Monday, March 15, 2010
Health Care in the United States of America
Last evening, March 14, 2010 I sent this message to my two Georgia Senators and the Representative to the U. S. Congress for the 8th District.
On March 8, 2010 I received an E-Mail which contained the following quote:
“Buried in his massive amendment to the Senate version of Obamacare is Reid’s anti-democratic poison pill designed to prevent any future congress from repealing the central feature of this monstrous legislation!
Beginning on page 1,000 of the measure, Section 3403 reads in part: “.it shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any bill, resolution, amendment or conference report that would repeal or otherwise change this subsection.””
I would sincerely hope and also pray that this section has been taken our of the proposed Health Care Bill that You are now attempting to pass with a 51 percent of the vote of the U. S. Senate.
Even our Founding Fathers realized that the Constitution was not a perfect document. It has been amended only 27 times over the period of well over 200 years. Yet you think that the proposed Health Care is never going to need any modification is you enact the reported “Harry Reid” proposal.
I do not think that it is possible to enact any law that is totally perfect when one considers the gravity of the proposed “Health Care Reform” such as you are currently considering.
If the section quoted above has been totally removed from the proposal under consideration I would remind you that from what I read the national mood is that my peers as well as myself desire “jobs.” What good is a revised health care system if more and more people, citizens of our great United States of America do not have employment?
Gentlemen, let me make this simple for you. Vote NO on Health Care legislation in 2010 and also the next time such as is currently proposed raises it’s ugly head.
You all could do far better enacting laws which would assist more Americans to acquire employment.
Thank You,
Alan
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2 comments:
I just received these comments from one of the Georgia Senators:
Thank you for contacting me regarding your concerns about health care reform. It is good to hear from you.
After several weeks of backroom deal-making, partisan arm-twisting and special carve-outs for wavering senators, the Senate voted on party lines 60-39 to pass health care reform legislation.
I voted against it, due to both the content of the bill and the way it was kept secret from many senators and from the American people. Our health care system needs reforming, but this is not the way to revamp a sector that represents 17 percent of America's economy.
I also voted against cloture, because I believed the Senate should continue to debate a bill that would, among other bad choices, cost $2.5 trillion when fully implemented over 10 years, increase taxes by $494 billion, cut Medicare by $465 billion, and would not bend the federal cost curve down.
I also oppose a mandate on small businesses to cover the costs of their employees. The health care industry itself will also feel more than $100 billion in taxes and fees, which will be shifted directly to the American people in the form of higher premiums. Also, during an economic downturn, individuals would be taxed a total of $8 billion for not purchasing insurance the government deems appropriate. The Senate bill does not contain a public option, which I oppose.
The number of uninsured Americans continues to rise, along with the premiums and out-of-pocket expenses incurred by insured consumers. We in Congress need to address this problem by searching for effective ways to expand access to adequate, affordable medical care for all Americans in a fiscally responsible manner, not by expanding government, slashing Medicare and trading votes for sweetheart deals for Nebraska, Florida and Vermont.
The Senate has moved too quickly with radical proposals that may not achieve their worthy objectives. This rush to legislative passage will limit Americans' access to health care and lower quality while increasing taxes and the nation's debt. Instead of ramming through legislation - largely kept secret until this week - to overhaul our entire health care system, we should be focused on incremental reform to improve the areas of greatest need.
That legislation would make health care coverage accessible and affordable for all Americans through private insurance coverage while promoting prevention and wellness which can improve lives and lower medical costs. It would also put Americans in charge of their own health care by giving them a tax rebate of $2,300 for individuals and $5,700 for families to buy health insurance. It would allow patients to comparison shop for health care the same way they do for other products and services, and would allow them to keep their coverage if they changed jobs. Individuals with preexisting conditions could not be turned down or denied coverage.
To be effective, any health care bill must also address tort reform, which the Senate bill does not. I am an original cosponsor of S. 2662, the "Fair Resolution of Medical Liability Disputes Act of 2009," which would create a system of preliminary non-binding arbitration for medical malpractice claims. If one or both parties involved reject the arbitrator's decision, they can take the claim to court, but the losing party would have to pay the winning party's legal fees.
Americans are right to demand access to affordable health care. But the Senate bill is bad legislation. It is a political victory - not a substantive one - that will actually make health care more expensive.
Senator Saxby's response was edited to be within the character limits of a comment on this blog.
Unfortunately that had to be done.
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