This week, the national news will be dominated by analysis and gossip about Democratic efforts to finally pass a Health Care Reform bill. This post is not about those votes or procedures, but about the effect of this legislation on state and local governments, and how we can convince persuadable voters that it was the right thing to do.
I live in a small town in Connecticut. I'm sure your town or city is now debating and trying to enact its local budget, too. A quick look at my town's proposed 2010-2011 budget reveals the problem. The town will need to raise $2.58 million more in local taxes than it did last year -- a 2.64% increase. So what's the single biggest added expense this year? What's going to cost us over $819,000 more? "Health and Security Benefits" for town employees. That line alone is growing by more than 15% this year. The money we all need to pay into town government this year just for that increase in benefits represents 28.7% of our next town tax bill.
About 30% of the extra property tax we pay to our town this year will be going to excess health care costs. Not to improve the schools. Not to pave a road. Not to make the parks better or to improve our emergency preparedness or help Human Services assist our fellow citizens.
Congressional Republicans argue that we should negate all the work of the last year, scrap the legislation, and start over (because they really, really wanna do something on this -- honest!). They argue that each and every town government (and each and every state government) in the entire nation should raise taxes more next year to cover the ballooning heath care costs they face. Why? So they can win 10 more seats in the Congress? Theirs is an electoral strategy. Meanwhile, the Democrats are solving the problem. The bill lowers costs, reduces the deficit, and extends coverage to tens of millions of people. It literally saves lives. And not one Republican in either the House or Senate thinks this is a good idea. Really?
Last November, MIT Economist Jon Gruber analyzed the Senate version of the bill, which is now the foundation of the legislation Democrats will pass, and projects that it will lower costs of policies by 20% by 2016. Is that a huge savings? Well, no. But would you like to cut your tax bill by 20%? Of course you would. Savings are savings. The costs of doing nothing, the cost of "starting over" and creating some new bill (which no Republican would support anyhow) are higher taxes, higher premiums (which, by the way, reduce your wages by about 2/3 the cost of the increase), and countless preventable deaths. Remember, the Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, has pledged that Republicans will run on a platform of repealing Health Care Reform. They will run on a platform of raising local property taxes, folks.
I urge you to make this argument in your local newspapers. Look up your town's proposed budget. Look for increases in health care costs in both town government and, if it's a separate line, in the school budget. If you're really brave, look up your state's health care costs -- just to its employees. How much of your state's budget crisis is attributable to rising health care costs?
Republicans, by urging inaction, want states, localities and your family to spend 20% more in order to let 45 million Americans remain uncovered by any plan, and to allow the insane practices of coverage denials by insurers to continue. All so they win a handful of tight races. GOP to Americans: Country last.
Democrats solve problems. And this week, we'll start the process of reducing health care costs borne by my town, your town or city, the State of Connecticut, your state and every other taxing entity in this nation.
originally posted (with minor edits) at newcanaandems.info