them. Sensenbrenner should go stand in the corner!

CREW releases "Beyond DeLay: The 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and five to watch)" - Today, CREW released the second annual report on the most corrupt Members of Congress. This encyclopedic report on corruption in the 109th Congress documents the egregious, unethical and possibly illegal activities of the most tainted members of Congress. CREW has compiled the members’ transgressions and analyzed them in light of federal laws and congressional rules. See the complete list HERE.

What is it about Voter Fraud that people do not understand? The right-wing in me disagrees with TomPaine.com's opposition to voter ID requirements. People need appropriate ID for cashing checks, getting welfare payments, food stamps, driver's licenses and many other civic duties. Why would they object to voter ID? It would eliminate all of the issues the left complains about with regard to voters being turned away at the polls, and would allow voting to take place in large companies properly set up for polling. Seems to me that they just got this bug that requires complaining about something, and Voter ID is convenient. If they'd think it through, ID can make it much easier and more flexible to vote, not harder. Oh well.

And the left-wing side of me agrees with TomPaine.com's take on the plummeting gas prices. Here we have the Iraq war going terrible with Iran and Venezuela threatening to cut us off, and gas prices are falling? Yeah, I think it is mighty convenient just prior to the elections. Even if Bush and/or Cheney didn't put direct pressure on, which I believe they did, there is still a strong incentive for the Oil Cartel to do what it can to affect a Republican win in November. Their short term losses will be more than made up by long term gains.

New Online Tool Calculates Trade-Offs Between Tax Cuts for the Rich and Other Priorities In States and Districts The National Priorities Project has unveiled an online tool that calculates the trade-off in a given state or Congressional district between certain initiatives of the Bush Administration against other priorities that could be pursued for the same cost. You can select your state or your Congressional district, and then select a particular initiative of the Administration, including the tax breaks the administration has enacted for the richest one percent of Americans. The calculator will then tell you the number of teachers or public safety officers that could be employed for the cost of that tax break, or the number of people that could be given health insurance or the number of schools that could be built in the state or district. (from ctj.org)

On CEO Pay - Interesting survey by Business Week .jpg or .gif format.

Judges for sale? I wouldn't have thought so years ago, but it is common practice today.

From Project Vote Smart:

Kohl and Feingold voted against the U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement Implementation (Bill Number: HR 5684 - Roll Call Number: 250 Date: 2006-09-19 --- Good for them, though the Republicans pushed it through anyway.

What is known as the Voter ID Act (Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006) Bill Number: HR 4844, Roll Call Number: 459 Passed the House on 09/20/2006 (Here are the Wisconsin votes....)

WI 1 Representative
Paul D. Ryan Republican Y

WI 2 Representative
Tammy Baldwin Democrat N

WI 3 Representative
Ronald James 'Ron' Kind Democrat N

WI 4 Representative
Gwendolynne S. 'Gwen' Moore Democrat N

WI 5 Representative
F. James Sensenbrenner Republican Y

WI 6 Representative
Thomas E. 'Tom' Petri Republican Y

WI 7 Representative
David Ross Obey Democrat N

WI 8 Representative
Mark A. Green Republican Y

Probably to the chagrin of my Lefty friends, I support voter ID cards to limit fraud and ensure access, optical card readers instead of touch screen, and polling booths in large companies so workers do not have to stand hours in line to vote.

Stat of the Week: The World's Richest Rich

Which nation in the world can claim the richest rich? That dubious honor, the Sunday Times of London reports, belongs hands-down to the United States. The 100 richest Americans now together hold a fortune worth an estimated $749.9 billion, well over double the $304.1 billion total net worth of the richest 100 in Germany, the nation with the second-richest rich. The world's third-richest 100, worth a collective $292.8 billion, live in the UK.

Give me a Break!

Add this handy 800 phone number reference to your favorites.

Need special sound effects. See this list of .wav sounds you can download.

Interesting but useless. Move your mouse over the black screen.

I forgot to tell you this is a contest on who can develop the most useless toys.

New technique's on Cleaning the Toilet

Billboards you'd like on your streets?

CREATION:

A man said to his wife one day, "I don't know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time."

The wife responded, "Allow me to explain. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!"

Book Recommendations

See home page at www.TooProfitableToCure.com (this book is not yet on Amazon, but don't that alarm you.)

Too Profitable to Cure (Paperback)
by Brent Hoadley, Ph.D. (ISBN: 0977766101)
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Book Description

Another conspiracy theory? Another tale of genocide? NO! A chronicle of capitalism run amok.

The pharmaceutical industry creates and maintains chronic diseases in pursuit of unholy profits—at the expense of patients’ health. From the government’s alphabet soup agencies—HHS, FDA, CDC, NIH—to our institutions of higher learning; from charitable advocates, like the American Diabetes Association, to the powerful American Medical Association; from the media to our politicians—all are inextricably intertwined and dancing to a tune choreographed by a higher power: Big Pharma.
Diabetes is only one shining example of the pharmaceutical industry’s criminal pursuit of profits. Patients’ health, patients’ lives, patients’ freedom—all are fair game in the quest for limitless wealth and unbridled power.

The medical industry has allowed the encroachment by Big Pharma and their lobby into our lives. DTC advertising now supplants doctor-patient cooperation. Pharma PR is thrown at the media in the guise of "news." Pharmaceutical sales reps now supply more "education" to physicians than CME courses. In other words, Big Pharma has climbed to the top of the totem pole; medical professionals stubbornly cling to their subordinate position; and the poor patient (pun intended) supports the entire structure. Do I need to tell you that the support is vulnerable and under attack? Whether it can remain viable is, or should be, a question of great concern.

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Contact information

Lohman is a retired business owner in Colgate WI and volunteers’ time on the issues of Election reform and Universal health care -

Contact: Jack E. Lohman
jelohman@gmail.com or jelohman@charter.net
Phone 414-477-8686 (cell)
www.ThrowTheRascalsOut.org
www.WiCleanElections.org

www.wi-cfr.org (old but still useful data)

www.MoneyedPoliticians.com (my book: Politicians - Owned and Operated by Corporate America)

www.SmokeFreeDining.net (A searchable restaurant database)

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Removal Instructions

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If either fails please notify me directly at jelohman@gmail.com. Thanks.

Disclosure: I am a center-right Republican that voted for Bush twice (though at this point I wish I could have a do-over). But the Republicans look worse here because they are in power and the party blocking reform. Next year it may be the Democrats taking center stage. Were I to have a political choice it would be for a strong third-party reform candidate in all seats. I do not like our very costly and ineffective duopoly. Jack Lohman

See Lohman's complete disclosure HERE.