Because Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles) is a stud-hoss, you can look up your district at the Energy & Commerce website and find out exactly how much their health bill would help your community out. For example, I live in Rep. Jim Gerlach’s sixth congressional district.
We’re doing pretty well. Only 58,000 people (8 percent) are going without health insurance here. Only 600 people filed for health-related bankruptcy last year, most of them ruined by health costs not covered under their crappy insurance. On the other hand, 11,900 seniors maxed-out their Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage and got hammered by the donut hole. And our local hospitals doled out $50 million in uncompensated care to the uninsured that the rest of the district had to pick up the tab for.
Passing the Energy & Commerce bill would help us significantly. For starters, it would help our small businesses.
Under the legislation, small businesses with 25 employees or less and average wages of less than $40,000 qualify for tax credits of up to 50% of the costs of providing health insurance. There are up to 16,700 small businesses in the district that could qualify for these credits.
Those 600 families that went broke paying for medical care their insurance companies stiffed them on?
The bill provides health insurance for almost every American and caps annual out-of-pocket costs at $10,000 per year, ensuring that no citizen will have to face financial ruin because of high health care costs.
The seniors in the donut hole?
Each year, 11,900 seniors in the district hit the donut hole and are forced to pay their full drug costs, despite having Part D drug coverage.
The legislation would provide them with immediate relief, cutting brand name drug costs in the donut hole by 50%, and ultimately eliminate the donut hole.
And the uninsured?
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that nationwide, 97% of all Americans will have insurance coverage when the bill takes effect. If this benchmark is reached in the district, 37,000 people who currently do not have health insurance will receive coverage.
Needless to say, the local hospitals won’t have to spend $50 million a year anymore treating the uninsured.
And the cost?
The cost of health care reform under the legislation is fully paid for: half through making the Medicare and Medicaid program more efficient and half through a surtax on the income of the wealthiest individuals. This surtax would affect only 8,580 households in the district.
The surtax would not affect 97.5% of taxpayers in the district.
So, 8,580 households in my district will see a tax increase in return for helping 16,700 small businesses give health insurance to their employees, helping 11,900 seniors to weather the donut hole, helping 600 families avoid a health-related bankruptcy, and giving 37,000 people access to health insurance. Plus, we won’t have to make up the difference anymore on $50 million of uncompensated care at our local hospitals.
No more exclusions for preexisting conditions. No more recissions of health coverage after you get sick. And, if you don’t want to buy insurance from some for-profit corporation, you may qualify to buy your insurance directly from the government.
So, why is Jim Gerlach going to vote against it?
What are the numbers in your district?
131,000 without insurance
930 health related bankruptcies in 2008
$68 million in uncompensated care
that’s a lot worse than where I live.
CA-7-George Miller’s district. He chairs the Health, Education and Labor Committee that wrote one of the 3 House bills.
68,000 are currently uninsured-11% of the district
$148,000 in uncompensated care in 2008
Under HR3200:
12,100 businesses would receive tax credits to provide employee health coverage
8600 seniors would avoid the donut hole
1700 families would be subject to the surtax-99.4% of families would not be.
WE’VE GOT TO GET THIS DONE!
CA. 22cnd District. 130,00 are uninsured-17% of this district.
1,300 families would escape bankruptcy
10,200 seniors would avoid donut hole
Health care providers paid out 48 million for the uninsured.
8th Congressional District – Michigan
Mike Rogers (R)
Up to 15,100 small business could qualify for 50% tax credits
7600 Seniors hit the donut hole
1700 medically caused bankruptcies
$53 MILLION in uncompensated care
70,000 uninsured, 10% of district
Surtax would affect 2,930 households, 99.1% of taxpayers uneffected
Rep. Rogers sent me a long (3-4 pg) letter on how he opposed a public plan. Not surprisingly, many of his top donors are connected to the medical community.
2008 Donors: Rank; Contributor; Total; Individuals; PACs
1 AstraZeneca PLC $12,300 $2,300 $10,000 *
2 Merck & Co $10,500 $1,000 $9,500 *
3 United Parcel Service $10,250 $250 $10,000
4 Abbott Laboratories $10,000 $0 $10,000 *
4 American Bankers Assn $10,000 $0 $10,000
4 American College of Emergency Physicians $10,000 $0 $10,000 *
4 Associated Builders & Contractors $10,000 $0 $10,000
4 Comerica Inc $10,000 $0 $10,000
4 Koch Industries $10,000 $0 $10,000
4 McKesson Corp $10,000 $0 $10,000 *
4 National Assn of Home Builders $10,000 $0 $10,000
4 National Auto Dealers Assn $10,000 $0 $10,000
4 National Cable & Telecommunications Assn $10,000 $0 $10,000
14 Lowry Computer Products $9,200 $9,200 $0
15 Amgen Inc $9,000 $0 $9,000 *
15 AT&T Inc $9,000 $0 $9,000
15 Blue Cross/Blue Shield $9,000 $0 $9,000 *
15 Comcast Corp $9,000 $0 $9,000
15 National Assn of Health Underwriters $9,000 $0 $9,000 *
15 US Oncology $9,000 $0 $9,000 **
15 Verizon Communications $9,000 $0 $9,000
So, why is Jim Gerlach going to vote against it?
You know this as well as I do. He’s running to replace “Easy” Ed Rendell, that’s why. Did you notice how often he used to vote with the Democrats last year(being an election year …and being in a Democratic leaning district)? He has gone back to his GOP’er ways … and it’s worse now that he has competition for the GOP’er primary for Gov.
3rd Congressional District of Oklahoma
Congressman Frank D. Lucas (R-NRA)
Wanna guess how he’ll vote?
thanks for the hat tip..very illuminating.
The bill caps out of pocket costs ate $10,000? In addition to the premiums? This is enough to break most lower income workers. $1,000 would be onerous enough. What is the purpose of co-pays and other out of pocket costs? To punish people for being sick? When these first came about they were nominal charges touted as a defense against hypochondriacs going to the doctor for every splinter. Now they seem just another denial of coverage.
There’s some really good information in those reports and they’re not so long and wonky that most people will probably read at least part of the stuff. I’m sending our IN-9 report to the entire central committee listserv.
IN-9 stats:
14,000 small businesses could receive tax credits
6,300 seniors would avoid the donut hole in Medicare Part D
2,000 families could escape bankruptcy each year
health care providers would receive payment
for $93 million in uncompensated care each year
72,000 uninsured individuals would gain access
to high-quality, affordable health insurance
Appropriation chair Obey’s district in WI:
82,000 uninsured individuals in the district, 12% of the district.
920 health care-related bankruptcies
9,800 seniors in the district hit the donut hole
17,000 small businesses in the district
I’m still very, very skeptical about this plan. I’m self-employed, recently lost my insurance (individual plans are far too expensive), and when I was insured my private insurance refused to pay for effective medical treatments anyways (they are rejected for being experimental).
If this plan ends up forcing me to buy private insurance with a 30% subsidy, but does nothing to change the underlying dynamics of the private insurance industry, then I’m going to be worse off than I am today.
California District 39, repped by Linda T. Sanchez:
14,300 businesses for tax credits
6800 seniors in the donut hole
$50 million in uncompensated care
151,000 uninsured (23% of district) 134,000 to receive coverage
800 households affected by the surtax
Sanchez signed the letter vowing to block any bill without a public option. She’s part of the group that FDL has raised money for.
I forgot to say thank you, Booman. I’ve passed it on elsewhere.
I have you all beat.
There are 240,000 uninsured people in my district, CA-34. Wow. That’s depressing.
Speaking of healthcare-not trying to hijack the thread-but it appears the crazies have picked out another doctor and clinic-
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/08/27/nebraska.abortion.protests/index.html