Dear Editor:
For over 35 Years (after serving in the US Army during the Vietnam mess) I was a Registered Republican. Due to the Republican Party's refusal to promote true health care reform, I switched to being a Democrat. Now it appears as though even the Democrat Party is allowing our Nation's True Need for health care reform slip away!
To correct this Health Care Reform at this time, before it is again too late, we must succeed with the following course of correction:
1 - Open The Health Care Conference Committee To Public Scrutiny (H.Res.847).
2 - Include a strong public option. This would be real competition from a righteous, low overhead public program, just like we have in "Medicare" right now. This would force some honesty. and fairness from the private insurance industry, who will be reaping a fortune, due to the legislation's mandate that everyone be forced to purchase health insurance. Without this strong public option, we Americans would, then, be be forced to buy health insurance from the ruthless health insurance companies, who would be able to charge us higher and higher premiums, along with other hidden costs such as increased deductables, and increased co-payments whenever they wanted to do so.
3 - Include a mandate that requires employers to pay their fair share of health care benefits.
4 - The Medicare buy-in option must be put back in the bill.
5 - There should be "NO" taxation of employee health care benefits. This taxation only increases the cost of health insurance, because employers would only force this tax onto the employee, who will be: "A" - forced to pay higher premiums to insurance companies, "B" - cause employees to pay higher deductables and co-payments, "C" - cause more employees who presently have health insurance, to lose their health insurance due to these increased costs, and "D" - cause some employers to not offer health insurance coverage to their employees.
6 If the above corrections are not made to this Health Insurance Reform Legislation, then there is no Health Reform. "A" - We would be better off without the farce of accepting this Health Reform as it now is being offered, especially the extremely flawed Senate version of the Health Reform Legislation. "B" If true / real Health Reform can not be passed, then all the Legislators who prevent this true / real reform, within the Senate and House, no matter what political party to which they belong, should be voted out of office for new legislators that will give us Americans the required necessary Health Reform that the great majority of us really need and want!
Please, Congress, pass true/real health care reform now. We will never have a better opportunity to succeed than we do at this time. If we do not, our children and grandchildren will hold us all responsible. They would be correct in condemming you and the rest of us Americans that allowed this opportunity to be wasted!
Walton Smith
1776 Upper Nis Hollow Drive
Lehighton
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Comments
There is no answer to this the best thing the Govt could do IS nothing! When did the Federal Govt ever do anything that cost less and was more efficient . All this will do is create a new class of people that can't afford it.
(Let me be clear, I think that the legislation being passed in the US isn't really reform, but a huge give away to insurance corporations.)
What do you have to say about the fact that countries with government run health care spend less per capita and get better care?
Also, there's already a class of people who can't afford adequate health care.
Dear Editor and Mr. Walton (and those who agree with his points),
The government is not the answer. Those who depend on the government lose their self-motivation which is what the government wants. The more you depend on them, the more they control you.
Your switching parties was not a solution that matters. Both leading political parties want you to be dependent on them.
I agree with opening the negotiations to the public. Did you see the bribery going on ; Louisiana gets $300billion, Nebraska gets no cost Medicare (or something similar). Bribes for a vote. These two politicians should be dismissed for lack of character and violation of their oath of office.
The 'strong public option' you speak of is OPEN COMPETITION between insurance companies. With more people being on the government option, the more money has to go to Washington to cover the costs. Washington gets their money from taxes paid by the citizens of the USA. That means that the workers will get less money to keep the economy moving, at whatever pace it runs. Then, there is less money being spent and less taxes being collected resulting in more taxes needed to be levied by the governments. Can anyone tell me where this vicious cycle ends?
Mandates on employers increases their costs which leads to layoffs. Now there is less money coming in from payroll taxes and less money to pay for the 'public option' you think is good. If the federal government opens the competition lines to allow insurance policies to be bought over state lines, then competition reduces the cost of the plans, more people are employed to sell the plans, and more income taxes can be paid to the government. This could lead to a reduction in income taxes. That requires less government intervention into our lives.
The Medicare buy-in would increase the need for the government to increase there income (our Taxes) in order to pay for the personnel that they would employ. Do you realize that the federal employment is the only labor statistic that had a positive growth in the last two years. The only way for them to control their costs is to limit the expenses.Their expenses are the costs incurred in paying for your healthcare. They have to RATION the authorized what they cover. Would you rather have your doctor tell your how he/she can help you get better or ask you which remedies you want to pay for out of your pocket since the PUBLIC OPTION won't cover your bill?
You seem to have thought out the Taxation on healthcare benefits more thoroughly than your other points. The taxes are the way to get you to pay for the healthcare in your public option. When you reduce the income of the pubic option, the provider must cuts down on what they cover. But, Palin said there are death panels and got castrated for it. Death panels is another way to lmiit covered procedures and reduce the expenses. See how these 'ideas' lead to unintended consequences?
You should be thankful to those who try or are successful at preventing this bill or similar legislation going through. Those who are pushing it through are the ones to be voted out. Since two out of nearly three voters are against these bills, then the Senators and Representatives should vote against it. They were elected to vote for their constituents according to the opinions of their voters. Also, the politicians took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the USA. Since this bill contains more than six violations ot this same Constitution, the bill should be scrapped!
Finally, this bill is not for healthcare reform. It is for setting up changing the structure of the USA. That leads to a changing of the USA as you know it. DO myou see how the current Administration has overused the Czar or toher term for appointees to be in position to control the Health care bill, treasury, and other important positions? This new structure will make the Legislative Branch irrelevant. In the last 15 days, the President signed a bill the increases the Domesitc Miltiary. This is to enforce the New Structure.
Don't discard this last paragraph. It is an important step to the New America!
Thanks for reading this far and letting me share with all some different points of view.