Health care reform -- here's where we are. The House of Representatives is about to vote on a Senate bill without a public option. It looks like the reconciliation amendment will not have a public option. The House bill had a public option, but once the House passes the Senate bill, that's history.
Which is why I introduced H.R. 4789, the Public Option Act. This simple four-page bill lets any American buy into Medicare at cost. You want it, you pay for it, you're in. It adds nothing to the deficit; you pay what it costs.
Let's face it. Health insurance companies charge as much money as possible, and they provide as little care as possible. The difference is called profit. You can't blame them for it; that's what a corporation does. Birds got to fly, fish got to swim, health insurers got to rip you off. And if you get really expensive, they've got to pull the plug on you. So for those of us who would like to stay alive, we need a public option.
In many areas of the country, one or two insurers have over 80% of the market. They can charge anything they want. And when you get sick, they can flip the bird at you. So we need a public option.
And they face no real competition because it costs billions of dollars just to set up a national health care network. In fact, the only one that's nationwide is . . . Medicare. And we limit that to one-eight of the population. It's like saying that only seniors can drive on federal highways. We really need a public option.
And to the right-wing loons who call it socialism, we say, "if you want to be a slave to the insurance companies, that's fine. If you want 30% of your premiums to go to 'administrative costs' and billion-dollar bonuses for insurance CEOs who figure out new and creative ways to deny you the care you need to stay healthy and alive, that's fine. But don't you try to dictate to me that I can't have a public option!"
And there is a way left to get it. By insisting on a vote on H.R. 4789. Three votes on health care, not two. The Senate bill, the reconciliation amendments, and the Public Option Act.
We got 50 co-sponsors for this bill in two days. Including five powerful committee chairman. But we need more.
Sign our Petition at WeWantMedicare.com.
Call. Write. Visit. Do whatever you can do to get you Congressman to co-sponsor this bill, and push it to a vote. Right now, before it's too late.
Let's do it!
Update (4:30 pm): We're up to 64cosponsors on HR 4789! Call your member of Congress NOW at (202) 225-3121.
Follow Rep. Alan Grayson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/alangrayson
Off to Lexis-Nexis to see how HR 4789 is doing ;-)
See: http://www.michelemoore-happy1.com/2010/03/health-care-elegant-simple-now.html
Simple, straightforward and logical. This is the public option plan that everyone can understand. Why the heck not?
Now, please do your part and consider changing your hair dye, or foregoing it altogether. It's a credibility thing. No disrespect intended, it just seems time to mention it, as you're obviously going places.
Over 1000 people die per day from misdiagnosis akone since 1997. That makes MISDIAGNOSIS the number one killer in America.
Yet it's no even mentioned once in all this time.
Medical & Dental schools are mutilating people and teeth, then stop working on you because you're no longer of value to the students.
You have NO recourse. This too is never mentioned.
Why not give everybody health care today, as bad as it is? That takes the most urgent off the table and done. That alone will make Obama a hero.
Passing an elepjhant bill is insipid. This bill is broken, repaired, broken, repaired with ear marks & broken policies. If you blow on it, it'd fall apart.
Start over. Pas health care for all today. Then FIX THE BILL, don't just glue it together so it falls apart & makes it worst like GWBush did.
Our medicare & medicaid payments have already doubled & our care has already gone down.
We paid into that system all our lives. It was suppose to be collecting interest all this time. Instead GWBush spent our money. That's not addressed. Instead they'recutting medicare & medicaid.
Stop this fiasco!
Would health care for everybody prevent or reduce the number of people who die from misdiagnosis?
...reduce would be my answer.
This is slightly off topic (or just off topic) but I just read your e-mail cited on Politico and this is one of the reasons why people like you. I've wished someone would be this blunt on the topic of the "wild Alaskan Dingbat". :-) I laughed out loud. Bless you for this.
http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2010/03/ever-outlandish-alan-grayson-tops-himself-with-palin-rant.html#more
I love Mr. Grayson. I heard his speech before the House on Friday night and absolutely loved it. I hope everyone goes on line and signs his petition.
Medicare rejected my operation and my insurance paid for it. Across the board Medicare rejects a higher percentage of claims than any of the major Insurance companies.
There will be a general "wailing and gnashing of teeth" when you call for an appointment and they may be able to "work you in" 5 months from now. You may say that you will just go to the hospital emergency room. You think the waiting is long now? Just wait and you will see.
And, again, with more people being covered by Medicare (plus more money in the Medicare kitty) doctors might not be so quick to make members wait for appointments.