There has been a lot of heated debate about the new Health Care reform bill that Congress recently passed.
I support health care reform. It would drive down health insurance costs and provide insurance to over 32M of the uninsured. Following are, as I see it, some pros and cons of the new health insurance reform bill:
+ There are not going to be any "death panels" deciding who will live and who will die. Where did this come from?
+ Getting treated in an emergency room is 3-4 times more expensive than a trip to the doctor’s office. When hospitals provide emergency care to rhe uninsured, they absorb millions in uncompensated costs. They must recover that money, meaning everyone’s costs go up. Tens of millions of insured Americans—and employers—pay a hidden tax, in the form of higher insurance premiums, higher deductibles, co-pays, and out-of-pocket expenses. Universal health insurance will cut those costs.
- Under the new plan there will be no negotiating with the drug companies for lower drug prices . The Veterans Administration negotiates with them and keeps drug costs down. By not negotiating lower drug prices, it is forcast that the there will be a 35 percent increase in the Medicare drug plan's 10-year cost estimate. Why won't the government negotiate for Medicare, Medicaid, and the new health care plan? Because the drug companies are the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill.
- I support a "public option", or government-run insurance plan similar to Medicare and Medicaid. Competition drives down insurance costs. Why won't the government offer a "public option"? The health insurance industry is another powerful lobby that spent millions on Capitol Hill.
+ According to an updated Congressional Budget Office estimate, the new plan will reduce the deficit by $143 billion over the first ten years.
There is so much misinformation out there that I have included this link to a summary of the new health care reform bill: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20000846-503544.html
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Contact Me: jacquelyn.k.thompson@hotmail.com
Contact Me: jacquelyn.k.thompson@hotmail.com
Welcome
Hello and Welcome:
Over the summer of 2010 I began to ask myself, "what do you do if two of our Rights, as citizens of these United States, are diametrically opposed?" I came to the only viable conclusion: you compromise. Our great Nation works when there is compromise.
Right now most of you will agree with me that our political system is broken. What we currently have is: the politics of destruction; special interest groups who have the power and money to dictate policy; politicians who must spend their time raising money for the next election instead of doing the People's business; and, there are those who are so concerned about getting re-elected they cede their responsibilities to the citizenry to those groups making the loudest noises and the greatest threats.
The attacks that we were inundated with during the this election cycle belittled the democratic process. Shame on everyone involved. And, shame on the political obstructionists who are more interested in gaining and maintaining power than doing the people’s business. During these very difficult times all of us should be supporting our President. The challenge for all of us is, how do we improve upon this imperfect union that we call the United States of America? One thing I know for certain...it is not by dividing us.
I can remember when I was sixteen years old there was a day when my father called out to me, "Jackie, come quickly. You have to hear this. It's Winston Churchill. Come listen." I raced to the radio and for the first time heard a recording of Churchill's speech to a Nation standing alone against the greatest evil the world has ever known: "...we shall defend our island no matter what the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; and we shall not surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until in God's good time, the New World, with all it's power and might, steps forth to the rescue and liberation of The Old."
That day my hero was born. Where are our heroes today? jkt
Over the summer of 2010 I began to ask myself, "what do you do if two of our Rights, as citizens of these United States, are diametrically opposed?" I came to the only viable conclusion: you compromise. Our great Nation works when there is compromise.
Right now most of you will agree with me that our political system is broken. What we currently have is: the politics of destruction; special interest groups who have the power and money to dictate policy; politicians who must spend their time raising money for the next election instead of doing the People's business; and, there are those who are so concerned about getting re-elected they cede their responsibilities to the citizenry to those groups making the loudest noises and the greatest threats.
The attacks that we were inundated with during the this election cycle belittled the democratic process. Shame on everyone involved. And, shame on the political obstructionists who are more interested in gaining and maintaining power than doing the people’s business. During these very difficult times all of us should be supporting our President. The challenge for all of us is, how do we improve upon this imperfect union that we call the United States of America? One thing I know for certain...it is not by dividing us.
I can remember when I was sixteen years old there was a day when my father called out to me, "Jackie, come quickly. You have to hear this. It's Winston Churchill. Come listen." I raced to the radio and for the first time heard a recording of Churchill's speech to a Nation standing alone against the greatest evil the world has ever known: "...we shall defend our island no matter what the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; and we shall not surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until in God's good time, the New World, with all it's power and might, steps forth to the rescue and liberation of The Old."
That day my hero was born. Where are our heroes today? jkt
