Hello Governor! You haven’t heard from me in a while…. In fact I’ve been throwing some shade since last spring. I live out here in one of the rural counties…. where it’s hard to be a Democrat. But that’s the past, let’s move on. There’s been a lot of disturbing news lately, and among the few comforting stories, I’ve heard your voice. You’ve promised to defend us against the ravages we expect from the next Administration.
I’m going to ask you to speak up now, for all of us. Not just New Yorkers, speak out loudly now for everybody.
You can spearhead a campaign of Governors, Senators, and Congressmen/women, who understand what’s going to happen in all 50 states if the Ryan Congress has its way.
Specifically:
SAVE MEDICARE.
Save it. Don’t let them privatize it. I know a little about this, I’ve been managing successful private medical practices for over 30 years. Original Medicare Parts A&B work beautifully . The newer parts (C&D) are a travesty, but that’s because Bush 1&2 let the insurance companies get their grubby fingers into the public pot. Part C let them create “Medicare Advantage”, purported to help people insure against the built-in 20% copayment of Basic Medicare Part B. Then Part D was a gift to big Pharma. It got Medicare to pay for drugs, but prohibited Medicare from negotiating for best contract prices. Ka-ching! I’ve been managing medical practices for 30 years. Medicare is my best payor for professional medical services. Not that they pay the most (they don’t), but with straight Medicare, the rules are clear, the policies are well defined, and the claim process is quick and easy. This is not true for the Advantage plans. The Advantage always seems to be toward the insurance companies, with their prior-auths and limiting networks and claim processing “glitches”. Now, the Ryan Congress wants to privatize Medicare Part B so the insurance companies can get their hands on Part B too. Don’t let them. Save the program. Speak up for our Seniors! Let the insurance companies duke it out for the 20% that Medicare doesn’t cover, but don’t let them siphon off even more Part B dollars for their profit. Our grandparents will be sitting at home trying to decipher marketing brochures and being scammed out of their vouchers because they don’t cover 80% of Part B. Keep basic Medicare.
SAVE THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
Twenty million people are getting insurance through Obamacare. Is it perfect? NO. But will those families go bankrupt if they have a serious medical concern? NO. At most, they’re on the hook for the deductible. Most of us out here in the working world have a deductible, and it’s a really big number. It terrifies us. But then again, have you priced a coffin lately? And because we have insurance, we know that (after our deductible) our legit bills are going to be paid by insurance. Which means that the hospital gets paid, and the nurses get paid, and doctors and secretaries and x-ray techs get paid. And parking attendants, cafeteria workers, housekeeping staff, billing department , social workers, medical assistants, and nurse’s aides. And pathologists and window washers and lab techs and payroll clerks. The best benefit of a universally covered population is that everyone gets enrolled.... we spread all the costs, and share all the risk, so that everyone has some basic coverage. And people have jobs. Without the Affordable Care Act, people won’t have insurance and people won’t have jobs.
SAVE MEDICAID
19 States did not accept the Medicaid Expansion offered through the Affordable Care Act. New York did. You made sure that we were ready, the state was fully engaged, and now every family in NY has access to affordable care. We may argue a bit about the level of benefits in each state, but we all agree that everyone should have access to some basic plan. You are in a perfect position to work directly with the Democrats in Congress, and the sensible Republicans, to maintain a robust federal Medicaid program. You would win support in the 31 states who participate in the ACA expansion, and with lots of people in the red states who wish they could. There is nothing “fiscally responsible” about refusing to provide basic healthcare as a basic public service. Fight for New York, fight for those in need in every state.
So, please speak up, Governor Cuomo. You know that the Affordable Care Act works, Medicare works, and Medicaid can work. And you know what’s going to happen to our 50 state budgets if these programs are destroyed. Shout it out. Call the Press! We’ll get behind you on this, all across this great country.
