Dear Folks, Some of you may have watched Monday Jon Stewart and his cruel treatment of Kathleen Sebelius the Secretary of Health. Here is my response. John G
October 8,20l3
Dear Jon,
I ordinarily enjoy your program a lot, you and Steve. You both have acute minds as you lead us cleverly through many political issues. Our health care plan is one of these. It is, as you know the end of a line that has helped strengthen the health and security of people, beginning with social security, The plan had to jump many hurdles, the worst being Republicans in the Senate who used the filibuster to almost render the congress and the country defunct. We all ---as in Canada and Europe—would have wanted the single payer plan, simply by adding people to Medicare. It is a compromise but a meaningful one, as you know. 17 million children with pre-existing conditions are now covered. Roughly six million more students are covered by their parent’s insurance until age 26. Now any woman needing health care such as birth control, testing, etc are covered, no longer can insurance co’s put a year’s limit on costs or can drop old people. Insurance companies must spend 80 percent of their income on insure needs. Over all health will be promoted, a national health bank will reduce unnecessary interventions, companies under 50 employees will receive some government health, those over 50 must provide adequate insurance, at least 25 millions will get inexpensive insurance on exchanges, Medicaid is expanded to childless adults, as well as to poor folk who will receive Medicaid when needed in states that allow such (states can reject this provision, as set down by the supreme court, not by the law. In Texas, for example, l.5 poor people can’t have Medicaid). Premiums from the government will go to families with up to 90,000 income and individuals up to 45,000, On another level, no citizen will ever need to go into bankruptcy or lose a home because of impossible health costs. Over all employees will be healthier, and so our industries will be competitive on the world market.