Hands on hypocrisy
Dear Editor:
Recently I read an article by Jim Zbick about "Obamacare" and last Wednesday an article from Gail Maholick about "Obamacare" and I truly admire the hypocrisy in our nation's healthcare debate and the lack of coverage of what our state legislature/Governor are up to in relation with "big government."
If you're telling the TN readers that Government mandated healthcare insurance is NOT ok, then you must also report that Tom Corbett is out-of-line with his endorsement of government mandated ultrasounds for women seeking an abortion. HB1077 not only mandates an UNNECESSARY medical procedure, it also mandates the doctor to place the ultrasound monitor right in front of the patient.
When asked about the placement of the monitor, and what if women didn't want to view the ultrasound Corbett replied, "You just have to close your eyes." That's right women, just close your eyes and accept this government mandated unnecessary procedure.
Corbett and the bill's supporters say that it is a woman's right to know before they terminate a pregnancy. First, you're saying that women are not competent enough to make such life decisions. Second, why is it the role of government to inform women about their procedures? Isn't that the role of the doctor? Third, if conservatives are against big government why aren't any of them crying fowl over HB1077 and why is our Republican Governor endorsing it?
When claiming that the President's healthcare plan is sponsored by the American taxpayer, does no one remember George W. Bush's Medicare part D plan? Medicare part D created trillions of dollars in UNFUNDED obligations.
Speaking of unfunded obligations, our stupendous Governor Corbett has managed to create a poll tax and a drug testing program for welfare recipients that will cost PA taxpayers millions. I am referring to the new Voter-ID law when I mention the poll tax.
Renewing a driver's license, passport, etc.… costs money. Since I am paying for this, and it is now required for voting, we are now required to pay a poll tax. Poll taxes are banned by the 24th amendment to the US constitution.
I would be in favor of this poll tax if there were evidence of voter fraud in PA. However, there have been ZERO reported cases of voter fraud.
Taxpayers are going to be paying for a problem that does not exist. When asked about this bill Corbett said, "When some of the precincts come in with a 112 percent reporting you have to scratch your head and say how does that happen?" I'm scratching my head at this blatant lie. No precinct has ever provided a 112 percent reporting.
As for the drug-testing, I'm all for welfare reform. But, let's reform welfare through the way we allocate money and resources to recipients. Drug tests are not free and they are not cheap. Furthermore, if one of the stipulations for getting a drug test is because he/she is receiving taxpayer money, then every single state and federal employee needs to be drug tested as they are also being paid with our taxpayer money.
I'm glad you used a quote from" weeper"of the house John Boehner. Boehner couldn't even pass a bi-partisan transportation bill though the house. So what exactly has this congress done? Remember when the message from the Right was, "Jobs, Jobs, Jobs?" Since Republicans have took control of state and federal legislatures there have been more debates and legislation passed about abortion laws and Planned Parenthood than there has been legislation passed to create jobs.
How quickly we forget the record number of filibusters during the health care debate by the Republican Party. According to CBS news, there were an astronomical 112 filibusters from the Republican Party in 2009 alone. On the campaign trail against Hillary Clinton, our President was against the idea of on individual mandate. However, when the party of "No" filibusters every bill presented blocking key healthcare components this is what you are left with, a REPUBLICAN idea from the mid 90's, the individual mandate. Republicans used the idea of an individual mandate in the mid 90's to appose then president Clinton's healthcare reform proposals, but since it's a Democrat trying to pass the individual mandate then it must be unconstitutional. Why wasn't this idea unconstitutional in the 90's?
Republicans prefer to fight a "social issues" war and stand on the sidelines trying to blame our President for the recovery not happening fast enough. President Bush passed two rounds of tax cuts while simultaneously entering us into two wars under false pretenses and passing Medicare part D. Hey Republican's, instead of trying to campaign on our President being a secret Muslim trying to destroy American, why don't you get your heads in the game and pass some job creating, deficit reducing, healthcare reforming legislation and campaign on what you have accomplished instead of a campaign of fear mongering propaganda.
The biggest misconception of "Obamacare" is that it is Government run. The only thing the government is trying "run", is making sure everyone gets into the healthcare market. You already pay for the uninsured through rising premiums.
People who have lost their jobs due to the recession or our Vets who are returning from our 10 year war and can't find employment need health insurance. Who pays for these people when they need a trip to the ER? You do with your premium. While under "Obamacare" yes, you will see an increase in taxes, you will also see your premiums drop.
Currently we spend more on healthcare than any other nation in the world. Yet, as of 2008 we were 43rd in infant mortality rate (behind countries like Slovenia and Cuba) and 47th in life expectancy (source: CIA Factbook). According to the Journal of American Medicine - Medicare, a Government program, operates with about 3% overhead. Non-profit insurance about 16% overhead and private insurance a staggering 26% overhead!
"Obamacare" is trying to set a benchmark that every insurance company spends at least 80 cents of every dollar toward health care and NOT on marketing and inflated salaries for CEO's. In 2009 the CEO of Aflac made over $6.3 million, the CEO of Cigna made over $11 million.
Dan Eggen of the Washington Post reported in July of 2009 that insurance companies were spending millions on lobbyists to influence the health care debate in favor of big business. PhRMA and The American Medical Association combined spent over $10 million in lobbying. In the 2nd quarter alone Blue Cross and Blue Shield spent $2.8 million on lobbyists. For 2009 Blue Cross and Blue Shield spent over $9.3 million to pay lobbyists.
You think insurance companies have your best interests at heart? How many of you reading are covered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield? How many of you reading could have used some of that $9.3 million or know someone who could have used some of that $9.3 million to cover a medical expense or pay for a prescription?
Health insurance companies have been spending over $20 million on lobbyists since 2009 and have spent over $260 million just on TV ads to shape the health care debate in their favor. Since we live in a swing state, expect to see your commercials filled with anti "Obamacare" ads as we approach November.
As you see every attack ad just think, that could have paid for someone's medical procedure or prescription. Instead your premiums are funding attack ads and spewing misinformation all while paying for uninsured Americans.
"Obamacare" is trying to create a set of rules for states to play by and letting the states, NOT the Feral Government determine how the exchange is set up. "Obamacare" is trying to ensure every state has consumer protection laws so insurance companies can't cherry pick people that have a preexisting condition or catastrophic illness.
Much like children's health insurance is set up (or how "Romneycare" is set up, and I happen to know some people living under "Romneycare" in Massachusetts and they say the healthcare is great). "Obamacare" is trying to ensure that every insurance company is working to spend 80 cents of every dollar toward healthcare and companies that aren't playing by that rule will have to reimburse its consumers by sending them a check.
The reason there hasn't been a "parade" for the new health care bill is because it is being implemented in stages and won't take full effect until 2014.
The argument over the individual mandate is a hurdle for "Obamacare" which I understand. The government mandating a person to buy anything is a valid argument. However, this isn't just "anything." At some point in a human life you need health care. Every single person reading this article will make a trip to the hospital at some point in his or her life. Personally, I'm in favor of universal health care for exactly that reason. There are some things the government can actually do well and I think health care is one of them. Medicare, Medicaid, or the GI Bill ring a bell? Government is for the people, by the people.
This "broccoli" argument from Justice Scalia is ridiculous. If someone comes to our country not eating broccoli, the price of broccoli does not rise. If someone comes to our country not participating in healthcare and goes to the hospital the price of healthcare does rise.
When it comes to health care my mind set is, "The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good" (Ann Landers). We also need to enforce our current immigration laws to keep uninsured illegal immigrants from driving up health care costs, we need to reform our allocation of welfare resources and how much welfare recipients receive/what they can access with that money, we need to ensure the unemployed are seeking employment, we need to impose term limits on every member of congress so they can not become "career politicians", and we need to get lobbyists out of Washington.
It is total hypocrisy to read about Tea Party groups, local 9/11 groups, and officials like Senator Toomey protest against "Obamacare" because it is "big government" while Tom Corbett is trying to use government to mandate unnecessary medical procedures and put up road blocks to voting right here in their backyard. You can go to healthcare.gov to get all the information you want about "Obamacare" and no where in the bill will you find mandated medical procedures. While I understand I am labeled a "socialist" for believing in universal health care, I don't think there is any question that our nation needs a serious healthcare overhaul. But lets debate based on facts, not lies and propaganda. When it comes to healthcare, we are all in this together.
Matt Kosciolek
mslk@yahoo.com
