Health care: More questions that need to be asked
Published 3:21 pm Friday, September 11, 2009
Since my husband and I retired before age 65 we had to pay for our own medical insurance which amounted to approximately $800 a month, not counting deductibles. Neighbors with two children paid $1,200 a month for the same coverage. One family member, a single mother, has no medical insurance at all and, since her ex-husband just lost his job, there will be no coverage for her four children. Therefore, we are all interested in health/insurance reform.
In response to Don Wiens’ questions to ask about health care I have a list of 10 more questions citizens should email or ask their representatives in Washington, D.C.:
1. Isn’t the term “health care reform” a misnomer? To eliminate confusion shouldn’t the bills they are working on in the House and Senate be called insurance reform?
2. Isn’t the “public option” like any other insurance, for example Medicare, in that you still choose your own doctor and, unlike most insurance companies, you will not be denied care no matter your age or how costly ?
3. $1.4 million a day is spent by the health care industry to lobby and/or contribute to re-election funds of members of congress. How much money have you accepted?
4. Isn’t the “public option” just that, and option? Does that mean that you don’t have to choose to participate if you don’t want to?
5. In the insurance reform plan won’t the people with existing health problems still be able to obtain insurance? Will they be able to keep the same insurance from state to state?
6. Will the Public Option plan provide major medical care so that a family won’t go bankrupt or have to sell their home to pay for major medical cost?
7. Wasn’t the United States ranked 37th (below Costa Rica and above Slovenia) in providing health care for their citizens? Didn’t the World Health Organization rank the U.S.? 14th in preventable deaths just below Portugal. (France was number 1 in both categories). What do you plan to do about that?
8. Won’t the insurance reform plan enable small businesses to provide insurance for their families and their employees at a reasonable rate so they can afford to compete in the global economy?
9. If the U.S. citizens do not want government run health care does that mean that they will have to get rid of Medicare, VA and health care for members of the military?
10. Is it true that Social Security and Medicare were both enacted under a Democrat president (Roosevelt and Johnson respectively) and that the Republicans fought hard against both?
I ask myself, why there is such an outrage against something that is meant to help the middle- and lower-income citizens and small businesses of the United States? Is it ignorance or just a manifestation of racism? Now, 2009, almost 50 million citizens of the United States have no health insurance. Just because I have health insurance doesn’t mean I don’t want it for everyone. How selfish would that be?
Mary Carpenter
Kingston
