Health Care Reform - Part 2...

Greetings.

I got a reply from Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rogers today. I thought I'd share it with you all, and, since she obviously can't be convinced to break with her party on this issue, give my retort here rather than waste my time writing back to her.

For review, here is what I originally wrote:

Dear Madam Congresswoman,

I am writing to let you know that I disagree with your current position on healthcare reform. This will not be an inflammatory left-wing propaganda e-mail, but merely a note to add my name to what I am sure must be a fairly lengthy list of your constituents who are dissatisfied with the current health care system and who are unconvinced that the ideas outlined on your website regarding this issue are the right solution. I am 31 years old, and I do not have a sob story about a close family member being denied access to health care. I do however have a bit of experience with the issue, as I worked in the health insurance industry for over five years. I am also currently a college student, and for the moment I am uninsured.

I understand the complexity of this issue. I understand that, among other things, over-utilization drives medical costs out of control, and that those costs drive insurance premiums out of control. I understand that preventative care, wellness, and cost containment are vitally important to the success of any reform effort. However, the outline of your position on your website sounds to me exactly like what I used to hear from the health insurance executives at companies like Regence/Asuris, Premera, and Group Health.

For the last several years, the insurance companies have been selling the idea that wellness, preventative care, and utilization management are the keys to solving our health care crisis. Unfortunately, I think we should all be able to agree that those companies have failed miserably in trying to regulate themselves in this manner. It's time for the government to step in.

I understand your party's platforms with regard to government involvement in such matters. I even agree, to some extent, that the government should stay out of private enterprise as much as possible. In this instance, however, I would like you to suspend those ideals.

Health care can not be looked at in the same way other private industries are looked at. It is not a luxury that should serve as a reward for hard work. It should be viewed just as necessary as police and fire protection.

While I have experience in the industry, I do not consider myself an expert. I do not know what the best course of action is. A single payer system? A public option? More strict regulation? Each of these options has its pros and cons. It does seem to me, however, that the increase in taxes that would come from a single payer system would pale in comparison to the cost of maintaining our current system through the foreseeable future. I don't mind paying taxes - if I'm getting my money's worth.

So, in closing, Madam Congresswoman, I would just like to ask you to work with, not against, the democrats in congress to come up with a viable solution that serves US, your constituents, rather than health insurance and pharmaceutical company lobbyists, because what I am reading from your office right now sounds entirely too much like insurance industry propaganda, and not enough like an elected official interested in serving her district.

Thank you for your time.

Brandon M. Humphreys

Spokane, WA

This is the reply I received today (with a few of my comments in RED for good measure.):

Dear Brandon,

Thank you for contacting me regarding health care reform. It is an honor to represent the people of Eastern Washington and I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me.

Access to quality and affordable health care is one of my top priorities in Congress. In rural areas like Eastern Washington, access is even more difficult due to geographical challenges and a shortage of medical professionals in rural areas. I am working hard to ensure that Congress increases funding to train additional nurses, doctors and allied health care professionals. (I signed my letter from Spokane, a metropolitan area with well over a quarter of a million people, and the second largest city in Washington - very rural, apparently.)

Although, there are a number of serious issues that must be addressed to ensure affordability and access, we should not sacrifice what has been the best health care system in the world (The key words there are "has been," I'll explain why in a minute) for the frustrations and weaknesses of a one-sized fits all government-run health care delivery system. (Sound-bite phrases like "one-sized fits all government run health care" really piss me off. They indicate to me that either the tone of my letter did not convey my level of intelligence on this issue, or that the woman my district elected to represent me doesn't herself have the intelligence to treat this issue with the complexity of thought that it deserves.)

I recognize that sky-rocketing insurance costs are causing more and more people to forego such coverage. These individuals face significant obstacles in the health insurance marketplace such as increasing costs, limited choices of insurers and inflexible benefit options. Almost two-thirds of the uninsured are the working poor, who cite the high cost of insurance as the main hurdle to health care coverage. One of the problems that drive insurance coverage to unreachable costs is excessive state regulation. (The bullshit in this last sentence is so monumentally heavy that I require an industrial crane to extract it. According to the 2008 Annual Report of Premera Blue Cross - the largest insurer in Washington, the company paid out 2.7 BILLION dollars in claims expenses, compared to 540 million in TOTAL administrative costs. In a company with 3200 employees, I doubt very seriously that state regulations bit into that 540 million very much.)

Some believe the government has the answers to America's health care problems (I believe the government has the RESPONSIBILITY to solve America's health care problems, I thought I made that pretty clear in my letter). They believe these issues can be solved by spending more money and greatly expanding the role of federal government; however, this is not the answer (Ok. Health care is EXPENSIVE. Everyone knows that. This means that the money is going to be spent one way or the other. It's either going to come out of our employer's pockets in premium dollars that go to the insurance companies, which keeps small businesses from creating jobs and decreases benefit levels for larger companies, or it's going to come from tax dollars with an entirely new system. The difference is, businesses will make decisions to cut jobs and benefits far more quickly than the government will.. Americans value choice and control over their health care decisions (I think you've made it abundantly clear that you have no idea what the American people value) and greater government involvement in our health sector would lead to higher costs, fewer medical discoveries and treatments, delays in access to care, and excessive and expensive increase in paperwork and bureaucracy (First, let me tackle the "fewer medical discoveries and treatments" line. How is it that the government manages to fully fund what is undeniably the largest and most technologically advanced military in the world, but is somehow incapable of funding a public health care system that would be incapable of sustaining or even increasing the current level of technological discovery. Second, why does it have to lead to an increase in paperwork and bureaucracy? Aren't you part of the legislative body responsible for creating systems like these? Americans made it enormously clear last November that we wanted a change in the way things are done in D.C. You apparently didn't get the memo.). Last year, more than 800,000 Canadians were waiting for health procedures for nearly 18 weeks on average and in a 2003 study far more Americans were satisfied with their health care than Canadians. (2003, huh? The following is an excerpt from a FOX NEWS report about a 2004 study on health care satisfaction in industrialized nations.

"...The U.S. is the only industrialized country that does not offer government-sponsored health coverage for all citizens. Proponents of market-driven health care often point to long wait times for services in other countries when warning of the dangers of a government-run system.

Sixty percent of patients in New Zealand told researchers that they were able to get a same-day appointment with a doctor when sick, nearly double the 33 percent of Americans who got such speedy care. Only Canada scored lower, with 27 percent saying they could get same-day attention. Americans were also the most likely to have difficulty getting care on nights, weekends, or holidays without going to an emergency room.

Four in 10 U.S. adults told researchers that they had gone without needed care because of the cost, including skipping prescriptions, avoiding going to the doctor, or skipping a recommended test or treatment.

Meanwhile, 26 percent of Americans surveyed said that they had faced more than $1,000 in out-of-pocket health care costs in the last year, compared with 14 percent of Australians, and 4 percent of Britons.

“The U.S. stands out as the patients the most exposed to medical bills,” Schoen says." You people act like Canada is the only other free country in the world. Just because they don't have it completely right, doesn't mean we can't get it right.)

I have introduced legislation to improve access, affordability, quality, accountability and choice, while reducing costs in health care as a viable alternative to a government-run all health care system for America (What is it? And define "viable," 'cause, I'm not exactly inclined to believe such vagueness). Since coming to Congress, I have supported legislation to allow individuals to purchase health insurance from other states (I used to sell insurance, remember? And I sold insurance to customers in other states. They had it worse off than we do.), to allow small businesses to band together to offer health coverage to their employees and to eliminate tax code discrimination against people who do not get health insurance from their employer. The bill makes refundable tax credits available to all Americans, regardless of job status. (Again, apparently I didn't prove myself intelligent enough to deserve a specific bill number. And, by the way, TAXES ARE NOT THE REASON THAT PEOPLE AREN'T BUYING HEALTH INSURANCE ON THEIR OWN!!!!!)

The bills I have supported in the past, and those I will continue to support, will increase access to quality and affordable health care, without expanding the federal government's role (That methodology has failed to work so far. Why should I believe it will magically start working, exactly?). To create a governmental single payer system perhaps may allow more people to be covered; but I believe that it could seriously jeopardize the quality of care delivered (Your belief is wrong. See my analogy on military spending above for further clarification).

Thanks again for contacting me on this very important issue ([sarcastically] You're welcome. I sure am glad I did it. It really helped me out). As your Representative in Congress (I think you've done a marvelous job in showing that you are not MY Representative in Congress, though you were elected to be so), I am committed to putting the best interests of Eastern Washington first, working to restore trust (You're doing a great job of that one), solving our growing energy needs with American energy sources and innovation, challenging each one of us to make healthy choices, and ensuring we have an education system which maximizes the potential of every child. I invite you to visit my website at www.mcmorrisrodgers.house.gov for additional information or to sign up to be kept up to date on these issues. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if I can be of further assistance. (I have no further use for you, unless you can show me that you are truly interested in finding the BEST solution to these problems, not just the solutions the RNC and the lobbyists want you to support.)

Best Wishes,

Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Member of Congress (Hopefully not for much longer. Is it 2010 yet?)

So there you have it. My rebuttal to Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers. Maybe I should run against her in 2010. At least maybe then I'd be heard. Ahh, who am I kiddin'?

Until next time...

I am the Reverend Humpy and I have approved this message.