Bitter Medicine

To the Editor:

Do you remember when:

1. Obama said: “I will not sign any plan that adds one dime to our deficits.” If that was true, then Obama should have announced his opposition to the Senate Leadership Bill and H.B. 3200, the so-called tri-committee bill that is the House’s approved legislation. Because in June of 2009 the Congressional Budget Office found that this bill will increase the budget deficit by $240 billion over the next ten years. And the Lewin Group study finds that in the second ten years this bill along will add over $2 trillion to our deficit. Now that adds up to a huge $1.24 trillion misstatement by President Obama.

2. President Obama also said: “Medicare is a sacred trust,” and “I will protect Medicare.” But the Obama plan includes some $400 billion in Medicare cuts. It destroys Medicare Advantage for the really poor. That will decimate a proconsumer option that one out of every four seniors currently takes advantage of that allows them to choose the best doctor for them.

Note: The Associated Press has called Obama on this lie. The AP reported that “Although wasteful spending in Medicare is widely acknowledged, experts believe some seniors almost certainly would see reduced benefits from the cuts. That is especially true for the 25 percent of seniors covered through Medicare Advantage.” The larger point is, there is no guarantee that Medicare will not be cut.

3. Page 65, section 164: The plan will be subsidized (by the government) for all union members, union retirees, and for community organizations such as ACORN.

4. Page 203, lines 14 and 15: The tax imposed by this section will not be treated as a tax…(it really says that).

5. Page 272, section 1145: Cancer hospitals will ration care according to a patient’s age.

6. Page 425, line 4-12: The government will mandate those on Social Security will be required to attend “end-of-life planning” seminar every five years.

7. Page 429, lines 13-25: The government will specify which doctor can write an end-of-life order.

In addition to the huge costs added to future generations and treating the retired as an expendable nuisance, an additional congressional bill passed by the House on November 7 would boost State Medicaid costs by a net $34 billion between 2010 and 2019. This add on by Pelosicare will burden an already unsustainable state Medicaid budget. While this facet has gone largely unnoticed it is causing heartburn to even Democratic state governors. For example: Phil Bredesen (D) Tennessee, has complained that: “exacerbating state budget deficits does not seem a very appropriate way” to extend health care coverage.

More importantly President Obama and Speaker Pelosi ignore 62 percent opposition to the tyranny imposed by these reform proposals and are determined to force this “bitter medicine” down our throats.

Don’t forget, vote these dictators out of office.

Daniel Kormanik

85 Great Ring Road, Sandy Hook                                                                   December 6, 2009

(Editor’s Note: Those wishing to read the actual and complete wording of the health care bill cited in this letter may do so at docs.house.gov/edlabor/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf)