Health Care Hot Button 3 Leftist Agenda

Health Care Reform is the raging political debate. Prompting me to offer some insights from a person I believe is an Average Independent Voter. His views may not be unique or remarkable in any way. But they are I believe consistent with about 42% of the population, that person would be me. This is my way of reminding our public servants that we are watching these proposals carefully.

I recently attended a town hall meeting by my congressman Rep Jack Kingston (R) Ga. While it was well conducted, and did not break down in to shouting matches; the emotion on the part of many was high. Mr. Kingston did an admirable job of speaking to their concerns and offering some alternatives of the GOP that were not addressed in HR 3200. Remarkably enough, the concerns I think are the most political were not brought up by folks in the meeting; with the sole exception of health care for Illegal Aliens (not gonna go PC here, they are what they are).

This week “The Snitch Issue” came to fore and added unproductively to the din; blame the White House for that. Especially since they are emailing their views as well, albeit not as effectively; though the stationary is nicer. But in fairness there are many emails being forwarded around the internet that of course are by design, hitting all the “Hot Buttons” of the American distrust of governments everywhere. People are showing up to these town halls with copies of these messages in hand and use them for a script to interrogate their congressman/senator.  Personally, I think that’s a good thing since they (our reps) get the big bucks to answer just these sorts of questions.

I’ve dissected one of these argumentative emails into three elements I call the Hot Buttons, The Bureaucracy, The Heavy Hand, and The Politics; and my collective thoughts simplified, on each of the three. I’ve also included links for further study for both the GOP, The Democrats, how to contact them, and a news link as well that may help sort through the chaff.

Pg 50 Section 152 of the HC Bill - HEALTHCARE will be provided to ALL non US citizens, illegal or otherwise

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Pg 65 Section 164 of the HC Bill - Payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in Unions & Community Organizations (ACORN)

Pg 91 Lines 4-7 of the HC Bill - Government mandates linguistic appropriate services - Example: Translation for illegal aliens

Pg 95 Lines 8-18 of the HC Bill - The Government will use groups i.e., ACORN & Americorps to sign up individuals for Government HC plan

Pg 170 Lines 1-3 of the HC Bill - Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay)

Pg 241 Lines 6-8 of the HC Bill - Doctors, doesn’t matter what specialty you have, will all be paid the same

Pg 321 Lines 2-13 of the HC Bill - Hospitals have opportunity to apply for exception (For expansion) BUT community input required. Can you say ACORN?!!

Pg 469 of the HC Bill - Community Based Home Medical Services = Non profit Organizations.  Hello, ACORN Medical Services has arrived!!!

Pg 472 Lines 14-17 of the=2 0HC Bill - PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS. 1 monthly payment to a community based organizations.  ACORN?

By my reading of HR 3200 ACORN is not specifically addressed but the tea leaves are pretty strong since these types of organizations tend to be on the left side of Speaker Pelosi. Requiring linguistic services seems to me to be a good thing no matter who it helps, after all no hospital denies care to those in need, this plan is supposed to be about how to get costs and coverage under control. It on the surface appears to fail miserably on both accounts and places private insurance coverage at risk.

It really all boils down to what is not in this bill that will end up making the changes work or not and that is how the rules are written. Most folks don’t realize that bills like this are deliberately vague so the administration through its department or agency can write the rules, to shape the programs into the political philosophy of the day. The above inclusions are so the payback can be written appropriately but may well help some other organizations instead. Let’s say for instance instead of ACORN we as a group insist these community groups must be associated with the Red Cross. They might well be of a mind to conduct the programs and generate the input apolitically.  

The emails floating around also include one from the White House the pertinent points are as follow:

It’s time to fix our unsustainable insurance system and create a new foundation for health care security. That means guaranteeing your health care security and stability with eight basic consumer protections:

• No discrimination for pre-existing conditions
• No exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles or co-pays
• No cost-sharing for preventive care
• No dropping of coverage if you become seriously ill
• No gender discrimination
• No annual or lifetime caps on coverage
• Extended coverage for young adults
• Guaranteed insurance renewal so long as premiums are paid

Over the next month there is going to be an avalanche of misinformation and scare tactics from those seeking to perpetuate the status quo. But we know the cost of doing nothing is too high. Health care costs will double over the next decade, millions more will become uninsured, and state and local governments will go bankrupt.

It’s time to act and reform health insurance, drive down costs and guarantee the health care security and stability of every American family. You can help by putting these core principles of reform in the hands of your friends, your family, and the rest of your social network.

Thank you,
Barack Obama

While these goals are admirable The cost and process is still not laid out or explained and what is conspicuous by it’s absence is any mention of HR 3200.

I think a lot of us think that our methodology of delivering healthcare services is a good one; but some of the rules and the way we pay for it needs adjustment. Here are the fundamentals that we think you the lawmakers, should keep your eyes on:

1. Universal Coverage for American Citizens and Authorized Residents via private sector.
2. Prohibit pre-existing condition exclusions on the part of insurers (including Medicare and Medicaid)
3. Foster more ways for the Insurers to compete with each other through public exchanges.
4. Take your time and do it right.
5. KIS (Keep it Simple)

Madame Speaker, scrap HR 3200 as no amount of lipstick is gonna pretty up this pig (We pay you guys to do better work than this). During the August recess, were I a Democrat, I would “listen loud and talk soft” with my constituents and start looking for real ways to fix this and explain it to us. Were I a Republican, I would start looking hard at real alternative solutions that could realistically be fought for in committee and added to a rethought Bill. A Bill that could be discussed in your next Town Hall Meetings over the Christmas – New Years Holidays (stay at work till then); with a reconciliation bill vote by Valentines Day.

To my fellow citizens I would ask you to start looking realistically at this problem, it is not going to be a zero sum game if real reforms are going to take place. Will these changes cost money? Yep at least in the short term, can they get cost under control? Yep if we modernize delivery and include preventative care, and take responsibility for our end of life care. Look, I’m a lot closer to end of life care than I am pediatric care and I’ve had the life experience with a Hero of a wife who had to face these issues before they were popular grist for this debate. Polycythemia Vera, is a disease that can have minimal impact if you are over 60, but it’s a certain death sentence when you’re 39. Her story is one I will tell in other places but she provided a clear heroes example of facing both the disease and the days she had left head on and making sure I understood her wishes.

If we are lucky we will all reach a point when we know our time is limited, we then have to ask our Doctors and ourselves some hard questions. Questions like, If I accept treatment, how long will it prolong my life? What will my quality of life be? Will the total cost of treatment be worth whatever burden it will place on my family?

I should mention here that I’m not a proponent of assisted suicide, but I don’t think it’s a crime either, that’s a personal choice that both the assistant and the assisted will have to reconcile with God in his time, as is abortion. On the later, I am certain there should be many restrictions, (stage of pregnancy, after birth life sustainability, dire physical risk to the mother, rape, incest as well.) I do not believe it’s an on demand right because it’s your body; it’s a Childs body and life too. The adoption alternatives are many and underutilized.

By now I reckon I’ve managed to piss off both of the right and left sides of this argument but I think you have to reconcile that this is the way most of us think, so take it in then both sides get to work and make it so, make it what’s best of America, for America, by America.