Nov. 19,2009
Dear Friends of Liberty and American Medical Excellence,
The
House of Representatives squeaked through a health bill on
November 7th

by
a mere five votes, but our biggest battle is still looming - our
battle to hold back the Senate. A win in the Senate will prevent the
dismantling of American healthcare and the threat to our liberty. Your
hard work has helped turn the tide against passage of these
dangerous bills. I call upon you now to redouble your efforts and
take action as we approach our final fight.
The content of the House bill (H.R. 3962) reveals why this call to
action is necessary.
Here's what the government will require you to
do if the bill is enacted:
· Sec. 202 (p. 91-92) of the bill requires you to enroll in a
"qualified plan." If you get your insurance at work, your employer
will have a "grace period" to switch you to a "qualified plan,"
meaning a plan designed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
If you buy your own insurance, there's no grace period. You'll have to
enroll in a qualified plan as soon as any term in your contract
changes, such as the co-pay, deductible or benefit.
· Sec. 224 (p. 118) provides that 18 months after the bill becomes
law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services will decide what a
"qualified plan" covers and how much you'll be legally required to pay
for it. That's like a banker telling you to sign the
loan agreement
now, then filling in the interest rate and repayment terms 18 months
later.
On November 2, the
Congressional Budget Office estimated what the plans will
likely cost. An individual earning $44,000 before taxes who purchases
his own insurance will have to pay a $5,300 premium and an estimated
$2,000 in
out-of-pocket expenses, for a total of $7,300 a year, which is
17% of his pre-tax income. A family earning $102,100 a year before
taxes will have to pay a $15,000 premium plus an estimated $5,300
out-of-pocket, for a $20,300 total, or 20% of its pre-tax income.
Individuals and families earning less than these amounts will be
eligible for subsidies paid directly to their insurer.
· Sec. 303 (pp. 167-168) makes it clear that, although the "qualified
plan" is not yet designed, it will be of the "one size fits all"
variety. The bill claims to offer choice-basic, enhanced and premium
levels-but the benefits are the same. Only the co-pays and
deductibles differ. You will have to enroll in the same plan, whether
the government is paying for it or you and your employer are footing
the bill.
· Sec. 59b (pp. 297-299) says that when you file your taxes, you must
include proof that you are in a qualified plan or risk paying fines.
More Bad News: Porkers Live Off Fat of the
Land & Seniors Lose Out
Shockingly, more than half of the House bill has nothing to do with
making insurance better or more affordable. Instead, in these pages,
billions of dollars are diverted to the creation of new urban welfare
and diversity programs
with vague standards of accountability. Here are just a few of those
pork programs:
· Sec. 399V (p. 1422) provides for grants to community "entities" with
no required qualifications except having "documented community
activity and experience with community healthcare workers" to
"educate, guide, and provide experiential learning opportunities"
aimed at drug abuse, poor nutrition, smoking and obesity. "Each
community health worker
program receiving funds under the grant will provide services
in the cultural context most appropriate for the individual served by
the program."
These programs will "enhance the capacity of individuals to utilize
health services and
health related social services under Federal, State and local
programs by assisting individuals in establishing eligibility . . .
and in receiving services and other benefits" including transportation
and translation services.
· Sec. 222 (p. 617) provides reimbursement for culturally and
linguistically appropriate services. This program will train
health-care workers to inform
Medicare beneficiaries of their "right" to have an interpreter
at all times and with no co-pays for language services.
· Secs. 2521 and 2533 (pp. 1379 and 1437) establishes racial and
ethnic preferences in awarding grants for training nurses and creating
secondary-school health
science programs. For example, grants for nursing schools
should "give preference to programs that provide for improving the
diversity of new nurse graduates to reflect changes in the
demographics of the patient population." And secondary-school grants
should go to schools "graduating students from disadvantaged
backgrounds including racial and ethnic minorities."
· Sec. 305 (p. 189) Provides for automatic Medicaid enrollment of
newborns who do not otherwise have insurance. This provision is
separate from the one that makes Medicaid available to all adults with
incomes at or below 150% of the
federal poverty line
- which means about 21% of the entire U.S. population would be
eligible for this welfare program.
While pork programs make it possible for more people to live off
taxpayer dollars, an estimated $571 billion will be cut in future
Medicare funding to offset the tab for the health bill. That's about
a 10% reduction over the next decade, when almost 18 million baby
boomers will be turning 65 and entering Medicare! The President
insists these cuts won't affect senior care, but the House bill
fundamentally changes how Medicare pays doctors and hospitals,
permitting the government to dictate treatment decisions. Here's how:
· Sec. 1302 (pp. 672-692) moves Medicare from a fee-for-service
payment system, in which patients choose which doctors to see and
doctors are paid for each service they provide, toward what's called a
"medical home."
The medical home is this decade's version of HMO-restrictions on care.
A primary-care provider manages access to costly specialists and
diagnostic tests for a flat monthly fee. The bill specifies that
patients may have to settle for a
nurse practitioner rather than a physician as the primary-care
provider. Medical homes begin with demonstration projects, but the HHS
secretary is authorized to "disseminate this approach rapidly on a
national basis."
A December 2008 Congressional Budget Office report noted that "medical
homes" were likely to resemble the unpopular gatekeepers of 20 years
ago if cost control was a priority.
· Sec. 1114 (pp. 391-393) replaces physicians with
physician assistants in overseeing care for hospice patients.
· Secs. 1158-1160 (pp. 499-520) initiates programs to reduce payments
for patient care to what it costs in the lowest cost regions of the
country. This will reduce payments for care (and by implication the
standard of care) for hospital patients in higher cost areas such as
New York and
Florida.
· Sec. 1161 (pp. 520-545) cuts payments to Medicare Advantage plans
(used by 20% of seniors). Advantage plans have warned this will result
in reductions in optional benefits such as vision and dental care.
· Sec. 1402 (p. 756) says that the results of comparative
effectiveness research conducted by the government will be delivered
to doctors electronically to guide their use of "medical items and
services."
We must take a stand against these outrages.