the TRULY poor, not those who chose cable TV, SUV's, and other "luxuries", but whine because they can't afford health insurance.

As costs escalate due to new technology, which is very expensive,

why pay twice?

Did we learn nothing in the recent mortgage crisis

The rhetoric surrounding "you'll be able to keep your own insurance policy if you want" is also complete crap. Sure, you can keep it, but why would you (or your employer) continue to pay an insurance company when the "public option" is available at no additional costs. You're already paying the taxes to support that plan, why pay twice?

Another issue with the reform bill is that it would require insurance companies to provide coverage without regard to pre-existing conditions.

The reform bill is froth with unrealistic expectations and needs to be massaged in a sensible fashion.

The rhetoric surrounding "you'll be able to keep your own insurance policy if you want" is also complete crap. Sure, you can keep it, but why would you (or your employer) continue to pay an insurance company when the "public option" is available at no additional costs. You're already paying the taxes to support that plan, why pay twice?

Thank you for contacting me about health care reform. This is one of the most important issues facing our country. At this critical time I am working hard to ensure that every American has access to quality affordable health care and to reduce the costs of health care for families and the federal government.



On July 14, 2009, America's Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R. 3200) was introduced and referred to the three committees of jurisdiction in the House of Representatives: the Committee on Ways and Means, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the Committee on Education and Labor. Since that time all three Committees have held hearings and markup sessions and have reported their versions of the bill to the full House. Congress has spent a tremendous amount of time considering this issue. In just two years there have been 79 congressional hearings, 550 town hall meetings, and more than 45 hours of debate on amendments in the committees. In addition, as Chairman of the Democratic Caucus I recently organized a five hour meeting of all the Democratic members where we went through the bill section by section to answer any and all questions or concerns about the bill.



While this legislation continues to be a work in progress, the bill that was introduced would put us on a path to containing costs, increasing access, and improving quality in our health care system. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has indicated that the House bill would not increase the federal deficit and will result in 97 percent of Americans having access to affordable health insurance. For the First Congressional District, H.R. 3200 would mean that 42,000 additional residents would gain access to health insurance coverage, 15,800 small businesses would be eligible for a tax credit to defray the costs of providing insurance coverage to employees, and nearly 1,000 families would not face a bankruptcy filing because of burdensome health costs. In addition, almost 10,000 seniors in the District would avoid the so-called "doughnut-hole" for prescription drugs in Medicare Part D, saving them thousands of dollars each year. This bill is truly comprehensive and while I will address some of its components in this letter I would invite you to read the attached information and to visit my website (Larson.house.gov) to learn more.


Insurance market reforms



Over 200 million Americans have private health insurance plans, and the majority of these plans are accessed through the workplace. H.R. 3200 builds on the principle that if you like the plan that you have you can keep it. However despite having coverage, many families have found that when a family member becomes sick and needs care for treating a catastrophic condition like cancer, their policy does not provide adequate coverage leading them to financial debt and in many cases bankruptcy. For those who do not have insurance coverage, finding a policy on the individual market can be nearly impossible because of pre-existing health condition exclusions and rating practices that make insurance coverage unaffordable. This has become an especially difficult problem during this economic downturn as millions of Americans have lost their jobs and their health benefits with it.



H.R. 3200 seeks to address these problems in several ways. First, it would end the practices of pre-existing condition exclusions and recissions, which have left millions of Americans without coverage simply because they became ill. Recissions in particular have left families in dire situations as they had paid into an insurance plan only to have it taken away when they became ill. Under this bill, insurance companies would no longer be allowed to continue this policy. Second, it would ensure that insurance companies accept every application for coverage and limit some of the industry practices that have made coverage unaffordable for those seeking a policy after they've lost or changed their job. Finally, it would require that every plan has a minimum standard of benefits, including a limitation on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses an individual or family would have to pay each year and no annual or lifetime limitations on coverage.



In addition, America's Affordable Health Choices Act would create a new marketplace for families to purchase health insurance coverage. The "Health Insurance Exchange" would provide a transparent market where consumers can choose from a range of private health insurance options, along with a public option. Within the Exchange consumers are empowered to choose the best plan for their family and will not be forced by their employer or the government to choose a particular plan. To help offset costs of purchasing a policy within the exchange, individuals may receive a subsidy on a sliding scale. However, everyone (even those on the lowest end of the income scale) would have to pay something toward premiums and copayments.



Small business



Small businesses would benefit in a number of ways from H.R. 3200. First, the bill provides tax credits to employers who offer health care coverage. This would not only help businesses currently offering coverage to their employees but would create an incentive for additional small businesses to offer a health plan. Currently only 45 percent of businesses with less than 10 employees offer coverage, mainly because of the high costs.



The bill also provides small businesses with an additional option to allow their employees to purchase coverage through the Exchange. Based on the size of their business, the employer could opt to pay a small fee and his/her employees would then be free to purchase a policy of their choice through the Exchange. Recognizing that the fee may be unaffordable to some businesses, the legislation would exempt many small businesses from the fee depending on the size of their payroll. In addition to increased options for providing coverage to employees, because of the insurance market reforms contained in the bill, small businesses would no longer be subject to the large year-to-year premium increases that occur all too often because of a sick employee or aging workforce.



Coverage for every American



This legislation is projected to result in 97 percent of Americans having health insurance coverage. As the bill creates new incentives for employers to offer coverage, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has predicted that employer-sponsored coverage will not just remain stable, but would in fact increase over time. The Health Insurance Exchange would simply provide an additional option for individuals and small businesses. CBO projects that by 2019, 30 million individuals will be enrolled in a health care plan through the health insurance exchange, with 10 million electing to enroll in the public option.



Medicare



Medicare beneficiaries would immediately see a difference from this bill. Starting immediately, preventive services like cancer screenings in Medicare will no longer require a copayment. The bill would also eliminate over time the "doughnut hole" in Medicare Part D, which has left millions of seniors vulnerable to unaffordable prescription drug costs. Finally, the bill would reduce inefficiencies, fraud, and abuse in Medicare and would begin new programs to better coordinate care for patients.



A final point on the Medicare changes. Despite erroneous reports, this legislation would not require end of life consultations or forced euthanasia. The bill simply allows Medicare to reimburse a doctor when a patient voluntarily chooses to consult him/her about end of life planning. This would allow for greater access to conversations with doctors about advance directives, living wills, and other end of life decisions. This provision promotes patient choice, so that patients can have access to these services should they choose to seek them, but are in no way required to do so.



The process of moving a momentous bill such as health reform through Congress is certainly not an easy task and requires a great deal of negotiation. Some have expressed concern that this legislation would be "forced through the Senate" in a process called "reconciliation," which would simply require a majority vote. With an issue as important as health reform, please know that we are committed to carefully considering the legislation and taking all viewpoints into account.



In sum, this legislation would not only provide access to coverage to the 46 million uninsured in our country, but would provide reforms that will reach every family, insured or uninsured. No longer will a family have to worry that they will not have health insurance coverage because they lose their job. No longer will we allow families to go bankrupt because their insurance policy did not provide adequate coverage when their child was born with a medical condition or got cancer. No longer will we allow insurance companies to take back a policy because you get sick.


As we continue to make progress in this historic effort to reform health care I look forward to your continued input. Thank you again for writing and please do not hesitate to contact my office in the future on this or any other issue.




Sincerely,

JOHN B.LARSON
Member of Congress

Do you think the folks on the chicken run across America heading for DC actually know what "teabagger" means?

Where is Owsley when needed... (somewhere in Oz we're told.. no, not dorothyville; rooville).