Really, seriously – it’s time to finish health care. As President Obama said last night in his State of the Union address, “Do not walk away from reform. Not now. Not when we are so close. Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people.”
Bottom line: they need to get this done. 19 million young Americans don’t have health care. Over 44,000 people lose their health care every week. Insurance companies are still denying coverage to those with pre-existing conditions. Young and old are going into debt and declaring bankruptcy because of medical costs.
It’s time.
~Mary
Tags: Congress, health care, Obama
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Mary Bio: @Rockthevote Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com |
Wrong. Millions of young people don’t have heath insurance, not health care; and many of those choose not to purchase insurance because quite frankly they see it as a waste of money (many of them would be right in their assumption). Many more would like health insurance but the state they live in requires insurance companies to mandate policies cover ailments and procedures that drive up the cost and out of the range of affordability for a young working adult to to attain coverage. Still more young Americans would like to be able to purchase policies offered in neighboring states but the Federal Government prohibits this form of competition, which would help drive down costs of insurance. Finally, there are many young entrepreneurs and individuals doing freelance work whom are pilloried by the Federal Government when it comes to tax credits or being able to deduct self-employment health insurance; these people would like to purchase plans (I know I was one of them) but since the Government doesn’t afford this group of individual small business men and women the same tax advantages as large companies they simply can’t afford coverage.
You want health care reform that doesn’t require a super-majority to eek through both chambers? Stop trying to force this boondoggle of a bill down the throats of Americans and especially young Americans and fight for more competition across state lines, lessen the government mandates to lower the cost of coverage, demand meaningful tort reform to stop frivolous lawsuits that drive up the cost of health care, and work to get the government out of the doctor-paitent relationship.
That is meaningful reform that will have strong bipartisan support, not this multi-trillion cram job.
From The Hill:
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/78509-after-obama-rips-k-street-administration-invites-lobbyists-to-private-briefings
A day after bashing lobbyists, President Barack Obama’s administration has invited K Street insiders to join private briefings on a range of topics addressed in Wednesday’s State of the Union.
The Treasury Department on Thursday morning invited selected individuals to “a series of conference calls with senior Obama administration officials to discuss key aspects of the State of the Union address.”…
The invitation stated, “The White House is encouraging you to participate in these calls and will have a question and answer session at the end of each call. As a reminder, these calls are not intended for press purposes.”…
A handful of lobbyists told The Hill on Thursday morning that they received the invitations and were planning to call in.
Some lobbyists say they are extremely frustrated with the White House for criticizing them and then seeking their feedback. Others note that Democrats on Capitol Hill constantly urge them to make political donations.
One lobbyist said, “Bash lobbyists, then reach out to us. Bash lobbyists [while] I have received four Democratic invitations for fundraisers.”…
Lobbyists say the Obama White House has held many off-the-record teleconferences over the past year…Another lobbyist said these types of teleconferences occur “all the time.”
And that is why many on K Street are exasperated with Obama’s use of lobbyists as a punching bag. Some have said they understood why he used strong rhetoric on the campaign trail but are irritated the White House solicits their opinions while Obama’s friends in Congress badger them for political donations.
Why, oh why, does RTV think that the health care reform is any different in the way it is being crafted?
Heaolthy young people (like me) do not want to be fined $750 to buy health insurance I don’t need. I have a $110/month “disaster policy” that I am quite happy with. RTV, usually I am on your side on issues, but this bill is a financial disaster for the 18-29 healthy folks like myself. Now if they would take out the $750 fine, I would be on your side.
It scares the hell out of me to think Uncle Sam will be able to dictate what kind of health care or health insurance I can have. I’m also scared that inserting a GS-07 Government employee between me and my doctor won’t bring down the cost of my insurance, but will, in the long run, cost me more. Whether you call it income tax or an insurance premium, somebody has to pay for health care. Today, I’m reasonably satisfied that I’m paying for my health care. If this bill passes, I’ll be paying for my health care and a lot of others health care who up to now couldn’t afford it. And, so we’re clear, health insurance and health care are two different things. Just because I have government sponsored health insurance, does not mean I’ll have any better health care than I have now. The price of health insurance today could be reduced drastically if State Insurance Boards did the job they were designed to do. Make sure Insurance Companies are providing good coverage at reasonable, competitive prices, instead of forcing insurance companies to work within antiquated, biased guidelines that just don’t fit today’s environment. I don’t think we can accomplish anything by federalizing health care. I’ll be the first to stand up for a program that makes health insurance and health care more available and affordable to a broader sector of Americans. Just don’t ask me to stand up for a process that I am quite sure won’t work and will jeopardize the health care we now enjoy.