One of the supposed reasons to consider some sort of health-care reform was to get employers who don't pay for health insurance for amny of their workers to kick something in. This being Massachusetts, naturally, the legislature may consider legislation that would increase the payments already made by employers who do help pay for employee health insurance to help pay for the care of employees at companies that don't, such as Wal-Mart and Dunkin' Donuts.

Krissy can't say enough good things about the nurses at the Harvard Vanguard endoscopy department in Kenmore Square.

Sco discusses the links between Dunkin' Donuts and the people funding what could turn into Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential bid. So what? Dunkin' Donuts has more employees than any other Massachusetts company who can't pay for hospital care because the company doesn't offer them health insurance:

... Should we be worried now that the company that has the most to lose by enacting employer mandated heath insurance is now owned by the Johnny Appleseeds of the Romney 2008 Campaign? ...

Lis rages against people who think they are all in the head, or the fault of an uncaring mate, or drug companies:

... What really burns my britches is how many of these objections to FSD come from self-proclaimed feminists.

I know FSD isn't the first medical condition that people have tried to dismiss or deny; some people don't believe in ADHD or PTSD. [I don't have a comprehensive list of frequently-challenged conditions, but I wonder whether this is more common among ailments predominently affecting women, such as fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue or postpartum depression.]

But I think those were cases where patients were challenging the medical establishment for recognition. Here, the medical establishment is trying to understand and come to grips with a long-overlooked problem and feminists are trying to stop it. ...

Blue Mass. Group has posted a comparison of the House and Senate bills for increasing the number of Massachusetts residents covered by health insurance.

David hopes not and tries to hammer out a proposal that would let healthy young people not buy full insurance yet still protect the rest of us from the costs of caring for them when they smash themselves up in car accidents or whatever.

Blue Mass. Group posts a list of the top-20 Massachusetts employers whose workers use state-subsidized MassHealth or whose hospital bills are paid by the state free-care pool - which is subsidized by employers who do provide health insurance. Dunkin' Donuts, Stop & Shop, Wal-Mart, McDonald's and Unicco are the top five (followed by, surprisingly to me, the city of Boston).

David argues it's when you're Mitt Romney and you say it's OK for the state for force individuals to buy health insurance but not OK to also make employers somehow provide coverage for their employees:

... This notion that it's OK to tax individuals - and yes, Mr. "no new taxes" Governor, it's a tax - within an inch of their lives to force them to carry health insurance, but it's too hard on business to give employers a choice of paying a tax or covering their employees, is bullshit. If that kind of plan passes, I will be the first one signing the referendum petitions to repeal it. ...

Lefty blogs in Massachusetts are posting about health care this week to try to help get 100,000 signatures on petitions for a ballot question aimed at providing health care to the uninsured in Massachusetts:

In the first two days of our week-long blitz, many progressive blogs in MA have written posts with stories, policy analysis, and ideas about framing the issue.

Links to today's posts
Participating bloggers
LeftyBlogs - A Massachusetts lefty aggregator.

Globe: Romney eyes penalties for those lacking insurance (More from the horse's mouth here).

David: How will it be enforced?

... Will police officers hand out tickets to people who cannot produce a valid health insurance card when stopped at random on the streets? What will be the penalty for disobeying this new law - jail time? a fine? harassing phone calls from some state insurance administrator? If someone who is in violation of this law has an accident and requires emergency medical care, what will happen? ...

Ben: I think Mitt Romney may have actually lost his mind.

Charley: Mitt did something -- not enough, but something -- right today.

Sco: I'm glad that the Governor wants everyone in Massachusetts to have health coverage:

... I'm just skeptical of a plan that could end up punishing people because they couldn't afford health care and if underfunded could be even worse than doing nothing.