The LuLac Edition #2026, April 16th, 2012

Health Care Reform logo. 

NOT ABOUT DOCTORS 

Sunday I heard a former candidate for Pennsylvania State Senate say on L.A. Tarone’s weekend radio show that the Affordable Health Care Act will scare doctors away from practicing. That is wrong. Talk to most doctors and they’ll tell you that the most clean way to do business is with a single payer system. Doctors have to follow the rules and regulations of the Insurance companies. With Medicare, the government pays for 80% of care. 20% is not covered. If the patient does not have a supplemental plan to cover that percentage, they pay. The variety of plans that are out there now increase the overhead of docto’s offices. That hasn’t happened and will not happen because of “Obamacare”, it happens because of the regulations of the insurance contractors. In the 90s, there was a big scare in Pennsylvania about our state losing doctors. That hasn’t happened. But there is an inequity in the way insurance companies pay doctors. When I had my cancer surgery in 2008, the insurance carrier paid the doctor who essentially saved my life $1400! The Affordable Health Care Act is designed to adopt an 80/20 rule for insurance companies. That means they are mandated to pay 80% for patient insurance and claims and hold down administrative costs at 20%. You want to know the real reason behind the great opposition to the Obama Health Care law? Take a look at that 80/20 component and you’ll see the insurance companies weren’t happy with that 20% cap. And it is unfortunate that two years after the fact, people are still using scare tactics when it comes to health care for Americans.

11th Congressional Democratic candidate Bill Vinsko.  

VINSKO IN JOURNAL 

11th Congressional candidate Bill Vinsko has received full treatment from The Wall Street Journal in his presumed race against Lou Barletta in the fall. Vinsko has to get through the Democratic primary against Gene Stilp but is considered the favorite. Here’s the press release from the Journal: Bill Vinsko is running for Congress to be the voice of the People. As the Wall Street Journal points out on its front page today, certain Republicans who are decision-makers on federal redistricting in Pennsylvania admit it was done merely to protect Lou Barletta From the Article written by Naftali Bendavid today: "[Republicans] began to focus on bolstering endangered incumbents...To help Mr. Barletta, GOP leaders shifted two Democratic-leaning cities, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, out of his district…GOP leaders took one wedge out of Mr. Barletta's 11th congressional district that Democrats say looks drawn specifically to exclude the home of Mr. Barletta's leading challenger, Bill Vinsko." "State Senate Republican Leader Dominic Pileggi makes no apologies for using redistricting to bolster GOP incumbents in [Pennsylvania]...He added that redistricting doesn't guarantee a winner in the fall. 'A lot depends on the quality of the candidates.’ The Wall Street Journal ran a front-page story today that perfectly illustrates how far the GOP leaders will go in order to cement their power in the U.S. House of Representatives so that they can advance an agenda that does not create jobs and hurts our seniors by gutting Medicare. Bill Vinsko was the first-declared Democratic candidate last July to represent Pennsylvania’s 11th Congressional District. He has never run for public office before and believes that Washington D.C. needs to start getting things done for all Americans. Representatives in Washington need to represent the public interest and not special interests. It is time for the people to have a say in their government. “This is a prime example of the extreme partisanship that has really hurt the United States and the people of Pennsylvania,” said Bill Vinsko, “Our campaign will bring back the voice of the people to Washington, and a fulfill a promise to protect Medicare and Social Security, not just for the Greatest Generation but for every generation that follows. I am also firmly committed to creating sustainable jobs and opportunities for all Americans. It’s time we elect people to Congress who have a plan for our future.” “Republican State Senator Pileggi and I are in complete agreement,” said Bill Vinsko, “Redistricting doesn’t guarantee a win because the quality and character of a candidate matters more to the people and I firmly believe that in this election the integrity of our campaign and the strength of our message will win the day with the people of Northeast and Central Pennsylvania.”

State Representative Phyllis Mundy and Congressional candidate Matt Cartwright. 

CARTWRIGHT EVENT 

Matt Cartwright was feted at a great event hosted by State Representative Phyllis Mundy the other day. The event drew about 200 people I’m told and contained many committed Democrats who are rolling up their sleeves for the Moosic Democrat. Cartwright’s ads in the meantime have put him front and center as the Democrat running as a Democrat in the Democratic primary for the newly formed 17th Congressional District. Cartwright has had small events like this where died in the wool local Dems are coming out to lend his effort a hand.