Questions on Health Care

Here is a list of questions that we should consider when thinking about any proposed Health Care reforms. We should ask ourselves these questions about the 1,000+ page House Health Plan. More importantly, we should ask our representatives in Congress and demand reasonable answers from them.

1. Have you read the entire 1,000+ page bill? Will you read it before voting on it? Will the public be given time to read it before you vote on it?
2. How does the government option reduce costs for me? What is my benefit?
   
3. How is government option different from Medicare and Medicaid?
   
4. How does the government option insure poor people better than Medicaid or State Children's Health Insurance Plans (SCHIP)?
   
5. How will the cost be contained so it does not get out of control like Medicare and Medicaid?
   
6. Medicare and Medicaid only pay part of the bill to doctors and hospitals creating a "hidden tax" for the rest of us, how will the government option be different?
   
7. What mandated coverage will be in the government option? Will it include unnecessary things like acupuncture, hair prosthesis and massage therapy?
   
8. What about Health Saving Accounts? Are they being expanded in your plan?
   
9. What about people who do not need a big insurance policy? Can they purchase a catastrophic policy and pay for other medical costs, like doctor's visits, of pocket or with Health Savings Accounts?
   
10. Obama promised that if I like my current insurance I can keep it. I have an employer-paid insurance plan, how can I keep it if my employer decides to drop the coverage?
    
11. Won't it be more cost effective for my employer to drop my employer-paid insurance plan and pay the penalty (currently 8% of payroll in the House plan)?
    
12. The CBO estimates that only 97% of the country will be insured by 2019, what happened to 100% coverage?
13. Will it cover illegal aliens?
    
14. Does your plan address tort reform? Are there any limits on the lawsuits?
    
15. Have you considered other options like:
    
    
• Vouchers for the working poor?
  
• Giving people the ability to purchase insurance across state lines?
  
• Reforming the tax code to give individuals the same tax deductions that businesses have?
  
• Making insurance more portable by allowing businesses to pay employees a certain amount for insurance and then allowing the employee to purchase their own insurance?
  
  

16. This is the most important question of all:
    

Will you and your family be the first to sign up for the government option?

Find out who your representatives are at Congress.org . It is a good place to find contact information for your representatives. Contact them and make sure that your interests are bing served. You can also track your representatives votes at http://www.congress.org/congressorg/megavote/

Remember, it will impact you at some point.