Living with RSD

10 Facts Every American Should Know About

Speaker Pelosi's 1,990-Page Gov't Takeover of Health Care

Washington, Oct 29, 2009

Members of Congress and the American people are just beginning to look at Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) 1,990-page government takeover of healthcare, but it’s already becoming clear just how costly and unsustainable this proposal is. From higher taxes on middle-class families tojob-killing mandates on small businesses to cuts in Medicare benefitsfor seniors.

1. RAISES TAXES ON MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES.Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill imposes a range of tax increases on families with income below $250,000, breaking a promise made by President Obama. Tax increases on middle class families include: an individual mandate tax of up to 2.5 percent of income for taxpayers earning as little as $9,350; repeal of a tax break on medicine purchased with funds from an HSA (health savings account); limits to tax relief through FSAs (flexible spending accounts); taxes on medical devices that will inevitably be passed on to consumers; and a new taxon all insurance policies.

2. MASSIVE CUTS TO MEDICARE BENEFITS FOR SENIORS. Despite grave warnings from CBO, FactCheck.org, and the independent Lewin Group that cuts to Medicare of the magnitude included in Speaker Pelosi’s bill would have a negative impact on seniors’ benefits and choices, Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill stays the course and cuts Medicare by hundreds of billions of dollars.

3. NO PROTECTIONS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES. Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill claims to exempt small businesses from the steep eight percent ‘pay or play’ employer mandate. The facts tell adifferent story.

Using Census data compiled by the Small BusinessAdministration, this so-called ‘exemption’ hammers small employers with only, on average, 17 or more employees to new taxes and mandates. The outfits affected employ 70 percent of all small business employees, or 42.3 million workers. Adding to the assault on small businesses, the bill does not index the small business “exemption” amounts, meaning more and more small businesses will be ensnared by this job-killing employer mandate each year.

4. INCREASES THE COST OF HEALTH INSURANCE. Imposing a new $2 billion tax on insurance policies will be passed onto patients in the form of higher premiums. Changes to the MedicarePart D prescription drug benefit  will, according to estimates by CBO, will raise Medicare Part B premiums by $25 billion and Part D premiumsby 20 percent. And imposing an unfunded mandate on the states to pay for the bill’s Medicaid expansion will shift the burden of this expansion on state taxpayers who may experience tax increases to cover the cost.

5. USES GIMMICKS TO HIDE BUDGET-BUSTING COST, PILES UP DEBT ON FUTURE GENERATIONS.Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill claims to be deficit neutral, but uses budget gimmickry to hide its massive total cost. Working families across America know they cannot simply decide that a bill they get inthe mail doesn’t exist, but that’s exactly what congressional Democratsare doing. In order to meet the President’s ‘target’ spending total of $900 billion, Democrats have simply swept costly provisions under the rug, including the $245 billion ‘doc fix.’

6. IMPOSES JOB-KILLING EMPLOYER MANDATES. Additional taxes on employers and new government mandates that dictate acceptable insurance will place new and crushing burdens on employers.These are burdens that will ultimately fall squarely on the backs of workers in the form of reduced wages, fewer hours or lost employment.CBO agrees that "[e]mployees largely bear the cost of... play-or-payfees in the form of lower wages."

According to the National Federation of  Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s largest small businessassociation, an employer mandate of this magnitude will disproportionately impact small businesses, triggering up to 1.6million lost jobs. Two-thirds of those jobs would be shed by small businesses.

7. TILTS THE PLAYING FIELD IN FAVOR OF THE GOVERNMENT-RUN INSURANCE COMPANY.Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill promises not to give the government-run plan advantages over private insurers in the market, but the opposite is true. The bill provides billions in start-up funding for the government-run plan, and while it requires the plan to repay the money over time it does not require the plan to pay interest on this “loan.” This interest-free, taxpayer-subsidized loan ispotentially worth millions of dollars and tilts the playing field infavor of the government-run plan.

8. THREATENS CASH-STRAPPED STATES WITH UNFUNDED MANDATES.Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill swells the number of Americans on the government rolls by expanding Medicaid eligibility. Medicaid is financed through a federal-state partnership, but the bill dumps nearly ten percent of the mandated expansion included in the bill onto the states. States, already struggling with fiscal constraints, would be left on the hook for billions of dollars due to this unfunded mandate.

9. CREATES A NEW MONSTROSITY IN THE TAX CODE. Starting in 2011, Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill imposes a 5.4percent tax on adjusted gross income above $500,000 for individuals and $1 million for married couples. Yet, the dollar amounts for which the tax kicks in are not indexed for inflation. We’ve seen this horror film before: the Alternative Minimum Tax, another Frankenstein’s monster of the tax code, also wasn’t indexed for inflation and now affects millions of middle class families with incomes below the Democrat’s surtax.

10. MISSES AN OPPORTUNITY TO CURTAIL JUNK LAWSUITS. Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill misses a critical opportunity to rein in junk lawsuits and costly defensive medicine. The bill includes only a voluntary grant program to deal with the medical liability crisis instead of including real reform, which would produce tens of billionsof dollars in savings, improve efficiency in our health care system and reduce costs for patients and providers.

Please read the bill. If you are unable to read it yourself, Adobe Acrobat has a feature that will read it outloud to you. You can also search keywords and read the parts important to you. Every American needs to understand this bill being proposed. It is important to every citizen; young, old sick and well. GET INFORMED! GET the FACTS!

Anyone suffering from GERD or stomach acid related problems (heartburn)

know how miserable it is. It is hard to eat, sleep and sometimes breathe.

People, like me, with chronic pain issues get a double hit because of the medications we take. I have had ulcers and GERD like symptoms many years before getting RSD. Over the years the problem hadgotten so bad, I was having a minor surgical procedure done every 6months to relieve the problem. I have a valve in my stomach that doesnot close properly and the only way I got relief was this surgery,

Of course, RSD changed that. Surgery is not longer an option. I take a proton pump inhibitor twice a day. My insurance pays for one.

So,I began looking for a natural alternative to use in conjunction with my medication. Here is one option you might want to try. No side effects and the worse that can happen is that it might not work for you!

Heartburn Tea

Mix equal amounts of mint, anise, and lavender.

Boil 2 ½ cup distilled water

Pour water over one teaspoon mixed herbs

Let the tea sit for 3 - 5 minutes

Add a little honey if desired.

Drink 8 oz in the morning and 8 grams in the evening to get relief from acid reflux.

Relax and sip................

As the meetings  on the hill continue, the news is bleak. I know we want change in the insurance industry. I want change! I DO NOT want the complete system blown up. All of it is not broken. This country cannot afford the major overhaulthe Democrats are trying to do; and it's not necessary.

We need tort reform, the ability to buy insurance from ANY state with no pre-existing condition clauses. Cut out the abuse and fraud and most importantly, PROSECUTE them when they are uncovered.

Stop lawyers from making a fortune with frivolous lawsuits against doctors. You see them on commercials every day hawking their wares.Where there is wrong, of course a remedy should be available.  But,come on......we have all seen these ads looking for clients just to justify a huge lawsuit. The ridiculous amounts awarded  which in turn drives up insurance premiums for everyone. 

So, don't for one minute this healthcare debate does not involve you! If you live in the US; if you buy health insurance for your family; if you need medicine. Where do you think the money comes from to pay off these huge settlements where only a few select people profit? It comes from all of us because the costs are passed onto the consumer by charging US higher rates!

And, lastly

NO ONE should be forced to buy healthcare against their will.