Letters: Health reform writer needs correction

First, his opening line of
”
doing away with the employer-based insurance system is not the
answer
”
is very misleading, and is a classic example of a straw man
argument.
Dear Editor,

First, his opening line of “doing away with the employer-based insurance system is not the answer” is very misleading, and is a classic example of a straw man argument. Mr. Shelton surely knows that no one has proposed this. The current proposed bills will all strengthen the employer-based insurance system. Second, his statement that “rates of private employer sponsored coverage have remained relatively constant over time, with the proportion of workers having coverage through either their own employer or a family member’s employer averaging between 70 and 75 percent over the past 15 years” is false.

While the government only covers 22% of Americans, it pays 47% of all insurance since Medicare is for older Americans ( like myself ) who have far higher health costs. The percentage of Americans covered by Medicare is growing ( baby boomers ), and the percent of Gross Domestic Product taken up by health care costs is also growing, and is fast approaching 20% of GDP. Doing nothing is a formula for disaster. The current bills in both the US House and Senate will all lower costs, raise the proportion of those covered by employer based plans, and raise the overall health of Americans.

Marle Cosgrove’s letter in the same paper is also very interesting. First, Merle seems to be worried about one thing – limiting abortion. During Clinton’s administration both the abortion rate and abortions themselves plummeted. Sadly, the rates started back up under Bush because of some very misguided programs.  Hopefully, the Obama administration will continue the work under Clinton that lowered abortions. Cosgrove should know that there is nothing in the currently proposed bills in Congress that funds abortions. Simply, Merle’s argument is called a canard. The bills give Americans more choices of insurance plans, and does not fund any specific procedure. The biggest limit in today’s system is what limits the insurance companies put on the American people – and the bills proposed do away with many of the egregious restrictions of the insurance companies, such as dropping those with diseases, and not insuring any pre-existent conditions. No one has proposed limiting what procedures a 55 or older person can receive. Scare tactics should not work on the good citizens of Hollister.

Anthony Vallejo’s letter equating the Democratic Party with socialism is simply name calling. Such should be beneath Hollister residents. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

In the August 21 letters to the editor, Charisse Tyson wrote a long piece on health care. She lamented that she could not get insurance for her husband, who had pre-existing conditions. I have some great news for her. First, she can get coverage for her husband today by simply having his spouse include him by offering insurance to her other workers. Second, the current bills being considered by the US Congress will offer her husband the option of getting insurance along with her because the bill will ban insurance companies not allowing pre-existent conditions, or he would have the option of joining one of several new health care insurance plans. 

There were other issues with her letter. She complained that Sam Farr was not listening to his constituents, but such is the reverse of what Congressman Farr is known for. I voted for him when I was a registered Republican and gladly do so now that I am a registered independent. He is a great listener. Furthermore, over 70% of the nation wants major health care reform, including a government health insurance option. 

I have more good news for Ms. Tyson. 

A.  Current plans will lower her cost, including her cost of insurance for herself. Nothing being proposed will raise her cost as a business owner any more than any other business owner, and it will stop the abuse of big box stores not offering their employees adequate insurance plans. Furthermore, the current bills will raise the health of her uninsured workers by allowing them to purchase health insurance.

B.  There is no government take over of the health care system. Simply, her fears are unfounded.

C.  The Advance Health Care Planning Consultation would allow older people, such as myself, to have a living will, and it was originally proposed by Republicans, not the current administration. She can go blame someone else about this issue, and the writing about it from Republicans has been the epitome of scare tactics. Her denial of coverage wording in the same paragraph are pure nonsense – what she should worry about is the denial of coverage in the current system.

D.  Nothing in the current legislation funds abortions – the current bills fix the insurance system, and do not fund abortion. Ms. Tyson again is humoring herself if she thinks that either amendment she cited has a chance of passing.

E.  I assume since she speaks so poorly of Medicare and Social Security, she will refuse to use them when she comes of that age.  Social Security and Medicare are the two most popular government programs. Neither are going broke, though there will need to be some long term adjustments. One such adjustment will be to allow the government the right to bargain with drug companies so Americans will not have to pay double the price of citizens of other countries for the same medication – the Bush administration simply gave away Billions and Billions of our tax dollars to the drug companies by not allowing for a negotiated drug price provision in the Medicare drug law. 

F.  Mr. Farr and the Democrats all approve of not allowing insurance companies to consider pre-existing conditions.  Ms. Tyson is right in that this heinous practice has to end, and when the Democratic plan is passed, it will end. 

G.  Nothing in the bills being considered will force 100 million Americans to lose their employer provided health insurance. 

What scares me is not Obama, a genuinely good man and becoming a great President. What scares me is that misinformation, such as what Tyson, Ballenjo, Cosgrove and Shelton wrote, could actually be written by citizens of Hollister. I thought we were smarter than that.

Mel Tungate, Hollister