10/22/2009 4:36:00 PM Letter: Medicare reform good for seniors
Editor:
The medical insurance companies are spending $5 million a week to spread lies and confusion and creating fear about any overhaul of our health care system. Seniors especially are being targeted with cries of "death panels", and government "takeover" of their Medicare. (Which they fail to realize is one of the most successful government programs ever to have been devised and it is also to be noted, was passed over and above the Reagan administration's opposition that "it's socialized medicine and will destroy the private competition. Sound familiar?)
Seniors, stop being scared and listen to these five reasons why President Obama's plan for health insurance reform is good for you.
1. It will strengthen Medicare. Reform will improve Medicare's quality of care by cutting down on paperwork, focusing on wellness and prevention, and rewarding doctors for the care they provide instead of for how many procedures they do.
2. It will not cut our benefits. President Obama has clearly stated, "Nobody is talking about cutting Medicare benefits." An AARP study of the issue agrees that reform will simply eliminate billions in government giveaways via the Medicare Advantage programs that boost insurance company profits (thanks to the previous administration's legislation) but don't help folks like us.
3. It will save us money. Reform will close the doughnut hole in Medicare Part D (at least by half) that's costing people so much money for prescription drugs, and it will eliminate co-pays for preventative care like cancer screenings an immunizations.
4. It will save Medicare in the long run. If we do nothing, then, yes, costs will keep rising and the Medicare trust fund will be at risk of going bust within a decade. Reform will save Medicare from bankruptcy and ensure seniors get the care we need for years to come.
5. It will help our loved ones. Reform will extend coverage for every American struggling with our health insurance system by putting into place regulations that will not allow discrimination by age, gender, race, job, region of the country you live in, pre-existing conditions, that the insurance companies are getting away with inflicting upon us now.
So folks, get out there and write to your representatives: Ann Kirkpatrick in the House of Representatives, Senators Kyl and McCain and demand that they fight for us, their constituents, and not cave in to the lies and fears that even they are being targeted with from the forces that seek to profit from denying us proper health care for all Americans, not only seniors.
Lee Cali
Cottonwood
Reader Comments
Posted: Saturday, October 31, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
The health insurance companies are not your enemy and the government is not your friend. That 700 billion dollars in cuts from Medicare must come from somewhere.
USPS/IRS Health Care
Of those "50 million," that lack insurance there were 45,000 who died without health care. With health care, 98,000 died FROM health care because of malpractice.
The question is do we want to trust that largest corporation in the world, the U.S. Government.
Do not expect house calls anytime soon.
We have seen how well the government delivers on its promises and its bureaucracies pursue the money without giving us benefits on so many levels. Imagine another organ of the government that only ultimately must listen to the Secretary of the Treasury - another "service" of which is the IRS.
http://theprogressivecapitalist.blogspot.com/2009/10/affordable-health-care-for-america-act.html
I have listed a connection to the HR3962, a few videos, two summaries, and the new taxes coming from this health care "reform" on my blog listed above for detailed information.
