June 13, 2010 - Learn the Facts: How Will Health Care Reform Change Your Life?

By Pamela D. Wilson, The Care Navigator, CSA, MS, BS/BA, CG

Rasmussen polls on May 31, 2010 reported that 60% of U.S. voters want the health care bill repealed. 62% believe it will increase the federal deficit, 58% believe the cost of care will increase and 51% believe the bill will result in a decline in quality of care. Where do you stand? Do you know what you voted for or against? Most people, including our legislators, have no idea what's in the bill. Nancy Pelosi quipped, "We have to pass the bill so you can see what's in it". Now that we're seeing what's in it we realize we're in trouble.

Worried about how health care reform will affect you? Join me to learn the facts at the Caring Generation's Public Policy Day, Sunday June 13, 2010 1-3pm at the Heartlight Center, 11150 East Dartmouth Avenue, Denver. Featured panelists: the Colorado Joint Budget Committee, the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative and the Colorado Center on Law and Policy. An ice cream social after the event benefits the St. Francis Shelter (a men's homeless shelter), asking for donations of gently used men's clothing. The Colorado Therapeutic Riding center features Carmella, the miniature horse, to educate about how horse therapy can help you or your loved ones with chronic diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cerebral palsy, mental illness and a number of other health conditions. Door prizes are available for individuals donating to the charities. Register by calling 303-205-7877 or online at www.thecaringgeneration.com The following are just a few of the issues on the table.

Medicare this past week sent out a propaganda brochure telling persons over 65 they won't lose their Medicare benefit. Sure, they won't lose it, they'll lose their Medicare Advantage plan, they'll lose the $250 check to close the donut hole that will be swept away by price increases on drugs in the formulary because of tax increases on drug companies of $2.5-$4.1 billion. You know the drug companies won't absorb these costs, they'll pass them along. Persons over age 65 and the rest of us will lose quick access to physicians because there simply aren't enough physicians to treat 30 million newly insured persons.

What does our government think a $1 trillion health care reform program will cost in ten years? Whatever the number -- it's unaffordable. A similar program voted in 2004, Medicare Part D, was originally projected to cost $409 billion during the first five years. Can you guess the tab today? It's $9 trillion dollars. How do we get from $409 billion to $9 trillion in less than 10 years, by digging our heads in the sand?

Does anyone think our government needs to set a budget and stick to it? The deficit is spiraling out of control. Programs of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid consume 66% of mandatory federal spending. They operate without a budget. Congress just keeps increasing spending. If we think this isn't going to affect the United States in the bigger picture look at May's stock market results. The Wall Street Journal on May 29th front page article: "DOW's Worst May Since 1940". The DOW fell 871 points or 7.92% in May.

Then there's the illegal person issue. Everyone is criticizing Arizona. Colorado needs to wake up and join the revolt. The Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform reports that in a recent year the Colorado emergency Medicaid program paid an estimated $30 billion in hospital and physician delivery costs for about 6,000 illegal mothers - an average of $5,000 per baby. Those 6,000 births represent 40% of the children receiving benefits through the Colorado Medicaid program. In the United States illegal persons are spending your tax money and exerting a high cost on social services of $397 billion, $166 billion for K-12 education, $25 billion to our prison systems not to mention that they wire $31 billion dollars out of this country to their families. I have no problem with persons wanting to live in the United States as long as they learn to speak English and become taxpaying citizens.

States are revolting against the individual insurance mandate saying it's unconstitutional. Whether you agree with the mandate or not, if it's not mandated the entire health care bill falls apart. There will not be enough enrolled persons over which to spread cost. Those with insurance will see their costs increase, employers will drop company funded plans and pay the $2,000 penalty which is substantially less than paying the full cost of employee health coverage. Employers of low income employees will be fined $3,000 per person for something called the "unaffordable coverage provision". How will this affect unemployment when companies can't afford to hire?

The health care bill has a trickledown effect that no one considered. It was a bill jammed through the system to make a President with a falling approval rate look like a hero. The same President who offered a deal to Andrew Romanoff to dissuade him from running against Michael Bennett. What has politics come to? Where's the honesty? It's not about the American people anymore. It's about back door deals that benefit people in office. Unless we take a stand it's only going to get worse. Join me June 13th to learn the facts to hold your legislators accountable today and in the fall election. If you sit back and do nothing you'll have no foundation from which to complain. Click here to find out more.

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