Health Benefits For Unemployed Stripped From Stimulus

[kpete]

The stimulus bill is being watered down by the moderate Republicans and the so-called Democrats in the U.S. Senate. They JUST DON'T GET IT! The HuffingtonPost reports that these quislings stripped out two of the most important provisions in the Senate discussions over the passage of the Senate stimulus bill:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/2/5/8119/23175/196/693400

Health Benefits For Unemployed Stripped From Stimulus, HuffPost Readers Find

The sifters found some noteworthy nuggets in the bill. Combing through his section of the bill, law professor and health care author Timothy Jost noticed that the Senate had removed the House provision that would allow people 55 and over who are laid off to continue COBRA coverage at a subsidized rate until they're 65 and eligible for Medicare. The House version also made folks who were laid off temporarily eligible for Medicaid; the Senate version strips that out, Jost found. Every one percent increase in unemployment throws more than a million people into the ranks of the uninsured.

more at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/04/health-benefits-for-unemp_n_164034.html

[BirminghamExaminer]

1. Let's vote Republicans out! Oh wait, we already did that. n/t

[terisan]

2. This needs to be in-perhaps intent is to do so in Senate-House conference. nt

[Dragonfli]

12. I think it would be too hard to fight for it there

The question is, why not fight for it now?
Did they just send all the Democrats home and only let the DLC and blue dogs in the room or something?

[flvegan]

3. Didn't we take Congress back a few years ago?

[Dragonfli]

9. No That is a Myth - DLC and Blue Dawg Stealth Republicans are (R) as well

Some people think that because they call themselves something else they are not what they are.
Bi-Partisanship mixed with stealth republicans mean a continued Lobbyist Corporate rule that will never care about anything but the wealthy, the connected and the privileged.

It is just a show to keep us manageable.

[cascadiance]

14. We need a "corporatist vote watch" web site or the like...

... that will measure all of these DLC and Blue Dog types, and give a "corporatist" rating to each member of congress. Instead of the traditional "liberal" and "conservative" ratings, which have traditionally been used to "measure" congress critters, where they have a lot of extra social issue votes that mask what they do with the important economic ones that corporations care about, they give an artificial sense of who's for change and who isn't.

This site should focus more on the issues that corporate lobbyists care about, and use those votes as the basis of measurements of a "corporatist rating". That way, we can refer voters in future elections to the "corporatist rating" of a congress critter, to help simplify their efforts to find who's screwing them and who's not (and not have to watch the alternative press coverage every day like we do). And the more we can get publicity for that site, then the more people can seek it out on their own, and not rely on us coaxing them to it.

Of course the corporate media will stand in the way of getting such a site well known and highly used, but if we can just simplify the equation so we can focus on giving attention to something like that, then perhaps we can win over many that we might not otherwise get if we try to hit them separately with each of these issues at a time, which loses many of them now.

[Dragonfli]

16. I agree and find the idea pro-active and obvious - So Much so I am willing to power the site.

I have lost a great deal the last few years but I have kept my dedicated server, I have the ability to host it.

Continue developing the idea and gather a research crew to help.

Let me know what type of software we will need and start thinking of names we can use for the domain. I imagine once a crew is gathered we should vote on the name, then I will register it.

One thing tho, I like to support open source code and find it easier to modify, would that be a problem?

[cascadiance]

17. I think that we need someone dedicated full time for a site like this...

I'm certainly willing to help out, but I still need to work my other job that pays the bills, and wouldn't be able to give the time I think would be necessary to have such a project work. But count me in to help with this if you need it. I'm good at developing web sites too. Also, depending on how we do it, we have to be careful if we don't put those working on this at odds with their employers, if they feel that us working on this creates a conflict of interest for them. I hate saying that, as I'd like to think that my employer and others' employers are supportive of people doing external projects like this, but given the nature of what we're trying to do, I have a feeling that there might be a lot of pressure on folks out there that are working other jobs.

We should have some way of gathering others though to put together a plan at least, so if someone who does have free time (perhaps has been laid off), and we have means of funding it so we can have that person survive if he needs cash to do this work full time, that we can move forward then towards delivery of it.

Perhaps talking to someone like moveon.org, or other groups with less "corporate" government ties might be also a good direction to go to to get some meaningful support in people and money to get it started.

[jtrockville]

4. If people aren't productive, why do we need to keep them healthy?

:sarcasm:

[Demeter]

5. ARE THEY CRAZY, OR JUST EVIL???

This goes far beyond stupid, IMO.

[SammyWinstonJack]

10. EVIL and GREEDY!

[One_Life_To_Give]

6. Technically it's not stimulus

Comes under social welfare, good of society etc. But in and of itself extending cobra will not jumpstart housing, auto industries etc.

[Beaverhausen]

15. It would keep money in the hands of the unemployed so they could spend it and stimulate the economy

[biopowertoday]

7. Congress and their families do not have to worry about health payments=they have

theirs.

damm!!

[SammyWinstonJack]

11. Exactly! And by courtesy of the taxpayers.

[tularetom]

8. All Americans should enjoy health benefits

But I don't think it belongs in the stimulus package. Things like this just give the assholes something to point at to discredit the entire bill. Health care for the unemployed should be considered (and adopted) on its own merits.

[Celebration]

13. Exactly. I agree

It is a good provision, but it doesn't belong in this particular bill, IMHO.

[Demeter]

19. Sick People Can't Work , Or Find Jobs.

[bdamomma]

18. if they take it out I hope it makes it into another bill.

[prolesunited]

20. How do they not think that millions more

won't cause job losses at both hospitals and insurance companies. Plus, with fewer people with insurance, they will just have those that do paying higher and higher costs.

Also, many, many more will be forced out of their homes over medical costs.

This just makes no sense.