ISSUE IN BRIEF: After months of closed door secret planning sessions, the Obama administration and Congressional Democrats have started to unveil their plan for a $Trillion government-run health care system. The outlines of the Obama/Congressional Democrats plan basically does two things to our nations' health care system:
A. Increase the cost of care to consumers, and
B. Reduce the quality of care for patients
These plans have drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats--even those who support some reforms-for many reasons:
- Government-run healthcare is at the core of the Obama and Congressional Democrat bills. While the President says Americans will continue to have the "option" of keeping their private sector insurance, that choice will be in name only. Employers will drop their healthcare coverage for their employees - forcing 120 million Americans into the government-run plan.
- Government Healthcare will cost $$Trillions - adding even more to the ever increasing national debt. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office analyzed a portion of Senator Kennedy's bill - and the cost came in over $1 Trillion. An early draft of one bill from the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee - revealed a cost of $1.6 Trillion. Many experts estimate the final cost could to $2 Trillion.
- Taxing private sector healthcare insurance is being floated by some congressional democrats, but creating a loophole for their friends in organized labor exempting unions from the tax.
- Government Healthcare will cost 4.7 million Americans their jobs. A model developed by President Obama's chief Economic Advisor showed that employers would cut 4.7 million jobs because they cannot afford to pay for new healthcare requirements.
- Government-run healthcare will take critical decisions about healthcare away from you and your doctor. The legislation allows Government-run healthcare plans to ration healthcare by denying payment for potentially lifesaving care that costs too much.
- The Democrat healthcare bills fail to add a prohibition of taxpayer funding for abortions. The government-run healthcare proposals also leave out conscience clause protection for doctors and religious hospitals who object to performing abortions. Without further safeguards healthcare reform could means taxpayer funding for abortions and mandates on healthcare providers to offer abortions.
ACTION:
There are several well thought out alternatives that offer affordable care for all Americans through competition and choice without government mandates, price controls or rationing. But with democrats in charge of both houses of Congress and the White House, before we can have a serious discussion focusing on market based alternatives the Obama trillion dollar proposal must be defeated.
We encourage you to take an active roll in the upcoming "Tea Parties" being held across the nation during the July 4th weekend. You can find out more about the time and location of a Tea-Party event near you by visiting http://www.teapartypatriots.org/ and www.patientsunitednow.com/?q=events.
We urge you to contact your elected representative in Washington DC and let them know of your concern of the Obama administration plan to impose a trillion dollar government run health care bureaucracy on the American people.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION VISIT THESE WEBSITES:
www.fixhealthcarepolicy.com
www.CAHI.com
www.conservativesforpatientsrights.com
www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=10218
www.galen.org
www.healthcarefreedomcoalition.org
www.patientsunitednow.com
www.AmericansforProperity.org
www.ATR.org
