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Town Hall bashes President's health care plan
3 Comments
POSTED: Monday, August 10, 2009 - 4:18pm
UPDATED: Thursday, April 8, 2010 - 3:42am
CHANDLER — A Monday town hall meeting becomes a rally against the Obama health care reform plan. East Texans joined a congressman in boo-ing the president's plan.
As Congressman Jeb Hensarling took the pulse of more than 400 who showed up. He found out these east texans think the government plan needs a by-pass.
"You can boo, just don't throw the chair. I'm just the messenger," said Hensarling, a republican representative for District 5.
An angry crowd at this town hall, but this time the congressman wasn't on the hot seat; it was the president.
"We have the right to recall those who aren't doing the will of the people. It's time for us to exercise that right," one woman said.
Hensarling says he thinks the health care overhaul would takes jobs away from small businesses and force people into a government run system; "no requirement, no requirement for people verifying their citizenship before receiving taxpayer subsidized help."
Another woman said her premium went up by more than $1,000 recently. She says what we have now is not enough.
Hensarling says while the reform plan on the table isn't the solution, americans deserve more.
"Every American ought to have the opportunity to enjoy health care coverage no worse than a member of congress," he said to a crowd cheering him on.
His alternative: a plan to allow any group — not just employers — to get tax breaks on health care plans.
President Obama said today in a summit in Mexico, there's many misunderstandings about the overhaul plan. He says as specifics emerge in the fall, the arguments will become more reasoned.
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I have just spent two hours reading HR3200. I have listened to both parties' statements on television for several weeks. What strikes me first about the whole situation is that the language is vague enough to "spin" in any direction, and certainly vague enough to "spend" in any direction. I am a teacher, and I am very concerned about uninsured children and their families. I have also seen public and private services in my school, city, and county provide for these children in every case that the parents would allow us to work with the family. I would be interested to know how many individuals in the Tyler area are currently uninsured, but would be eligible under HR3200. I suspect that there are far fewer than feared. Instead of the invasive and controversial overhaul of health care proposed by HR3200, I would suggest three other "baby steps" first:
(1) I suspect that families eligible under HR3200 are already eligible under Medicaid for children and disability for adults. Help them to apply, which is, by the way, unnecessarily difficult and discouraging. This would be a "dry run" for HR3200, as I expect that paperwork will be just as snarled.
(2) Insist that drug and alcohol addiction be treated in clinics currently funded by the state and the federal government for that purpose, BEFORE the addict is granted eligibility under HR3200. These victims of their own choices might be the most numerous uninsured group, and they can not reasonably be made "healthy" until those habits are under control.
(3) Before a new and loosely-defined program is launched, first develop a system to clean up the fraud in Medicare and Medicaid. I shudder to think how much will be wasted if a comparable percentage of the new funds go astray.
I admit that there are inequities, and I can conscience a reasonable drain on my income to help the unfortunate. I would just like for all of the rhetoric to assure me that such a huge bandaid would truly reach the right people and would be administered in a way that will not collapse the whole system.
No, let’s keep our uninsured children uninsured. The heck with those kids, I do not care if they get sick or not or ever get to go to a doctor, it isn't my problem, I have mine. That is what these self centered, hypocrite so called christen Republicans are saying when they are protesting a national REGULATED health care REFORM BILL. They are only our children and our future and we will only have to pay higher taxes in the future to cover their illnesses when we could have had preventative care. This bill could use some work but we need the health insurance industry and health care industry regulated and certain mandates placed on them.
It is obvious that Mr. Hensarling has not read HR 3200 or he would know about Title II section 246: No Federal payment for undocumented aliens. Other things in H R 3200 are :Title I Subtitle D—Additional Consumer Protections Sec. 131. Requiring fair marketing practices by health insurers. Sec. 132. Requiring fair grievance and appeals mechanisms. Sec. 152. Prohibiting discrimination in health care. Sec. 153. Whistleblower protection. Sec. 161. Ensuring value and lower premiums. SEC. 111. PROHIBITING PRE-EXISTING CONDITION EXCLUSIONS.SEC. 112. GUARANTEED ISSUE AND RENEWAL FOR INSURED PLANS. The U S Census Bureau Report- Although the poverty rate declined in 2006, household incomes in the US and Texas were still lower in real dollars than in 1999. Nationally, median household income dropped two percent from 1999 to 2006, from $49,244 to $48,201. In Texas, median household income dropped from $48,314 in 1999 to $44,922 in 2006—a decline of seven percent. The Census Bureau report also showed that health insurance continues to decline. The Bureau reported, "the number of people without health insurance coverage rose from 44.8 million (15.3 percent) in 2005 to 47 million (15.8 percent) in 2006." 22.9 % of Texas children live in poverty. our schools rank 48 in the nation for spending on our children’s education.
22.9 % of Texas children live in poverty. Our schools rank 48 in the nation for spending on our children’s education.
Governor Perry is a person that has lost his mind. He stated that the health care system is broken and the states should fix the problem, then why hasn't our Texas Republican controlled (17 years) legislature and Governor done something about the problem?
Oh yes, they did I almost forgot. It was called Tort Reform. These Republicans tricked the citizens of Texas into voting for Tort Reform by telling us it would bring down the cost of health care premiums and the total cost of health care all together and that was a flat out lie. Health care in Texas has done nothing but go up and we as a state rank in the top ten for the number of uninsured children.
All Tort Reform did is limit the citizens access to the courts when they have been victimized by a health care provider.
I say to you the people, go to the library of congress web site and research HR 3200 for yourself and stop listening to the right wing and liberal news media, news letters and organization on this issue. Do the research on the bill itself for yourself because even our Congressman is giving us a song and dance, smoke and mirrors. Then and only then can you have an educated opinion on this topic. There are some great things in this bill and some not so great. Do not through the baby out with the bath water.
YOU CAN NOT TELL ME THAT THE REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN GOOD FOR TEXAS CITIZENS.
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