8 January 2011 Best care in any stable thanks to the 112th Congress

Phillip Roe’s Weekly column dated 5 Jan 2011:http://roe.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=218945 www.roe.house.gov.”

This is my response to Roe’s weekly column. It will be sent to his office and to the local newspaper.

“…This starts with our pledge to repeal and replace the health care law with reforms that keep control of health care decisions in the hands of patients and their doctors. Before the 111th Congress came to an end, I sent a letter to then Speaker-Designate Boehner asking him to make good on our promise and act swiftly to restore a patient-centric health care system by scheduling a vote soon. Acting swiftly on this matter, this Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives will begin the debate to repeal and replace the health care law.

“By acting immediately, Republicans are sending a message that we are not in favor of inserting Washington bureaucrats into a patient’s relationship with his or her doctor; that we are not in favor of increasing the cost of health insurance; that we are not in favor of weakening Medicare to create a new entitlement; and that, at a time of record unemployment, we are not in favor of legislation that will eliminate jobs.

“Instead, we must replace the health care law with a health care bill that will work to control costs and that is built upon the principle that when individuals are given control and ownership, we will achieve better access to coverage and see the entire system move in a positive, patient-centered direction…”

“By acting immediately,” to launch this dog and pony show, the GOP is announcing that they care more about appeasing the teavangelists and the insurance companies than they do about the needs of America’s citizens. This huge waste of time and money demonstrates that nothing has or will change in the 112th Congress.

"We Republicans are sending a message that we are not in favor of inserting Washington bureaucrats into a patient’s relationship with his or her doctor…” Perhaps not. However, you appear to have no problem allowing insurance companies to insert their bureaucrats between patient and physician. I’ve had much more difficulty with private insurance than with Medicare. I guess it comes down to appeasing the insurance companies.

“Instead, we must replace the health care law with a health care bill that will work to control costs and that is built upon the principle that when individuals are given control and ownership, we will achieve better access to coverage and see the entire system move in a positive, patient-centered direction…”

This seems designed to take seniors back to the time when they were collectively rejected for insurance by any insurance company. Just as a reminder, that’s the reason Medicare was crafted initially. I guess being “given control and ownership” means that those of us who have no insurance because we are unemployed, or who are uninsurable because of our ages are intended to go stand overnight in the rain at local fairgrounds, hoping to be treated in a stable by RAM volunteers. “Best health care in the world,” you boast. Not even in the third world, Mr. Roe.

Patient-centric health care, Mr. Roe only exists for millionaires and members of Congress. The rest of us take numbers, stand in line, or go home and wait for the insurance company’s clerks to deny a few lab studies, an elective surgery, or simply deny any further care. Sounds suspiciously like a GOP ordained death panel to me.