OK.Letter in MY paper on repealing Obamacare.Please help me respond

[w8liftinglady]

this is NOT the crazy paper.It's the one that actually prints ME,too...which is why I want a well-informed response.i will include universal health care,but need to be researched beyond a shadow of a doubt.Thanks in advance



http://www.thedailylight.com/articles/2010/10/21/opinion/doc4cc08228dfbb4986188384.txt

LETTER: ‘Repeal ObamaCare’
Published: Thursday, October 21, 2010 1:32 PM CDT
To the Editor,

Have you heard of ObamaCare? Would you like to see it repealed? In less than two weeks, the Election will be history and the challenge of the victors begins.

With the expected republican sweep less than 12 days away, we are looking at our Congress Crittur Barton assuming a place in the majority and probably a position in the leadership. From this exalted post, our congressional representative will be in a position of power that if he is willing to listen to his employers (We the People); he will be able to confront the issues that we have determined as important to his constituency.

We are currently circulating a petition and expect to put 1,000,003 signatures on Congressman Joe Barton’s desk asking him to sponsor or co-sponsor legislation to repeal ObamaCare next year. We want him to make it go away. There are several legislative initiatives already in the works; Representative Steve King of Iowa introduced the simplest one back on March 25, titled H.R. 4972, “To repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”. The entire text of this resolution is as follows:

“Effective as of the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, such Act is repealed, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by such Act are restored or revived as if such Act had not been enacted.”

There are currently 13 Texas Representatives cosponsoring Steve King’s legislative proposal, all Republicans, with no Democrats signing on to help. The actual legislation is found here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.4972:

Mr. Barton has put his name on the discharge petition to fast track the H.R. 4972, but as of yet has not committed to the actual legislation. Our petition is asking our public servant to take a stand and make a pledge to We the People. This petition will spread across CD6 and you can be one of the first if you act fast. We will turn back this avalanche of spending only with the help of the grassroots activists taking a part. Get off your sofa and help us return to a time before “Hope and Change”. Repeal ObamaCare!

If you would like to learn more on where and when you can ask Congressman Barton to join us, contact the Ellis County Tea Party or the Navarro County Conservatives on the Web. Put ‘ObamaCare Repeal Petition’ in the subject line, we will get back to you.

America belongs to you too!

Bill Carson,

Midlothian

[w8liftinglady]

1. I DO plan to mention the number of texans who are uninsured,and ask how he plans to fix that.

[louis-t]

2. Gee, teabaggers don't like 'patient protection'

or 'hope and change'. Notice they also don't specify which parts of the bill they don't like and why.

[ramapo]

15. They have theirs

You might get the big government argument or the mandate is unconstitional from the baggers. I think it is safe to say that the entire anti-HCR reform crowd has good employer-based insurance or rely on Medicare. Virtually none really know what they are talking about.

[ramapo]

3. Where to start?

Repeal ObamaCare is nothing but campaign rhetoric and anybody who thinks repeal is possible is dumber than a rock. Repeal would mean passing legislation with veto-proof majorities in both houses. Simply beyond the realm. More likely is that Republican control of either house would mean them throwing monkey wrenches into enactment.

The ignorance surrounding the legislation is astounding. That plus the fact that it contains a little bit of something for everybody and anybody to hate, makes it a great target.

The mandate is probably what incurs the most anger. However the mandate comes from demands of the insurance companies who say this is the only way that they can afford to cover people with pre-existing conditions. Everybody must be in the pool. Unfortunately there are plenty of ways around this. Notably, if you can't afford insurance even with the subsidy.

The claims that this is socialized medicine are laughable, except that so many believe it. There is no government takeover of anything. Only some much needed regulations. Unfortunately regulations stop short of controlling premiums so few people will get relief in this area.

What is amazing is that much of the uproar comes from those states with the weakest regulations and protections for people along with corresponding high rates of uninsured.

New Jersey, as well as most of the northeast states, has had regulations meeting or exceeding the new law for a number of years. We have guaranteed issue but very high premiums because of it. There is no mandate, only Massachusetts has one. We get absolutely no benefit from the new law. Maybe there will be some relief when the exchanges are functional and there is theoretically more competition.

"ObamaCare" is overly complicated in order to satisfy all the lobbyists and special interests. It is a giant step forward but still falls short of what every industrialized country enjoys. France, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, Great Britain, Switzerland, and so on all have universal coverage. Infant mortality, life expectancy, per capita and % GDP spent on health care are all significantly better. Not even close. Except for Great Britain, services are pretty much all provided through the private sector. Most of these countries rely on private insurers but the difference is that there are stringent regulations on them. People have much more choice as there are no issues with in-network/out-of-network. Providers get paid quickly. People can change insurance companies yearly if they are dissatisfied. Coverage is generally mandated. There are no medical bankruptcies.
Medical malpractice rates are a fraction of what they are here and suits are infrequent.

Here we have the insurance company between you and your doctor. Providers are strung out. Patients often have to advocate for coverage. There are far too many lawsuits.

It is funny that you don't find anybody who lacks insurance on the front line for repeal. I bet the percentage of the outraged who are seniors is fairly significant. All those angry old people who are enjoying their government-run Medicare. You just can't make this crap up.

[w8liftinglady]

5. wow...thanks for this info

I'll post my response...and any others(My editor actually reads them before posting)

[gratuitous]

4. Well, there's ambitious, and then there's delusional

And this letter crossed that line in the first sentence. The Republicans will not be winning a veto-proof majority in either chamber of Congress, so this is just so much empty talk along the lines of "Let's all flap our arms and fly to the moon." The good news for Mr. Carson is that in a month or so, no one will remember this letter full of demented ramblings, and so nobody will hold the Republicans accountable (as usual) for letting their big mouths write checks that their pasty white asses couldn't cash. Again.

[6000eliot]

6. How about, "It's NOT fucking Obamacare?"

Are these dumb shits too stupid to know the difference between the two branches of government?

[w8liftinglady]

7. LOL...that's what I WANT to say.I always put the term in quotes..

[w8liftinglady]

8. I can't find the link to the original house bill for universal health care...

can someone help me?(Brain fart,you know)

[w8liftinglady]

9. ah...HR 676..I'll ask him to encourage barton's participation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_National_Health_Care_Act

[ramapo]

11. That's the truth

Yup, that really pisses me off too and there I am using it. The dumb shits don't understand that Obama didn't write the bill. I think he would have done a much better job. However, that said...

He could have written the bill. Many bills have originated in the White House. Now I understand why they did not go that route (and I don't think have with any important legislation) but the media found it to be a convenient and cute term.

[w8liftinglady]

10. kick for the nighties...what else can I use?

http://www.hr676.org/

this site has some good stats,but I'm looking for official stats.

i also plan on using krugman's statements on Universal healthcare.
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2006/mar/23/the-health-care-crisis-and-what-to-do-about-it/

They hate it,hate it when I use facts.

[ramapo]

12. More facts if you don't have them

Our mess of a system consists of:

True 100% socialized medicine provided by the VA for veterans, Indian Health Service for Native Americans, and of course, the armed forces. If socialized medicine is so evil, the VA system should be the first to go. Doctors are government employees working in government owned and operated clinics and hospitals.

Working people lucky enough to work for an employer that provides insurance enjoy benefits somewhat comparable to workers in Germany and France with some important differences. In those countries, insurance is not tied to your employment. There is much better control over the insurance companies. All must offer basic coverage. Coverage is comparable for everybody.

The seniors enjoy that horrible national health insurance run by the government called Medicare. They will fight to the death to keep it while denying it to the rest of us. Medicare is run with great efficiency and low administrative costs. However, fraud is rampant, mostly because of low funding for enforcement. "ObamaCare" includes significant increases in funding to fight fraud that costs us billions.

Then there are all the people who have no insurance at all. They can be compared to citizens of any third-world country. They will get treated only to prevent death unless they have sufficient funds to prepay for service. Of course, few do and we wind up paying for the too little care that is provided too late.

Now many conservatives think this is no business of the federal government. That health care is a state rights issue. That is akin to the situation we have today where the luck of the draw might determine if you live or die.

Most of the Northeast states have guaranteed issue. You cannot be denied insurance. Of course it is very expensive so many go without anyway. Many states have high-risk pools. Again, very expensive, sometimes with limited availability and coverage. Some states you are just SOL.

If you work for a company, then you might be offered a plan. Those who are really lucky might get to choose between an HMO or PPO. However you cannot select a plan offered outside of your employment (except for coverage under your spouses plan). You cannot apply for individual coverage. This limitation remains in the new law and I think that sucks.

There are no nationwide standards, no real controls on premiums. To put it simply, people are discriminated against based upon their state of residence. Live in Massachusetts and you will likely get health insurance and live a healthier life. Live in, maybe for example, Arkansas or some state with no guarantee issue, no high-risk pool, no help with premium, weak insurance regulations, and you are SOL. (I did not check Arkansas current laws but it is a good guess that the situation is not good there).

There are plenty of things in the bill that need fixing and improvement. Outright appeal is cruel, uncaring, and immoral.

One last point. T.R. Reid in "The Healing of America" starts out by posing universal health coverage as a moral question. It is as simple as that. He observes that the entire industrialized world with the exception of the United States has decided that it is immoral to deny care to any citizen. Funny how such a religious country as ours has such a large segment against health care reform.

Last week a very conservative and religious women told me that she believes changes need to be made in our system but that she is against universal coverage because it is big government. How sad and how wrong she is.

And really my last point...many emerging countries including former states of the USSR have actually put the right to universal health coverage in their constitution. There are a significant number of countries that have health care as a constitutional right.

Here we have wasted billions of dollars (probably trillions), countless tens of thousands have died needlessly or otherwise suffered from inadequate health care. Most all of us have had to make decisions about employment based on health insurance like "Can I leave my job and start my own business even though I will lose my insurance". And it is a constant source of worry and anguish for so many.

[w8liftinglady]

13. wow...I am SO grateful.i think I'll write an editorial instead of a comment.

there are plenty of "Facts"...an alien concept in my area.

[ramapo]

14. Ignorance abounds

It is truly a shame that the basic facts of health care and insurance in the rest of the world are basically unknown here. Just another failing of the media. What is most troubling is that most people believe we have the best system in the world. We have great technology and doctors if you can afford it. Too bad if you cannot.

[w8liftinglady]

16. true...that's why I feel compelled to educate....

there is limited access to other sources here.People believe what they are taught.I have had good results with The wars,and I hope I will with this,too.Thanks for your help,again.

[ramapo]

17. Another important point

Private health insurance providers are mandated to be non-profit in other countries. They are sometimes allowed to sell value-added policies for coverage above the basic mandates. It is generally felt that it is unethical to profit from the misery of others, hence the non-profit requirements.
Of course, not being required to make a profit takes away much of the motive for denying care and payment.

Once upon a time the same was true in the US. I have vague recollections of when Blue Cross/Blue Shield was non-profit, at least here in NJ. They were bought out and turned into for-profit entities.