MI Rep Candice Miller On Healthcare "Reform" And My Response

This is a letter from MI Representative Candice Miller about healthcare "reform", and my response. 

--- On Fri, 7/24/09, Rep. Candice S. Miller <imami10@mail.house.gov> wrote:

From: Rep. Candice S. Miller <imami10@mail.house.gov>
Subject: Responding to your message
To: lipshon1097@yahoo.com
Date: Friday, July 24, 2009, 5:03 PM

Dear Ms. O.:

 Thank you for contacting my office about health care reform and the America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.  I appreciate hearing from you and I am pleased for the opportunity to respond. 

 It is undeniable that the health care system in the United States faces serious challenges.  Commonly cited figures indicate that more than 45 million Americans have no insurance, which can limit their access to care and their ability to pay for the care they receive. Costs are rising for nearly everyone, and the country now spends over $2.2 trillion, more than 16% of gross domestic product (GDP), on health care services and products, far more than other industrialized countries. 

As Congress works on health care reform, I believe that any plan to improve our nation's health system should focus on a few key issues.  In order to cut costs, we must identify and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuses of the system that drain billions of dollars every year on worthless expenditures. I believe that we need to proceed in a manner that preserves the patient-doctor relationship, in order to ensure that accessible health care is also quality health care. We must ensure that people who already have health insurance, and are comfortable with their current coverage, are able to keep what they have. 

 The America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, H.R. 3200, was introduced by Representative John Dingell on July 14th, 2009.  This bill would create a public option for health care.  One of the key aspects of H.R. 3200 would be the establishment of an Advisory Council, chaired by the Surgeon General, tasked with determining what health care plans would be legally required to cover or exclude.  Additionally, private and employer health care coverage mandates would be imposed, forcing private individuals to obtain "qualified" coverage or pay an additional penalty tax.  This reform plan would be paid for through a combination of cuts to the Medicare program and an additional tax on those above certain income levels.

In order to expand health care coverage, H.R. 3200 would introduce private and employer mandates.  For the private side, every individual who chooses not to obtain "qualified" coverage would be forced to pay a penalty of 2.5 percent of their modified adjusted gross income.  For the employer mandate, employers will have the option of providing health care for their workers or contributing 8 percent of their payroll to support the government health care plan.  If the health care plans being offered are not reasonably priced, there would be no incentive for businesses to hire new employees.

H.R. 3200 may also have the unintended consequence of infringing on the doctor-patient relationship.  Health care professionals are undoubtedly in the best position to determine how to treat illness and disease, and the creation of the Advisory Council is troubling.  Transferring health decisions over to bureaucrats would not only lead to lower quality care, but it would also stifle the competition and innovation that have made America a world leader in medical development, while at the same time changing coverage for people who may be satisfied with what they currently have.

 Most important, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that this bill will add over $1.28 trillion to the national debt by 2019.  Half of this alarmingly high figure will be paid for by a tax increase that is projected to fall disproportionately on small-business owners.  Additionally, the Director of the CBO testified before the Senate on July 16th that the health care overhauls proposed in this legislation would increase, not reduce, the growing long-term health care costs facing the government.  We cannot afford to continue adding to our national debt. 

 As Congress attempts to reform the health care system, I want to work with my colleagues in a bipartisan manner to ensure that health care is affordable, accessible, and of the highest quality.  Any attempt at reforming health care should focus on increasing savings, cutting wasteful spending, and improving the overall quality of care available in the United States.  I do not believe that H.R. 3200 properly addresses any of these concerns in a responsible manner, and so I will not be supporting this legislation if it comes to a vote in the House of Representatives.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me.  If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office.  For other statements and press releases regarding this issue and others, please visit my website at http://candicemiller.house.gov. 

 

MY RESPONSE:

 

Rep. Miller:
How about YOU offer the rest of US the same health insurance coverage that YOU, the rest of Congress, and YOUR FAMILIES recieve?  Why should WE go without, while YOU and the rest of the government get top notch, prime healthcare?  Why should WE foot the bill for YOUR healthcare, while YOU try to keep the rest of US from recieving the healthcare that WE deserve?  If you truly

"believe that we need to proceed in a manner that preserves the patient-doctor relationship, in order to ensure that accessible health care is also quality health care."

then, won't the insurance and healthcare YOU receive do that?  Aren't you happy with YOUR health insurance?  Would YOU be willing to give it up so that WE can ALL have access to healthcare?

 

Regards,

Elizabeth O.