Bush's Plan will hurt working families (no big surprise, but...) - ACTION

[mousie]

In his State of the Union address last night, President George
W. Bush announced the centerpiece of his efforts to reform
health care would be tax breaks for people to pay for their own
health care, including Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), in which
people replace traditional insurance coverage with their own
savings.

HSA-based health care would be a disaster for working families,
a giant step backward that would shift costs away from employers
to employees and their families and force many people to go
without needed care.

Here are a few things you should know about HSAs.

* The idea behind Health Savings Accounts is that Americans have
too much insurance. You read that right. Those who came up with
the idea believe Americans are overinsured, something that very
few working families would likely agree with.

* Despite the rhetoric, HSAs will do nothing to control
skyrocketing health care costs or reduce the number of
uninsured. In fact, they will just make matters worse for those
who have health coverage.

* By shifting the costs to workers, HSAs provide cover to
employers to reduce or even eliminate health benefits. It will
undermine employer-based health plans, where two-thirds of
Americans get their coverage.

* HSAs will drive the wealthy and healthy away from health care
insurance, driving up the costs for those who need insurance the
most. Seniors and those who need health care coverage will see
their premiums skyrocket.

* HSAs are brought to you by the same people who brought you the
Medicare prescription drug disaster, and it will have the same
consequences. It's a boon to the profit-driven drug companies
and insurance industry. It's complicated, fragmented and costly.

At a time when we are working hard on the state and federal
level to give more working families the coverage they need,
President Bush's commitment to an idea that would reduce
coverage is baffling.

Like his proposal to privatize Social Security, giving more tax
breaks for HSAs will go nowhere if Congress sees massive public
opposition to Bush's bad ideas. (And like Social Security
privatization, the political push is being bankrolled by Big
Business, including the banking and insurance industries.)

That's why we need you to take action immediately. Write your
U.S. representative and senators and tell them you oppose Bush's
plan for Health Savings Accounts:

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/healthsavingsaccounts?rk=i1qPFeS1huWPE

Thank you for all you do.

[Arkansas Granny]

1. Another thing you should know about HSA's:

Frequently asked questions from the Treasury Department website: http://www.treasury.gov/offices/public-affairs/hsa/faq_eligibility.shtml#hsa3

"I don’t have health insurance, can I get an HSA?
You cannot establish and contribute to an HSA unless you have coverage under a HDHP."

The HSA's do nothing for uninsured citizens.

[mousie]

2. kick - please sign

[Sapphire Blue]

4. Done, K & R!!!

[applegrove]

3. Right. Insurance Industry should not be in the business of risk. The

people should take on all the risk. The insurance industry should just sit there in between consumers and health professionals.. and do nothing.

:yoiks:

[mousie]

5. KICKING/TRYING TO GET SIGNATURES

[AmandaRuth]

6. please kick

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