Equal "Health Care" for All - Inluding the Politicians!

One of the most ridiculous things about the passage of Obamacare is that the politicians will still get their awesome health care coverage, even while they try to force the rest of us on the much smaller government plan. Camie forwarded me an email from Congressman John Fleming of Maryland, who has authored a resolution that would make Congress have the same plan as the rest of us. Check out the email, posted below; it's definitely something worth supporting!!

---------------------------------------------------------

As the author of H Res 615, a resolution calling on Members of Congress to enroll in the public Health Care plan, I have an important update.

Due to an overwhelming response from Americans across the country to my office, the health bill recently signed into law will indeed require members of Congress to abandon their federal health benefits and enroll in the newly created exchanges.

While those of us who supported this important requirement have won the first round, we have not won the war.There is a move afoot to “fix” the language of this provision.

That's why it is important for me to communicate with you and provide you with information as it is available to me.

A great way to do this is to follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/repjohnfleming Just click the 'Like' button at the top of my Facebook page.

Please sign up today....let’s be sure this provision isn’t undone! www.facebook.com/repjohnfleming

Together, we can make sure the people’s voice is heard.

Sincerely,

JOHN FLEMING, M.D.
Member of Congress

P.S. If you’d like more information, please take a minute to visit my newly redesigned website at www.fleming.house.gov or follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/repfleming

The Primaries Are Upon Us!

Hello everyone, I wanted first of all to remind you that the primaries are next Tuesday, May 18th, so be sure you head to the voting booth that day! I also have been thinking maybe it's time for another meeting. We were able to do a lot with health care, but since there's not much more we can do about that right now, maybe it's time to branch out and try to find other ways of helping the country get back on track. Sarah's recent post about the Fed is a great example, and I think it would be beneficial to get together and discuss some of the things we, as a group, would like to focus on.

Another huge part of helping the country is getting the right people in office this November, and I think with our group we could have a good impact in Pennsylvania. I have some contacts who could get us get involved in volunteering for the campaigns, so if you're interested in helping (either with a campaign itself or by babysitting so others can help), please send me an email or leave a comment so I know you're interested. We'll try to have a meeting sometime soon and discuss what direction we would like to go.

Until then, be sure to vote next Tuesday! :0)

What a surprise...

So it turns out that major corporations would rather pay a big fine than give health care benefits to their workers! I know this is a huge shock to all of us, so take a deep breath and read the full article about how Obamacare is going to affect workers in the next few years. For an interesting analysis of the article, check out what Ed Morrisey has to say - his comments are right on the dot.

Meeting Pat Toomey

I had a really great opportunity last night to attend a fundraiser with Pat Toomey, who is currently running for Arlen Specter's seat in the Senate. I was able to ask him specifically what he feels needs to be done now that health care has passed, and was very happy with his answer. Perhaps the most important thing he said was that he firmly believes we need to do everything possible to repeal it. There are a lot of republicans in office right now who say it would be great to repeal it, but it can't happen. Toomey stands strong and wants to do everything possible to get it repealed.

He also said something else very important. He pointed out that the House of Representatives is in charge of the budget, so if we can have a great election this November and take over the House, then the congressmen can block financing new health care bureaucracies. He pointed out that things are looking really great for taking back the House this election cycle, but who knows what might happen in the next six months, so we can't be complacent.

Later, during a group Q&A period, someone else asked Toomey what he would do differently to better reform health care. I think you will all agree that his answer was exactly what we have discussed together. He said three specific things that are he cited as the most important:

1. Give regular people the same tax benefits that companies get for buying insurance in order to stop insurance being connected to jobs.
2. Open up the markets so there's more competition in insurance companies, especially between states.
3. Tort reform.

He, of course, went into more detail on each of those, and everything he said was right on. A funny comment he made about the second one was something along the lines of, "It's amazing to me that I can buy car insurance nationwide from a little green lizard, but I can't get health insurance from another state." (That's not an exact quote, but you get the gist.) He got a good laugh on that one.

At this point, the best thing we can do to is to get good, solid people in the House and the Senate that will do everything they can to undue what has been done. After studying Pat Toomey's record and meeting him last night, I feel confident that he will do everything he can to get that done. If you would like to find ways of supporting him in his campaign against Sen. Specter, let me know and I can send you some more information!

One last note, he discussed many other things than just health care, and he especially focused on getting our country out of debt. I was very impressed with all of his answers, but because we started the blog to focus on health care, I stuck to that in my post. If you want to know more about other things he said, however, let me know and I'd be happy to send you more information via email. :0)

Audit the Fed

Senator Specter needs a little encouragement. If you're not familiar with Ron Paul's "Audit the Fed" bill and Senator Dodd's "Fed Empowerment Act", keep reading for John Tate's (president of Campaign for Liberty) explanation. If you are already knowledgeable and want to encourage Senator Specter to use a little common sense, click this link:

http://www.chooseliberty.org/auditfed_PA.aspx?pid=pe1
(Note: It will ask for a donation after you submit the form but you don't have to do it.)

*****************************************

After nearly wrecking the U.S. economy with its backroom deals and hundreds of billions of worthless fiat currency, you would think Ben Bernanke's Federal Reserve would be on every politician's target list.
But shockingly, Fed-loving senators, led by Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and backed by the Obama White House, are pushing legislation to give the Fed more power ... while stripping out Ron Paul's Audit the Fed.
Dodd's Fed Empowerment Act is now on the fast track in the Senate, but there is still time for liberty activists to expose and stop this powergrab.
More on that in a moment. Here's what is going on.
Having rushed ObamaCare through Congress, a confident White House has now set its sights on trying to ram through a so-called "financial regulatory reform" package that would continue and even expand the same practices that created this latest economic crisis.
But Congress is still reeling from the health care battle, giving the freedom movement a terrific opportunity to stop this plan to enhance the federal government's power by turning up the heat on politicians who are ever-more worried about their upcoming fate at the ballot box.
Crafted by Senator Christopher Dodd, the Senate version would create a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to be housed at the Fed and funded by it.
And the Connecticut senator would have us believe this agency would be "independent."
Read on to get contact information for your senators so you can take action to stop this Fed Empowerment Act.
The legislation also includes a new Financial Stability Oversight Council to "monitor" companies that supposedly could become "too big to fail."
The Council will have the ability to require nonbank financial companies to be under the Federal Reserve's supervision if the government deems they pose a "risk" to financial stability.
Showing his utter contempt for the nearly 80% of Americans who think it's time to thoroughly audit the Federal Reserve, Chris Dodd's bill also strips out the complete audit of the Fed that passed in the House financial reform bill in favor of a watered-down version that even allows the Fed to decline to disclose certain information.
To make matters worse, supposed "conservatives" like Senator Richard Shelby appear willing and ready to cave to political pressure, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that Senator Shelby's staff has proposed a plan for its own independent consumer finance protection agency to Dodd.
And in a move that is absolutely no surprise to anyone who knows his track record, Politico also reports that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has also told Dodd he can expect more Republican support if he can get Senators Shelby, Crapo, Corker and Judd Gregg to go along with his legislation.
With certain Senate Republicans once again preparing to play their usual game of hide-and-go compromise, it's up to us to advocate for an end to government intervention in the economy and fight to prevent the statists from gaining more authority.
For far too long, the Federal Reserve has wielded its control over our money with disastrous results for the value of the dollar and the security of our economic future.
Enough is enough.
Contact Senator Bob Casey at (202) 224-6324 and Senator Arlen Specter at (202) 224-4254 today and urge them to reject Christopher Dodd's Fed Empowerment Act.
Tell them that if they are serious about financial reform, they will take every opportunity to push for a standalone, up or down vote on Audit the Fed, S. 604.
It's time to finally bring the Federal Reserve's practices into the daylight - not throw on additional layers of bureaucracy!
We can prevent further government meddling in our economy, but only if we take immediate action.
Call your senators Today!
In Liberty, John Tate
President

Pop-Up Video

This would be hilarious if it weren't all so true! Brought to us by the NRCC, a "pop-up video" about health care.

Pennsylvania Liberty March

Tomorrow there is a rally on the Capitol steps in Harrisburg at 11 am - PA Liberty March. Jade N. just let me know about this.

http://www.healthcareforpafamilies.com/freedomrally.aspx

Take A Minute To Sign!

UPDATE: Camie and I just realized that this is an old email from about 6-7 months ago and it just took us a while to get it. So it might not be as useful as we thought, but nonetheless it can't hurt to get a few more votes for making Congress go on the plan they just enacted. So even though it's a bit old, go ahead and sign the petition anyway.

On Tuesday, the Senate health committee voted 12-11 in favor of a two-page amendment that would require all Members and their staffs to enroll in any new government-run health plan.

It took me less than a minute to sign up to require our congressmen and senators to drink at the same trough! Three cheers for Congressman John Fleming of Louisiana !

Congressman John Fleming ( Louisiana physician) has proposed an amendment that would require congressmen and senators to take the same healthcare plan they force on us (under proposed legislation they are curiously exempt).

Congressman Fleming is encouraging people to go on his Website and Sign his petition (very simple - just email). I have just done just that at:
http://fleming.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=55


Please urge as many people as you can to do the same!

If Congress forces this on the American people, the Congress should have to accept the same level of health care for themselves and their families.

To do otherwise is the height of hypocrisy! Please pass this on!!

Clear and Concise Arguments

I just finished reading Ann Coulter's latest article. It was an excellent article, and she has some great explanations of why we don't like the new bill. My favorite is at the end when she compares cell phones to health care - it makes the argument very clear and powerful. Take the time to read it at anncoulter.com, because it's definitely worth it. If you liked that one, try also her article entitled "My Health Care Plan" from a couple of weeks ago where she describes her own, one page health care reform idea.

"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money."

Camie sent me an article explaining Whole Foods' CEO John Mackey's eight ideas for health care reform. It's definitely worth the read, enjoy!

Mackey's Reform Ideas

In his introduction, Mackey begins by quoting former British Prime Minister who said,

"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." That right there I'm sure rankled the far left! He then continued:

"With a projected $1.8 trillion deficit for 2009, several trillions more in deficits projected over the next decade, and with both Medicare and Social Security entitlement spending about to ratchet up several notches over the next 15 years as Baby Boomers become eligible for both, we are rapidly running out of other people's money. These deficits are simply not sustainable and they are either going to result in unprecedented new taxes and inflation or they will bankrupt us. While we clearly need health care reform, the last thing our country needs is a massive new health care entitlement that will create hundreds of billions of dollars of new unfunded deficits and moves us much closer to a complete governmental takeover of our health care system."

Mackey then outlined his eight ideas for health care reform which he claims would lower costs and involve "...less governmental control and more individual empowerment."

1. Remove the legal obstacles which slow the creation of high deductible health insurance plans and Health Savings Accounts.
2. Change the tax laws so that that employer-provided health insurance and individually owned health insurance have exactly the same tax benefits. Right now employer health insurance benefits are fully tax deductible for employers but private health insurance is not. This is unfair.
3. Repeal all state laws which prevent insurance companies from competing across state lines. We should all have the legal right to purchase health insurance from any insurance company in any state and we should be able use that health insurance wherever we live. Health insurance should be portable everywhere.
4. Repeal all government mandates regarding what insurance companies must cover. These mandates have increased the cost of health insurance many billions of dollars. What is insured and what is not insured should be determined by individual health insurance customer preferences and not through special interest lobbying.
5. Enact tort reform to end the ruinous lawsuits that force doctors into paying insurance costs of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. These costs are ultimately being passed back to us through much higher prices for health care.
6. Make health care costs transparent so that consumers will understand what health care treatments cost. How many people know what their last doctor's visit cost? What other goods or services do we as consumers buy without knowing how much they will cost us? We need a system where people can compare and contrast costs and services.
7. Enact Medicare reform: we need to face up to the actuarial fact that Medicare is heading towards bankruptcy and move towards greater patient empowerment and responsibility.
8. Permit individuals to make voluntary tax deductible donations on their IRS tax forms to help the millions of people who have no insurance and aren't covered by Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP or any other government program.

In addition, Mackey later in the piece addressed the importance of personal health habits in impacting one's health:



"Rather than increase governmental spending and control, what we need to do is address the root causes of disease and poor health. This begins with the realization that every American adult is responsible for their own health. Unfortunately many of our health care problems are self-inflicted with over 2/3 of Americans now overweight and 1/3 obese. Most of the diseases which are both killing us and making health care so expensive-heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and obesity, which account for about 70% of all health care spending, are mostly preventable through proper diet, exercise, not smoking, minimal or no alcohol consumption, and other healthy lifestyle choices."

Speaking From the Heart...Video Clips from our Meeting at Senator Casey's Office

You guys make me proud. Nice work standing up for your beliefs. And a big thank you to Natalie for getting this ball rolling.

Is anyone else having an American identity crisis?

BBC Article

Here is a link to a BBC article with our interview.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markmardell/2010/03/how_the_healthcare_debate_has.html

D.C. Rally

Natalie in front of the Supreme Court, en route to rally.

Linsy, Beau, and 18th century patriot (he didn't even have teeth!)

Natalie in front of the Capitol - Can you hear me now?

Being interviewed by the BBC - "Why exactly is Obamacare UnAmerican?"

Answer: "Americans do not want government to come between patients and doctors."

Anyone wanna go to DC?

http://teaparty.freedomworks.org/events/march-16th-the-peoples-surge

Feel free to join in if you can!!

AMA Lobby Day

Last Monday I went to Washington DC with Jaimon to talk with Rep Holden's Sen Casey's office on the AMA Medical Student Lobby Day. During the meetings with our representatives I passed along the positive feedback that I had heard about the meetings with the Hershey Families for Freedom. The people that I spoke with in Holden's office were very interested and seemed very friendly towards the medical profession and would sincerely like to keep medical decision making between the doctor and patient, as well maintaining a favorable economic incentive for doctors and nurses. Holden's office was very glad for the support of his position against the current overhaul. They talked about how hard is has been for them to work with other Democratic leaders who have written them off after his NO vote.
Sen Casey's office was less cordial, but still listened.

The AMA's stance is all about insurance coverage for all and they encouraged us all to push this message. There were a number of students who attened the Lobby Day who are against the bill, and I think it made an impression on Casey's and Holden's offices to hear some opposition coming from medical students.

I will post any feedback that I receive from the Lobby Day.

Ray

Keep Vigilant!!

Apparently not even a republican winning an election in Massachusetts is enough to wake up the powers that are. Obama et al are still trying to ram this ridiculous bill down our throats! We need to keep taking action - keep calling our senators! Email and/or call Rep. Holden again, and remind him that he all but promised us NOT to vote for this health care bill! I know I became a little apathetic for a while, thinking that with Scott Brown's election things were going to stop. Well, that was unfortunately very naive of me, so let's not fall in the trap. Make sure our senators and congressmen know what we think of this bill!

Has anyone heard about any rallies or protests or anything going on in our area or in DC anytime soon? If you do, please let us know and put it on the blog so we can all help out with attendance. We cannot let this atrocity become law, no matter how many backroom deals are made!!

The world is turning upside down - and I'm loving it!!

Who ever would've thought that Chris Matthews of MSNBC would be telling the democratic leaders that they can't pass the bill and they're totally not understanding what a vote meant - and that he'd be right??? This is truly golden. Both of these clips are from recent Hardball episodes on MSNBC.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I found these clips on Hardball's homepage on msnbc.com

HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!

If you want to continue celebrating Tuesday night's victory, read this post and rejoice! Be sure to notice our own Senator Casey's remarks toward the bottom; I like to think we had a good impact on his thinking. :0)

It's not over yet, but this is nonetheless a HUGE victory.

Waterloo

Hope for No Change??

This post on one of my favorite blogs gave me more hope this morning than I've had for a long time. Check it out at Hot Air, it's definitely worth reading. The gist of it is that the White House knows that their health care take over will be in big trouble if Brown beats Coakley in Massachusetts tomorrow night, and their only option may be to force the current Senate bill into a vote in the House. Pelosi apparently has already shot down that option, though, saying the Senate bill won't pass the House as is. Read the whole thing - Ed Morrissey understands and explains the process way better than me - and pray that Brown will soon be heading to the Senate!

Babies Love Politicians

Young Physicians and Their Families - Meeting with Rep. Holden

Meeting Highlights:

• Our group relayed key concerns to Rep. Holden and urged him to vote against the health care conference bill when it is brought to the House floor.
• Rep. Holden plans to vote against the health care conference bill.
• Rep. Holden believes necessary health reform should consist of incremental changes to our system such as allowing the purchase of insurance across state lines.
• At the beginning of the health debate, Rep. Holden received a phone call from prior PA Governor Leader urging Holden to vote no on H.R. 3962. Governor Leader (who founded and operates nursing care centers) urged him to vote no because H.R. 3962 would drastically diminish quality of health care and would result in devastating cuts to nursing homes and hospitals.
• Rep. Holden supports tort reform and believes it is not included in either the House or Senate bill because of the influence of the trial attorney lobby on the Democratic Party.
• Rep. Holden does not agree with the closed-door health care negotiations taking place or the payments made to individual states for votes in the Senate (Nebraska and Louisiana).
• Rep. Holden called on the AMA for political help. The AMA will not help him because he voted against H.R. 3962. We assured him the AMA's stance does not represent physicians in our group.
• Rep. Holden believes federal funding of abortion will be the main hold-up to reaching a compromise House/Senate bill.
• If Rep. Holden were Speaker of the House, he would not touch health care and he would not touch cap and trade during this economic downturn.
• Irene at SEIU won't even look at Rep. Holden. (credit to whoever knows who Irene is.)
• Rep. Holden encouraged us to stay active and make our voices heard.

Meeting with Congressman Holden

Hi Everyone!

Great news - I just got off the phone with Congressman Tim Holden's office. Congressman Holden will be in Harrisburg this Thursday for a "District day" and would like to meet with our group. The meeting will be at 1:30 PM this Thursday. We have been slotted for 30 minutes with the Congressman.

As many of us have discussed, this is a GREAT opportunity and perfect timing because Holden will be voting on health reform again soon - likely this month. Holden voted AGAINST the health reform bill in the House, but he waited until the last minute when his vote didn't matter. In meeting with him at this critical juncture in the process - we can urge him to stay consistent on his vote when voting on the Conference bill (the Senate/ House compromise health bill). The House vote was very close (220 to 215). The Conference bill vote could be close again, and our voices really could make a difference.

Please respond if you and/or your spouse are able to attend the meeting with Congressman Holden this Thursday at 1:30 PM in Harrisburg.

It's Unconstitutional

There's still hope that even if the health care bill makes it to Obama's desk, it will get overturned by the courts. There are several (or at least a few) things in the bill that are unconstitutional, and here's an article in the WSJ that discusses three of the major constitutional problems with the bill.