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Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
My Response to Senator Sherrod Brown
I listened to you presentation and this is my response:
The Advantage programs do most of those things you mentioned: guaranteed benefits, free physicals, mammograms, preventative measures and without the extensive fraud in original Medicare and your bill cuts Medicare drastically. I am incredulous that you are incredulous if you truly think this bill is bi-partisan. Like many opposite you on the isle I do not want this bill to succeed because it is a 2000 page monstrosity that is poorly written and by it's nature will destroy business and lives as well. I talk to seniors everyday and the vast majority do not like what you are doing and we all know how poorly the government runs things.
A wise man would not force upon the American people trash. You and your friends in the Democratically controlled senate has put my livelihood and the livelihood of 10,000's like me in the insurance industry one day soon on the unemployment lines. You will rob the state of Ohio of Millions and Billions in income taxes and business taxes. I suppose next you'll continue your one term senatorial debut with a passing of the energy bill so we can pay higher energy bills with the money we will not have. There has been no true debate. There has been a bullying of he American people with a power hungry Congress that has an agenda the vast majority do not want.
I am an incredibly disgusted taxpayer and voter. I will do my best to see you voted out of office for your incompetence.
p.s. Tell Senator Dick Durbin that like Senator Coburn I too was wishing that there would be enough snow that it would shut the Congress down. If you can not vote, you cannot harm the American people.
The Advantage programs do most of those things you mentioned: guaranteed benefits, free physicals, mammograms, preventative measures and without the extensive fraud in original Medicare and your bill cuts Medicare drastically. I am incredulous that you are incredulous if you truly think this bill is bi-partisan. Like many opposite you on the isle I do not want this bill to succeed because it is a 2000 page monstrosity that is poorly written and by it's nature will destroy business and lives as well. I talk to seniors everyday and the vast majority do not like what you are doing and we all know how poorly the government runs things.
A wise man would not force upon the American people trash. You and your friends in the Democratically controlled senate has put my livelihood and the livelihood of 10,000's like me in the insurance industry one day soon on the unemployment lines. You will rob the state of Ohio of Millions and Billions in income taxes and business taxes. I suppose next you'll continue your one term senatorial debut with a passing of the energy bill so we can pay higher energy bills with the money we will not have. There has been no true debate. There has been a bullying of he American people with a power hungry Congress that has an agenda the vast majority do not want.
I am an incredibly disgusted taxpayer and voter. I will do my best to see you voted out of office for your incompetence.
p.s. Tell Senator Dick Durbin that like Senator Coburn I too was wishing that there would be enough snow that it would shut the Congress down. If you can not vote, you cannot harm the American people.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
No control over the Ads on this blog
I certainly don't agree with an AD that says Congress needs to repair healthcare. Read my blog and see.
A Must Watch Video of a Future (I Hope) American Leader
Follow the following link to here Lt. Colonel West candidate for the US Congressional District 22 in Florida.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP2p91dvm6M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP2p91dvm6M
Thursday, December 3, 2009
A Wife's response to a Senator's Lies about the Insurance Industry
My wife responded to Senator Sherrod Brown's reply to her request to vote no on the healthcare bill. Following is her reply and Brown's letter:
I have worked for a major insurance company in the Health Claims department for the last 23 years and we DO NOT “SLOW WALK CLAIM PAYMENTS” and we never have. Our company has a good name, and we do our best to provide the best service for our insureds. I have worked for the state government before for HRS (welfare, Medicaid) and I know what kind of service the government provides. You have truly offended me and I question that you know what you are talking about. Please do some actual research. You are heading in a direction that will affect my and my family’s lives.
Brenda Smith
From: Sherrod Brown [mailto:do_not_reply@brown.senate.gov]
Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 6:13 PM
Subject: Reply from Senator Sherrod Brown
Dear Mrs. Smith:
Thank you for sharing your views on health reform.
With health care costs rising to a breaking point and access to health coverage rapidly eroding, our health care system is in need of reform. We must reduce the long-term growth of health care costs for patients, taxpayers, and businesses; protect families from bankruptcy or debt because of health expenditures; guarantee a choice of doctors and health plans; invest in prevention and wellness; improve patient safety and quality of care; assure affordable, quality health coverage for all Americans; and end barriers to coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.
One promising solution to the problems of cost, quality, and access that plague our health care system is to increase competition in the health insurance market. If the private insurance industry was truly competitive, then there would be strong incentives to provide coverage to as many Americans as possible and to build customer loyalty through cost savings and quality improvements. Unfortunately, insurers do not truly compete against one another; instead, they make use of the same basic strategies to earn significant profits. These tactics include selectively insuring the lowest risk enrollees, slow-walking claims payments so they can earn interest on every premium dollar, and denying as many claims as possible.
What the insurance industry needs is some healthy competition from a public insurance option. This option would not replace employer-sponsored coverage and no one would be forced into it; the public option would simply give uninsured or underinsured Americans the choice of enrolling in a quality, affordable health insurance plan that does not engage in the same cost-avoidance tactics that some private insurance plans do. The public health insurance option would also be a vehicle for improvements in quality, coverage, and provider-access that sets the bar higher for private insurance plans. This option would be available to all Americans: both private and government employees, including members of Congress and their staffs.
Since Congress began debating health reform, an overwhelming number of people in Ohio have contacted me. I appreciate this input and am carefully considering the thoughts, questions, and concerns that you and other Ohioans have shared with me.
One question I am often asked is whether I would enroll in the public insurance option. Since first coming to Congress in 1993, I have refused to enroll in the coverage offered to members of Congress until every American has access to high-quality, affordable health insurance. Should a health care reform bill pass that offers a public insurance option, I would be pleased to enroll.
I have also heard from Ohioans concerned about proposals to tax employer-sponsored benefits. I am opposed to taxing these benefits, which would unjustifiably increase the cost of health insurance for working families in Ohio.
Several Ohioans have also questioned whether Americans should be required to purchase coverage. They have expressed concerns over establishing fines intended to increase participation in the health insurance system.
It is important to clarify that these fines would not affect anyone who is currently insured. One of the key principles of the reform effort is that Americans who are satisfied with their coverage today should be able to keep it without being subject to additional costs. However, without a mechanism that encourages the purchase of insurance, some individuals will continue to forego coverage, resulting in uncompensated care costs that inflate insurance premiums and increase the costs of Medicare and Medicaid.
Unfortunately, too many Americans today forego health insurance not by choice, but by circumstance. Many Americans are left without health insurance because their employers don’t offer it, and because it is too expensive to buy in the individual market. That’s why I am working to ensure that individuals who cannot afford the high costs of coverage are provided with federal subsidies to help them purchase insurance. I recognize that, even with federal help, some individuals will still not be able to afford health insurance and I firmly believe that those individuals should not have to pay any fines because they are unable to afford health insurance.
A consolidated Senate health reform bill, the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” was released on November 18, 2009, and will be considered by the Senate over the next few weeks. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), this bill would extend coverage to an additional 31 million Americans, would cost approximately $848 billion to implement, and would reduce the national deficit by $130 billion over the next decade. The bill is available online at http://democrats.senate.gov/reform/patient-protection-affordable-care-act.pdf.
On November 7, 2009, the House of Representatives passed legislation, the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962), by a vote of 220 to 215. For more information on the House of Representatives’ health reform bill, please visit http://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/legislation?id=0327.
I am currently reviewing the Senate bill, but am pleased we are one step closer to passing health reform legislation beneficial to health care consumers, businesses, and taxpayers alike. I also support giving every member of Congress, and every member of the public, time to review the bill.
As Congress moves forward on health reform, I will certainly work to address the issues contained in your letter. If you wish to learn more about my work on health reform as well as the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that Ohioans have posed to my office, please visit my website at:
http://brown.senate.gov/issues_and_agenda/stories/share/?issue_id=f565635b-e37a-45d3-b15f-edf6b930bd1a.
Thank you again for getting in touch with me on this important matter.
Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown
United States Senator
I have worked for a major insurance company in the Health Claims department for the last 23 years and we DO NOT “SLOW WALK CLAIM PAYMENTS” and we never have. Our company has a good name, and we do our best to provide the best service for our insureds. I have worked for the state government before for HRS (welfare, Medicaid) and I know what kind of service the government provides. You have truly offended me and I question that you know what you are talking about. Please do some actual research. You are heading in a direction that will affect my and my family’s lives.
Brenda Smith
From: Sherrod Brown [mailto:do_not_reply@brown.senate.gov]
Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 6:13 PM
Subject: Reply from Senator Sherrod Brown
Dear Mrs. Smith:
Thank you for sharing your views on health reform.
With health care costs rising to a breaking point and access to health coverage rapidly eroding, our health care system is in need of reform. We must reduce the long-term growth of health care costs for patients, taxpayers, and businesses; protect families from bankruptcy or debt because of health expenditures; guarantee a choice of doctors and health plans; invest in prevention and wellness; improve patient safety and quality of care; assure affordable, quality health coverage for all Americans; and end barriers to coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.
One promising solution to the problems of cost, quality, and access that plague our health care system is to increase competition in the health insurance market. If the private insurance industry was truly competitive, then there would be strong incentives to provide coverage to as many Americans as possible and to build customer loyalty through cost savings and quality improvements. Unfortunately, insurers do not truly compete against one another; instead, they make use of the same basic strategies to earn significant profits. These tactics include selectively insuring the lowest risk enrollees, slow-walking claims payments so they can earn interest on every premium dollar, and denying as many claims as possible.
What the insurance industry needs is some healthy competition from a public insurance option. This option would not replace employer-sponsored coverage and no one would be forced into it; the public option would simply give uninsured or underinsured Americans the choice of enrolling in a quality, affordable health insurance plan that does not engage in the same cost-avoidance tactics that some private insurance plans do. The public health insurance option would also be a vehicle for improvements in quality, coverage, and provider-access that sets the bar higher for private insurance plans. This option would be available to all Americans: both private and government employees, including members of Congress and their staffs.
Since Congress began debating health reform, an overwhelming number of people in Ohio have contacted me. I appreciate this input and am carefully considering the thoughts, questions, and concerns that you and other Ohioans have shared with me.
One question I am often asked is whether I would enroll in the public insurance option. Since first coming to Congress in 1993, I have refused to enroll in the coverage offered to members of Congress until every American has access to high-quality, affordable health insurance. Should a health care reform bill pass that offers a public insurance option, I would be pleased to enroll.
I have also heard from Ohioans concerned about proposals to tax employer-sponsored benefits. I am opposed to taxing these benefits, which would unjustifiably increase the cost of health insurance for working families in Ohio.
Several Ohioans have also questioned whether Americans should be required to purchase coverage. They have expressed concerns over establishing fines intended to increase participation in the health insurance system.
It is important to clarify that these fines would not affect anyone who is currently insured. One of the key principles of the reform effort is that Americans who are satisfied with their coverage today should be able to keep it without being subject to additional costs. However, without a mechanism that encourages the purchase of insurance, some individuals will continue to forego coverage, resulting in uncompensated care costs that inflate insurance premiums and increase the costs of Medicare and Medicaid.
Unfortunately, too many Americans today forego health insurance not by choice, but by circumstance. Many Americans are left without health insurance because their employers don’t offer it, and because it is too expensive to buy in the individual market. That’s why I am working to ensure that individuals who cannot afford the high costs of coverage are provided with federal subsidies to help them purchase insurance. I recognize that, even with federal help, some individuals will still not be able to afford health insurance and I firmly believe that those individuals should not have to pay any fines because they are unable to afford health insurance.
A consolidated Senate health reform bill, the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” was released on November 18, 2009, and will be considered by the Senate over the next few weeks. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), this bill would extend coverage to an additional 31 million Americans, would cost approximately $848 billion to implement, and would reduce the national deficit by $130 billion over the next decade. The bill is available online at http://democrats.senate.gov/reform/patient-protection-affordable-care-act.pdf.
On November 7, 2009, the House of Representatives passed legislation, the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962), by a vote of 220 to 215. For more information on the House of Representatives’ health reform bill, please visit http://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/legislation?id=0327.
I am currently reviewing the Senate bill, but am pleased we are one step closer to passing health reform legislation beneficial to health care consumers, businesses, and taxpayers alike. I also support giving every member of Congress, and every member of the public, time to review the bill.
As Congress moves forward on health reform, I will certainly work to address the issues contained in your letter. If you wish to learn more about my work on health reform as well as the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that Ohioans have posed to my office, please visit my website at:
http://brown.senate.gov/issues_and_agenda/stories/share/?issue_id=f565635b-e37a-45d3-b15f-edf6b930bd1a.
Thank you again for getting in touch with me on this important matter.
Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown
United States Senator
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