You're disappointed with the state if healthcare in the richest nation on the planet--so am I.
Netroots Nation will be your opportunity to lay it all on the road.
Obama did what he promised? It's better than nothing, we're headed in the right direction.
Obama punted.
Where's the 'affordable' in the Affordable Care Act? How does he campaign on this POS?
This is 'reform'?
Where the fuck is my public option?
I live in California and I've been hit with rate increase after rate increase, where the hell is HHS and who the hell is looking out for me?
I live in California and I want to know when we're getting single payer out here?
Mr. Potter, tell us how the insurers are going to take us to the cleaners?
Mr. Angoff, we're counting on you! How is HHS going to police the insurers, an industry reviled by most Americans who believe it exists to generate profits and deny care?
I can't afford the high risk pool and I can't wait until 2014 to get healthcare, I need help now!
On a slightly more serious note, the 2012 election will be about jobs, the deficit, and killing "ObamaCare". As bloggers progressive activists, and liberal validators, we need to be armed with the facts to fight what will be a cascade of misinformation, distortion and lies about the ACA.
I have my own questions:
Since the ACA is now law, while imperfect, it's a done deal. Is the prudent thing to do at this point to build on it rather than waste time with fruitless — and needlessly divisive — political grandstanding? Is it time to coalesce around the President as a difficult 2012 electoral map looms?
The continuing debate over the ACA raises questions about whether we as a nation can accomplish anything further on the federal level in the healthcare realm. If this is correct, then it falls to states like California and Vermont, to take the lead, and demonstrate that only single payer can reduce costs and cover everyone. Should the focus in the states be on implementation of the ACA or on enacting even more sweeping healthcare reform?
How will the insurance industry try to game any and all meaningful regulation? Besides those "sternly worded letters", coming from HHS, what if any tools does the government have to make insurers responsible corporate citizens? Can insures
ever be responsible corporate citizens or is this an oxymoron?
Do you need more reason to join us?
Here's the general framework of the panel:
Healthcare Reform 2.0: Americans Confront a Brave New World
The implementation of the Affordable Care Act is moving forward on many fronts. The states will take the lead in establishing the all-important exchanges, and the federal government will establish oversight of the health insurance corporations; but many questions remain. Will California enact single payer, and how will the insurance industry fight to keep the camel from getting its nose under the tent? What happens to the millions of Americans who will inevitably fall through the cracks? How will insurance corporations try to skirt regulations, and how will the government enforce consumer protections? This panel will address these questions and many more.
Here's the all star line up. I know all of these panelists and they are simply phenomenal.
Wendell Potter is the former CIGNA executive turned insurance industry whistle blower. Wendell is a hero to the netroots community and is now a Daily Kos blogger. Wendell is the author of Deadly Spin, and a close friend of the panel organizer, Eve Gittelson. Wendell will describe the myriad ways the insurance corporations are preparing to undermine the implementation of the ACA. He will tell "tales from the crypt", drawing on his many years at CIGNA.
Andrew McGuire is the executive director of California OneCare. He is is an American trauma prevention specialist and grassroots campaigner. Andrew is the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "genius" award. Andrew will outline the multi-faceted and multi year campaign to enact single payer in California. Andrew and Wendell discuss how the insurance industry has set its sights on making certain single payer fails in California and Vermont.
Jay Angoff is senior adviser to U.S. Department of Health and Senior Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. He is one of the handful of key players responsible for the implementation of the ACA. We are seriously blessed to have Jay as a participant.
Before assuming this position, he was the director of the newly created Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service. Jay is a longtime consumer advocate, and the former insurance commissioner in Missouri. Before moving to become Secretary Sebilius' right hand person, Jay had the critical role in efforts to regulate insurers and insurance markets at HHS. The Office he oversaw continues to provide national leadership in setting and enforcing standards for health insurance that promote fair and reasonable practices to ensure affordable, quality health coverage is available to all Americans. Jay is a critical link in policing the insurance industry. I have no doubt that you'll have a lot of questions that he'll be happy to respond to.
Giuseppe Del Priore MD, is the Mary Fendich Hulman Professor of Gynecologic Oncology at Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Del Priore was on two previous Netroots Nation health panels I moderated. During the Nataline Sarkisyan event, he wrote the seminal article on the tragedy in the Los Angeles Times, Moves from the Cigna Playbook.
I'm the moderator and organizer, I received an email a while back from someone who knew that the panel I submitted was under consideration, she said, "I'd walk to Minneapolis to see you and Wendell Potter in the same room". And the good news is we will be in the same room and we won't be shy about telling you where we think we're headed.