Health Care Bill - Another Letter to Send

[zephyp]

Folks, 8 September is right around the corner and congress will be back in session. They will no doubt be pushing health care reform hard, especially on the heels of Kennedy's death. If you believe the news, the bill is dying but the die hard Pelosi will climb on her soap box and rally the troops. IMO she will be pushing this hard. The democrats realize they have little time to get this behind them before the 2010 campaign season starts. They think Americans have short memories and if they can get it passed now we will forget by 2 November 2010. Lets not allow them to win that battle.

I realize that many of you have sent several letters, but the more we send and the more often we send them the better chance we have of seeing this one hit the dead letter box.

Having said that, here's another letter I'm going to send - over and over - until I get a real response from a real person. Please take a look at feel free to make suggestions. I want to make sure it hits all the important points and I know I've left some out.
-----------------------------------
Dear xxxxxxx,

I am writing to express my displeasure and outrage over the proposed bill HR3200, America’s Affordable Health Choice Act of 2009. I have previously sent you a couple of letters and received standard canned responses. I realize you and your staff are busy, but I would sincerely appreciate an intelligent response to at least some of my concerns.

1. I will not debate whether or not health care is a right but it should be a choice. The proposed bill makes it a mandate for private citizens or face penalties. This is absurd and borders on fascism. Why?

2. If what you are proposing is so good for America you should be forced to use it also. I’d like to see language to that effect in the bill. Will you speak out on this point?

3. Squelching opposition to the proposed legislation is un-American. Will you take an active stand against this?

4. Failure to pass a truly bi-partisan bill and stating that the nuclear option in the Senate will be used is despicable to say the least. Will you vote against a single party bill and demand that standard voting rules be used in the Senate?

5. America is on the verge of bankruptcy. We cannot afford another $1T+ on top of an unprecedented deficit. Please take a look at the situation in California and Massachusetts with respect to state sponsored medical care. There is a lesson to be learned.

6. The government cannot manage current health care programs. VA care is a disaster and Medicare / Medicaid are ridden with problems and corruption. If you cannot provide quality health care to our veterans and elderly, how can you possibly believe you can do it for every American, less Congress of course who will still get special treatment?

7. Have you actually read this proposed bill? If so, did you really understand the context? It is over 1000 pages long and makes so many references to existing laws it is impossible to understand. You can say what you will, but your words mean nothing. I want to see a bill that is understandable so I fully understand what you’re proposing to do. Will you speak out and demand a rewrite that regular citizens can read and understand?

8. Why does this bill have to be passed so quickly? Americans have survived for decades without government sponsored health care. We can afford to wait a few more months to avoid suffering another ill conceived government program. This is obviously important – take the time to do it right.

9. Why is there no focus on tort reform? This would solve many of the existing problems and help control escalating costs in the private sector. Failing to address this and existing costs will only serve to pump massive amounts of taxpayer dollars into the pockets of the health care industry.

10. How and who is going to pay for this? Americans are already taxed too much. Our president made a pledge. Are you going to help him break yet another campaign promise?

I'm tired of receiving your canned responses. You use my tax dollars to pay for a staff. They also pay your salary. You work for me, not the other way around. I deserve some real answers for a change.

Sincerely,

[VBshooter]

As of right now the Senate has not sent their final version of a bill to the floor but it is only a matter of time now,,. This is not a time to be shy or lazy,,,Send this thing in,, We all know that they will try and ram this thing home on the back of Kenndy's death,We can;t afford to let this happen.
I edited DK's version a bit to include some things I think are important to note, On both Senators sites there is a special place for Health care related correspondence if you would like to send a more personal message than this one.

Dear xxxxxxx,

I am writing to express my displeasure and outrage over the proposed bill HR3200, America’s Affordable Health Choice Act of 2009. I have previously sent you a couple of letters and received standard canned responses. I realize you and your staff are busy, but I would sincerely appreciate an intelligent response to at least some of my concerns.

1. I will not debate whether or not health care is a right or if we have a moral obligation to provide it, It is not a right ,nor is there any moral obligation for anyone to provide it. It should be a choice. The proposed bill makes it a mandate for private citizens or face penalties.Why? This is absurd and borders on fascism.I will not support any mandatory provision ,We the people in America demand choice.

2. If what you are proposing is so good for America you should be forced to use it also. I’d like to see language to that effect in the bill. Will you speak out on this point?

3. Squelching opposition to the proposed legislation is un-American. It is a fact that over 50% of the people object strongly to this bill in it's current form. Will you take an active stand against this?

4. Failure to pass a truly bi-partisan bill and stating that the nuclear option in the Senate will be used is despicable to say the least. Will you vote against a single party bill and demand that standard voting rules be used in the Senate?

5. America is on the verge of bankruptcy. We cannot afford another $1T+ on top of an unprecedented deficit. Please take a look at the situation in California and Massachusetts with respect to state sponsored medical care. There is a lesson to be learned.

6. The government cannot manage current health care programs. VA care is a disaster and Medicare / Medicaid are ridden with problems and corruption. If you cannot provide quality health care to our veterans and elderly, how can you possibly believe you can do it for every American, less Congress of course who will still get special treatment? I will not support any bill with a Public Option.

7. Have you actually read this proposed bill? If so, did you really understand the context? It is over 1000 pages long and makes so many references to existing laws it is impossible to understand. You can say what you will, but your words mean nothing. I want to see a bill that is understandable so I fully understand what you’re proposing to do. Will you speak out and demand a rewrite that regular citizens can read and understand?

8. Why does this bill have to be passed so quickly? Americans have survived for decades without government sponsored health care. We can afford to wait a few more months to avoid suffering another ill conceived government program. This is obviously important – take the time to do it right.

9. Why is there no focus on tort reform? This would solve many of the existing problems and help control escalating costs in the private sector. Failing to address this and existing costs will only serve to pump massive amounts of taxpayer dollars into the pockets of the health care industry.

10. How and who is going to pay for this? Americans are already taxed too much. Our president made a pledge. Are you going to help him break yet another campaign promise?

11. Any bill that extends coverage to illegal aliens is unacceptable; they are dragging the border states into bankruptcy and we do not need another political entitlement to encourage them to come here and sponge off the taxpayers of this nation.

12.Will you oppose the addition of millions in pork add ons that serve no purpose other than to gain favor with lobbyists and voters?

13. It has been shown that being able to purchase health care insurance across state lines would lower health care costs substantially.Why is there no mention of this in the existing bill? It definitely needs to be included to gain any support from myself and like minded individuals.Will you support this measure?

14. I am opposed to any electronic storage of my health records by the government in any data base. THis would leave my personal information far to vulnerable to abuse by other government entities at their discretion for whatever use they felt was necessary.

15. I will not support any bill that would give money to so called service agencies like ACORN, The idea is to fix health care not waste and throw and money to corrupted entities for political payback.

I'm tired of receiving your canned responses. You use my tax dollars to pay for a staff. They also pay your salary. You work for me, not the other way around. I deserve some real answers for a change.

Sincerely,

[Sweetpea]

Love these letters (mostly) and will send my versions asap.

Just want to say that WE (as evolved responsible moral caring citizens of this planet) should want all of our good fellow citizens to be healthy and well. Healthcare may not be a right but ALL people really should have access to affordable care if they want it (as long as its done correctly without burdening others unfairly of course).

[zephyp]

Great additions, Spence. Anyone else, please feel free to jump on VB's version and add accordingly. I'm adopting that one.

Love these letters (mostly) and will send my versions asap.

What parts dont you like? Maybe we can improve upon them.

[Sweetpea]

Its just that personally I do feel a moral obligation towards helping people in need who can not (not will not) care for themselves so I will change #1 a little bit to suit. That's all I meant.

[zephyp]

Its just that personally I do feel a moral obligation towards helping people in need who can not (not will not) care for themselves so I will change #1 a little bit to suit. That's all I meant.

Hey I am all for that too. Its why I put the part in about VA and Medicare. Do you have a suggestion for #1? The point I was making there is health care should be a choice. Having said that yes I do also believe we should have provisions for people who cannot (with your caveat) take care of themselves.

If you've got a suggestion, lets integrate it. Its why I posted it - so we can all make sure everything is covered. I intend to send this over and over - daily if need be - until I get some real answers.

[VBshooter]

I have no issue with those that truly need help getting it; I would welcome an idea that can help them without making it an entitlement give away with the costs set firmly on the backs of taxpayers... But I will not support any mandatory provision even if it means I lose my coverage,Or any plan that just serves to give the Feds more control of people and their lives, This isn't about helping people with these politicans ,it's about controlling them. Many of those that the Congress is saying need coverage already have it ,It is called Medicaid. There are also millions who have access,they just choose not to buy it for one reason or another..Making it mandatory is a government that is overstepping its boundaries and they need to be stopped.NOW! By making Teddy Care mandatory they open the door to abuses the likes of which we cannot imagine,, Look at the evidence, Medicare ,Medicaid.The VA, Welfare ,Food Stamps,,anything they do is corrupted and bloated in control issues. THe government admits to millions upon millions in abuses they fail to catch, Letting them run any version of Health Care is not going to benefit anyone other than those who would seek to abuse it..allowing the government to run a plan falls right into Obamas plan of making more people totally dependent on the Fed to take care of them and intrude into their private lives, I do not want Uncle Sugar to have access to my health records, my bank account or any other aspect of my life that I as a responsible adult will handle on MY terms ,in MY time, with MY money!

[zephyp]

I agree Spence. I think this mandatory business is the biggest problem I have with this health care business. Too much government control and I do not like that. A host of other problems but this one is pretty much number 1 for me. Its downright wrong and unconstitutional.

[Sweetpea]

I totally agree that government-run health care is disasterous. It's a little different when it comes to some other things but these are our LIVES they want to play with. Not feelin' that at all!

News flash! Just heard on the news that Obama is doing an overhaul of the health plan! Hmmmmm! Wonder whats going to happen now?

[zephyp]

No doubt he and Pelosi have pow-wowed and she will be beating the drum again loudly in a few short days. We need to be ready to melt their phone, fax, and e-mail lines.

[VBshooter]

In the case of Obama and the Wicked Witch of Washington I wouldn;t trust either as far as I could throw em!! I am willing to bet that the next revision will be the same POS it was ,,, Just with a new cover and new language that no one but a lawyer can interpret, Will be interesting to see what their actions will be... The Senate is still up in the air and will be pounding out a version that also won't be worth a damn.. Let's watch closely , The public option is one of Obamas and some extreme left politicians baby,,, SO I think they are gonna try and force feed it to us in a new package,,,

[zephyp]

I agree. If anyone has anymore changes to the letter please post them ASAP. We want to start sending this thing over an over.

Use Spences version for your changes.

[Sweetpea]

This is the letter I will send:


Dear xxxxxxx,

I am writing to express my displeasure and outrage over the proposed bill HR3200, America’s Affordable Health Choice Act of 2009. I have previously sent you letters and received standard canned responses. I realize you and your staff are busy, but I would sincerely appreciate an intelligent response to at least some of my concerns.

1. I will not debate whether or not health care is a right. It is not a right. It should be a choice. The proposed bill makes it a mandate for private citizens or face penalties. Why? This is absurd and borders on fascism.I will not support any mandatory provision. We the people in America demand choice.

2. If what you are proposing is so good for America you should be forced to use it also. I’d like to see language to that effect in the bill. Will you speak out on this point?

3. Squelching opposition to the proposed legislation is un-American. It is a fact that over 50% of the people object strongly to this bill in it's current form. Will you take an active stand against this?

4. Failure to pass a truly bi-partisan bill and stating that the nuclear option in the Senate will be used is despicable to say the least. Will you vote against a single party bill and demand that standard voting rules be used in the Senate?

5. America is on the verge of bankruptcy. We cannot afford another $1T+ on top of an unprecedented deficit. Please take a look at the situation in California and Massachusetts with respect to state sponsored medical care. There is a lesson to be learned there.

6. The government cannot manage current health care programs. VA care is a disaster and Medicare / Medicaid are riddled with problems and corruption. If you cannot provide quality health care to our veterans and elderly, how can you possibly believe you can do it for every American (except for Congress of course who will get special treatment)? I will not support any bill with a government-run Public Option.

7. Have you actually read this proposed bill? If so, did you really understand the context? It is over 1000 pages long and makes so many references to existing laws it is impossible to understand. You can say what you will, but your words mean nothing. I want to see a bill that is understandable so I fully understand what you’re proposing to do. Will you speak out and demand a rewrite that regular citizens can read and understand?

8. Why does this bill have to be passed so quickly? Americans have survived for centuries without government sponsored health care. We can afford to wait a few more months to avoid suffering another ill conceived government program. This is obviously important – we MUST take the time to do it right.

9. Why is there no focus on tort reform? This would solve many of the existing problems and help control escalating costs in the private sector. Failing to address this and existing costs will only serve to pump massive amounts of taxpayer dollars into the pockets of the health care industry.

10. How and who is going to pay for this? Americans are already taxed too much. Our president made a pledge. Are you going to help him break yet another campaign promise?

11. Any bill that extends coverage to illegal aliens is unacceptable; they are dragging the border states into bankruptcy and we do not need another political entitlement to encourage them to come here and sponge off the taxpayers of this nation.

12.Will you oppose the addition of millions in pork add-ons that serve no purpose other than to gain favor with lobbyists and voters?

I'm tired of receiving your canned responses. You use my tax dollars to pay for a staff and they also pay your salary. You work for me, not the other way around. I deserve some real answers for a change.

Sincerely,

[zephyp]

Many thanks, J. I will incorporate your changes as well...

Good stuff.

[VBshooter]

Expect business as usual on the replies,, I have gotten the generic letters from both of our Boy Scouts. Contained all the usual nothing said and nothing else noted except the fact that it was sent to them answers. Will have to continue sending them.....

[zephyp]

Expect business as usual on the replies,, I have gotten the generic letters from both of our Boy Scouts. Contained all the usual nothing said and nothing else noted except the fact that it was sent to them answers. Will have to continue sending them.....

I'm going to post my final version tonight and will send it over and over until I get a real response from a real person.

[zephyp]

Here's the letter I just sent to both senators and Moran. I will send this over and over until I get real response. Failing that I will then switch to phone calls and do the same thing.

Thanks to all who provided input.
------------------------------------------------
Dear xxxxxxx,

I am writing to express my displeasure and outrage over the proposed bill HR3200, America’s Affordable Health Choice Act of 2009. I have previously sent you letters and received only standard canned responses. I realize you and your staff are busy, but I would sincerely appreciate an intelligent response to at least some of my concerns. I will send this letter over and over until that request is met.

1. I will not debate whether or not health care is a right. It is not a right. It is a choice. The proposed bill makes it a mandate for private citizens or face penalties. Why? This is absurd and borders on fascism. I will not support any mandatory provision. We the people in America demand choice.

2. If what you are proposing is so good for America you should be forced to use it also. I’d like to see language to that effect in the bill. Will you speak out on this point?

3. Squelching opposition to the proposed legislation is un-American. It is a fact that over 50% of the people object strongly to this bill in it's current form. Will you take an active stand against this?

4. Failure to pass a truly bi-partisan bill and stating that the nuclear option (reconciliation) in the Senate will be used is despicable to say the least. Will you vote against a single party bill and demand that standard voting rules be used in the Senate?

5. America is on the verge of bankruptcy. We cannot afford another $1T+ on top of an unprecedented deficit. Please take a look at the situation in California and Massachusetts with respect to state sponsored medical care. There is a lesson to be learned there.

6. The government cannot manage current health care programs. VA care is a disaster and Medicare / Medicaid are riddled with problems and corruption. If you cannot provide quality health care to our veterans and elderly, how can you possibly believe you can do it for every American (except for Congress of course who will get special treatment)? I will not support any bill with a government-run Public Option. Will you?

7. Have you actually read this proposed bill? If so, did you really understand the context? It is over 1000 pages long and makes so many references to existing laws it is impossible to understand. You can say what you will, but your words mean nothing. I want to see a bill that is understandable so I fully understand what you’re proposing to do. Will you speak out and demand a rewrite that regular citizens can read and understand?

8. Why does this bill have to be passed so quickly? Americans have survived for centuries without government sponsored health care. We can afford to wait a few more months to avoid suffering another ill conceived government program. This is obviously important – we MUST take the time to do it right. The stimulus bill is an excellent example. It had to be passed right away but today – several months later - a mere fraction of the funds have been spent and/or disbursed.

9. Why is there no focus on tort reform? This would solve many of the existing problems and help control escalating costs in the private sector. Failing to address this and existing costs will only serve to pump massive amounts of taxpayer dollars into the pockets of the health care industry.

10. How and who is going to pay for this? Americans are already taxed too much. Our president made a pledge. Are you going to help him break yet another campaign promise?

11. Any bill that extends coverage to illegal aliens is unacceptable; they are dragging the border states into bankruptcy and we do not need another political entitlement to encourage them to come here and sponge off the taxpayers of this nation. Will you ensure that there is clear language denying illegal aliens any and all forms of a government sponsored bill funded by the taxpayers?

12.Will you oppose the addition of millions in pork add-ons that serve no purpose other than to gain favor with lobbyists and voters?

I'm tired of receiving your canned responses. You use my tax dollars to pay for a staff and they also pay your salary. You work for me, not the other way around. I deserve some real answers for a change.

Sincerely,

[VBshooter]

Hey DK ,,we forgot to add crossing state lines to purchase insurance , I added it as #13 It's shown that that alone could lower costs enough to eliminate the need for a public option...For some reason they are leaving out TORT reform and the portability issue. Trial Lawyers should not be allowed to write legislation.. They do far too much CYA.. I sent another salvoo this AM and will keep doing it till they can;t stand to see my name anymore and give a straight answer,,

[zephyp]

Spence, write it up and I'll add it for my next submission. I'm sure I'll be sending this more than once.

[VBshooter]

look at my version above ,it is #13 and #14