Health Care Part 2: Congress Still Doesn't Listen

This summer the American people made it abundantly clear that they did not like and did not want the health care reform being proposed by Congress. Polls show that this is still true. Two-thirds of our representatives were unwilling to meet with their constituents. I can at least respect those who were willing to “take the heat”. I have waited to see the response of our representatives. At first they ”hunkered down”, but are now again beginning to try and push this unwanted, so called, reform down our throats.

The House is trying to “repackage” and combine their proposals. The bills don’t need to be repackaged; they need to be fundamentally changed. A bad bill is a bad bill. The House needs to consider what the people want and not just what Congress thinks they need.

The Senate is working on a supposedly bipartisan bill. If the government controls a co-op, it is still a public option. The bill is now being marked up in committee. It is being changed from a true effort of bipartisan legislation into the same kind of legislation that the public has already said that they do not want.

Is Congress unable or unwilling to listen to the American people? We do not want the government to run or control our health care. It doesn’t matter what Congress calls the plan. We do not want and can not afford a large, expensive new program. Congress has already spent all the money this country has and more. In this difficult time, citizens can not afford more taxes and fines are nothing but hidden taxes.

Significant changes can be made to our health care system that will make it more available and more affordable. These changes will not further bankrupt this country and will not cause more governmental intrusion in out lives. Congress needs to drop the public option. Congress needs to eliminate exclusions for pre-existing conditions. Congress needs to allow citizens to buy health care from any insurance company based in this country – across state lines. This would increase competition and lower costs. Congress needs to enact real tort reform. Cap “pain and suffering” awards and instigate a “loser pays” system for medical malpractice suits. This would discourage the practice of defensive medicine and lower malpractice insurance. This would lower health care costs. This has already been proven at the state level. Congress does need to address the fraud and waste in current government health care programs. Congress should not gut Medicare to provide health care to others. Congress can set a basic minimum of health care coverage, but not a maximum. Congress should eliminate comparative cost effectiveness in health care. People are not lab rats. These are just a few things that could be done to reform health care and would not put our country further in debt.

Signed,
The Electorate