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Greetings, Thank you for your response. We, at the Political
Department, received an overwhelming amount of replies from our
previous Legislative Update and we appreciate every last one of
them. Here are more health care reform facts and statistics for
your information.
Thank you for becoming involved!
United Association’s Three Goals
for Health Care Reform: 1.
Encourage
Public Option—Lower Costs Across the Board.
2.
Promote
Employer Mandate—No More Free
Rides. 3.
Oppose
Excise Tax on Health Benefits. Health Care Quick Facts:
1.
Health Care
premium costs have risen 131% over the past ten
years. 2.
On average,
a family pays over $13,000 in health care premiums annually.
3.
If we do
NOTHING, premium costs are expected to rise to $30,000 within
the next ten years. 4.
Currently,
at the bidding table, negotiations regarding wage increases have
been sacrificed in lieu of keeping up with rising health care
costs. 5.
We pay
30-35% more to help cover the cost of the uninsured—which
is 15.3% of Americans. 6.
The public
option will not make you change your current
plan. 7.
Its
purpose, if it is included in the final bill, is to assist
citizens in states where health care is monopolized and to lower
premiums. 8.
In more
than 30 states, health care is dominated by two or less insurance
corporations.
9.
The
Government will not be conducting a "take-over," only help
individuals ban together to leverage their assets against large
insurance corporations.
10. A public option will force insurance corporations
to do the right thing and become more honest.
11. In addition, you will no longer be denied coverage
based on previous condition, age or gender.
12. Still, individuals who do decide to enroll in the
option, if it’s included in the final bill, will not be put before death
panels or funding abortion. 13. Illegal immigrants will not be permitted to enroll
in the public option. 14. Medicare is government health care, which has benefited Americans 65 and over since 1965.
Since we are now in the 7th
Inning stretch of Health Care Reform, let’s play some
catch-up: 1.
The Senate
is in the process of combining two bills (HELP and the Finance Committee)
2.
The House
is currently combining three pieces of legislation.
3.
House
Differences: a.
Taxing the
wealthy ($500,000 annual income for singles, $1,000,000 for
families) b.
Cover an
average of 30 million people. c.
Has
Employer Mandate 4.
Senate
Differences: a.
Taxing
"Cadillac Plans"—this overused term was created by a
pundit to apply to health care plans that include extravagant
coverage such as acupuncture and spa therapy. However, while meaning
to go after the Wall Street stock broker, they got the Brooklyn
plumber.
We are opposed to any tax on our health care plans. The
tax threshold we keep referring to is the cost level at which
the plan will be taxed.
Currently, the Senate has the threshold at $26,000 for
high-risk industry workers. b.
Cover an
average of 17.5 million people. c.
One version
of the Senate has an Employer Mandate, the other doesn’t.
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