The shared starting point for Congress' and President Obama's efforts to reform the nation's health insurance system is that the current system is not financially sustainable.

There is a consensus that neither the federal budget nor the national economy can afford the relentless escalation in both health care costs and the added costs of private insurance to manage the risks and administer the payments and accounting systems.

As care and insurance costs rise, fewer businesses will be willing to provide employer-based insurance, fewer individuals will be able to afford private insurance, and the federal government will become unable to sustain the yearly increases in the cost of federally sponsored care or insurance. So fewer Americans would be covered at work, and the numbers of uninsured, underinsured, and fraudulently insured would continue to grow.

So the question we have to ask is whether the "reform" bills solve this downward spiral?

Looking at the emerging Senate bills, it is hard to see how the underlying conditions driving this imminent crisis would be alterered in any fundamental way. Assuming the best of the combined Senate bills emerges, it would accomplish the following:

A Young Perspective on the White House Reception for the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots
(reprinted from http://blog.nyacyouth.org/2009/06/young-perspective-on-white-house.html)

This blog is written by Jennie Beeson and Ruby Dunning

On Monday, we had the opportunity to go to the White House for the 40th Anniversary of Stonewall Reception with NYAC and our Executive Director, Greg Varnum. To be able to stand in a room with so many important leaders and activists of the LGBTQ community to honor the Stonewall riots felt wonderful and exhilarating. The President of the United States was extending out his hospitality to our community to tell us that he supports us and applauds our progress in this movement. When Obama said, "Welcome to your White House," it felt exciting, a little unreal, and, maybe, a bit for show.

They've created three possible ads to run in her state, but they need you to help decide which is the most effective. That's one of the ads to the right. You can see all three ads and pick your favorite at the ActBlue page here.

And they need support in getting those ads on the air. So far, they've raised over $18,300.

For more background on Sen. Lincoln and health care conditions in Arkansas, see these posts by Digby, C&L's Amato, Howie, and Jane.

Again, here's the ActBlue page, Campaign for Health Care Choice.

Thanks.