AVA Stammtisch first Thursday of every month, 8 pm, at Seerose, Mehringdamm 47 (Kreuzberg).
Take the U6 or the U7 to U-Bahnhof Mehringdamm, or buses 119 or 140.
As usual, our Stammtisch will be on the first Thursday of the month, September 2, at 8 pm at the Seerose, Mehringdamm 47, in Kreuzberg. Take the U6 or the U7 to U-Bahnhof Mehringdamm, or buses 119 or 140.
So meet us at the Seerose from 8 pm. until about 10:30 pm in the pleasant and quiet back room for good conversation and for vegetarian specialties made with fresh ingredients at reasonable prices. See <www.seerose-berlin.de> for details. Come hungry!
Footnote: We were joined by Dr. Ing. Christian Hoffman from the inter-kulturelle "Pyramidengarten" neighboring the Tempelhof field. Hence one of the big kites was a German-Turkish kite. For US citizens who are also citizens of the world, our "VoteFromAbroad.org" banner was carried high in the sky by a kite built in Colorado by an American-Iranian using an American Indian design. With thanks to Michael Steltzer of Flying Colors, Eisenacherstrasse Berlin
Photos from 21st Century Feminism gathering
Karen Axelrad has posted pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/karenaxe/sets/72157624353848158/ from the gathering on 21st Century Feminism, perspectives from New York and Berlin Guest speakers Katha Pollitt and Christina von Braun with Susan Neiman, director of the Einstein Forum, Potsdam, Germany. Co-sponsored by American Voices Abroad-Berlin (AVA-Berlin).
Photos from June Stammtisch
Karen Axelrad sends a link to her recent AVA-Berlin photos, also of the last Stammtisch !
Help us keep doing what we do by paying your dues for 2010. It’s €30 or a self-assessed lesser amount for the entire calendar year. Click on DUES (above).
The ABCD of American Political Groups in Berlin
American Voices Abroad Berlin (AVA Berlin) is
politically progressive and independent of all political parties. It is, on
principle, opposed to preventive war and the Patriot Act. It is dedicated to
fair elections, civil liberties and social and economic justice at home as well
as to a foreign policy rooted in respect for international institutions and the
rule of law. AVA-Berlin has a 7-member executive committee (EC) elected every
December at its annual business meeting. The group’s Stammtisch meets on the
first Thursday of every month at 8 p.m., for now at the Seerose at Mehringdamm
47 in Kreuzberg. To be put on the mailing list, contact email list administrator
David MacBryde at members-berlin@americanvoicesabroad.net.
For further information check the web site www.avaberlin.org or contact Ann Wertheimer, the chair for 2010, at wertheim@zedat.fu-berlin.de.
BridgeBuildersBerlin is not affiliated with any
political party. The group focuses on German-American friendship. Contact their
spokesperson, David Knutson, at concertamerica@t-online.de.
Cafe Americain is a political and cultural salon, a
spin-off from AVA Berlin but a totally independent daughter and therefore not
bound by the AVA Berlin executive committee.In the past several years, Cafe Americain has organized evenings for
artists and poets. It has run Civics 101,
where folks gathered at St. Georges bookstore to discuss the U.S. Constitution
with Colin King. Why “Cafe Americain”? That's the "gin joint"
Humphrey Bogart runs in Casablanca –
with all its associations of heroism, romance, exile, political intrigue, and
idealism turned to cynicism turned to idealism! Contact Isabel Cole for
additional information at ava@andere-seite.de.
Democrats
Abroad Berlin is the unofficial name of the Berlin Chapter of Democrats Abroad
Germany (DAG). It is the official section of the Democratic Party Committee
Abroad (DPCA) in Berlin.Regular
meetings are held in Kreuzberg at Max und Moritz, Oranienstr. 162, on the first
Tuesday of every month at 7:30 p.m.Democrats Abroad supports the Democratic Party nominee and the platform
of the Democratic Party. It also has its own platform. In addition to the
website www.democratsabroad.org,
Democrats Abroad Berlin maintains a local website www.demsinberlin.de where events are
announced and documented. Only Americans can become members, but non-Americans
are welcome to attend meetings and events. For further information contact the
chair, Nancy Green at chair@demsinberlin.de.
Do you remember the Patriot Act?
Forwarded from ACLU --- Because Freedom Can't Protect Itself Dear ACLU Supporter,
Do you remember the Patriot Act? Rushed through Congress in October 2001 with little debate, this deeply flawed legislation curtails your fundamental freedoms.
And now, just like in 2001, legislation is moving through Congress quickly. But this time, we have a chance for genuine Patriot Act reform.
Senator Russ Feingold and nine other senators have introduced the JUSTICE Act, a bold piece of legislation, which effectively reins in the out-of-control government powers embedded in the Patriot Act. We now need your help to gather more support for this comprehensive legislation.
The Patriot Act gave the government the power to access your medical records, tax records, and information about the books you buy or borrow without probable cause.
It also gave the government the power to break into your home and conduct secret searches without telling you for weeks, months, or indefinitely.
It’s absolutely crucial that whatever legislation emerges from the Judiciary Committee embraces the strong measures Senator Feingold has put forth by:
* Protecting the privacy of records by reining in the government’s use of National Security Letters to collect the records of innocent people far removed from an actual terrorism suspect. * Protecting humanitarian activities by preventing prosecution of people who work with or for charities that give humanitarian aid in good faith to war-torn countries. * Protecting First Amendment rights by requiring the government to convince a court that a National Security gag order is necessary. * Protecting the privacy of communications by amending last year's sweeping FISA Amendments Act to better protect Americans' phone calls and emails.
Strong measures like these can help finally end the damage done by the Patriot Act. Events are moving quickly.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT HEALTH CARE COVERAGE IN GERMANY
Question: Why should we as Americans consider
features of the German system in crafting our own health
care reform?
Answer: In planning our own public health care system, we should
investigate the strengths and weaknesses of many other systems. We can then
choose the best of some of them and avoid the pitfalls of others.
Question: Does Germany have a
single-payer system?
Answer: No, it is a hybrid system: a public plan and private plans. The
public option covers about 90% percent of the German population, with most of
the rest covered under private insurance.
Question: What does public option mean in Germany?
Answer: Germany has around two hundred nonprofit companies called
sickness funds, which comprise the public option. Germans can select from these
sickness funds, each of which provides their members with a comprehensive
benefit package. The sickness funds are nonprofit entities; there is
nevertheless competition for price and quality among them because the funds
seek to survive and grow.(1)
Public option sickness funds may not refuse someone on the basis of a
pre-existing condition or drop them if they become ill. A centralized agency administers
a pool of money to sickness funds to cover their sicker patients; that is, they
ensure that sickness funds have the means to cover the health needs of those
people they carry who have chronic illnesses such as diabetes
or intensive illnesses such as cancer.
Question: Is enrollment in the German system
mandated? If so, who pays for people who can't pay?
Answer: Yes, health care coverage is mandatory; you must be covered by
some plan, either public or private. Employed persons generally have half of
their premiums paid by their employer. Unemployed persons remain members of the
sickness funds they were in when employed. Their contributions are paid by
federal and local governments. The contributions of retirees are paid by the
pensioners themselves and by their pension funds. Thus, the public health insurance program redistributes from
higher to lower income groups, from the healthy to the sick, from the young to
the old, from the employed to the unemployed, and from those without children
to those with children. The idea is that everybody's in it together, and nobody
should be without health insurance.(2)
Question: How much does the average German pay for health care under the
public option?
Answer:State health insurance contributions
are based on your gross income (around 15.5% with an income cap), with
employers and employees each paying about half of the premium. The individual’s
contribution is 8.2%; the employer pays the remaining 7.3%. In addition,
Germans are now required to carry long-term nursing care
insurance, which is charged at 2.2% of your gross income, with employers
paying half.(3)
The income cap is $62,781, or around $5,232 per month (July 28, 2009 conversion
rate). So if you make, for example, $85,000,. per year, your contribution would
be the same as that of someone who makes $62,781 per year (4 ), even though
that would amount to a lower percentage of your income.
Benefits are commensurate with those of most major medical insurance plans in
the U.S. and include basic dental care. There are no deductibles and only
minimal copayments.
Again, premiums are set according to earnings rather than risk and are not
affected by a member's marital status, family size, or health; they are the
same for all members of a particular fund with the same earnings. In a
household with two wage earners, each pays the full premium assessed by his or
her sickness fund according to his or her income.
Question: How much are health care costs
in Germany compared to those in the U.S.?
Answer: Health care costs for an entire country are measured in terms of
the percentage of gross national product (GNP). In Germany that percentage is
10.7% of GNP, while in the U.S. it is 15.3% (2008 figures).(5) When the costs
for various treatments and procedures are compared, the costs in Germany
average about a third of those for the same procedure or medication in the U.S.
Question: Are there waiting lists for surgeries,
expensive treatments, etc. in Germany? Are high-tech diagnostic procedures and
treatments readily available?
Answer: There is no waiting time in the case of acute illnesses and
emergencies. Waiting times to see specialists and to undergo surgeries and
treatments tend to be quite similar to those in the U.S. Elective surgeries have an average waiting time of one
month. High-tech diagnostic procedures and treatments are readily available.
Question: Do doctors or dentists in Germany bear high costs for their
medical education?
Answer: Medical and dental schools, like all other forms of higher education,
are virtually free in Germany, requiring only the payment of administrative
fees. Of course, medical students, like students in all fields, must pay for
their own room and board. Young people who can’t afford their room and board
while they are getting an advanced degree are eligible for various kinds of
public loans. Repeat: there is no tuition for medical or dental school, or any
other advanced degree, in Germany. Tertiary education in
Germany is virtually all public.
Germany has more physicians per capita than the United States, and physicians
typically make less than in the States. For example, a family doctor in Germany
makes about two-thirds as much as he or she would in America.(6)
Question: Do doctors or dentists in Germany bear high costs for
malpractice insurance?
Answer: German doctors pay less for malpractice protection through
medical protective associations rather than through for-profit medical malpractice insurance companies.
Question: How much are typical deductibles and co-pays for Germans under
the public option insurance?
Answer: There are no deductibles. Under the public option, a patient
pays 10 euros (about $15 as of this writing) per quarter year; that is, 10
euros are paid for the first doctor’s visit during a quarter of a year. If no
visit is made during, let’s say, January 1 through March 31, no payment is
required. If there are many visits, the payment is still only 10 euros. The
dentist costs another 10 euros for the first visit per quarter. In-patient
hospital days now have a co-pay of 10 Euros per day up to 28 days. There are
generally no further co-pays except for a few designated treatments; such as dental crowns, for example.
Question: Does public option insurance pay for medication?
Answer: Medications have co-payments of between 5 and 10 euros (around
$8 to $15) per prescription.
Question: Do you pay your bills and get reimbursed,
or does the insurance pay directly?
Answer: You submit your health insurance identification card to the
doctor, dentist or hospital and make your copayment, if there is one. You do
not see the bill.
Question: Is there rationing?
Answer: While doctors may feel some pressure to hold down costs,
treatment decisions are not generally individually arbitrated through the
sickness funds. Some treatment decisions may require evidence of need; for
example, a dentist has to show the need for certain types of extensive gum
treatments.
Under the law that applies to the German health care
system, there is a Joint Federal Committee composed of representatives
from associations of physicians, dentists, hospitals and sickness funds. The
JFC assesses the effectiveness of traditionally covered services and of new
diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Coverage guidelines are issued after
public notice of the subjects under consideration, and comments by interested
parties and experts enter into the decision-making. JFC decisions on procedures
are made according to evidence-based criteria. Such criteria range from
randomized, controlled clinical studies to consensus conferences and expert
opinions. Since care under the law must correspond to the generally accepted
standard of medical knowledge and the progress of medical science, clinical practice guidelines and prevailing practices
are highly relevant for coverage guideline validity. In case of individual
sickness fund denials of reimbursement of a treatment not yet addressed by a
JFC guideline, patients may appeal to a special court that will consider the
evidence; generally one does not need to hire a lawyer to go through this
process. Thus there are checks on the power of the JFC to limit clinical
autonomy.(7) There is no age rationing for any procedure.
To make this process somewhat more concrete, we offer a few examples of costs
refused or limited versus those paid for by one or more sickness funds: Some
disallowed treatments under the public option, for example, are homeopathic
remedies, Vitamin B injections (except in the
case of a proven deficiency), and Viagra (considered a lifestyle drug). In some
cases, the sickness funds cover a basic need such as glasses or a hearing aid,
but if the patient wants a top-of-the-line, in-the-ear hearing aid or designer
glasses, he or she must supplement the basic amount paid by the sickness fund.
A few examples of treatments that are fully covered in the German system are
very expensive, end-of-life cancer drugs; mental health
therapies and medications; and home care hospice services. In addition,
some sickness funds pay for preventive measures such as up to 20 yoga sessions
per year or Nordic walking courses, both of which
have reportedly been shown through
clinical trials to be beneficial in preventing certain illnesses or improving
health.
Question: Is there a lot of bureaucracy?
Answer: Administration costs of the system, which is another way of
referring to and measuring bureaucracy, account for about 6 percent of spending
in the public option sickness funds (which again, cover about 90% of the
population).(8) Patients experience virtually no bureaucracy; they do not have
to deal with any agent or financial paperwork. Among the private insurance companies in Germany, the
administrative costs are around 17%. In the U.S. system, administrative costs
are estimated at close to one-fifth, or 20%, of total costs. So bureaucracy is
actually much less in the public option health care
system.
Question: How many Germans go bankrupt in a year because of medical
bills?
Answer: In Germany it is impossible to go bankrupt because of medical
bills, since even if you declare bankruptcy, the social solidarity system pays
for your medical care. The idea is, if you do have financial problems and a lot
of worries for other reasons, you do not need to have another burden in not
being able to pay medical bills.(9)
Question: If you lose your job or get sick and cannot work, what happens
to your health insurance?
Answer:Health insurance continues with no
change if you lose a job. Germans simply do not have this worry that they will
be without coverage for themselves and their family members.
Question: If the public option is so good, why do some people choose
private insurance?
Answer: About 10% of the population is covered under private insurance.
Anyone who makes more than $69,187 per year for at least a three-year period
has the option of choosing private insurance.(10) People who are civil
servants, self-employed or freelance also have this option, even if they do not
meet the income requirement. For some people who are still young and healthy
and earn high salaries, private health insurance
may be (temporarily) cheaper than the public option. Others choose private
insurance to ensure that they have certain privileges: a private room in case
of hospitalization, payment for homeopathic remedies, or spa cures. Some people
also supplement their public insurance with private insurance in order to gain
these and other privileges.
Question: What are the problems of the German health care system?
Answer: There is pressure on the health care system because of the
relatively high rate of unemployment in Germany. Hospital personnel, including
doctors, have demonstrated and lobbied in recent years to get higher
allocations (and doctors have just won increases that average out to 7.8%,
varying according to specialization and geographic area). Copayments were
introduced a few years ago to try to bring more money into the system.
Nonetheless, the German health care system dates back to 1883 and has proven to
be both flexible and robust. During the last two decades, Germans have tweaked
their system, on average, every three years in order to try to address problems
and keep costs under control.