Yes-23 » trust laws

Honorable Charles Gonzalez, 20th Congressional District

RodZ — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 23:20:54 +0000

To the Honorable Charles Gonzalez:
Sir I am writing this message to implore you to make every effort to reinstate one thing into the health care reform bill during the reconciliation process. The one thing is to remove the exemptions the insurance companies enjoy from our anti-trust laws.
I believe this single change will do more to lower costs and improve coverages than any other provision in the bill.
The fact that one Senator sold his vote to remove this important section is appalling to me. It appears that one person has affected all of us to gain favor from the insurance companies. I don’t know if it is the case, but it certainly appears that way. Regardless this section must be reinstated.

Possibly Related Posts:

Letter to Charles Gonzales, 20th Congressional District, TX

RodZ — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 08:35:38 +0000

The Honorable Charles Gonzalez

Dear Representative, it has been reported by Dylan Ratigan of MSNBC in the Huffington Post that health insurance companies are exempt from the Sherman anti-trust laws.

If this report is accurate and true why is this the case? You have stated you want fair and open competition but I fail to see how this can be accomplished if the insurance companies enjoy protection under the law from competing insurance companies.

I also understand from the report that Texas is one of the states that allows this to occur. Why aren’t you trying to have this law changed in order to lower the costs.

Are you so bent on a government option that you cannot support fair and open competition?

I think that Tort Reform and eliminating the exemption from the anti-trust laws would go along way to reforming health care and not cost us billions of dollars.

What is your position on this?

Thank you for your time

Possibly Related Posts:

Honorable Charles Gonzalez 20th District Replies, More Spin

RodZ — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:02:54 +0000

They honorable Charles Gonzalez once again responds with spin and a sales pitch. Once again he does not address the issue I posed to him about removing the exemptions the insurance companies enjoy regarding the anti-trust laws nor answer the question, “will he fight to get this law repealed?” I am so tired of being treated like a blind following sheep that will believe whatever a politician has to say. Come on San Antonio 20th district voters lets end his time in office and vote someone in who has respect for our concerns and not just the party line.
I am posting his response to me so you can see the sales job of how wonderful a job he is doing for us.
Glad to Hear From You
Wed, January 6, 2010 10:58:42 AM
From:
Congressman Charles A. Gonzalez

Dear Mr. Zagala:

Thank you for sharing your concerns with me about efforts to reform our healthcare system. As you may be aware, on October 29, 2009, the Congressional leadership unveiled the Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R. 3962.
Our healthcare system is failing too many Americans. In the 20th Congressional District, one in four people I represent do not have health insurance coverage. These folks can not access appropriate healthcare, so they end up putting off proper care until small problems become too big to ignore. Not only does this put lives at risk, but it is a great contributor to the high cost of healthcare that impacts the insured and the uninsured alike. Healthcare costs are too high and will only continue to skyrocket if we don’t do something now. Currently, they consume 18% of our gross domestic product, but if we don’t make substantial changes to the healthcare system, health care costs will consume 34% of our GDP by 2040.
Since costs are so high, even those with insurance are often underinsured. So, when life happens and medical care is needed, it is difficult for families to pay. In fact, 62% of all bankruptcies are due to medical bills. It is upsetting to know that 78% of the people with a medically-related bankruptcy had health insurance, but there were gaps in their coverage due to co-payments, deductibles, and uncovered services. The epidemic levels of uninsurance, the ever-increasing cost of care, and the inadequate coverage even for those with insurance is a formula for the economic ruin for our country and must be fixed now.
The Obama Administration and Congressional leadership have answered the call for reform and have rightly made healthcare reform a top priority. Since February, leaders in the House and the Senate have been working to develop healthcare reform proposals. Throughout this process, policymakers have taken input from constituents and other stakeholders to aid in the development of healthcare reform legislation. Thousands of townhalls have been held, over 100 witnesses have testified at multiple congressional hearings and H.R. 3200, the underlying bill, was debated in 3 committees. The House of Representatives has developed H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which combines the efforts of the House Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and Labor, as well as legislation considered in the Senate and other House Committees.
H.R. 3962 is a work in progress and is no small undertaking. However, it includes some very substantial reform efforts that are expected to provide affordable access to quality care for all Americans. It creates a Health Insurance Exchange that will give individuals and small businesses the opportunity to comparison shop for the insurance plan that works best for them. With the Exchange’s transparency requirements, one will be able to compare various plans’ costs, deductibles, co-pays, and covered services easily. Sliding scale affordability credits will be provided to low income individuals and families to help with the purchase of health insurance. H.R. 3962 also creates a public health insurance option that will be sold through the Exchange alongside privately-offered plans. There are many misconceptions about this proposal which I would like to clear up. No one will be forced into this plan. It is simply another insurance plan from which consumers can choose. Also, this plan is not funded by the government. It will be financed only through premiums, just like traditional private insurance plans.
H.R. 3962 will create a number of necessary consumer protections. For example, insurance companies will no longer be able deny coverage for treatments of a pre-existing condition or charge higher rates due to health status, gender, or other factors. It requires that minimum standards be set for all insurance plans which will include preventive and mental health services, oral health and vision services for children, and will cap the amount of money a person or family spends on covered services in a year (which will help prevent bankruptcies).
It also improves Medicare by helping to fill the “donut hole” over time in the Part D drug program. This problem has been of great detriment to many seniors and disabled folks in our community. The bill also extends the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund by improving payment accuracy and encouraging delivery system reforms. H.R. 3962 also makes significant investments in the healthcare workforce. In particular, the bill aims to increase the number of folks who choose to be primary care physicians or nurses. There is significant investment in the recruitment, training, and retention of these valuable healthcare workers in medically underserved communities.
One issue of great concern to many folks I have spoken to is the cost of this proposal. This is a costly proposition but as someone recently observed: “The cost of failure far exceeds the cost of progress.” Our economy can not sustain the consequences of escalating healthcare costs and unavailable or inadequate health insurance coverage. While the upfront costs are daunting, policymakers are determined to develop a bill that will create overall savings for families and businesses. In fact, the House of Representatives is not even allowed to pass a bill unless it meets pay-go rules, which require bills to be paid for. H.R. 3962 will be paid for through a surcharge on the top 0.3% of wage earners, a surcharge on businesses that choose to not provide coverage for their employees (with an exemption that will apply to 98.8% of small businesses), improving payment accuracy in Medicare, and preventing waste, fraud, and abuse throughout the healthcare system. It will also reduce the growth in health care spending through stronger prevention and wellness measures and increasing access to primary care.
As you may be aware, on November 7th, 2009, I along with 219 members of the House of Representatives voiced our support by approving H.R. 3962. While the House has approved this landmark piece of legislation, H.R. 3962 will continue through the legislative process as it is considered in the Senate.
The healthcare debate has created very strong feelings from Americans of every persuasion. This is because every single one of us has a very real, very direct stake in this debate. People’s beliefs on this matter are also incredibly divergent. My offices in San Antonio and Washington, DC have received thousands of calls, letters, emails, and faxes. While balancing these very divergent opinions is an enormous challenge, I am very heartened that the people I represent in Congress are so engaged. I hope that you will continue to involve yourself in the debate as the legislative process continues on this historic effort.

Sincerely,

Charles A. Gonzalez
Member of Congress

Possibly Related Posts:

New Letter to the Honorable Charles Gonzalez, 20th Congressional District

RodZ — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:06:59 +0000

This is my latest communication with my Congressman. I truly believe the one thing that will lower the cost of coverage is competition. The fact that the health insurance industry enjoys an exemption and is allowed to establish monopolies is ridiculous. The fact that one Senator had it removed from the Senate version to enhance his campaign coffers is criminal. Instead of getting a good bill for the people of this country we are being forced to suffer through too many political games.
“Sir, I am writing this message to implore you to make every effort to reinstate one thing into the health care reform bill during the reconciliation process. The one thing is to remove the exemptions the insurance companies enjoy from our anti-trust laws.
I believe this single change will do more to lower costs and improve coverages than any other provision in the bill.
The fact that one Senator sold his vote to remove this important sections is appalling to me. It appears that one person has affected all of us to gain favor from the insurance companies. I don’t know if it is the case, but it certainly appears that way. Regardless this section must be reinstated.”.

Possibly Related Posts:

Health Care Reform What IS IT Really?

RodZ — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:44:32 +0000

I have been watching our Senators debate the health care reform bill for a while now and wonder what we are really getting. Do you know? If so would you tell me?
All I see is the insurance and the pharmaceutical companies getting richer, the congressmen and women getting deals for votes and 45 thousand folks still don’t have insurance and by 2019 29 thousand will still not be insured. I see the process in action and no change in sight, except to our incomes. They will be going down as insurance cost go up as do the taxes we will all pay. There are just to many back room deals being made. If you question the Democrats they just say it is always this way, the Republicans do it. Well my friends, like I used to tell my kids, “I don’t care what the other kids are doing, your not going to do it.”. Two wrongs still don’t make a right.
The single biggest item that would have lowered insurance cost was dealt out early in the process to secure one vote. One Senator screwed the entire population of this country. What was the single biggest thing, what was the one thing that would have substantially lower our premium costs? Taking away the insurance companies protection from the anti trust laws. Letting us buy insurance from any insurance company that would offer us the best deal.
Think about how high your car insurance would be if they had that sweetheart deal. It is my opinion that, that one change would have lowered premium cost and increased benefits substantially, but that one Senator had a large insurance industry in his state and put his pot of gold before the American people.
I will be on Medicare by the time all these changes are put in place, I hope they did not destroy it. I hope there are doctors still taking Medicare patients. I don’t know what is ahead except we will start paying for it for several years before we see one benefit.
There are many more government programs going to be pushed by this Congress and Administration, I hope we the people will see the outcome of health care reform and take a stand against this type of whole sale sell out of the American people.
You will now hear all the Democrats out there selling this bill as the greatest fundamental change in the history of this country. They will be right. It does fundamentally change this country. We are going to look more like Europe than we ever wanted to.

Possibly Related Posts:

Pelosi just plain lies about house healthcare reform bill !!!!

RodZ — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:00:03 +0000

Our power driven speaker of the house is just plain lying. Her obsession with power is obscene. Speaker Pelosi is the most far left liberal speaker of the house from the most liberal state in the U.S. and the most liberal city in the country we have ever had. If you really listen to her rhetoric, her agenda is quite clear. In a press conference this month, touting how she finally achieved one of her agenda items. Pelosi said “since coming into POWER as a freshman senator.” this is quite telling. It is quite clear to me that she is obsessed with POWER. Pelosi has no regard for the people of this country, she has no regard for our rights as citizens, she is only concerned with her continued status and power.

Pelosi is extremely wealthy having taken advantage of the opportunities afforded by a capitalist economy, an economy that she has no regard for. The evidence of this is obvious if you look at her total disregard for how she is wasting our tax dollars.

This bill does nothing to reform the employer based system of healthcare, it does nothing to reform litigation (tort reform), it does nothing to end the exemptions from anti-trust laws, it does nothing to guarantee portability. Oh it will end denying exemptions because of pre-existing conditions, but what is going to happen to the rates of those of us who have healthcare insurance?

When will these “reforms” be implemented? After the next elections? Hell this is a flagrant move by the current folks in power to say look what we did, stay in power and let “we the people” pay the freight.

How can this reduce the debt? isn’t this more like buying something on sale and saying I saved money. NO! you spent money.

Even MSNBC is starting to question the banking bailout. Even MSNBC is starting to question some of the policies coming from our legislators. The only ones at MSNBC who still blindly follow this leadership are the talking heads like Keith Olbermann, Ed Shultz and Rachel Maddow. Who the hell is Ed Shultz any way?

I love it when we get the Congressmen/woman coming on air and saying we should have the same coverage they get. Did you know that federal employees pay on average $400 per month for family high option? Did you know that the Federal Government picks up the other two thirds. The total cost is about $1200 a month. Do the math, it is around $14,000 per year. Tell me how many people can afford $400 per month let alone $1200. The question is, will the government pick up the two thirds for all non-federal employees? Will all of our taxes go up to cover this cost.

Before we all celebrate a victory ask yourself this question, what did we win? what did we really achieve?

Why in the world are we rushing this bill through when it won’t even be implemented until a future date, least a year, maybe two out? What is the con? Oh I know it’s just a big political game with catastrophic results sometime in the future.

How can anyone believe this is good for the country or really accomplishes the goals and desires set forward by President Obama or the people of this country? I know the Healthcare system needs fixed, I know this bill will not get the job done.

Finally, Speaker Pelosi, do you actually believe “we the people can’t add? You can’t fool us about the cost by breaking out 250 billion into a separate bill. We may not be as stupid as you think we are.

Possibly Related Posts:

Health care, not a right, financial crisis is here, U.S. dollar in trouble, China investing in Iran, Congress and Obama out of control.

RodZ — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:21:46 +0000

Come on America wake up! Our lives in this country are on the verge of changing in a manner you won’t like! Let’s face the facts! Our economy is in trouble!

The Bush administration rushed forward with an ill conceived plan that Congress rushed through the legislative process and the boys on the hill began to execute. The Obama administration continues to execute this plan, at least their version. The Obama team and Congress rushed through a stimulus plan to save and create jobs. Were these efforts effective? Hell I don’t know, but I do know that unemployment keeps rising, I do know we had to borrow trillions of dollars to support the legislation, I do know China is holding at least a trillion dollars of our debt and according to Ron Paul on the Beck radio program this morning, investing that money in Iran, I do know that the dollar is the world currency and their is a little doubt that if that changes and the dollar is devalued our country is in real trouble.

Many people are focused on health care reform, many on cap and trade, many on education reform and the list goes on. The point is they are all looking to the government to “fix” these issues. I maintain that the most important issue is this countries economy! If government spending and borrowing is not brought under control, if our debt is not reduced, all these grandiose plans will not really matter because we will be trying to figure out how to eat and how to live.

Listen, I am not an economist, I am not an expert in anything, I am just the common man wondering what happened and why the government did not do it’s job of oversight and regulation in the first place.

Listen folks, I wonder why if congress and the President are truly adamant about health care reform, then why are the Insurance companies exempt from the Sherman anti-trust laws? You may think that only Major League Baseball enjoys this benefit! Not true. On MSNBC’s Morning Meeting yesterday Dylan Ratigan was discussing this issue. He wrote an editorial in the Huffington Post describing this wonderful perk the insurance companies enjoy. The question he posed is simply, if you want reform why eliminate competition? My question is, why isn’t congress screaming to eliminate this wonderful perk, could it be campaign contributions? Could it be they really want a government single payer system? I DON’T KNOW, but true reform would bring cost down and not add to Americas debt!

I am truly concerned by how our government representatives are legislating us into a financial crisis. How the current administration is so naive and egotistical as not to be able to admit it is time to tighten our belts. They need to put all the social programs on hold until we can afford them and move towards debt reduction.

Listen, health care is not a right guaranteed to us in the constitution, I would love to have an efficient, cost effective, inexpensive health care program in this country with every citizen enjoying the benefits of coverage. I believe reform is necessary, but until we see honest full disclosure of all the issues and until it can be done budget neutral this will never happen. If we continue to push in the direction we are now it will further add to the cost of government and if combined with all the current bloated budget items this country will collapse financially.

So folks I say, Mr. President quit acting like the Chicago Chamber of Commerce or head of the U.S. Olympic Committee, come home and begin to focus on the issues of budget constraints and debt reduction.

Possibly Related Posts: