The LuLac Edition #2110, July 2nd, 2012

"Health Care...Not Scare Care" logo. 

HEALTH CARE SCARE TACTICS 

In the next few months you are going to be hearing a lot of health care scare tactics that will be designed to turn normal thinking people against this bill. Here are the biggies: 
CHARGE: Illegal aliens.  If health care is expanded, illegal aliens will get free health care and the rest of us will have to pay for it. 
FACT: People who speak with an accent and are not citizens will surely apply. This segment of the population will also be subsidized but they will pay something. Employers will not have to put them on health care so you have the dual effect of them getting more hours and a better chance to contribute to their adopted or visiting country by paying taxes. Illegal aliens will want to avoid any type of system run by “the government” for fear of being deported. Name me a criminal who will walk into an insurance exchange and try to get something for free when they are on the run. 
CHARGE: Welfare people will get on the subsidy and get better care. 
FACT: Welfare people have an Access Card right now that gives them health care. In some cases it’s free. Would you rather have these people contribute something by either paying something rather than nothing? Also, in terms of better care, people on welfare have to wait in line for procedures just like the rest of us. I have a friend who is on public assistance. Has been for about a year. She waited 4 months to have a specialist see her for a problem. It took me the exact same time to see my specialist who did my hip. The fact of the matter is that good health care providers with stellar reputations require a long waiting period for an appointment. It doesn’t matter if you are on an access card or a BCNEPA policy. That is not the fault of the insurance companies, the Affordable Care Act or anyone else. The good news in all of this is that after my friend’s appointment, she had her procedure within 2 weeks. After my appointment, I had my procedure within 2 and ½ weeks. Medical professionals are just that, professionals. If you’re sick, you get the care. Whatever your means of insurance. Why would we not want everyone covered? 
CHARGE: With 30 million people added to the rolls, the waiting lines will be intolerable. People will have to wait forever and no one will get good care. 
FACT: People are waiting for appointments now. And all 30 million people aren’t going to get sick at the same time with the same disease on the same day with the same needs. If 30 million people see a KFC commercial at 4pm during an NFL game, all 30 million people aren’t going to swarm KFC the Tuesday after at the same time ordering the same meal. People need to combat these ridiculous arguments with common sense. 
CHARGE: The Supreme Court says this is a tax. My taxes will go up. 
FACT: If you are a responsible person that is not covered or you don’t have a job, you wisely choose to buy insurance. If you are fortunate to have a job where you are insured in a group, you either pay part of your salary to be on that plan or the company pays the whole freight. (When I worked at BCNEPA, less than 5% of the companies paid the whole freight for their employees. That number might be smaller now). All of that said, here's the message for you: YOUR TAXES WON’T GO UP. YOU WILL HAVE NO TAXES. The only people who will have to pay a tax are those people who refuse to sign up. Then they get a penalty. This tax/penalty is called a FREELOADER FEE. It only encompasses 2% of the American population. To say that taxes will go up because of this is a lie. Fortunately most people are responsible. Others are not. One of the best quotes I heard about government came from Congressman Kanjorski who said, “Rules and regulations are enacted for not for the 98% of the people who do the right thing but for the 2% of the people who refuse to do the right thing.” Or in this case, anything. 
CHARGE: Since this bill was signed, my health care costs and premiums went up. It’s Obama’s fault and this stupid law. 
FACT: The law is not even in effect yet. The insurance companies raised rates in anticipation of the scare tactics and to make sure they had enough money to operate. Most are trying to adapt to the 80/20 provision which caps insurance companies operating expenses at 20%. That means that the other 80% will be dedicated to health care claims, not surpluses, golf memberships, $800,000 salaries and $25,000 stipends to lawyers, casino owners and state senators who show up for a dozen meetings a year. Name me a non profit board member who gets $25,000 for showing up and having lunch. If your premiums went up the last two years, don’t blame the President, blame the people whose card you carry in your wallet. Plus, some insurance holders will be getting a rebate this summer because their insurance companies have to comply with the 80/20 rule. 
CHARGE: The government can’t handle this. They’ll screw it up. 
FACT: Maybe but they can’t do any worse than the way private insurance companies are operating it now. The goal here is to partner with insurers. The goal here is to keep them honest and keep them in business. Medicare came about in 1965 and is essentially a singer payer system. The government partnered with insurance companies who offered supplemental policies. Insurers are making money because responsible seniors buy into the fact that a supplement is needed. The pool is large and the system works. And let’s talk about efficiency. In March of this year, I decided to get new eye glasses. I was told that I was not covered even though I was on a Vision plan since 2010. After numerous phone calls, I got it straightened out. Or so I thought. After a few months, I finally found the frames I wanted. When the insurance company was contacted, I was denied because I am not active in a Vision plan. The same vision plan that I have been on since 2010. How much worse can a government run health care plan be when the claims departments of all insurers hold on to their money like vampires at the last blood bank on earth? Clue to the insurance companies, make sure the people handling your claims get their GED or their diploma from a college other than the University of Phoenix. Monday morning I’ll be talking to some dim wit who will tell me I’m not covered even though I have been on the same freaking plan since……yeah, 2010. Sorry for being so repetitious but I’m practicing for my phone call to the Davis Vision Claims Department later today. I'll keep you posted on how far I get. 
CHARGE:  Not one member of Congress read the bill.
FACT: Chris Carney did! 
FINAL ARGUMENT: I’m stupid and proud of it. 
FACT: At about 8:17am on Friday morning, some guy called Webster & Nancy complaining about how this Supreme Court decision was going to cost him and other people in taxes. He blathered about how things could only get worse than this and that it was up to people to get away from government doing everything for them. He bemoaned the fact that people wanted a handout and these days do nothing for themselves without a government program. When Nancy asked him what insurance he had, he replied, “Medicare”. Typical LuLac attitude, “I got mine, you don’t have yours, so screw you!” 
So there you have a run down of the lies and bullshit you’re going to hear from the haters of the President, the people who are so insular that all they care about is themselves and people who are so partisan they are willing to destroy our country by being inflexible and quite frankly, mean bastards. So when you have your relatives coming over for the Fourth of July in a few days, keep these facts handy. You’ll need them to stop the lies. 
As the Professor would say, “CLASS DISMISSED”.