On this day in 1991: 1st TV condom ad aired (FOX- TV)

Start:	Nov 17, '09
Location:	U.S.A.

In 1975 KNTV in San Jose, California (an ABC affiliate) became the first U.S. Station to run a condom commercial for Trojan condoms. The spot aired despite a ban on commercials with contraceptives, per the National Association of Broadcasters. Due to the outcry from the public, the ad was "pulled out."

The award-winning police drama CAGNEY & LACEY/CBS/1982-88 was the first show to ever incorporate a condom scene. During one episode, when Detective Mary Beth Lacey (Tyne Daly) young son Harvey Jr. (Tony La Torre) learns her son is going on his first date, she opened a drawer, pulled out a condom, and gave it to her son.

In a later episode, Mary Beth's partner Christine Cagney (Sharon Gless) reunited with her boyfriend but warns him that she will not have sex unless he uses a condom.

In January 1987, San Francisco station KRON-TV becomes the first major market TV station in the U.S. to air a condom commercial.

On a February, 1987 episode entitled "Bad Timing" on the sitcom THE HOGAN FAMILY/NBC/CBS/1986-90 the word "condom" was used for the first time in a sitcom script.

In the summer of 1989 four San Antonio TV stations ran six weeks of trial commercials featuring an oral contraceptive manufactured by a Texas Company called Lexis Pharmaceuticals. John Bryer, Chief Executive of Lexis said in a TV Guide interview "It was the first time ever, anywhere, that an oral contraceptive was advertised on television."

During the 11/13/91 installment of THE TONIGHT SHOW host Johnny Carson remarked in his opening monologue that the FOX Network announced they would broadcast condom commercials in the near future. Carson questioned their decision wondering if it was "wise to advertise something that could eliminate your next generation of viewers."

In 2005, the WB and NBC networks made history by agreeing to air condom commercial during prime time viewing hours.

And to think we have Rupert Murdoch and Fox to thank!

Sick For Profit: Action

http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/?p=71973
Lots of great actions you can take to fight the insurance industry in this post.

How to get rich . . .

It's quite simple, goobers...

Chris Hayes Healthcare Flowchart from nn09

http://www.donkeylicious.com/2009/08/flowchart.html


larger version

Earthlings

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Documentary

I urge EVERYONE to watch this movie, regardless of any opinion you already have concerning what is "more important" right now, what you think you "have to have" and what you think you know about eating meat and animal rights. If you're strong in your opinions, this will only bolster you or be completely ineffective, but you might learn something either way.

We are all Earthlings.

http://www.earthlings.com/

"EARTHLINGS is an award-winning documentary film about the suffering of animals for food, fashion, pets, entertainment and medical research. Considered the most persuasive documentary ever made, EARTHLINGS is nicknamed “the Vegan maker” for its sensitive footage shot at animal shelters, pet stores, puppy mills, factory farms, slaughterhouses, the leather and fur trades, sporting events, circuses and research labs. The film is narrated by Academy Award® nominee Joaquin Phoenix and features music by platinum-selling recording artist Moby. Initially ignored by distributors, today EARTHLINGS is considered the definitive animal rights film by organizations around the world. “Of all the films I have ever made, this is the one that gets people talking the most,” said Phoenix. “For every one person who sees EARTHLINGS, they will tell three.” "

That last statement is true, and I wonder what the statistic is on people who never ever ate meat again after watching this movie. I have been told it had that effect on 5 people personally.

There is a link for a low res. full viewing of the movie in the Watch Now tab to the upper right.

Death Panels, Guns, & Health Care Town Hall Yell Meetings

The folks at Red State Update suggest spending a day with the spouse and kids at the nearest health care town hall meeting, because as Dunlap says, it's "not just grown-ups who enjoy freedom." Enjoy Capri Suns, cookies, and if your little one is lucky, their very own Swastika.

Thousands Line Up for Promise of Free Health Care

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/health/13clinic.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
Why we need health reform.

Seattle-Area Health Co-Op Offers Alternative Health System Model

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156726.php
a model for the public option?

Seattle-Area Health Co-Op Offers Alternative Health System Model

Innovations in care by a Seattle-area cooperative and clinic are shaping debate about what health care reform around America should look like, The New York Times reports.

Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, "one of the country's few surviving health insurance cooperatives," allows doctors to use collaborative medicine and electronic records to practice proactive medicine. The innovations could prove to be an example to lawmakers trying to compromise on health reform, the Times reports.

"After a month of brainstorming, including briefings from Group Health executives, the Senate Finance Committee seems poised to propose private-sector insurance cooperatives - instead of a new government health plan - as its primary mechanism for stoking competition and slowing the growth of medical costs. But state officials say Group Health's impact on holding down costs has been mixed. And its successes may have less to do with its governance - by a board that is elected by patients - than with its ownership of a vast network of clinics and specialty care centers."

The Times continues: "Above all, Group Health's physicians are paid a salary and can earn bonuses of up to 20 percent for high-quality performance. Unlike most doctors, who are paid by the visit or procedure, they have little incentive to churn patients through and order unnecessary tests and operations." The cooperative idea is being proposed by Senate Finance Committee member Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., but could spark a showdown with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which may include a different, government-run public plan in its legislation (Sack, 7/6).

Other Seattle doctors, in the meantime, have raised $4 million more in private money to expand a clinic in that city, Reuters reports.

"Qliance says it has a profit-making solution to the problems of long waits, rushed doctors and cursory care that bother patients, at the same time that it eliminates the paperwork and pressure that plague primary care doctors." In total, $7.5 million has been raised for the clinic.

"Co-founder Norm Wu said per-patient revenue is triple that of insurance-based clinics. He said many costs are fixed so the firm, now losing money, will turn to profit as business grows. More than 50 noninsurance clinics operate in 18 U.S. states, based on different business models, Wu noted.

"The backers believe Qliance can grow very profitable, and the clinic uses stock options to attract new doctors. … Qliance says it is a private alternative to the failures of insurance, which have made health care President Obama's top legislative priority in Congress, with a price tag of $1 trillion or more"

The Qliance model of fixed monthly cost for unlimited healthcare seems like it would remove the nickel-and-dime incentives for doctors to make money - which would hopefully make them focus more on customer care. The key would be for these clinics not to get too big to where the customer becomes an afterthought. You know - like AT&T.

wrt to the Puget Sound Co-Op, I read/saw somewhere that using this as a modelfor an alternative to the public option is problematic because it requires vertical integration amongst hospitals, doctors, clinics, etc. who all agree to those costs and methods (preventative care, health-goal-related incentives for doctors, etc.) that don't follow traditional medicare/insurance models - and that kind of thing takes time to develop.

YouTube - Weekly Address: Real Conversations About Health Insurance Reform

who do you want to follow? the astroturf mobs underwritten by aetna and cigna, or the calm resonable one who's willing to be a one termer to get reform through?

Grassly, Gingrich for "Death Panels" before they were against it? Beck hated Healthcare? Whaa??

oh dear: GOP Supported End-of-Life Counseling in 2003 Medicare Bill - Swampland - TIME.com

You would think that if Republicans wanted to totally mischaracterize a health care provision and demagogue it like nobody's business, they would at least pick something that the vast majority of them hadn't already voted for just a few years earlier. Because that's not just shameless, it's stupid.

 Yes, that's right. Remember the 2003 Medicare prescription drug bill, the one that passed with the votes of 204 GOP House members and 42 GOP Senators? Anyone want to guess what it provided funding for? Did you say counseling for end-of-life issues and care? Ding ding ding!! 

Let's go to the bill text, shall we? "The covered services are: evaluating the beneficiary's need for pain and symptom management, including the individual's need for hospice care; counseling the beneficiary with respect to end-of-life issues and care options, and advising the beneficiary regarding advanced care planning." The only difference between the 2003 provision and the infamous Section 1233 that threatens the very future and moral sanctity of the Republic is that the first applied only to terminally ill patients. Section 1233 would expand funding so that people could voluntarily receive counseling before they become terminally ill. 

So either Republicans were for death panels in 2003 before turning against them now--or they're lying about end-of-life counseling in order to frighten the bejeezus out of their fellow citizens and defeat health reform by any means necessary. Which is it, Mr. Grassley ("Yea," 2003)?

Matt Taibbi - Taibblog – Newt Gingrich Changes What’s Left of his Mind on End-of-life Care - True/Slant

More than 20 percent of all Medicare spending occurs in the last two months of life. Gundersen Lutheran Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin has developed a successful end-of-life, best practice that combines: 1) community-wide advance care planning, where 90 percent of patients have advance directives; 2) hospice and palliative care; and 3) coordination of services through an electronic medical record. The Gundersen approach empowers patients and families to control and direct their care. The Dartmouth Health Atlas has documented that Gundersen delivers care at a 30 percent lower rate than the national average ($18,359 versus $25,860). If Gundersen’s approach was used to care for the approximately 4.5 million Medicare beneficiaries who die every year, Medicare could save more than $33 billion a year.     

via Health Care Rx: Across the Country, Some Systems Are Getting It Right – Newt Gingrich.

That was Newt Gingrich just a few months ago praising the “Advance Directives” practiced by a hospital in Wisconsin. Advance Directives are another word for the end-of-life consultations that the teabggers have been flipping out over of late. Gingrich loved them a few months ago.

Perhaps the checks from Cigna, Aetna and United Healthcare hadn't cleared yet. Or perhaps calling them Death Panels wasn't politically expedient for the sweetheart deal the industry got on that cash burning pile of shit known as Medicate Part D.

And then there's Glenn Beck's about face as captured on The Daily Show. Apparently he had a real epiphany in the past few months about us having the GREATEST HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IN THE WORRRLLLDDDDD:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Glenn Beck's Operation
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Spinal Tap Performance

This ain't 1950. We're not going to lose the tape like they lost those Honeymooners episodes. If you said it 2 years ago, there's gonna be a record.  Born again healthcare advocates, I assume? Baptized by lobbyist cash?

Top Republican Dick Armey leaves firm amid health care flap

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26128.html
Says negative attention from media of his lobby group, FreedomWorks, taints him.

Or could it be the "rucus" FreedomWorks caused at town hall meetings that tainted Armey?

Six Lobbyists Per Lawmaker

"If there is any doubt that President Obama's plan to overhaul U.S. health care is the hottest topic in Congress, just ask the 3,300 lobbyists who have lined up to work on the issue," Bloomberg reports.

"That's six lobbyists for each of the 535 members of the House and Senate, according to Senate records, and three times the number of people registered to lobby on defense. More than 1,500 organizations have health-care lobbyists, and about three more are signing up each day. Every one of the 10 biggest lobbying firms by revenue is involved in an effort that could affect 17 percent of the U.S. economy."

Fox News Focus Group FAIL!

Focus group backfire! Guest tells Hannity protesters are "getting bad information from Fox News."

Gotz to be more careful.

Senators Drop End-of-Life Provisions From Health Care Legislation

http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/senators-drop-end-of-life-provisions-from-health-care-legislation/
The majority party already capitulating, eh?

This doesn't look good.

Now for the context: It should be noted that they aren't "dropping" it from a bill because there is no Finance bill.

Also, it's kind of a minor ($2.7 billion) provision. They could add an opt out clause for those who don't want the service. Instead some senators like Republican Charles Grassley ,who is ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, wants to get rid of it altogether.

Obama Willing to Stake Presidency on Health Care Reform

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/08/13/obama_willing_to_stake_presidency_on_health_care_reform.html
This could prove ominous, almost like George H. W. Bush's promise of "no new taxes."

What do you think, smart move or guarantee of a one-term presidency?

Sicko

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Documentary

Okay, so I know it is a somewhat old movie, but I just saw it for the first time thanks to Cyd and Nubian Graphics.

This is perhaps one of the best movies to watch if you really want to understand the pitfalls of health care. So, some of you may have a problem with Michael Moore. So what? It's about the U.S. health care system, not the man who made the movie.

Moore travels to several other industrialized nations, including France and Canada, to document the way health care works. He even travels to Cuba by boat, taking Americans in need of care, with him.

Why is our health care system so jacked up? What does socialist medicine really look like? And why do we hate the French so much? Probably because the government there pays for patient advocates to do laundry, clean and cook dinner for new mothers after they give birth. I know I'm hating on the French right now!

I'm not arguing that we have a French-made health care system, I'm just saying you should watch this movie and then evaluate the U.S. health system. Maybe it will give you ideas of how to make it better.

Searching for Signs of Life On Health Care

One of the first rules of politics: Define your message before opponents define it for you.

Candidate Barack Obama insisted he had learned this lesson in 2004, when Sen. John Kerry ’s presidential bid was derailed after Republican supporters maliciously — and wrongly — defiled the Massachusetts Democrat’s military record.

Kerry countered with the slogan “Reporting for Duty,” and a message; though it was factually accurate, came all too late.

The same is happening to President Obama’s health care plans right now, except the president has yet to snap back with an appropriate response to mounting criticism.

Pundits say Obama over-learned from Hillary Clinton’s failures in the early 1990s when she and President Clinton tried to fix a troubled health care system before it became the mess we have now, with 47 million Americans lacking coverage. Others say Obama over-promised in the 2008 campaign; he can’t change a system controlled by special interests, so he now must work within the system.

Truth is in both assessments.

Obama has largely left all of the work on revamping health care to Congress. In fact he’s been too hands-off, so much so that at a nationally televised news conference last month, he didn’t have a plan to sell. The result, as I wrote was the president easily got off-message and left many Americans scratching their heads: what did he say?

He also left the door open for fake crazy-talk about death panels and throwing grandma from the train.

On Aug. 10, 2009, Obama predicted Congress would pass his sweeping health care overhaul this fall as more “sensible and reasoned arguments” prevail. But he gave no details of a plan.

The result of such bad communication: There is so much confusion that people acting out at public health care forums don’t even know what they are acting out about.

Last year Obama spoke loftily and often about limiting the role of lobbyists and special interest groups when it comes to overhauling the health care system.

“We will break the stranglehold that a few big drug and insurance companies have on the health care market. ... It’s become clear that some of these companies are dramatically overcharging Americans for what they offer...” Obama said in 2008. “We’re not going to get change unless we can overcome the resistance [from] the drug companies, the insurance companies, the HMOs, those who are making a major profit from the system currently. Now I think all these industries have a role to play. ... We want to listen to what they have to say. They should have a seat at the table, but they can’t buy every chair.”

Now we find out the White House has been dealing with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which represents drug companies, behind closed doors. Drug companies are set to spend $150 million in ads to help push Obama’s changes, but in exchange for what?

Click here to read the rest.