Sincerely,

American Taxpayer

1. Ends Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.  You admit then that the plan is to restrict private businesses and force them to take risks much like the housing mess with Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac?  Is this supposed to help your cause?  The American people don't want you to create another financial disaster and we surely don't want you to experiment with our health care.  The latest polls are showing that most people in the US are happy with their current health care insurance.  So why not simply fix the problems for the few who are unhappy instead of completely overhauling the entire system, harming those who are already satisfied?  If you allow private insurance companies to compete in all 50 states, a market will emerge for those who have medical issues.  Competition will create price decreases.  It's basic economics.
2. Ends Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays: Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.  Didn't Chavez try regulating prices in private industry? Yes.  How's that working out for Venezuela?  Or how about Cuba?  Government mandated pricing is unconstitutional and just plain destructive to an economy.
3. Ends Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care: Insurance companies must fully cover, without charge, regular checkups and tests that help you prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.  By this admission, private companies will be forced to provide services even though they aren't being paid for them.  Businesses survive on profit.  If the government mandates services be provided without charge, prices for other services will absolutely skyrocket to cover the cost of "free" services.
4. Ends Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill: Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for those who become seriously ill. Already law.  Enforce the laws already in place.
5. Ends Gender Discrimination: Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender.  Should they start covering pregnancy for men now?  Men and women are different.  Men don't live as long as women.  Smokers are at a higher risk for cancer.  Some people are simply more prone to disease, illness or accident than others.  Offering a flat rate for all people will simply raise prices for everyone.
6. Ends Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage: Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.  So you will cap profits; you will cap pricing; you are capping executive pay; and now you want to force private business to continue services even if they aren't paid for?  Currently, it is a choice to participate in a program that has lifetime caps on coverage and there are supplemental insurance companies available to pick up the slack.  What will become of supplemental insurance companies like Aflac and Assurant?
7. Extends Coverage for Young Adults: Children would continue to be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26. Again, open up the market.  Allow the private sector to do this and they will.  Why is Medicaid the only option or adults needing care?
8. Guarantees Insurance Renewal: Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full. Insurance companies won't be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick.  This is a small section of a bill that has grown to more than 1,000 pages.  This one piece could be a bill all by itself.  Why do you need to completely takeover the entire system to accomplish this goal? 

1.  Reform will stop "rationing" - not increase it: It’s a myth that reform will mean a "government takeover" of health care or lead to "rationing." To the contrary, reform will forbid many forms of rationing that are currently being used by insurance companies.  The massive bureaucracy that will be created by this health care bill is staggering.  A health care czar who is accountable to no one, a clinical preventative services taskforce, advisory panels, a reinsurance program, new qualifications for private insurance companies, a public health workforce corps.......  The bill is laden with confusion and new government agencies.  All of these new salaries, supplies, and infrastructure are going to cost unheardof amounts of money; taxpayer money.  We can't afford it.  And if there's no money, decreasing expensive services, aka rationing, will be the only way to keep the system moving.
2. We can’t afford reform: It's the status quo we can't afford. It’s a myth that reform will bust the budget. To the contrary, the President has identified ways to pay for the vast majority of the up-front costs by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse within existing government health programs; ending big subsidies to insurance companies; and increasing efficiency with such steps as coordinating care and streamlining paperwork. In the long term, reform can help bring down costs that will otherwise lead to a fiscal crisis.  If the president has found all of these savings, why not implement them now?  If we save now, we won't need this massive overhaul.  The double-talk is becoming cumbersome and unconvincing.  Obama's plan to save us from the "fiscal catastrophe" that was supposedly coming if he didn't get the $787 billion stimulus package passed immediately has failed.  The omnibus spending bill to the tune of $410 billion turned out to be nothing more than a lot of democratic campaign paybacks, full of wasteful spending and hasn't helped the economy one bit.  The president promised no more cronyism, no more lobbyists in the White House and full transparency, yet he lied.  The truth is, we don't trust President Obama, his staff or this congress.  You aren't listening to us and now we aren't listening to you either.
3. Reform would encourage "euthanasia": It does not. It’s a malicious myth that reform would encourage or even require euthanasia for seniors. For seniors who want to consult with their family and physicians about end-of life decisions, reform will help to cover these voluntary, private consultations for those who want help with these personal and difficult family decisions. If this isn't true of the original draft of the bill, then why are the "death panels" being removed in the newer revised version?  Did Sarah Palin scare you by exposing the truth behind what is in this bill?
4. Vets' health care is safe and sound: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will affect veterans' access to the care they get now. To the contrary, the President's budget significantly expands coverage under the VA, extending care to 500,000 more veterans who were previously excluded. The VA Healthcare system will continue to be available for all eligible veterans.
5. Reform will benefit small business - not burden it: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will hurt small businesses. To the contrary, reform will ease the burdens on small businesses, provide tax credits to help them pay for employee coverage and help level the playing field with big firms who pay much less to cover their employees on average.   Agreed. Allowing small businesses to drop coverage for their employees will of course help the profit margins for small business.  The problem then becomes where those employees will be allowed to go to get coverage.   According to this bill, employees who are dropped from coverage with their employer will be mandated to join the government-run program or face penalties and fines.
6. Your Medicare is safe, and stronger with reform: It’s myth that Health Insurance Reform would be financed by cutting Medicare benefits. To the contrary, reform will improve the long-term financial health of Medicare, ensure better coordination, eliminate waste and unnecessary subsidies to insurance companies, and help to close the Medicare "doughnut" hole to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors.  Medicare is safe?  The president said himself, out loud and on video, that part of the funding for health care reform will come from cutting up to 60% of medicare costs.  He said it, we heard it and you can't convince us that he didn't.
7. You can keep your own insurance: It’s myth that reform will force you out of your current insurance plan or force you to change doctors. To the contrary, reform will expand your choices, not eliminate them.  Let's refer back to #5.  If small businesses are allowed to drop coverage, employees will be forced to change insurance.  If they are forced to change coverage, it stands to reason they may be forced to change doctors.
8. No, government will not do anything with your bank account: It is an absurd myth that government will be in charge of your bank accounts.  Health insurance reform will simplify administration, making it easier and more convenient for you to pay bills in a method that you choose.  Just like paying a phone bill or a utility bill, you can pay by traditional check, or by a direct electronic payment. And forms will be standardized so they will be easier to understand. The choice is up to you – and the same rules of privacy will apply as they do for all other electronic payments that people make.  Again, we don't trust you.  If we did, this rumor wouldn't have started.

1. Coverage Denied to Millions: A recent national survey estimated that 12.6 million non-elderly adults – 36 percent of those who tried to purchase health insurance directly from an insurance company in the individual insurance market – were in fact discriminated against because of a pre-existing condition in the previous three years or dropped from coverage when they became seriously ill.  Isn't that why we have Medicaid?  Overhaul of the entire system isn't needed to solve this problem.  Open up the market and allow insurance companies to truly compete across all 50 states and there will be a market for coverage of pre-existing conditions and severe illness.  Private insurance companies are not the devil.  They take extraordinary risk to provide a service to their customers.  They also understand that we are mortal.  Human beings will get sick.  And the insurance company will have to pay for care. 
2. Less Care for More Costs: With each passing year, Americans are paying more for health care coverage. Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have nearly doubled since 2000, a rate three times faster than wages. In 2008, the average premium for a family plan purchased through an employer was $12,680, nearly the annual earnings of a full-time minimum wage job.  Americans pay more than ever for health insurance, but get less coverage.  I would argue that we are actually getting more care, more tests and more doctors are providing more services than in the past.  The real problem?  The doctors need to cover their backsides against frivolous malpractice claims.  More and more doctors are being sued out of business while savvy lawyers are making millions.  Why doesn't this bill, of over 1,000 pages, address malpractice reform? 
3. Roadblocks to Care for Women: Women’s reproductive health requires more regular contact with health care providers, including yearly pap smears, mammograms, and obstetric care. Women are also more likely to report fair or poor health than men (9.5% versus 9.0%). While rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure are similar to men, women are twice as likely to suffer from headaches and are more likely to experience joint, back or neck pain. These chronic conditions often require regular and frequent treatment and follow-up care.  Women are not lined up outside hospitals, writhing in pain, because they are denied an aspirin for a headache.  Refer back to #5 in the first section of this message.  You admit that women require more care, yet you want men to pay the difference for them?  Women in this country don't need your hand-out.  We are not inferior and we do not expect special treatment.
4. Hard Times in the Heartland: Throughout rural America, there are nearly 50 million people who face challenges in accessing health care. The past several decades have consistently shown higher rates of poverty, mortality, uninsurance, and limited access to a primary health care provider in rural areas. With the recent economic downturn, there is potential for an increase in many of the health disparities and access concerns that are already elevated in rural communities.  Who are these 50 million people?  Illegal immigrants?  People who could afford care but don't purchase it?  Are they eligible for Medicare and Medicaid already but simply haven't filled out the paperwork?  Even the Congressional Budget Office reports that there will be a net loss in coverage for Americans because of the legislation you are trying to ram down our throats.  Hard-working taxpayers in rural America don't want to foot the bill for people who don't pay taxes, people who could already afford coverage and those who already qualify for a government program.  And that's to say nothing to the fact that we already pay for the cadillac health insurance of government employees, congress, and white house staff.
5. Small Businesses Struggle to Provide Health Coverage: Nearly one-third of the uninsured – 13 million people – are employees of firms with less than 100 workers.  Some of these people get insurance through a spouse.  Some choose not to purchase health care coverage even though they make enough money to do so.  Some purchase supplemental insurance plans such as Aflac or Assurant.  OPEN UP THE MARKET!  Allow insurance companies to sell insurance to these individuals at a fair price.  Allow insurance companies to compete and the prices will come down.  Small businesses will not be burdened with the bureaucracy of providing coverage.  And more American taxpayers will be able to purchase affordable coverage.
6. The Tragedies are Personal: Half of all personal bankruptcies are at least partly the result of medical expenses. The typical elderly couple may have to save nearly $300,000 to pay for health costs not covered by Medicare alone. Didn't we already learn that this is a lie?  Factcheck.org has debunked this claim more than once.  Stop lying to us and we may begin to trust you.
7. Diminishing Access to Care: From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell from 66% to 61%. An estimated 87 million people - one in every three Americans under the age of 65 - were uninsured at some point in 2007 and 2008. More than 80% of the uninsured are in working families. These numbers don't prove that access to care has been diminished.  Currently, if you require care but are uninsured, you have the option to pay for that care out of pocket.  It is not the ideal situation of course, but at least it's an option.  Under the health care bill proposed, individuals will be required to purchase health insurance or suffer being fined 6% of their income or more.  There will be no option for those who wish to purchase health care services on their own.  A government mandate on health insurance is tyranny.  It's not Constitutional.  And it's not what's best for America.
8. The Trends are Troubling: Without reform, health care costs will continue to skyrocket unabated, putting unbearable strain on families, businesses, and state and federal government budgets. Perhaps the most visible sign of the need for health care reform is the 46 million Americans currently without health insurance - projections suggest that this number will rise to about 72 million in 2040 in the absence of reform.  Finally, we agree on something.  We need reform.  But do we need it right this very second?  What's the rush?  Why is it so important that we have such an incredible piece of legislation slammed through Congress and signed into law?  Why aren't we addressing just the problems outlined above?  Why are you trying to overhaul the entire system when you yourself have identified ways to cut costs, eliminate waste and provide better care without taking over the health care industry?  Why not just fix the problems instead of creating new ones?

PLEASE SEND THIS RESPONSE TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW.  DEMAND MORE PROFESSIONALISM, INTEGRITY AND MATURITY FROM THE WHITE HOUSE!