Worse Than Originally Thought

Senator Mary Landrieu's refusal to embrace a public option as an integral piece of any substantive healthcare reform effort has had many of us fuming this week.

Ryan at Kingfish inferred that one reason Senator Landrieu might be so quick to sell out the working families of Louisiana might be that she has become beholden to the insurance interests that gave over $600,000 to her reelection campaign.

But it's actually much worse than that. The Public Campaign Action Fund, a non-partisan non-profit group devoted to strengthening campaign finance laws, has produced a far more depressing account of Mary Landrieu's ties to the private healthcare industry through campaign finance and the incestuous exchange of staffers.

Not good, Senator. Louisianians need serious healthcare reform. A public option is critical for reducing costs. This state has one of the highest percentages of uninsured in the country. It is shameful for the Senator to let her loyalties to sickness profiteers trump her responsibilities to the people of this state.

From the Public Campaign Action Fund:

Sen. Landrieu has depended on the insurance and health care industries to fund her campaigns for public office

• According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Sen. Landrieu has raised $1,668,693 from health care and insurance interests throughout her federal political career.
  
  
• Sen. Landrieu has received substantial contributions throught her career from leading health care industries, including HMOs and pharmaceutical companies:

Health Professionals	$600,366
Insurance	$376,731
Hospitals/Nursing Homes	$266,645
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products	$228,446
Health Services/HMOs	$160,005

• Sen. Landrieu has also received $677,014 from registered lobbyists and their political action committees throughout her career.
  
  
• Sen. Landrieu has received large contributions from some of the largest companies and groups in the health care and insurance industries.

Tenet Healthcare	$26,000
American Optometric Association	$25,500
GlaxoSmithKline	$25,000
American Hospital Association	$23,000
Amgen	$21,000
Blue Cross Blue Shield	$20,479

• Sen. Landrieu’s leadership political action committee, Jazz PAC, has received significant contributions from the health care industry throughout her career.

Pharmaceuticals/Health Products	$13,000
Health Professionals	$10,500
Hospitals/Nursing Homes	$6,000

• Jazz PAC has also received $29,000 from registered lobbyists and their political action committees
  .
• According to the Sunlight Foundation’s Political Party Time website, a number of health care lobbyists hosted a $2000/$1000 fundraising reception for Sen. Landrieu on July 28, 2008. The lobbyist hosts (and clients) included: Nicole Venable of McAllister & Quinn (Novartis, SERMO), and numerous lobbyists from the Chamber of Commerce.

Former staffers for Sen. Landrieu have made lucrative careers as lobbyists for the health care industry and other major business interests

• Donna Denison, a former staffer for Sen. Landrieu, is vice president with lobbying firm Cassidy & Associates. The firm’s first quarter 2009 clients (and fees) include: BJC Healthcare ($60,000), Fairview Hospital and Healthcare Services ($80,000), and Memorial Healthcare System ($70,000).
  
  
• Jeffrey Wiener, a former legislative assistant for Sen. Landrieu, is a lobbyist with Fabiani & Company. The firm’s first quarter 2009 clients (and fees) include: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals ($50,000), Lundbeck Research ($100,000), and Trius Therapeutics ($60,000).
  
  
• Jason Mathews, Sen. Landrieu’s former chief of staff, is director of congressional affairs with the Chamber of Commerce.

She has got to hear from us.

Call her in D.C. at (202)224-5824.
Call her in New Orleans at (504) 589-2427.

Seriously Mary

SO MAD AT YOU RIGHT NOW!!!

Ryan at the Daily Kingfish has helpfully pointed out why you may be so quick to betray your supporters and the working families of Louisiana on lowering health insurance costs.

You have taken north of $600,000 from the insurance industry and you have broken an explicit campaign promise when you supported a pledge calling for a public option to lower costs.

I feel totally betrayed. You represent me not them.

Chris Bowers at Open Left is insinuating that you're a bigger obstacle to affordable healthcare than Rush Limbaugh.

You know what? As of now, it appears he's right.

Surely, a lot of progressives from other states are making calls to Mary's office about this but she needs to hear it from her constituents.

I'm going to call again tomorrow. This is unacceptable.

I am calling her in D.C. at (202)224-5824.

I am calling her in New Orleans at (504) 589-2427.

Intolerable

Mary Landrieu says she's against a public health insurance option.

This makes me FURIOUS. I am calling her now.

I am calling her in D.C. at (202)224-5824.

I am calling her in New Orleans at (504) 589-2427.

Look, I have come to accept that Mary Landrieu is always going to vote more conservative than I'd like. The reason I supported her was that I thought that at the very least, when there were really important lines in the sand to be drawn, she would vote for the interests of working people. I have not appreciated many of her votes so far since reelection but I still held out hope that on the big issues she'd be there.

I have voted for her and volunteered for her based on that. If she is anything other than an enthusiastic champion of lowered health insurance costs, she'll never have me as a phone banker again!

To play cowardly politics with healthcare is intolerable. It is a tipping point issue for me and I find any waffling on it to be unacceptable.

If we make it known how important this is to us, she may change her mind. She needs to hear from us before she takes an unequivocal position.

Her staffers are totally nice though so don't be too angry with them.

Public Hearing on NOAH

Tonight at City Council chambers, there's going to be a public hearing on health care issues and how we can ensure that New Orleans Adolescent Hospital remains open and operational amidst the Governor's budget cuts.

I think it's pretty interesting that we haven't had a similar public hearing on other critical health care issues like Charity Hospital, for instance.

Tonight (May 12th)

6:00 PM

City Council chambers.

See you there...

Cowen's Concerns Indicative of Swirling Skepticism

In a letter to the editor responding to James Gill's passionate criticism of LSU's entrenched stance in the debate over whether to restore Charity Hospital, Tulane President Scott Cowen asks the following questions:

-- Given the current health care reform movement, do we remain comfortable that the proposed hospital meets the medical needs of our wider community and its citizens, especially those who are under- or uninsured?

-- Do we have sufficient funds to build and operate the hospital without it being a drain on the state's future resources, especially in these economic times?

-- How can any new facility best meet the educational, research and clinical care needs of the institutions that rely on it to support and advance their academic missions? Some of these institutions include Xavier, LSU, Dillard and Tulane.

-- Given the importance and wide impact of this hospital to our community, who should own, govern and manage it to ensure that the proposed facility meets the needs of its various stakeholders while being operated in the most cost effective, efficient and transparent manner?

These are the issues that have been flagged at every turn by proponents of Charity. It is about time that LSU, the GNOBEDD, and the DDD be forced to provide legitimate answers. There has not been one public hearing in Orleans Parish on the matter. Not one. Not in front of the City Council. Not in front of the City Planning Commission.

Goody Clancy, the firm that just released a master plan draft online, was told not to evaluate the GNOBEDD or the LSU/VA footprint.

But it is clear as you're browsing the draft plan, that the issue of Charity Hospital was simply unavoidable. The public health challenges examined by Goody Clancy clearly underscore Mr. Cowen's first question above. Check out Chapter 9 on Health and Human Services (pdf)

What else?

And more still:

Given the distubing public health crisis, why are we so convinced that the LSU/VA complex is the way to go when there's another proposal on the table promises the same first rate medical care without nearly the same wait. LSU does not have the funding to proceed with their plan but they've blocked any and all attempts to evaluate it side-by-side with the alternative from RMHM Hillier. It could take another decade if we continue to subject our health care emergencies to their incompetent guidance.

Save New Orleans Adolescent Hospital

WWL:

Cecile Tebo is the first to admit that vast improvements have been made to the mental health system in New Orleans in the last year.

But a recent call by the state to shut down the New Orleans Adolescent Hospital, or NOAH, and merge its services with Southeast Louisiana Hospital in Hammond is not one of them.

"The closure of NOAH is one huge dangerous step back," she said.

Tebo is with the New Orleans Police Crisis Unit. She said they receive more than 200 mental health calls a month, and she picks up about 250 adults regularly because of their severe mental illness. NOAH is often where she takes them.

"They have to have some place they can go for stabilization," Tebo said. "If not, it can become a very dangerous situation to others and to that individual and that's what scares me the most."

"The argument that closing one facility and merging it with Hammond is going to make New Orleans less safe is something I just flat disagree with," said Alan Levine, Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary.

Levine is tasked with making cuts within DHH to meet severe state budget reductions. He tackled questions and concerns during a forum with mental health advocates Wednesday night in Jefferson Parish.

"Does he realize how much it costs for us not to treat people? The number of people who would be homeless in New Orleans, as opposed to in a hospital in New Orleans," asked Sylvia Pearson, Executive Director of The Extra Mile, Southeast Louisiana, Inc.

"Looking at cuts to community-based services on top of that puts people's lives and their families in real jeopardy," she said.

Governor Jindal and Alan Levine are being absolutely reckless with the lives of people from Orleans Parish. It's bad health policy and it's bad fiscal policy.

It is unforgivable.

We can't stand for it.

ACORN and SEIU are holding a press conference outside of NOAH (210 State) at 2pm, to chide the governor and also to pressure Senator Landrieu to support the Obama budget. Two very worthy causes if you ask me.

SCHIP!

A senate-amended bill to fund the state children's health insurance program went back in front of the House. It passed easily. Louisiana Congressmen were consistent in their positions from when the original House version passed.

Yeas: Melancon, Cao

Nays: Scalise, Flemming, Boustany, Alexander, and Cassidy


Thus far, SCHIP has been the only policy on which Joe Cao has bucked his GOP overlords.

Over my dead body

hell no

Vitter Clinging to the Fringe

The Senate overwhelming passed SCHIP today, a bill that would provide healthcare coverage to children. Seems pretty open-and-shut to me. Is there a single good reason why a 21st century industrial democracy wouldn't want to provide health coverage to little kids?

Senator David Vitter, bastion of Christian morality, apparently doesn't believe that our society has an obligation to provide for the basic health of children. He voted nay.

This was not a straight party line vote.

The following Republicans were reasonable enough to consider health care coverage for kids to be a societal imperative: Specter (PA), Luger (IN), Collins (ME), Snowe (ME), Martinez (FL), Murkowski (AK), Hutchinson (TX), Alexander (TN), and Corker (TN).

Even Bob Corker voted for the damn thing!

It was definitely going to pass, what would have been the harm for Vitter to tack on a 'yay' vote?

Why does Vitty hate Louisiana's children?

SCHIP in da House!

Today, the House of Representatives passed a $33 billion expansion for the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP. In 2007, Bush vetoed this spending and Democrats came just short of overriding it.

Now, things have changed.

SCHIP should sail through the Senate and Obama will sign it the moment it's on his desk.

And millions of kids will have health insurance as a result. This is good.

More specifically, the SCHIP program helps get coverage for kids that aren't quite poor enough to qualify for Medicaid (presumably because their parents work) but too poor to buy private insurance. This could help 7 million kids around the country.

So how did the Louisiana Congressional Delegation vote?

1. Scalise: The sleaze votes against helping the children by voting no.

2. Cao: His vote on the Ledbetter Act was a major disappointment. But lo and behold, he bucked the caucus on this one and voted aye.

3. Melancon: The only Louisiana Democrat in the House votes as he should, aye.

4. Fleming: Freshman Republican votes against health coverage for children, no. Nice to meet you John Fleming.

5. Alexander: Alexander switched into the Republican Party in 2004. They can keep him. He voted no.

6. Cassidy: Bill Cassidy's victory over Don Cazayoux this past November was a minor tragedy for this state. Cassidy voted no, against providing health care coverage to needy kids.

7. Boustany: GOPer follows the reactionary herd, votes no on health insurance for children.


To recap:

Good: Cao, Melancon

Bad: Scalise, Fleming, Alexander, Cassidy, Boustany

Result: In one of the nation's least healthy and poorest states, the elected representatives from Louisiana voted 5-2 AGAINST providing health care to poor children. Luckily, it looks like thousands of kids from Louisiana will get health care in spite of the efforts of their out-of-touch representatives.

One Lesser New Orleans

All of this in one small city in one bad week.

Cayne Miceli

Adolph Grimes III

Ja'Shawn Powell

Lead

Not the verb, the heavy metal.

In related news, Atrios points out that my beloved Mütter Museum in Philly has a special exhibit on the impact of lead on public health

A good test to see if a person is marriage material is to take them on a date to the Mütter Museum.

If they "get" it then you've got yourself a keeper.

Mr. Duncan Black has no guts, he should go check out the guts display on the ground level.

No Stability

NYT on the lost children of New Orleans.

Bias Watch

I went and bought the Times-Picayune today because I wanted to see how they covered yesterday's illegal banishment of the public and the media at Charity Hospital.

It was one of the top stories of the day and was featured during in last night's WWL broadcast and displayed prominently on its website and that of WDSU.

I was wondering where the T-P might put its article and how it would be spun. I haven't been particularly impressed with recent pieces on the hospital that have read more like press releases than actual journalism, so I was very curious.

So how about page one?

Nah.

Okay how about page one of metro?

Oh, here's an article about a hospit -- oh it's about the one in St. Bernard. Anything about Charity?

Ah okay, on page A-2, an article written by the great "staff and wire reports"

The staffer was Jan Moller, whose major contribution appears to have been a reconfiguration of original AP publications in a manner that better reflects the LSU/VA perspective.

Observe the first paragraphs of the AP report as published on the WDSU website:

Opponents of LSU's plans to build a new public hospital in New Orleans, rather than renovate the hospital wrecked by Hurricane Katrina, were blocked from a legislative tour of the damaged facilities.

The move appears to violate Louisiana's public meetings law. Tuesday's tour had been advertised as a public meeting of a legislative health care subcommittee.

The executive vice chairwoman of the Foundation for Historical Louisiana and an architect who reviewed the condition of the hospital, known as Big Charity, for the foundation were barred from the building. Later, a local New Orleans television station also wasn't allowed on the tour.

Here is the first few lines of another AP report as published on the City Business website:

A legislative walking tour of Charity Hospital on Tuesday appeared to violate Louisiana's open meetings law when several people were barred from the tour.

Fourteen lawmakers joined LSU officials and others to walk through the storm-damaged and shuttered public hospital that the university has decided against renovating in favor of constructing a new teaching facility nearby.

But several people who favor renovation over new hospital construction said they weren't allowed on the tour even though it was advertised as a public meeting of a legislative health care subcommittee.

State law requires meetings of public bodies to be open to the general public, with limited exceptions.

And now the T-P's version of the article plus Moller's contribution:

A legislative tour of the storm-damaged Charity Hospital on Tuesday may have violated Louisiana's open meetings law after a group that favors renovating the building instead of constructing a new teaching hospital was blocked from participating.

The tour had been advertised as a public meeting of the Subcommittee on Health and Human Services of the House Appropriations Committee. State law requires that such meetings be open to the general public if a majority of committee members are present, as they were.

But the law also makes exception for "chance meetings, social gatherings, or other gatherings at which only presentations are made to members of the legislature . . . if no vote or other action, including formal or informal polling of members, is taken."

I find it very very interesting that Moller would find it relevant to spell out the public meetings exception for "chance meetings and social gatherings" as if this was the intention of organizers when they very clearly advertised and announced the event as a public meeting. The additional line is both unnecessary and misleading. It does not provide any useful context whatsoever and merely delays getting to the meat of the matter, which was that LSU stooge Charles Zewe had architects wishing to present redevelopment plans for Charity barred from the meeting.

Zewe helped to organize the tour and then ensured that his client's perspective would be the only one legislators would be privileged enough to hear, in what may have been a violation of public records law.

That's the story.

Another interesting question is why the Jan Moller wasn't present at the tour or why the Times-Picayune had to rely on wire reports for their piece in the first place.

Today Moller is back in action, letting us know that Louisiana has just been ranked DEAD LAST in a state by state evaluation of overall public health. While he lists high rates of poverty, obesity, and infant mortality as contributing to the ranking, another factor which he fails to mention, is that we have not had a public hospital in the city of New Orleans for over three years. Maybe that'll make it into tomorrow's edition.

Media, Public Barred From Public Meeting at Charity

I'll say more later. Until then, watch WWL's report. In spite of LSU's attempt to restrict the proliferation of opposition opinion, it doesn't seem like legislators are particularly convinced that Charity is irreparable.

LSU stooge Charles Zewe, a WWL anchor in the '70s and a CNN Headline News anchor in the '90s, claims that Rep. Fannin, chairman of the appropriations committee, made the decision to bar the media and the public.

He derisively answers a WWL question:

"Representative Fannin and his committee made the decision that it was limited to the committee members only, Dennis."

But Rep. Jim Fannin says LSU told him it was unsafe for anyone to enter Charity other than legislators. Fannin goes on to say that as a former contractor, he couldn't see any structural problems with Charity.

So someone is lying.

I think it was Zewe.

WWL caught up with Bobby Jindal later in print form (emphasis mine):

After returning from Tuesday's meeting in Philadelphia with President-elect Barack Obama, Gov. Bobby Jindal told reporters he had not heard about the problems but would encourage LSU to let the media and others into the facility. Jindal said he believes having others see the building's condition would bolster the state's arguments that Hurricane Katrina did extensive damage to the facility.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Women For McCain

I mean, "health of the mother?"
Vote McCain: The Mom Killer Ticket

Katie Halper is a badass.