Patient Letter to Senator

Dear Senator _____,
 
I am a constituent from your state and I am concerned about the future of our nation’s health care system and how the new law will affect my family.

The more I learn about the regulations and spiraling costs of “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”  (Public Law 111-148), the more alarmed I’ve become.  I understand that sweeping changes will be made that will interfere with my ability to make care decisions with my doctor.

It is obvious and upsetting that this law was rushed through Congress with little input from physicians, even from the doctors in Congress.

Clearly, the passage of this law was motivated more by power politics than concern for the health of our nation’s citizens.  And now the President has nominated Dr Donald Berwick, to head CMS, a doctor who has publicly proclaimed his love for the socialized health system in Britain.

I am urging you to please work to defund, repeal, and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

I am disappointed that the Senate failed to pass S.192 (Repeal of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act). I understand that President Obama would have likely vetoed the bill, but it would have been symbolic and would have made a powerful statement to the administration.

I urge you to support any and every effort to cut off the funding for Health and Human Services as they begin to implement the provisions of this law.  Please do not support increased funding to the IRS for 16,000 new enforcement agents.  Oppose all measures to fund the State Health Care Exchanges.  Reject HHS requests for further funding to implement increased bureaucratic regulation of health care.

VOTE to end the antitrust exemption for insurance companies.

VOTE to let me buy insurance across state lines and on the Internet.

VOTE to eliminate the “pre-existing” condition penalty by establishing and expanding high-risk pools across the nation and allow private insurers to compete for this business.

VOTE to allow people to purchase their own insurance and receive the same tax benefit as employers do now.  This will uncouple insurance from the workplace and make it “portable”.

VOTE for medical malpractice reform that includes specialty boards to evaluate the merit of cases before they go to trial. Caps on awards, “loser pays” for frivolous lawsuits, and a jury made up of physician peers and judges are reasonable suggestions.

VOTE to encourage Health Savings Accounts to make people better consumers of health care resources and re-connect with the actual cost of services. Doctors and hospitals should publish fees/rankings so I can shop around.

Thank you for your attention to this critical matter. Health reform could have been done correctly for all Americans.  I am counting on you to take my concerns seriously, closely read the legislation and resist the temptation to give in to the politics of expediency.  I will be following this issue closely.


 Signed  _________________________________________

                                        

 City  ________________________  State  ______________