More On Health Care

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I received an e-newsletter from one of my US Senators, Roland W. Burris, today. In it he spoke of health care reform. The following is an email I sent to him. I have no expectations of a response, but I am interested to see if there are any thoughts on the issue from any of you dear readers.

Dear Senator Burris,

I have corresponded with you in the past and received a formulaic response that has led me to believe that you will never actually read this letter, but I am going to write anyway, hoping against hope that somehow you will hear of my concerns and take steps toward resolving them.

I received your e-newsletter this afternoon, and read with interest your desire to establish a federally-run "public option" to provide competition within the health care insurance industry and to lower costs. I have a couple questions that I hope you will try to answer.

First, how is it that a federally-run program, that is available to anyone in the United States who desires to participate, can provide meaningful competition to private insurers who can only offer insurance to those who live within their states? How is it that a program available to nearly 308 million people can be competed against by a program that, in Illinois, can only insure the 12.9 million people that call Illinois home? If the public option is to provide competition, Sir, I respectfully ask that the US Senate allow for true competition. Please suggest an amendment to any one of the several bills now being considered on the Senate floor that will allow for interstate trade of health insurance. If the public option is to be available to all 308 million Americans, so should every other insurance option now available.

My second question is this: how do you expect the federal government to run a program in a way that will save money and avoid waste, fraud, and abuse? Please give me one example of the federal government doing this with any one of the myriad programs that currently exist. Please admit, Sir, that our federal government has a horrific track record when it comes to being fiscally sound. I do not understand how you expect the American people, let alone those of us in Illinois whom you represent, to believe that a new federal program will save money when all we have seen, throughout our nation's 233 years, are federal programs that exceed budgets and increase debt.

Senator Burris, I believe our nation's health insurance industry needs reformation. But this reformation needs to be hit from every side. Republicans want interstate trade and tort reform. Democrats want a public option. Please realise that these are not mutually exclusive objectives.

Thank you.

Comments

Titus Todd said…
I wrote my three reprentatives, one who happens to be a blue dog Democrat. I got the usual form letter back though Orrin Hatch's office actually seems to take more time in their responses show at least someone read my letter.

Even without a Public Option we're going to get there eventually and the first step on that road is whatever Congress passes soon. It will pass without a single Republican vote. Measures taken will drive all private insurers out of business and thus everyone will have no choice but to turn to the feds for healthcare coverage.
January 13, 2010 at 8:11 PM
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