Federal politics matter on the local level. The votes of our Congressional representatives touch and affect our daily lives. And apparently my Congressional representative plans to stand with his fellow House Republicans in voting against health care reform.
I plan to attend Congressman Ed Royce’s town hall meeting this Saturday to ask him what Republican plans are, then, to provide health insurance coverage for 47 million uninsured Americans, including likely tens of thousands in his own district, which includes Fullerton, Placentia, Buena Park, Cypress and Stanton.
Rep. Royce wrote in a July 14, 2009 op-ed, “… the uninsured weigh heavily on our infrastructure and are a significant contributor to the escalating cost of coverage.” Royce penned nary a word about a helping hand for the unemployed, uninsured and underinsured citizens he represents.
Frankly, there’s little I don’t like and a lot I admire about the House Healthcare Bill, despite the bill being watered down by the Blue Dogs. (You can read a summary of Key Provisions of the House Healthcare Bill at my About.com article.)
Another question I hope to ask Rep. Royce is how Republicans plan to reform the egregious practices of private, for-profit health insurers. House legisation… the bill that Royce plans to vote down… also incorporates President Obama’s long overdue 8-point Health Insurance Consumer Protections, which includes:
- No pre-existing conditions to exclude coverage
- No dropping coverage due to serious illness
- Capping out-of-pocket expenses annually
- No gender discrimination
Join me if you can at Rep. Ed Royce’s town hall meeting at Placentia City Hall this Saturday, August 8th, from 1 to 2 pm. Let’s ask him how he plans to address the health insurance needs of his constituents if he plans to vote down America’s Affordable Health Choices Act.
Look here next week for my report on Rep. Royce’s responses.
I encourage every Representative to VOTE NO!! You are trying to overhall the entire system, THIS IS NOT REFORM…We have the best Healthcare in the world…people from all government run healthcare systems come here when they are sick and they can afford it…Our CANCER Survival Rate is double to triple of Britian and Germany…REFORM WOULD BE THE FOLLOWING: 1) Tort–Allow great doctors to pratice to be rewarded for their excellence 2) REFORM the VA and Medicare, the goverment HAS FAILED at running these agencies, why would we GIVE THEM more to do when thier track record is aweful 3) INSURANCE COMPANIES-They are only as good as the markets they are in, let them openly compete for our busness you wil quickly see an improvement…let our dollars regulate the insurance companies and the freemarket change them!!!
I do not want to LIVE IN a SOCIALIST system…I encourage everyone to write your representatives to defeat what is clearly NOT about HEALTH–VOTE NO!!!!
We have the most expensive health care system in the world, but the health of our population ranks 47th in the world. Capitalism is great, but even Adam Smith, who invented the concept, would tell you there are places in the economy where it is inappropriate. Health care is one of them. Health care insurers and pharmaceutical companies are making obscene profits. Vote YES – make it cheaper and more accessible to ALL of us.
Cassondra,
I’m happy that you believe that you have the best health care in the world, but for many of us, that’s simply not true. You should really check your facts. We’re ranked 37th in the world in health care…no where near where we believe the greatest nation in the world should be.
Americans are going to INDIA to get operations they can’t afford here at home. Twenty years ago, we would have laughed at that idea, but today, it is a necessity for many Americans in order to get the care they need.
If our system is so great, how come millions of Americans take field trips to Canada to get meds and check ups? Why do millions visit Mexico to buy their drugs?
The insurance companies have systematically refused to cover even basic operations for millions of us because they don’t want to pay anything if they can help it. You should talk to seniors who say Medicare is working for them.
Your point #3 is completely bogus. They’ve HAD the free market and have openly competed and have failed to live up to the promise of affordable healthcare for all…and yet their CEOs take home ever increasing salaries.
I hope you never have to find out how bad the system is. I sincerely hope you don’t have to pay for COBRA if you lose a job, or have to figure out how to pay for insulin when your insurance company says, sorry, pre-existing, we’re not covering you.
I had a friend who worked in claims for Aetna and told me horror stories about how they routinely purposely delayed procedures, made patients and doctors jump through hoops and then deny the claims at the 11th hour. It was their policy, not the aberration.
Do you really believe that the majority of Americans should have no access to health care? All the things you say you’re afraid of happening ALREADY ARE. Wake up before no one can afford health care in this country.
Ill-informed people such as Cassondra, is what is wrong with politics and society today. They can’t even see beyond the partisan box enough to see what is really going on. In their minds it’s all about Obama and the democrats, and wish to vote anything and everything down regardless if it improves our health care and life in general. Instead the scream at town-hall meetings about Socialism. It would be comical if it wasn’t so sad. Our health care is in shambles and it’s about time we wake up and reform it. I am sick and tires of these old loudmouths who are very selfish when it comes to health care. Ed Royce is antiquated, and it’s about time he realizes that the demographics of the areas he represents is changing rapidly, or he too will be voted out.
The difference is rather clear, Your position is you are comfortable with goverment control of youR medical choices, and using government, the most inefficent system available to manage you health care. I believe that individuals should be in charge of it, with as much choice as possible. A system proven again and again to lower costs, yet at the same time raise quality.
I am far from saying that the current system works. Adresss the real problems:
1) excessive lawsuits against medical personel – in Texas, then put limits on damages, thus, malpractice insurance dropped, and medical cost have dropped because physicans don’t need to charge as much, and more importantly, don’t have to perform tests based on protecting them against a lawsuit. Also, Texans have access to high quality care then the rest of us, because doctors are moving there because of the welcoming enviornemt. In case you didnt’ know, our State goverment has been driving quality doctors out of here for years. so Obama or not, CA is a desperate medical enviorment.
2) create more choice in the system by 1) tearing down state barriers, 2) provide ACCESS for individuals with pre-exisitng conditions (I talk about how later) As for being Misinformed on facts, please drop the tired arguement of 47 million people,and ranked 37th in the world. Its gotten old, fast. First of all, when you remove illegal aliens, people making over $50,000 who CHOOSE NOT to buy insurance, and individuals under 30, you are left with between 10-15 million. The poor aready get care from Medicaid, so we know these 10-14 million have “pre-existing conditions”. I 100% believe that we need to provide affordable coverage for them, by droping state barriers, requiring young people to carry catistrphic insurance (like everyone has to have auto insurance) and requiring insurance companies will accept all applicants (guaranteed issue, in insurance speak) is the way to go. “Expanding the risk pool” will help everyone, insurers and the insured.
As for the 37th in the world…please properly quote the stat. That’s ACCESS to health care. And even then that statistic is invalid, as every american has access to the care, then just need to pay for it on their own. Free health care is not free, its rationed care. and its paid for by everone. In Canada you have 100% access to all the tests and procedures you heart desires, its just doesn’t mean you be alive long enough to get it.
Focus on option that put the choice in the hands of the patient, not the government. Retool the system so insurance companies are serving patients, not the other way around. There are more step that can be done to accomplish this. There are sever more very viable ideas I can discuss, but I’ve made my point.
and OH MY GOD!!! you people live in California!!! you’ve seen how the goverment runs things!!! the waste is a nightmare!! our budget since 2004 has gone up 40% and are children are just as poorly educated, and our road just as worndown as ever. Repub or Dem, Goverment are THE LAST PEOPLE WE WANT RUNNING ANYTHING!!! We need to treat goverment officals like crack addicts!! give them bairly enough money to get the job done. What makes you think the Feds are any better?
So everyone, take a breath, stop with the all the name calling and consperiecy theories, and let talk about HEALTH CARE STRATEGIES THAT HAVE BEEN PROVEN TO WORK.
Clint:
I am standing up in my office clapping at you for your comment. It is one of the best responses I’ve read so far to the madness of Obamacare.
I think there are two kinds of supporters for Government run healthcare; the power grabbers and the government dependent.
The power grabbers seek to increase their control and power through increasing control on large budgets and programs people depend on. They are not concerned about people. They are fake socialists using socialism as a façade for personal gain. This group clearly includes Obama and the group of corrupted politicians lead by Pelosi and Reid in Congress. Plus all the local politicians that would see that power trickle down to them. And of course goes without saying that power will bring them personal financial gain.
The government dependent are those people who think that they are entitled to everything. They think that the government should take care of them. There was a perfect example of that in a clip that was going around after Obama won the election. The clip was of a woman that could not contain her excitement for Obama’s win. Her comment was something like: “now I don’t have to worry about anything. I know that Obama will help me pay for my car, my mortgage my everything
.