Beware of Obamacare

Terrific Letter to the Editor originally published in The Pottstown Mercury from a Berks County resident who took the time to review the health care legislation beign proposed in Congress (unlike most of the members of Congress).

Beware of Obamacare

Since most members of Congress don't take the time to read what's in HB 3200 (the Obamacare Health Bill), I took the time to scrutinize this bill and found it loaded with detrimental elements aimed at American citizens, doctors and hospitals. I wanted to voice my opposition to HB 3200 and present my findings to the readers of The Mercury.

We all understand that our present health care insurance system should be reformed so that it is affordable and available to all citizens; HB 3200 doesn't even come close to accomplishing this objective.

First off, the promise “to reduce federal government intrusion into Americans' lives” is out the window. Not only has the federal government taken over the automotive industry, the student loan market, the investment and banking industry but now wants the health care market.

There are already 19,734,000 federal employees not counting 3,000,000 active and reserve personnel. If the HB 3200 passes, an additional 150,000 employees will be needed to administer the program (what a good job they have done with Medicare and Social Security).

Why not hire these 150,000 people to protect our borders, fight our massive drug problem and put more police and firefighters in our communities instead of laying off and closing?

An insight into HB 3200:

Page 50/Section 152: This bill will provide insurance to all non-U.S. residents, even if they are here illegally.

Page 58 and 59: The federal government will have real-time access to an individual's bank account and will have the authority to make electronic fund transfers from that account.

Page 65/Section 164: The plan will be subsidized (by the federal government) for all union members, union retirees and for organizations such as ACORN.

Page 241 and 253: Doctors will all be paid the same regardless of specialty, and the federal government will set the doctor's fees (why bother with advanced studies?).

Page 272/Section 1145: Cancer hospitals will ration care according to the patient's age.

Page 317 and 321: The federal government will impose a prohibition on hospital expansion; however, communities may petition for an exception.

Page 425, Line 4-12: The federal government mandates advance-care planning consultations. Those on Social Security will be required to attend an "end-of-life planning' seminar every 5 years.

Page 429, Line 13-25: The federal government will specify which doctors can write an "end-of-life" order.

HB 3200 specifically states that this bill will not apply to members of Congress.

After all, these members of Congress are already exempt from Social Security and they all have their own well-funded private health care and retirement needs. Need I say more. God bless America.

JERRY CROWLEY
Boyertown