Image by Ted Abbott via Flickr
by Kathy Barkulis
What will it take for ordinary Americans and politicians to wake up to the cold reality of nationalized health care as proposed by President Obama? Will it take a medical crisis in your own family? Will it take a medical crisis in your own personal life? Will it take an anonymous board of people appointed by the government deciding whether you can have life saving medicine or surgery? What has to happen to you before you say "ENOUGH"? It is easy to close your eyes when you and your family are healthy, but are you sure this will always be the case? And why is it that the choices Obama wants us all to have, are choices of death, and not choices of life?
So far, President Obama has not told the American people how he will pay for his grand experiment. They hinted at a national VAT tax, adding 20% on to the cost of goods at the manufacturing level, which will be passed down to consumers. They also hinted at taxes on soft drinks, beer, wine, cigarettes, etc., none of which will cover the entire cost of this plan, but will surely increase the cost of living to middle class Americans. This is the group Obama promised would have no new taxes. While I don't believe you can put a price tag on your healthcare, and easy access to it, I do believe we need to be told how it will be paid for.
But the most egregious aspect of Obama's "Medicare For All" plan is the federally appointed "health board" that will make decisions for the health care of Americans. Obama has insisted that citizens can choose to take the government plan or keep their own private insurance. But did you know that Obama plans to force private insurers to adopt the decisions of the federal health board, or face steep tax consequences? The reality of that situation will be that private insurance companies will not be able to provide health care at any cost, and employers will gladly hand over the responsibility to the government. Only the very rich will be able to afford effective and all inclusive health care. There will be no ability for insurance companies to compete with a "free" government plan. Before you can say "Pap Smear," the whole country will be under the umbrella of a nationalized system that rations out health care like a short order cook rations out hash. The rich will always get the health care they want under Obama's plan, and the rest of us will just get the health care Obama thinks we "need."
It's ironic that the Democrats, and Obama, shout from the rooftops about a woman's right to choose abortion, but none of them want Americans to have the right to choose their health care. Oh they say you'll have the right to choose your health care, but when you read their plan, there will be no choice for you and your family. They are planning to game the system so that you will have no choice left but to take the government plan. In the eyes of President Obama and Nancy Pelosi, it is better for all Americans to have a generic and highly bureaucratized health plan, than for some to have no health plan. Yet, even that argument is a lie. Right now, hospitals cannot refuse medical care to an American brought into their hospital for emergency treatment. And often they don't refuse care to non-Americans either. Just walk into any hospital emergency room in the country on any given day and look at how many people are qued up for treatment. The taxpayers already pay for that privilege, but we will pay far more under Obama's plan.
So I ask you again. What will it take for you to stand up and protest a nationalized health care system where a federal health board will decide what kind of medical treatment you get? Will it be your down syndrome child who needs a new heart valve? Will it be your mother who needs a hip replacement? Will it be your husband who needs an experimental drug for a rare disease? And will it take a federal health board to refuse that treatment for your family members? If so, it will be too late by then to do anything about it.
YOU MUST SPEAK OUT NOW. You can start by calling the four Republicans who plan on voting yes for Obama's health care plan. They are:
Chuck Grassley 202-224-3744
Olympia Snowe 202-224-5344
Orrin Hatch 202-224-5251
Susan Collins 202-224-2523
CALL THEM NOW and voice your opposition. CALL THEM EVERY DAY. Send their names and phone numbers to everyone you know.
Then, send them letters voicing your opposition using email and snail mail.
Second, write letters to the editors of your local newspapers. Send those letters repeatedly until they get published. Tell everyone you know to do the same.
Third, call radio talk shows and make your opinion known.
Fourth, and most important, call and fax members of Congress voicing your opposition. Crash their switchboards. You can go on-line and get phone numbers of Senators and Congressmen on http://www.realclearpolitics.com/ and many other websites, such as C-span.
Talk to your friends and relatives about this issue, and urge them to take action. Start the conversation by asking them this question: IF I FOUND OUT I HAD A RARE FORM OF CANCER THAT A GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE PLAN REFUSED TO TREAT, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO SELL YOUR HOME TO RAISE MONEY FOR ME TO SAVE MY LIFE? During the silence that occurs after you ask that question, ask them instead to speak out in opposition of this plan by calling Congressmen and Senators. Ask them to write letters.
Apathy is not an option anymore. Our lives, and that of our families are on the line.
PRESIDENT OBAMA CAN'T HAVE CONTROL OF OUR HEALTHCARE UNLESS WE GIVE IT TO HIM WITHOUT A FIGHT.
Link: http://smartgirlpolitics.ning.com/profiles/blogs/free-to-choose-abortion-not
1 comments:
Thank you for the numbers, I will call to tell them that I support a single payer solution. Unfortunately we are not likely to see that, but hey, we can push for the sky and be happy we made it better....
Interesting articles from Paul Krugman on the matter here and here.
Peace.
Rick Beagle
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