House health care bill expected to go to a vote Saturday

  Representative Steny Hoyer AP photo

Representative Steny Hoyer stated that he expects the health care bill to come to a vote as early as Saturday, November 7, 2009. As Democrats push to have this bill passed hastily, there are still issues to work out.

It has yet to be decided whether this plan would cover federally funded abortion and care for illegal aliens. President Obama surprisingly does not support care for illegals, but is being lobbied by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to change his position.

On October 29, 2009, Rep. Steny Hoyer issued a press release announcing the introduction of House Bill #3962, the Affordable Health care for America Act 0f 2009. In this press release, Hoyer included selected "major provisions of the act" as follows;

• A new Health Insurance Exchange, a one-stop comparison shopping marketplace, including a public option to compete with private insurers to help lower costs and improve coverage.
• Affordability credits to help low-income Americans buy insurance
• Improved Medicare benefits by closing the prescription drug "donut hole" immediately to lower drug prices for seniors faster, and extending Medicare solvency.
• Extended coverage for young Americans, allowing them to stay on their parents' health insurance plans up to their 27^th birthday.
• An end to discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, like diabetes, a heart condition, or cancer; and prevention of insurance companies from dropping coverage if someone becomes sick
• Elimination of co-pays for preventive and wellness care
• Annual caps on out-of-pocket expenses at $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for families
• Removal of yearly or lifetime cost caps on what insurance companies cover

A few things should grab your attention here. First, the "public option to compete with private insurers." No private company in any industry could compete with a government run program. If a private entity runs out of money, they go out of business. If the government runs out of money, they operate in a deficit. Deficit spending is not an option for private companies.

A "public option" would actually result in state run (read socialist) health care as all the private insurers go under. With the destruction of the insurance industry, will come a drastic increase in unemployment and a reduction.

According to a 2007 America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) report, the health insurance industry employed over 470,000 people and contributed to upwards of $14.8 billion dollars in state insurance premium taxes in 2004 alone, estimates have the number hovering around 500,000 currently.

Medical Mutual of Ohio Manager of Media Relations, Ed Byers, in a phone interview, advised that there are approximately 1,500 Medical Mutual employees in downtown Cleveland alone, with more than 2,600 total employees.

These are the hidden costs of Obamacare. In addition to the estimated $1 trillion dollar increase in the deficit, approximately $15 billion dollars in tax decreases, and the addition of approximately 500,000 to the unemployment and uninsured rolls and the loss of income tax paid by employed health insurance employees.

Who then will be able to afford the annual out of pocket cap of $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 cap for families proposed by this act? The median annual income of a family of four in Ohio is $74,234. The cost of raising a child in the mid-west averages $16,107.69 ($15,036 in 2006 dollars.) The cost of raising 2 children in a median income family of four and paying the $10k cap is $42,215.48 leaving only $32,018.52  for everything else (bills, parents needs, utilities, etc.)

Another hidden cost is the humanity. According to Mr. Byers, Medical Mutual's Cleveland branch alone sponsored approximately a dozen Make-a-Wish Foundation requests as well as sponsoring the Walk-for-Wishes, American Heart Association Kids Zone, and The Outstanding Senior Volunteer Award. Employees also join in the spirit of volunteering through SHARE (Serve Help Aid Reach and Educate). This is but a few contributions this company makes to the community in addition to providing local employment

The public has been against public health care at least since 1942. In the Cato Journal a publication of the Cato Institute, citing a 1942 poll in Fortune Magazine, stated that 76.3 percent of the public at that time were saying that the government should not provide free medical care. This opinion had not changed through 1993, 51 years later when the public majority was against socialist health care and the same is true today, 67 years later.

Is not the foundation of a democracy the rule of majority? Yet there are still "representatives" who vote against the wishes of their constituents. Do they not realized that the root of representative is represent.  A perfect example is this video of Barney Frank telling his constituents that he votes in his interests and not that of the majority.

There is only one way to get the attention of these so called representatives, and politicians in general. We must vote them out of office. Call your Congressmen/women and Senators. Make them listen to you. As a note, I contacted Tim Ryan and Sharrod Brown telling them we do not want socialist health care. Both responded with form letters thanking me for my support of health care reform. Neither will receive my vote next election.

You will get blown off by these prima donnas, but do not let this deter you. Remember, in the end, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Keep the pressure on and show them that we are taking back our government from the socialists and communists. Common sense is making a comeback.