Results tagged “health_care”

We know we're preaching to the converted here (for the most part), and we probably should have caught this semi-gruesome spoof ad by NYC's Upright Citizens Brigade (which once gave birth to Amy Poehler) before Halloween. But here it is, nevertheless, because it still gives us a chuckle, and everybody's in a political mood today anyhow.

In one version of the Senate's health care bill up for debate next week, a provision meant to encourage preventive medicine for employees has been named for Pleasanton-based grocery chain Safeway. The company has a self-insurance program for its 200,000 employees that provides an incentive -- up to a 30% lower premium -- for any worker who takes steps to get healthier, like losing weight, quitting smoking, or lowering their cholesterol.

Karl Rove made an appearance behind enemy lines last night in SF, at a local gathering at the Ritz-Carlton of conservative bastion The Heritage Foundation. Rove made the astute observation before a crowd of several hundred that the health care debate is providing Republicans with a perfect political rallying point, but it will only succeed if they come up with their own successful plan. No word on whether there were any census workers hanged in effigy, or any fingers bitten off. Hear more about Rove's appearance at KCBS.

       

Flickr photog Tristan C was on the scene at yesterday's "Big Insurance: Sick of It" rally at Embarcadero Two sponsored by MoveOn.org, which was aimed at bringing attention to the Anthem Blue Cross' opposition to health care reform bill H.R. 3200. All captions were provided by Tristan C.

Big but vague protest sign, lots of small text.

There were plenty of predictions this past spring that the H1N1 virus was going to come back to bite us in the ass this winter, and last week a White House advisory panel made some dire predictions of a "worst case scenario" in which half the country could get infected, 1.8 million could end up hospitalized, and 90,000 could die -- which would be more than twice the average for a normal flu season. And as we've seen, this flu has been striking many in the 30- to 45-year-old range who may have a pre-existing condition such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, or obesity -- some scientists believe the virus hasn't affected older people in greater numbers due to some pre-existing immunity from an earlier strain of the flu, perhaps from the early 1960s or before. Hopefully if you have any of these pre-existing conditions, if you're preggers, or if you have school-aged kids, you'll run out and get flu shots in October, and the rest of you will wash your goddamn hands twenty times a day and STAY HOME FROM WORK if you show any symptoms. This ain't no SARS! (Perhaps try one of the stylish animal masks above from Samiraboon.)

We received the following missive from an angry Texas resident (or troll) early this morning. While she doesn't directly point to it, we assume it is in response to this. She writes to us, saying: