Thread: Hutchison Letter Urges Contacting Congress about Healthcare

Below is Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's (R-TX) comprehensive reply to my email about health care reform. The relevant parts for all begin at paragraph 3. Included is this positive message that hearing from the public does make a difference:

Quote:
"As the debate on health care reform continues, I encourage you to express your concerns to members of Congress, particularly those who have not publicly taken a stance on the dangerous consequences of the proposals put forth."

Dear Friend:

Thank you for contacting me about health care reform legislation. I welcome your thoughts and comments.

Texans are particularly aware of the dire need for reform. Our state has 6 million uninsured residents, the highest percentage of uninsured in the nation. This number poses a huge challenge for our health care workers, hospitals, taxpayers, and many working individuals and families that cannot afford the health care coverage they need. In fact, Families USA reported that in 2005, health insurance premiums for Texas families with insurance included an extra $1,551 due to the cost of care for the uninsured. We must take care not to undermine what should be the foundation of health care in America – patient choice, affordable coverage, and the highest quality of care.

At this time, several bills are being considered by Congress that would make dramatic changes to your ability to access medical services and obtain health insurance. I do not serve on either of the Senate committees that have jurisdiction over health care reform legislation. One of the most troublesome aspects of the legislation being considered is the massive government expansion it would enact. I strongly oppose a government-run option and believe current government-managed programs such as Medicare and Medicaid make a case against this proposal. Billions of taxpayer dollars are wasted on fraud and abuse in Medicare every year, and the program will be insolvent by 2017. Furthermore, 40 percent of physicians turn away Medicaid patients because the system is poorly administered, resulting in reduced choices and access to care for beneficiaries. I believe a government-run option will inevitably lead to a single-payer system in which private insurance providers are crowded out of the market and care is rationed to Americans. I would not want my family to be covered by this government plan, and therefore I do not find it acceptable for other American families and individuals.

After hearing from constituents over the last several months, some members of Congress have now learned that using the term “government planâ€

Now, someone explain how an American citizen that has been out of work for months, or years, lost their home and is now living in their car or in a tent under a bridge and popping into the food bank or soup kitchen every day, can afford health insurance.
Even if someone gets a job, affordable policies will probably require a high deductible, and for healthy Americans that deductible will never be covered.

Vortex wrote:

"Now, someone explain how an American citizen that has been out of work for months, or years, lost their home and is now living in their car or in a tent under a bridge and popping into the food bank or soup kitchen every day, can afford health insurance.
Even if someone gets a job, affordable policies will probably require a high deductible, and for healthy Americans that deductible will never be covered."

Reply:

Excellent point.

In her email Sen. Hutchison wrote:

"As the debate on health care reform continues, I encourage you to express your concerns to members of Congress, particularly those who have not publicly taken a stance on the dangerous consequences of the proposals put forth."

Here is her contact information:

284 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5922 (tel)
202-224-0776 (fax)
http://hutchison.senate.gov

in addition to asking this question of your own Congressional representatives and others.

Yeah I got the same canned response that one of her interns wrote for her. I also received a solitation in the mail for contributions for her run for the governer's office in Texas in which her team included a prepaid envelope for the contribution to be sent in. I wrote a message that I am not interested in voting for a Washington coruptocrat for Governor of Texas and placed the form in the pre-paid envelope and sent it in.

Well, at least her intern wrote a detailed response and suggested that there enough doubt remains among Congressmen and Senators about the wisdom of the Democrats' comprehensive plan that contacting members of Congresss can make a real difference in this legislation. Their agenda has so many "moving parts", and, once it's set in motion, there will be literally no way to stop it or revoke it later. If we want our legislators to represent us, we have to communicate with them in coherent form beyond just slogans and insults.