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