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Monday, August 10, 2009

DENNIS PATRICK: A HEALTHY UPROAR

Words come easy, but only actions can give substance to good intentions.

So it is with politicians on summer break who pander with smooth words to their constituents. Woe to the citizens beguiled by the words of a silver tongued fox who fall prey to hollow rhetoric. They will live with the A visit back home by politicians should be more than a faux listening tour. If they have ears, let them hear and let their actions speak louder than words. One reason congress has such a low overall confidence rating is a lack of credible action camouflaged by elegant words. One gets the vague impression that politicians are out to protect their jobs by fooling the voters. Following on the heels of the US House-passed cap and trade legislation, the public is understandably suspicious and uneasy with what they read in the proposed health care legislation to be voted on in September. The US House of Representatives made public their health care plan H.R. 3200 known as “America’s Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009.” Although the US Senate has proposed legislation (S. 4 and S.391), the bills have not been made public. They are, however, being discussed in committee and by President Obama at White House meetings with select senators. This is what the public is upset about. The following citations are taken from H.R. 3200 which members of congress are not addressing. Nor are the senate health care bills available for viewing. P. 16: If a person has health insurance at the time the bill becomes law, any change in their policy will require replacement by a similar insurance plan. If such a plan is not available, the government option must be used. Pp. 29-30: These pages acknowledge the rationing of government health care. The Health Benefits Advisory Committee will decide upon treatments and benefits. There is no appeals provision. Pp. 41-42: The president, with the advice and consent of the senate, will appoint a Health Choices Commissioner who will decide health benefits. No personal choice is given. Pp. 50-51: Non-citizens, illegal or otherwise, will receive free health care. Pp. 58-59: The government will have real-time access to individual financial accounts to determine an individual’s financial responsibility and enable electronic fund transfers via your beneficiary health card. P. 124: No entity can sue the government for government price-fixing. Nor is there any judicial review permitted against the government monopoly. P. 127: The government will set doctors’ wages. P. 149: An employer with a payroll greater than $400k which does not offer the public option must pay an 8% penalty on the cumulative salary of all employees. P. 167: Any person who does not have adequate health care by the government standards will be taxed 2.5% of their income. P. 170: Non-resident aliens are exempt from individual taxes. American citizens will underwrite their costs. Pp. 194-195: Employees of the health care bureaucracy will have access to citizens financial and personal records. P. 139: Doctors will be paid the same regardless of specialty. P. 317: Hospitals may not expand without government approval. P. 425: Government requires end-of-life counseling. P. 426: Government requires people on Medicare to receive periodic counseling on advanced directives and end-of-life services and support. P. 429: Advanced care planning consultation will be used to dictate treatment as a person’s health deteriorates. These citations are but a small sampling. The bill is rife with more of the same, more than a few amendments can fix. H.R. 3200 is best viewed at the Government Printing Office website in .pdf format via the Library of Congress’s THOMAS website. Congressmen aren’t even trying to sell the provisions of H.R. 3200 to their constituents. They remain mum. Either it’s too difficult to convince constituents, or legislators haven’t read the bill. Thanks to modern technology and the internet, many people have read the bill and know more about H.R. 3200 than their legislators. And, the people don’t like what they see. Surely, any congressman or senator who actually reads the bill would not accept its provisions. If they do vote for this proposed health care legislation in its present form, many folks may not return the favor in 2010 and 2012. Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at P. O. Box 337, Stanley, ND 58784 or (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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