A friend wrote a letter to Sen. Chambliss regarding his vote for the healthcare bill. Here is his response. I am posting because it has good info. for an alternative and he outlines the reasons he wouldn't vote for the now dead bill.
Dear Ms. M:
Thank you for contacting me regarding your concerns about health care reform. It is good to hear from you.
After several weeks of backroom deal-making, partisan arm-twisting and special carve-outs for wavering senators, the Senate voted on party lines 60-39 to pass health care reform legislation.
I voted against it, due to both the content of the bill and the way it was kept secret from many senators and from the American people. Our health care system needs reforming, but this is not the way to revamp a sector that represents 17 percent of America's economy.
I also voted against cloture, because I believed the Senate should continue to debate a bill that would, among other bad choices, cost $2.5 trillion when fully implemented over 10 years, increase taxes by $494 billion, cut Medicare by $465 billion, and would not bend the federal cost curve down.
The Senate is following the House of Representatives, which recently passed its own version of a health care bill, H.R. 3962, the "Affordable Health Care for America Act," by a narrow partisan margin. The two partisan bills are on track to be reconciled into one piece of legislation.
Aside from the bill's budget-busting cost, seniors and taxpayers would be faced with many undue burdens. By paying for these new provisions by cutting Medicare, a program that is already in danger of becoming insolvent, many Americans my age will see their benefits and access to care severely diminished in order to establish new entitlement programs. Congress cannot continue ransacking Medicare funds to implement new government entitlement programs.
I also oppose a mandate on small businesses to cover the costs of their employees. The health care industry itself will also feel more than $100 billion in taxes and fees, which will be shifted directly to the American people in the form of higher premiums. Also, during an economic downturn, individuals would be taxed a total of $8 billion for not purchasing insurance the government deems appropriate. The Senate bill does not contain a public option, which I oppose.
The number of uninsured Americans continues to rise, along with the premiums and out-of-pocket expenses incurred by insured consumers. We in Congress need to address this problem by searching for effective ways to expand access to adequate, affordable medical care for all Americans in a fiscally responsible manner, not by expanding government, slashing Medicare and trading votes for sweetheart deals for Nebraska, Florida and Vermont.
The Senate has moved too quickly with radical proposals that may not achieve their worthy objectives. This rush to legislative passage will limit Americans' access to health care and lower quality while increasing taxes and the nation's debt. Instead of ramming through legislation - largely kept secret until this week - to overhaul our entire health care system, we should be focused on incremental reform to improve the areas of greatest need.
As I mentioned above, America is in need of health care reform. That's why I am an original cosponsor of S. 1099, the "Patients' Choice Act," which was introduced on May 20, 2009, and was referred to the Committee on Finance.
That legislation would make health care coverage accessible and affordable for all Americans through private insurance coverage while promoting prevention and wellness which can improve lives and lower medical costs. It would also put Americans in charge of their own health care by giving them a tax rebate of $2,300 for individuals and $5,700 for families to buy health insurance. It would allow patients to comparison shop for health care the same way they do for other products and services, and would allow them to keep their coverage if they changed jobs. Individuals with preexisting conditions could not be turned down or denied coverage.
To be effective, any health care bill must also address tort reform, which the Senate bill does not. I am an original cosponsor of S. 2662, the "Fair Resolution of Medical Liability Disputes Act of 2009," which would create a system of preliminary non-binding arbitration for medical malpractice claims. If one or both parties involved reject the arbitrator's decision, they can take the claim to court, but the losing party would have to pay the winning party's legal fees.
Americans are right to demand access to affordable health care. But the Senate bill is bad legislation. It is a political victory - not a substantive one - that will actually make health care more expensive.
I appreciate your comments on this important matter, and will keep your views in mind as the final version of the bill returns to the Senate. I will continue to oppose a bill that significantly raises taxes, cuts benefits for seniors, adds to the federal deficit and allows the government to make decisions that should be between you and your doctor.
If you would like to receive timely e-mail alerts regarding the latest congressional actions and my weekly e-newsletter, please sign up via my Web site at: www.chambliss.senate.gov. Please let me know whenever I may be of assistance.
Replies
14
Beach Fanatic
1. Tort reform. Similar to what is suggested above.
2. Healthcare portability.
3. Coverage for all with pre existing conditions
4. Selling of health insurance across state lines.
5. Coverage for catastrophic health conditions.
These are the things that should be included in any new healthcare bill, IMO. Also, there should be comprehensive healthcare coverage but not what is now on the table.
2. Healthcare portability.
3. Coverage for all with pre existing conditions
4. Selling of health insurance across state lines.
5. Coverage for catastrophic health conditions.
These are the things that should be included in any new healthcare bill, IMO. Also, there should be comprehensive healthcare coverage but not what is now on the table.
SoWal Insider
Recent personal experience of an uninsured family:
My 3 yo got sick Christmas Eve. Over the following days, she seemed to get worse. On a Saturday afternoon, my husband wanted me to take her to the ER. She had flu-like symptoms. Really bad cough, fever. She would lose her breath during a coughing spell. So off we went. Sat in the waiting room about 30 minutes before she was called back. A nurse took her temp, blood pressure, weight, height etc. and then we went to an ER room. A doctor came in, looked in her ears and throat while we chatted about her symptoms. I said she sounded like she was barking when she coughed. He immediately decided that she had the croup. ( i think i gave him the diagnosis when i said 'barking cough') He spent a total of 5 minutes with us, if that. This is my bill.......so far. :roll:
ER visit low-severity: $390.00
physician : $162.00
$552.00 for a 15 min. visit plus $80 in prescriptions.
My 3 yo got sick Christmas Eve. Over the following days, she seemed to get worse. On a Saturday afternoon, my husband wanted me to take her to the ER. She had flu-like symptoms. Really bad cough, fever. She would lose her breath during a coughing spell. So off we went. Sat in the waiting room about 30 minutes before she was called back. A nurse took her temp, blood pressure, weight, height etc. and then we went to an ER room. A doctor came in, looked in her ears and throat while we chatted about her symptoms. I said she sounded like she was barking when she coughed. He immediately decided that she had the croup. ( i think i gave him the diagnosis when i said 'barking cough') He spent a total of 5 minutes with us, if that. This is my bill.......so far. :roll:
ER visit low-severity: $390.00
physician : $162.00
$552.00 for a 15 min. visit plus $80 in prescriptions.
Beach Fanatic
ER visit low-severity: $390.00
physician : $162.00
$552.00 for a 15 min. visit plus $80 in prescriptions.[/quote]
Glad that she got taken care of...I realize it is hard not having insurance, but perhaps one of the many walk in clinics in the area would have been the best place to go rather than the ER. The ER is really not a medical center for common ills...sometimes folks treat it as such, but it usually is for medical emergencies. Everything is costly when you go there!
Perhaps your child would qualify for: Florida Kid Care. Might want to check it out. As parents you are going to be facing lots of bad colds, and sore throats and hacking coughs and fevers. They even cover prescriptions.
Florida KidCare
physician : $162.00
$552.00 for a 15 min. visit plus $80 in prescriptions.[/quote]
Glad that she got taken care of...I realize it is hard not having insurance, but perhaps one of the many walk in clinics in the area would have been the best place to go rather than the ER. The ER is really not a medical center for common ills...sometimes folks treat it as such, but it usually is for medical emergencies. Everything is costly when you go there!
Perhaps your child would qualify for: Florida Kid Care. Might want to check it out. As parents you are going to be facing lots of bad colds, and sore throats and hacking coughs and fevers. They even cover prescriptions.
Florida KidCare
SoWal Guide
Recent personal experience of an uninsured family:
My 3 yo got sick Christmas Eve. Over the following days, she seemed to get worse. On a Saturday afternoon, my husband wanted me to take her to the ER. She had flu-like symptoms. Really bad cough, fever. She would lose her breath during a coughing spell. So off we went. Sat in the waiting room about 30 minutes before she was called back. A nurse took her temp, blood pressure, weight, height etc. and then we went to an ER room. A doctor came in, looked in her ears and throat while we chatted about her symptoms. I said she sounded like she was barking when she coughed. He immediately decided that she had the croup. ( i think i gave him the diagnosis when i said 'barking cough') He spent a total of 5 minutes with us, if that. This is my bill.......so far. :roll:
ER visit low-severity: $390.00
physician : $162.00
$552.00 for a 15 min. visit plus $80 in prescriptions.
wow. the cost of not having insurance is crazy - in many ways.
Americans need quality, affordable, accessible health care and I believe it should be available for every single citizen. I wish the politics could just be set aside for just a little while and let real ideas and solutions come forth, and then develop fully without having to give up on some of the relevant parts due to political games (deals) and outside influences such as big insurance companies.. is that really too much to ask for? change is hard. but not impossible.
SoWal Expert
One of the biggies IMO is how do we get costs under control - I find it scary how easily a minor ailment or accident can rack up the bills.
Bureaucracy/overhead has to be a big part, as does fraud.
Bureaucracy/overhead has to be a big part, as does fraud.
SoWal InsiderAuthor
ER here is a lot cheaper. I wonder why. SSB, I'm sorry she was sick for Christmas and I hope she is much better.
Glad some people stood up to the proposed bills and spoke out. Those men and women are being called 'heroes.' All of them agree in reform. I think we'll have something positive come out of this.
Glad some people stood up to the proposed bills and spoke out. Those men and women are being called 'heroes.' All of them agree in reform. I think we'll have something positive come out of this.
Edited
SWGB
Glad that she got taken care of...I realize it is hard not having insurance, but perhaps one of the many walk in clinics in the area would have been the best place to go rather than the ER. The ER is really not a medical center for common ills...sometimes folks treat it as such, but it usually is for medical emergencies. Everything is costly when you go there!
Perhaps your child would qualify for: Florida Kid Care. Might want to check it out. As parents you are going to be facing lots of bad colds, and sore throats and hacking coughs and fevers. They even cover prescriptions.
Florida KidCare
Perhaps you could help her out by listing the free or reduced clinics that would have been open on Christmas EVE?
As a friend of mine told me. If you're ever looking for a good ass whooping question a mother about the decisions she makes regarding her children.
SWGB
SSB, I'm not sure what it's called, but Sacred Heart does have a program to assist in paying medical bills. At least those incurred through the hospital. Some bills will come from 3rd parties that aren't covered.
SoWal Expert
It wasn't Christmas Eve, but it was a saturday afternoon.
One thing I keep hearing is that when both parents work there isn't a good way to get the kids to a doctor w/o taking the day or half a day off of work. Are there places that have extended hours that are a better option than the ER?
I would REALLY love to get a good explanation as to why 15 minutes and no tests or medicine costs $552.
Might shed a lot of light onto the ballooning health care costs we are all dealing with.
One thing I keep hearing is that when both parents work there isn't a good way to get the kids to a doctor w/o taking the day or half a day off of work. Are there places that have extended hours that are a better option than the ER?
I would REALLY love to get a good explanation as to why 15 minutes and no tests or medicine costs $552.
Might shed a lot of light onto the ballooning health care costs we are all dealing with.
SWGB
It wasn't Christmas Eve, but it was a saturday afternoon.
One thing I keep hearing is that when both parents work there isn't a good way to get the kids to a doctor w/o taking the day or half a day off of work. Are there places that have extended hours that are a better option than the ER?
I would REALLY love to get a good explanation as to why 15 minutes and no tests or medicine costs $552.
Might shed a lot of light onto the ballooning health care costs we are all dealing with.
My 3 yo got sick Christmas Eve
I'm betting if she doesn't pay the next one will be $553 to try and recover the original visit. People who scream socialism when discussing universal health care seem to forget that they are generally already paying for the uninsured.
Beach Fanatic
I would REALLY love to get a good explanation as to why 15 minutes and no tests or medicine costs $552.
I saw a really good explanation of this on a PBS show about healthcare costs.
In the ER, you are paying for all of the equipment and all of the medical expertise that is just sitting there, in case it is needed. In this case, all that was needed was a pediatrician and a tongue depressor, but remember, at the hospital ER you would have had access to almost any diagnostic machine, trauma medicine specialists, cardiologists, neurologists, a full operating room and even a helicopter to take you to a different facility if needed. They are prepared to deal with anything.
That's what makes the ER different than the walk-in clinic, and that's why ER people will tell you to go to the walk-in clinic if you're not having a heart attack or have been shot.
SoWal Insider
I Appreciate all of the input on my personal experience. Let me say, too, that I'm not an over-reactive parent. If it had just been up to me, she would never have gone. My husband, on the other hand, goes into a panic when his children are sick. I should have looked into the walk-in clinics first. But dealing with a sick baby and a freaked-out husband doesn't leave much room for rationality. it's what i did at the time and while i have no regrets, the billing to me seems outrageous for the service that was provided. Being charged for equipment that's available is BS IMO. And let me assure you, if i had flashed them a blue cross card, there would have been oooodles of unnecessary tests, xrays, equipment used to run up the bill .... That's the way i see it.
As far as the hospital helping with the bill, they give you a form to fill out for financial assistance. However, you have to apply for Medicaid first, and be turned down for the hospital to lower your rate. As of right now, waiting to see if we qualify for medicaid. Swell.
As far as the hospital helping with the bill, they give you a form to fill out for financial assistance. However, you have to apply for Medicaid first, and be turned down for the hospital to lower your rate. As of right now, waiting to see if we qualify for medicaid. Swell.
SoWal InsiderAuthor
1. Tort reform. Similar to what is suggested above.
2. Healthcare portability.
3. Coverage for all with pre existing conditions
4. Selling of health insurance across state lines.
5. Coverage for catastrophic health conditions.
These are the things that should be included in any new healthcare bill, IMO. Also, there should be comprehensive healthcare coverage but not what is now on the table.
Hey Andy! I agree that tort reform should be where we start. We do have portability with the inception of HIPAA, even for individual plans. When you leave one carrier, you recieve a certificate of continuous coverage. Pre-ex is one to work on, but is presently covered for all group plans, even if your group is only two people. If a carrier is licensed with a particular state, they can write business in that state. Agents have to be duly licensed in each state, however. Catastrophic coverage was the original insurance plan and we still have those plans; they are incredibly affordable.
Tort reform, punitive ramifications for frivolous lawsuits, allowing the doctors decide the care for the patient, pharma reform and efforts to keep competition healthy. I don't know the exact numbers, but I suspect capping lawsuits and pharma reform will save billions each year.
If each state proposed changes and their legislature could pass those changes, there would be a great deal more people covered, but we still have to educate on their responsibility and keeping the coverage. Again, many people choose to self-insure. Some buy drugs, maintain some luxuries instead of insurance and that is their choice.
I remain hopeful that proper reform will be passed! ;-)
SoWal Guide
I'm betting if she doesn't pay the next one will be $553 to try and recover the original visit. People who scream socialism when discussing universal health care seem to forget that they are generally already paying for the uninsured.
and paying out the wazzooo for our own, disease-based health care.
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