It’s a Sad Day for America
Well, they did it. Lawmakers in DC, paying no mind to the will of the American people, narrowly passed legislation to take over one sixth of the American economy and the heath care of every American. Despite the Democrats’ claims of bipartisanship, it was a Democrat bill all the way, filled with high costs, mandates, limits on our freedom, and a budget-breaking price tag.
What will this mean to you and me? It’s too soon to tell, but we can expect doctors to quit their practices, wait times to increase, and rationing to occur. Our parents will suffer, we will probably suffer more as the bill is implemented and the rationing panels are implemented, and our kids will not only receive less care, but also enjoy less prosperous lifestyles as they pay for this and whatever else this administration has in mind for us.
Let’s keep the faith. Let’s pray. Let’s continue to follow the American way. Let’s continue to teach our children this history of this nation. Let’s not get sucked into the entitlement mentality. This America and it isn’t over yet. Consider these words from Congressman Mike Pence:
“Such a blow to freedom can either discourage us to the point of retreat, or motivate us to greater action. Victory may not be ours on this day – but there is another day. As for me, I have not yet begun to fight…. As John Quincy Adams said, “Duty is ours; results are God’s” – now, let us continue to do our duty.”
Labels: health care reform, socialism
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Physicians Frustrated by Medicare
Increasingly physicians are being frustrated by Medicare and the witch-hunt for fraud. Many are considering dropping their Medicare and Medicaid patients, which would result in higher profits and less hassle. Most don’t want to do this, but they don’t see many options. For example, here’s a letter by a primary care physician who is ready to drop Medicare. What will he do when the entire system is run by the government?
Other physicians are cost-shifting underpayments from Medicare to private patients. What will they do when the entire system is run by the government?
Meanwhile, the government tries to squeeze even more blood from these medical turnips. According to Human Events, since 2001, the real inflation-adjusted payments to physicians under Medicare Part B have decreased well over 10 percent, and many specialties have seen far greater cuts. These cuts would have been even larger, except that Congress has acted to block the cut every year since 2002. Yet the underlying formula laid out back in 1997 remains unchanged, and the current planned cuts are 21.2 percent for this year, along with about 5-percent cuts for the next few years, all not including inflation. Because of this, many doctors will go out of business and many more will cease to participate in Medicare and Medicaid (where payments are most often tied to Medicare rates) if these cuts occur. If health care reform is, in fact, supposed to increase access to health care AND promote quality care, this downward path is unsustainable. But in Washington, the cost of paying doctors for actually providing care is not being considered as part of reform.
And don’t forget that Medicare is the biggest denier of claims, denying 6.85% of claims in 2007-2008, which is more than other insurer. So who's the most "heartless" now? And why should Americans accept the idea of being forced into a government-run system when, based on documented government experience, they will be more likely to see their claims denied?
Folks, the health care bill will likely come up for a vote this week. Have you made your voice heard? If not, you and your parents will regret it. Soon.
Labels: health care reform, Medicare
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Health Care Vote Scheduled
Harry Reid has scheduled a cloture vote on his 2000+ page health care bill for – get this – 1:00 AM on Monday, December 21. This after violating the Senate rules on Wednesday when he stopped the reading of the amendment offered by Senator Bernie Sanders. This after closed door meetings with President Obama and recalcitrant Democrats. And what does the bill include now? Who knows? Even Senator Reid doesn’t know. And what will it cost? Who knows? CBO might get it scored by Monday, but can we trust their numbers? Republicans suggest perhaps not. Who will it cover? Who knows? Will it include a public option or coverage for abortion? Who knows?
There’s a huge rush to get this bill passed before Christmas? Why? Who knows? Why the need for a 1:00 am session? Are they hoping the opposition will oversleep? Who knows? The Democrat panic over this bill is palpable as they have refused any Republican input and as they continue to ignore the wishes of the people – at least 56% of whom prefer that Congress do nothing.
This Congress is out of control and in panic mode. Yes, we do need health care reform, but not via a bill that even the author hasn’t seen. This is still America! If you have an opinion, let it be heard before 1:00 am Monday.
Personally, I'm feeling smooshed.
Photo Credit: PicApp.com
Labels: health care reform, national health care
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Reading Guide to the Pelosi Health Care Reform Bill
Mike Pence is running for Congress in the 6th District of Indiana. He may be one of the few politicians who has actually read the 1990 page Pelosi health “reform” legislation (H.R. 3962) introduced by House Democrats. The following notes were posted on his Facebook page. Today the AMA and AARP endorsed this bill. Speaker Pelosi has scheduled a vote for Saturday morning. Is this the bill you want for yourself, your parents, and your children? Forever? If not, please contact your Representative today.
Page 94—Section 202(c) prohibits the sale of private individual health insurance policies, beginning in 2013, forcing individuals to purchase coverage through the federal government.
Page 110—Section 222(e) requires the use of federal dollars to fund abortions through the government-run health plan—and, if the Hyde Amendment were ever not renewed, would require the plan to fund elective abortions.
Page 111—Section 223 establishes a new board of federal bureaucrats (the “Health Benefits Advisory Committee”) to dictate the health plans that all individuals must purchase —and would likely require all Americans to subsidize and purchase plans that cover any abortion.
Page 122—Section 233(a)(3) requires the Commissioner—the new insurance “czar”—to “issue guidance on best practices of plain language writing”—this from the same people who wrote a 1,990 page health care bill.
Page 183—Section 305(a) gives the Commissioner the power to enlist “appropriate entities” like Planned Parenthood and ACORN to engage in “outreach to specific vulnerable populations” about the bill’s new programs.
Page 211—Section 321 establishes a new government-run health plan that, according to non-partisan actuaries at the Lewin Group, would cause as many as 114 million Americans to lose their existing coverage.
Page 216—Section 322(b)(3) prohibits “any federal funds for purposes of insolvency” from being directed toward the government-run health plan—an anti-bailout provision that may seem implausible given Democrats’ role in advancing legislation to bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Page 225—Section 330 permits—but does not require—Members of Congress to enroll in government-run health care.
Page 255—Section 345 includes language requiring verification of income for individuals wishing to receive federal health care subsidies under the bill—while the bill includes a requirement for applicants to verify their citizenship, it does not include a similar requirement to verify applicants’ identity, thus encouraging identity fraud for undocumented immigrants and others wishing to receive taxpayer-subsidized health benefits.
Page 297—Section 501 imposes a 2.5 percent tax on all individuals who do not purchase “bureaucrat-approved” health insurance— the tax would apply on individuals with incomes under $250,000, thus breaking a central promise of then-Senator Obama’s presidential campaign.
Page 313—Section 512 imposes an 8 percent “tax on jobs” for firms that cannot afford to purchase “bureaucrat-approved” health coverage; according to an analysis by Harvard Professor Kate Baicker, such a tax would place millions “at substantial risk of unemployment”—with minority workers losing their jobs at twice the rate of their white counterparts.
Page 336—Section 551 imposes additional job-killing taxes, in the form of a half-trillion dollar “surcharge,” more than half of which will hit small businesses; according to a model developed by President Obama’s senior economic advisor, such taxes could cost up to 5.5 million jobs.
Page 520—Section 1161 cuts more than $150 billion from Medicare Advantage plans, potentially jeopardizing millions of seniors’ existing coverage.
Page 733—Section 1401 establishes a new Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research; the bill includes no provisions preventing the government-run health plan from using such research to deny access to life-saving treatments on cost grounds, similar to Britain’s National Health Service, which denies patient treatments costing more than $35,000.
Page 872—Section 1433 requires the director of food services at nursing facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid to hold “military, academic, or other qualifications” as determined by federal bureaucrats.
Page 1067—Section 1729 requires States to cover incarcerated juveniles previously enrolled in Medicaid after their release “unless and until there is a determination that the individual is no longer eligible.”
Page 1174—Section 1802(b) includes provisions entitled “TAXES ON CERTAIN INSURANCE POLICIES” to fund comparative effectiveness research, breaking Speaker Pelosi’s promise that “We will not be taxing [health] benefits in any bill that passes the House,” and the President’s promise not to raise taxes on families with incomes under $250,000.
Page 1183—Section 1904 provides $750 million in federal funding for a new entitlement program to offer “knowledge of realistic expectations of age-appropriate child behaviors” and “skills [for parents] to interact with their child.” (And this is related to health care how??)
Page 1255—Sections 2231-2235 make veterinary students eligible for up to $283 million in federal scholarship and student loan forgiveness funding. (Why is THIS in this health care bill?)
Page 1432—Section 2531 provides incentive payments to States that enact new medical liability laws—but only if such laws do “not limit attorneys’ fees or impose caps on damages.” (As opposed to the Republican bill that offers serous tort reform.)
Page 1515—Section 2572(b) imposes labeling requirements on all vending machines nationwide, in addition to new mandates by the federal government on all restaurants with more than 20 locations.
Page 1925—Section 3101 creates a new program within the Indian Health Service to provide federal funding for “perpetrators of child sexual abuse who are Indian or members of an Indian household.”
If you would like to read the entire 1,990 pages yourself, you can find the legislation here: (Note: the above notes were posted a few days ago. Page numbers and details may have changed.)
Labels: government, health care reform, national health care
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Pelosi Reveals House Health Care Bill
Today House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled the house version of health care reform – all 1990 pages of it. She claims the measure will cover 96 percent of Americans once fully phased in, and it includes the much-debated government option. But it also carries a $1 trillion price tag over 10 years. She expects to bring it to the floor next week. She pays for "reform" by cutting seniors' care, raising costs for small businesses and taxing middle-class Americans. It still covers abortions and probably covers illegal aliens. From a quick skim-through, it looks like it covers everything for everyone while disguising the real cost by moving a huge spending provision ($200 billion) to a stand-alone bill and claiming it's not related to health care reform. The whole bill has been written behind closed doors with no input from Republicans or the American people.
You can download a copy of the bill here. You have until early next week to read it. If you care about your own health care, or that of your parents and children, you need to start calling Washington. Happy reading.
Labels: health care reform, med
Monday, October 26, 2009
Health Care Bill Being Negotiated in Secret
Does it bother anyone else that the health care bill is being crafted by three senators and a handful of White House officials, with no input from the Republican leadership? The Washington Times offers an excellent article today exposing the refusal of the Democrats to allow any participation by the Republicans. The closed door approach also leaves out the American people, who will be affected by whatever eventually passes.
Remember how during the campaign, candidate Obama promised the ultimate in transparency? For example, he told a town hall audience in Chester, Va., in August 2008,
"I'm going to have all the negotiations around a big table," "We'll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies. And so, that approach, I think, is what is going to allow people to stay involved in this process."
Well, that’s not quite what’s happening and whether you voted for him or not, this ought to concern you. So far, the only parties to the Senate discussion are Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana, and Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, who led the work on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee bill. White House officials seen attending the meetings include Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, health care "czar" Nancy-Ann DeParle, and Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget. Republican leaders have been summarily uninvited, and no bill has been posted for either the American people or the rest of the Congress to review.
Folks, this is not how government should be conducted. This bill will affect one sixth of our economy and every American (and more than a few illegal’s). If you're my age, the outcome is going to affect you, your aging parents, and your children and grandchildren. It will contain something that everyone will hate, and little that most of us will like. If you agree, be sure to write your representatives and express your outrage. If you are anywhere near the Tea Party route, consider showing up with your sign. You can find a schedule here.
Labels: health care reform, legislation, national health care, tea parties
Saturday, September 05, 2009
A Small Business Owner Speaks out on Health Care Reform
This lady shows a lot of understanding and offers simple solutions that would help all of us without totally overhauling the system. What do you think?Labels: health care costs, health care reform