Over this past week, I have experienced an alternate reality. I was able to attend my opponent, Representative Lamar Smith's health care town hall in Schertz, Texas on August 24th. It was attended primarily by those opposed to the democratic health care reform proposal, an audience of about 500. This past Saturday, August 29th, I was a guest at the Real Choices for Change Health Care Forum with democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett. This was attended heavily by those in favor of the democratic health care reform proposal, an audience of about 2000. The difference in these two presentations were like night and day.
Representative Doggett presented the elements of the bill, HR 3200, to explain fully what it means and how it would work. Representative Lamar Smith admitted that he had not read the democratic bill, HR 3200, although he had been given analysis. He was not able to answer specific questions about how the program would work. When asked questions with a premise that was patently false, instead of correcting these myths, he perpetuated them. There is real fear about this bill and it is based on misinformation.
Examples:
1. Congress had voted to exempt themselves and unions from the public option.
There is no mention of the health care plans of unions or Congress anywhere in HR 3200. The public option is a choice that every individual and business can purchase at market rates, it is not a requirement, thus no one would need to be "exempted" from it. Those in Congress and those in unions, will have the choice of the public option plan if they desire a change from their private insurance, just like all of us will. Instead of correcting this misinformation, Rep. Lamar Smith repeated the claim and said that he would have voted for Congress to have the public plan but it went down along a party line vote.
2. Illegal immigrants will get free coverage.
HR 3200. Sec 242a(1) states that the term `affordable credit eligible individual' means an individual who is lawfully present in a State in the United States. In other words, illegal immigrants cannot get the credit towards coverage. This discussion prompted racially charged anger in the audience and led to a fight at the end of the town hall. Had Rep. Smith told the truth about the fact that illegal immigrants cannot get this coverage, he could have quieted this debate instead of allowing it to get violent due to misinformation.
3. Tort reform is the answer to our health care problems.
Rep. Lamar Smith admitted that while working on this issue over the past 22 years, he has failed to pass tort reform legislation. He blamed the democrats though this happened through times of Republican and Democratic majority. The reason that tort reform hasn't passed is because when you look at the facts, limiting the amount of money injured patients can be awarded in medical malpractice trials will not make a dent in our health care spending. One study estimated that malpractice costs amount to less than one half of one percent of all medical spending in the United States.
The only thing tort reform will do is prevent the seriously harmed from receiving adequate compensation, and make it more difficult for injured patients to sue which benefits the insurance companies, just as opposing HR 3200 does.
4. The ability to choose insurance over state lines will give the most choice.
Those who believe in State's rights should have a problem with this solution. The States have enacted regulations on the health insurance coverage in their locality and created licensing guidelines. This is why there is disparity in the premiums offered from state to state. What happened when we decided to open up the credit card industry so that you could get a credit card over state lines? Credit card companies flocked to the states with the fewest restrictions and helped to get us in the credit crisis that we are in today.
HR 3200 creates a health insurance exchange in addition to the public option plan. In the exchange, private insurers who agree to the standards of care outlined in the bill, including terminating any pre-existing condition discrimination, will be offered to individuals and businesses as private insurance options. In section 204, it states that these insurers must be licensed to offer health insurance coverage under State law for each State in which it is offering such coverage. This protects the State rights and its citizens while offering the greatest choice to each individual and business. HR 3200 is about increasing choice, increasing coverage and increasing affordability.
5. The government will encourage my death through end-of-life counseling
This fear tactic is the most offensive to me personally. I have just been through end-of-life counseling with my 97 year old grandma who died a few months ago. I wear her flag pin at every event I attend so that she is always with me. I know that she'd be very proud. She had Medicare coverage and when her doctors determined that she was in congenital heart failure and there was nothing more that they could do, they requested the end-of-life counseling sessions to help my grandma make the very important decisions about her living will and hospice care. The counselors were wonderful. They knew how to comfort with compassion while dealing with family in emotional crisis. Medicare covered this expense as it should. HR 3200 requires that if a doctor requests this service for their patient, that it will be covered. It's not mandatory and the government doesn't come in to talk to your loved one. It's an insurance policy that covers the expense. Anyone who has dealt with losing a loved one knows how valuable end-of-life counseling can be. It would be disgraceful if it weren't covered in this health insurance plan.
6. The public option is equal to socialism, the systems in Great Britain and Canada, and universal single-payer coverage, government takeover
The latest polls show that this is the area where there is the most confusion. Most people could not identify the actual definition of what the public option is. It is a federal health insurance plan that individuals and businesses can buy at market rates in order to compete with private insurers to increase choice, coverage and affordability. Doctors, hospitals and clinics will not work for the government. There is not a government takeover of health care. The public option will abide by the same standards of care, caps on out-of-pocket expense and portability that will be offered by all the private insurers through the exchange. It is not free, unless you qualify for an affordability credit and a sliding scale on costs.
Private transportation competes with public transportation, private schools compete with public schools, private shipping competes with public shipping. All of these private industries excel by upping their game. They offer more quality, different services, niche products, all adding to better options for all of us.
Unlike Rep. Lamar Smith, I have read HR 3200, and I encourage you all to take the time to learn about what it really is and what it offers all of us. It will allow portability for health insurance so that you are no longer dependent on your employer and his plan. If you'd like to keep your private insurance that option is yours. It protects us all from denials due to pre-existing conditions. It caps our out-of-pocket expenses so that catastrophic illness will not bankrupt us any more. It provides standards of care and coverage to assure that we get quality health care. It provides more choice for all levels of income.
Encourage Rep. Lamar Smith to stop rallying against this bill using fear tactics and misinformation. We deserve the truth, and his job is to represent us not the Republican party.
Please support my campaign to be your next representative for Texas District 21. I will represent the people not politics.
Donate * Endorse * Volunteer
--
--
Lainey Melnick
Candidate for US Congress
Texas 21st District
http://www.LaineyForCongress.com
lmelnick@laineyforcongress.com
512-799-0626 cell
On Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/...
On Twitter http://www.twitter.com/...
Paid for and authorized by the Lainey Melnick for Congress Committee