I've caught this ad a few times being run by New Jersey Progress hitting Chris Christie over the mandate and mammogram issue:The ad features women talking about their personal experiences with mammograms and hits Christie's mandate-free proposal as only benefiting the insurance companies. Here is the documentation NJ Progress put out with their ad. Have you seen this in your area?
The poll states, "As he faced a withering assault from Corzine and independent groups over the issue of insurance coverage of mammograms, Christie has lost significant ground with women, especially independent women. He now posts a net favorability rating of - 19 with women, down from - 7 two weeks ago. Among independent women, the drop is even more pronounced: from - 7 two weeks ago to - 34 today, with half the independent women giving him an unfavorable rating. This has clearly benefited Corzine in the vote as the governor now leads among women by 14 points, up from 6 points two weeks ago.''
And that's why Christie changed his website to remove the word mandate-free and why they're trying to push back so forecfully. Because their position is very unpopular and causing women to flee. Here is the trend of all the recent polls from Pollster.com, which now shows the race as an average less than 1 point lead for Christie if you put it on the high sensitivity:
Christie, when questioned by a cancer survivor, was emphatic when explaining why insurance companies should deny mammograms to young women. The cancer survivor tells him that in fact she had been diagnosed with cancer in her twenties. To that, Christie continues to defend the health insurance companies -- and even gets nasty and dismissive with the woman -- insisting that dropping mammograms is A-OK because "that's an exception."
This is Christie's 'macaca moment,' unleashing his nasty side to show people what Republicans really think about providing all Americans with decent, quality health care. He's saying that insured or not -- if you're a young woman who wants a mammogram, a health insurance company shouldn't have to pay because "that's an exception."
Christie's nasty attitude and dismissive tone toward the cancer survivor only makes it worse for him. In July, I wrote that Republicans were endangering Christie -- perhaps their only rising star in the Northeast -- by stalling the health care reform vote and carrying the debate into October. That was before the rancor and lies of August. New Jersey is still a very blue state, with many more Democratic-leaning independents than Republican ones. The GOP's angry rhetoric toward the President and his efforts to reform the health care system do not endear Republicans to these voters -- voters Christie needs to win this election.
Now Christie is on film, getting short with someone for daring to question the whims of the health care industry. He's going to have a tough time not looking like just another anti-reform Republican, disdainful for the economic concerns of average citizens just trying to stay healthy.
The Christie campaign has been aggressively trying to push back on the mammogram issue putting out an ad and multiple videos saying that the Governor is distorting his position, but the problem is they are the ones who want to distort what the ramifications of Christie's plan really could be. It's clear they view this issue as a vulnerability with many pundits speculating that women will help decide the race. JRB also makes an interesting point that now the national healthcare debate will occur at the same time Christie is trying to defend his own questionable initiatives. This issue will continue to be a flash point and clear difference in the race.
Sometimes reading these stories is like playing hide and seek with my niece or nephew. You have to really look to find the news. The Star Ledger put up a piece last night talking about how more people are losing their work sponsored health insurance coverage, but that the state is still lower than the national average. While it's good news we're below the national average and bad news that more people are losing coverage, the better news is buried deep in paragraph nine of the story:
New Jersey was in a statistical tie with Maryland for the No. 1 spot in median income with an average of $70,378, and was only one of five states that saw an increase in real median household income between 2007 and 2008. (The other states were: Kansas, Louisiana, New York and Texas.)
So we are number 1, as in highest median income average in the country. And we're 1 of only 5 states that saw an increase in that median income. Yet the Star Ledger glosses over it as if it were some throw away line in their story. Oh wait, it was.
Calling it the reason he got into public life, Governor Corzine signed legislation last Thursday making New Jersey the 15th state to mandate health insurers cover treatments for autism and developmental disabilities.
Here's a video put out by the Assembly Majority Office from the bill signing:
And here's a video put out by the Governor's campaign where a mother of a child with autism casts there fight as one of David versus Goliath when talking about fighting with the insurance companies to get things covered:A studay of fourteen states by the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found one in every 150 children diagnosed with autism, with New Jersey shaving the highest rate in the country with one in 94. The reason for the higher rates have been a constant source of questions.
On the politics of the issue, you may remember that autism coverage was one of the many treatments named during the dust up over Chris Christie's health insurance proposals and his idea to offer mandate free insurance. One of the sponsors of the new autism coverage law, Steve Sweeney took aim at Christie yesterday over the issue:
"It's outrageous that Christie would let insurers off the hook - they should cover these treatments that can make a real difference in the lives of children with developmental disabilities and their families," said Sweeney. "Governor Corzine and Democrats in the Legislature worked hard to make New Jersey a national leader in providing support for the thousands of families who are living with the challenges of autism. Christie would stop New Jersey's progress and families would again have to mortgage their futures to pay for the immediate health needs of their children."
Sweeney said the Governor's running mate, Loretta Weinberg, also has been a strong advocate for New Jersey families with a loved one with autism. He said that as prime sponsor of the new law she worked tirelessly to ensure the legislation passed both the Senate and Assembly in June.
The health insurance issue and mandates is certain to be a focus of the campaign in the fall. In the mean time under the new law, families should have one less concern when caring for their children.
As Chairman of the House Health Subcommittee, Rep. Pallone talked with Steve about the critical importance of new medicines, and why reforming the health care system is so complex.
We're in the process of working out a date to have the Congressman on Blue Jersey Radio again. We'll let you know when we get that scheduled so that you can suggest some questions for the good Congressman, but until then have a look at this discussion.
On this historic day, I am reminded of a quote from the Pulitzer Prize winning American author, Pearl Buck. She said, 'If our American way of life fails the child, it fails us all.'
"While I am hopeful this day will be one of celebration, it comes nearly two years after Deamonte Driver, a young boy from suburban Maryland, lost his life because his family lost its health insurance.
"This simply should not happen in America. And if Congress does not act today, I cannot help but think of the millions of other children whose lives will be put at risk simply because they do not have access to health coverage.
"There can be no greater cause or worthier goal than protecting the well-being of our nation?s children. I emphasize this point now, at a time when parents are forced to make tough financial decisions---do they keep their families' health insurance or do they put food on the table at night. During this economic recession, these kinds of decisions are unfortunately becoming more common. Over the past year alone, 4.1 million people have lost their employer-based health care coverage, including 1.2 million children.
Small businesses are among the groups hit hardest and left most vulnerable in our current health insurance system. Yet, the small business community has been almost uniformly typecast as down on reform. So goes the conventional wisdom. But is it true?
This is not solely an academic question. Where small business stands on health care is critically important to the prospects for meaningful reform in 2009. As the debate over reform heats up, a whole lot of people - from Members of Congress to the media to the public - will be looking to hear from small business owners to find out where they stand on health care.
Rather than stand around and pontificate about what small business owners are thinking about health reform, we decided to go out and ask them. To get a beat on small business owners' priorities, we conducted a survey project in 2008 where organizers in twelve states around the country went door to door, got face to face with local small business owners, and surveyed them about their experiences with health insurance and their perspectives on different reform proposals.
"Soon we will have a new president who has committed himself to reforming our nation's health care system so every American can access affordable and quality health care." said Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J. "The bill we are considering today makes a down-payment on that promise."
This bill was passed without a veto threat looming as was the case with the previous administration. Maybe that was motivation for Rodney Frelinghuysen to switch his prior no vote to support healthcare for children. Here's how they voted on this one:
New Jersey's uninsured rate increased from 14.2 percent in the two-year period from 2004-2005 to 15.6 percent in 2006-2007. The number of uninsured people throughout the country dropped over 1 million. The national percentage of uninsured people is 15.3 percent.
More surprising than the increase of uninsured perhaps, is the fact that it occurred as the median income rose by 2% over that same period. I would think people making more would get coverage, but maybe they're just being forced to spend that extra income on everything from gas to food and more to get by.
It could happen to you, even if you have health insurance. Illness and medical bills are the major cause of personal bankruptcy in the United States. Although we have 47 million uninsured people, most of the 2 million people per year affected by medical bankruptcy had health insurance when they first got sick. But they weren't really protected, because of exclusions, high deductibles, and copays. Or they lost their insurance when they could no longer work. At the same time, businesses and local governments are struggling to pay the high premiums for their employees' benefits.
When you buy private insurance, about 30% of your premium goes to overhead: dividends for the investors, the high salaries of their officers, and a bureaucracy that picks your doctor for you and tries to find ways to avoid paying for your care. In contrast, Medicare's overhead is only 3%. How could a government program be so efficient? Well, Social Security's overhead is only 1%. No private pension plan can compare to that!
In this video, Tom emphasizes the plight of so many Americans, many of them close friends and aquiantances, who struggle with the high cost of healthcare in our country. These are real people. They could be your friends, relatives, neighbors or their children. Many of us could be one severe illness away from the same situation.
It doesn't have to be this way. No one in any other industrialized country has this problem. What you have to do is elect people to House of Representatives and the Senate and the White House who will solve this problem. It comes down to you. Please go to www.tomwyka.com to see how you can help.
11,000 children in low- and middle-income families in New Jersey who will no longer be covered by the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or S-Chip, under new federal income eligibility rules.
Scott Garrett, in the same article, says he is glad.
Today's Times of Trenton had a nice juxtaposition on pg. A7. At the top of the page is an article about Jim Saxton voting against children's health insurance and the Democrats targeting him to change his vote: ( I can't find the article on NJ.com, but since it's an AP piece, here it is at the Home News Tribune.)
Today is the House of Representative's vote on the final version of the SCHIP billto fund health insurance for children. Only the extreme right wing is against this bill, but sure enough, Bush threatens to veto it. The Senate already has a veto-proof majority, but we need more supporters in the House. Jim Saxton and Chris Smith have been identified as our best prospects. (All our Democrats, as well as LoBiondo and Ferguson, are on board, so you can thank them.)
Last month the Bush administration wrote to state governments outlining new guidelines for providing health insurance to children under the SCHIP program. The program provides health insurance coverage for low-income children, and allows states to adjust the level at which children are eligible. Due to New Jersey's high cost of living, that level is 350% of the federal poverty level.
In a letter to President Bush today, Governor Corzine says the proposed changes to the program "would have the effect of denying health care coverage to as many as 10,000 children in New Jersey." He diplomatically tells the president to screw off and leave our children alone, saying New Jersey will continue to take care of its children:
Since the conditions imposed by the letter contravene the fundamental objectives underlying SCHIP, violate the terms of its statutory and regulatory framework, and overstep CMS's authority by altering regulations without utilizing appropriate procedural safeguards, New Jersey will continue to provide health care to children in families with income up to 350 percent of the FPL in accordance with terms of its State Plan Amendments and Waiver approved by the federal government in 1998, 2005 and 2006. We will vigorously continue our commitment to enrolling all children eligible for our current program.
I ask you to reconsider your position given the critical importance of this issue. Please also know that I am prepared, if necessary, to pursue legal action to further the goal of protecting our most vulnerable children.
It's been a while since I did one of these. Various environmental and health issues are featured. Okay, so the style is not as colorful as the Hudson Observer's diaries, but whatever style you prefer, why don't you tell us what's going in your county?
"I understand that New Jersey is the Garden State," said Sen. Robert Menendez, a North Jersey legislator who came to show his support for local agriculture. "And Salem County is the garden spot in the Garden State."
...
"We appreciate what Salem County does. I may live in North Jersey, but I like to eat," he said with a laugh. "You provide it and we eat it."
Update: The Children's Health Insurance Program reauthorization bill passed in the Senate tonight by a veto-proof 68-31 margin. Senators Menendez and Lautenberg successfully fought to block changes to the bill which would have eliminated exemptions that allow New Jersey to cover more children.
Said Menendez:
"We have kept thousands of New Jersey children and families from being dropped into the ocean of the uninsured. We knew there would be obstacles thrown in front of us during this debate, but we navigated them to reach our goal. Make no mistake, this is a major victory that protects the children of working and low-income families in our state...
This puts us in prime position to get strong legislation to the president's desk and to override a veto. President Bush will have to decide whether to ensure health coverage for children who badly need it or to follow through on his morally objectionable and stubborn veto threat despite more than two-thirds of the Senate supporting this version of the bill."
The House of Representatives just voted to renew and expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The program had previously provided health insurance for 6 million low and moderate income children. This legislation would increase funding to cover 11 million children. Currently, 100,000 children in New Jersey are eligible for, but not enrolled in SCHIP.
The legislation passed by a vote of 225-204 with only five Republicans supporting the measure. Two of those are New Jersey Representatives Frank LoBiondo and Mike Ferguson (the two being targeted by the DCCC). All of New Jersey's Democrats supported the effort to insure our children.
Congressman Rush Holt on the passage of the legislation:
"A measure of a nation's greatness is how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. By making health insurance available for 11 million children, we live up to our moral obligation to keep children healthy and we make our society stronger."
Bottom line: Rodney Frelinghuysen, Chris Smith, Scott Garrett, and Jim Saxton voted against providing health care for poor children in New Jersey, but they vote to send billions into Iraq every month without hesitation. Have any of them spent a day in their lives worrying about whether they have access to health care? Nobody that ever has could be so heartless.
YES
Rob Andrews (D)
Rush Holt (D)
Frank Pallone (D)
Bill Pascrell (D)
Donald Payne (D)
Steve Rothman (D)
Albio Sires (D)
Frank LoBiondo (R)
Mike Ferguson (R)
NO
Rodney Frelinghuysen (R)
Jim Saxton (R)
Scott Garrett (R)
Chris Smith (R)
SBC/AT&T released its new medical plan for retirees, thousands of whom reside in New Jersey. Retirees are still reviewing it, but one initial concern is a $2100 deductible. Stay tuned for further information.
New Jersey will consider adopting a program that "approaches universal health care" as it seeks to provide health insurance to small businesses and uninsured residents, the governor said Thursday. Gov. Jon S. Corzine said he plans in September to unveil a health insurance reform plan that would coincide with state efforts to study hospitals and health clinics.
During an interview yesterday with New York public radio, Corzine was quoted: "We're certainly going to work on providing something that approaches universal health care."
The move to insure all New Jerseyans would fulfill a campaign promise Corzine made before the election.
At present, the only way uninsured folks in New Jersey can receive healthcare is at the ER or through Charity Care.
"It is a horrible system, very inefficient," said Corzine.
Courier Post:
Corzine on Monday said he would soon form a commission that would study whether the state has too many hospitals. The state has 81 acute care hospitals and 34 specialty hospitals, but 40 percent of them lost money last year and the average hospital earned a 1 percent profit.....Corzine, while a candidate, proposed allowing people to buy into the state's health care program for low-income families and creating a new insurance pool that would cover large health care costs and make it easier for small businesses to cover employees.
Says Corzine on Thursday, "Frankly we need to provide new formats for insurance for small business and individuals who are left out of the system."
Amen to that.
What's your take Blue Jersey? Are you in or out of the system?
