Congress Can Do Better

The health care reform bills now being considered in the House and Senate are monstrosities. We were told that health care would be cheaper; would be higher quality; and include everyone. The American public was skeptical – apparently rightly so. These huge convoluted bills do the exact opposite.

Health care will cost more. Insurance premiums will go up because of punitive taxes and fines. Taxes will go up to help pay for the program. The national debt will go up. The Congressional Budget Office states that the House bill costs more than projected. Both versions will cost more than projected, since all government programs exceed their projected costs. These bills are too expensive.

The government option will drive private insurance companies out of business. Private companies can not compete with the might and power of the federal government. They can not compete with the federal government financially. The government can tax, print, and borrow at will.

The quality of health care will go down. As the rolls of Medicare increase, its budget is being cut by five hundred billion dollars. Of course, this will affect the quality. These bills add more patients to our health care system, but the number of doctors remains constant. Some type of rationing will be necessary. The government decides what type of treatment is required to be covered or not be covered by insurances. The government, not the doctors, decides what treatment is acceptable and “cost effective” – goodbye old folks.

While more people are covered, by no means are all legal Americans covered. This goal too was not met.

These are poorly crafted, inadequate, undesirable bills. Health care goals are not met. Can not Congress write a bill that provides high quality, affordable, health care to more people and still maintains the doctor-patient relationship? This needs to be done in the private sector. Medicare and Medicaid are poorly run and do not provide high quality health care. Do not denigrate the health care system we currently have. Congress can do better.

Signed,
The Electorate