When the healthcare debate began gaining ground awhile back I did what we were being encouraged to do by contacting my senators and my representative and expressing my support for a single-payer system in the United States. At the very least, I wanted a strong public option.
My senators are Bob Casey and Arlen Specter. Casey is onboard with a public option and I still haven't heard from Specter.
Today I received a reply from my representative, Joseph Pitts, and I'm just fuming.
After recapping exactly what HR 676 would do, like I didn't know or just to refresh my too-liberal memory, he went on to tell me why that would be a bad idea.
First, he's concerned about the taxpayer. Funny, that never bothered him during the Bush years when we started a war of choice that has cost us trillions. But the possible $200 billion that would be required to start a single-payer system that would cover every single person in the U.S., well, that's just a non-starter.
He went on to the usual talking points about single-payer not offering choice, as if the uninsured and underinsured have a choice. And then the deceiving line about government bureaucrats coming between patients and their doctors and medical treatments.
Finally, he got to his answers.
There are other ways to expand coverage and lower costs. Republicans in Congress have been pursuing alternate solutions such as Association Health Plans (AHPs). By allowing individuals and small employers to join together, AHPs promote the same economies of scale and purchasing clout that workers in large companies currently realize. As you may know, these new coverage options promote greater competition, lower costs, and offer new choices in health insurance markets.
Is he nuts or just willfully blind? There is no competition in most states, and nationwide there's something like seven private insurers covering 93 percent of the insured population. Competition? Puhleeze.
But that wasn't all, if in fact you're able to get an affordable policy with a high deductible, well, good for you. There's a government plan for you as well. It's called a health savings account.
HSA contributions can be made when individuals have a high deductible health insurance policy as defined by law: for self-only insurance, the deductible must be at least $1,000 and required catastrophic out-of-pocket expenses for covered benefits cannot exceed $5,000; for family coverage, the deductible must be at least $2,000, and required out-of-pocket expenses for covered benefits cannot exceed $10,000. In 2004, contributions were limited to the lesser of 100 percent of the deductible or $2,600 for self-only coverage ($5,150 for family coverage). Individuals ages 55 through 64 may contribute an additional $500, and contributions may be made by employers, individuals, or both.
So, let me get this straight. Your an average American family struggling to get by in this economy. You haven't had a raise that's gone above the cost of living in years, you're worried about your job or recently lost one or your hours have been cut back. Just to be safe, to ensure that maybe you won't lose your home should something catastrophic happen, you've bought a policy that only kicks in after the bills reach $10,000. And you're paying a monthly premium for this.
And this is OK with Joe Pitts and apparently all of his Republican colleagues in the House and Senate.
Do any of them have any idea what the real world is like, how long it would take the "average" family to save $10,000. What should that family give up -- food, clothes, transportation, heat?
The selfishness of this attitude, the idea that healthcare is not one of those shared commons we should have in society, like fire and police protection, and public education, is infuriating.
They're the people who are quick to say If you just worked a little harder, stayed in school, you'd have a good-paying job and health insurance wouldn't be a problem.
This isn't true and never has been, and doesn't even take into account the people who are called to do work that doesn't pay well, but enriches society.
Just recently a progressive democrat has thrown her hat in the ring to challenge Mr. Pitts. I'll be writing her a check real soon.