Come on guys.
The Senate voted last night to expand the SCHIP program which provides funding so that children can get basic healthcare.
The bill will pay for it by putting a minimal tax on cigarettes.
Millions of children including tens of thousands in Mississippi will benefit and our Senators Trent Lott and Thad Cochran voted against it.
Hell; this really shouldn't be a difficult. Pay for basic healthcare for kids by raising the price of a product that is proven to kill people.
So why do you think they voted against it?
They voted against the bill because they believe in a dangerous philosophy that says that the government doesn't have a role to play in helping people. The conservative governing philosophy says you're own unless you can afford to buy a congressman.
Give 'em hell.
Lott's Washington Office: (202) 224-6253
Cochran's Washington Office: (202) 224-4459
It's much more complicated than you are making it out to be. Originally the bill was a great idea because it gave coverage to children of parents who make under 40,000 dollars a year but over the poverty line (ones who are often left out).
ReplyDeleteHowever, the way the bill has been expanded it now will cover 71% of all children in the United States, 71%?! That is going to take away a huge chunk of business for any private insurance company. Families that are wealthy enough to qualify for the AMT (yes, the Alternative Minimum Tax) can qualify for this program. Taxpayers are going to be paying for health insurance for kids whose parents can easily afford it. Do you know any people whose parents make 100,000 dollars and can't afford health insurance for their children? If you do, then they have their priorities completely wrong.
Also do you know what amendment was defeated for this bill? Making it illegal for the funds to be used for abortions because a loophole exists where this could happen.....and get this, the amendment the Democrats defeated would supply money to pay for any medical care for an "unborn" child. Any procedures that could be performed upon the child that hasn't been born yet wouldn't be covered. The Democrats can't acknowledge that this child is alive because that means that abortion would be *shock* killing it *endshock*.
Tell people a little more about the SCHIP bill and its loopholes, please I beg of you. They didn't vote against it just because they are against big government, there are many more reasons. This is no slam dunk bill, it has huge problems.
( ) the Insurance companies. There should be absolutely no consideration given to them at all. This bill is about making sure we have healthy children, not about goddamn insurance companies.
ReplyDeleteThere would have been no money for abortions in this bill. That is an egregious twisting of the words of the bill.
And prenatal care is not a part of the bill because this is specifically for existing children. If there needs to be money for "unborn" children then there should be a specific and separate bill. There would be no resistance to this on the Democratic side because the womens rights groups who helped us get paid maternity leave would throw a nutter if there was.
The only problem with this bill is that it does not give a ( ) ton of money to big insurance and big pharma. I dont want to hear any ( ) about it being any other reason than the GOP being a bunch of stooges of the big money people
Your views are much too simple minded. Government run medical care would be DISASTEROUS!!! Imagine the personal care of the IRS combined with the reliability of the postal service. I know I don't want that for my medical care.
ReplyDeleteOf course the current system that leaves millions with little or none is acceptable?
ReplyDeleteI'd like to thank you for a post on something other than Phil Bryant. That is a big step for you. :)
A quibble though, what problems have you had with the US Postal Service? I have been a part of an internet business that sent out a dozen packages a day and might have a problem with one package a month. I think they do a pretty good job actually.
The postal service is the most reliable institution in the history of government. They deliver, on time, more than 3 billion pieces of mail a day. They lose or damage less than 1\100,000th. There is NO privately owned corporation who can claim that.
ReplyDeleteMedicare and Medicaid are reliable programs when the GOP(like Haley Barbour) decides to slash funding and let people die.
But here is another example of how great universal healthcare will be. It will be the SAME care for much less.
Would you rather pay 400 more per year in taxes or 2600 to 3500 dollars a year in premiums for the exact same product.
I am sick of hearing arguments about the cost anyway, would you argue over the cost of the garden hose if your neighbors house was on fire.