"Real health-care reform is supposed to eliminate discrimination based on preexisting conditions. But the legislation allows insurance companies to charge older Americans up to three times as much as younger Americans, pricing them out of coverage. The bill was supposed to give Americans choices about what kind of system they wanted to enroll in. Instead, it fines Americans if they do not sign up with an insurance company, which may take up to 30 percent of your premium dollars and spend it on CEO salaries -- in the range of $20 million a year -- and on return on equity for the company's shareholders. Few Americans will see any benefit until 2014, by which time premiums are likely to have doubled. In short, the winners in this bill are insurance companies; the American taxpayer is about to be fleeced with a bailout in a situation that dwarfs even what happened at AIG."
Howard Dean, in a Washington Post op-ed
The Senate bill isn't good. The strategy now is to push the house to strengthen the bill in conference.
ReplyDeleteIf we don't win this, it could be another 10 or 15 years before we have another chance.
Many more people would be covered under the bills, and pre-existing conditions would be eliminated.
FCAN suggests continuing to contact members of Congress. The right held a "prayercast" to ask God to stop health care reform. We can't let them win, although it is an amusing tactic.