As more and more Americans rally against health care reform as proposed by the Obama administration, those who support it are getting more and more desperate. Earlier this week, David Axelrod, Senior Adviser to the President, sent an e-mail off to several Americans in an attempt to counter the “lies and distortions” that we who care about our country have spread regarding Obama care. In the e-mail, Axelrod stated the following:

” At the end of my email, you’ll find a lot of information about health insurance reform, distilled into 8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage, 8 common myths about reform and 8 reasons we need health insurance reform now.”

Here is the list he is referring to:

8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage

1. Ends Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.
2. Ends Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays: Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.
3. Ends Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care: Insurance companies must fully cover, without charge, regular checkups and tests that help you prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.
4. Ends Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill: Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for those who become seriously ill.
5. Ends Gender Discrimination: Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender.
6. Ends Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage: Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.
7. Extends Coverage for Young Adults: Children would continue to be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.
8. Guarantees Insurance Renewal: Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full. Insurance companies won’t be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick.

Learn more and get details: http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/health-insurance-consumer-protections/

8 common myths about health insurance reform

1. Reform will stop “rationing” – not increase it: It’s a myth that reform will mean a “government takeover” of health care or lead to “rationing.” To the contrary, reform will forbid many forms of rationing that are currently being used by insurance companies.
2. We can’t afford reform: It’s the status quo we can’t afford. It’s a myth that reform will bust the budget. To the contrary, the President has identified ways to pay for the vast majority of the up-front costs by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse within existing government health programs; ending big subsidies to insurance companies; and increasing efficiency with such steps as coordinating care and streamlining paperwork. In the long term, reform can help bring down costs that will otherwise lead to a fiscal crisis.
3. Reform would encourage “euthanasia”: It does not. It’s a malicious myth that reform would encourage or even require euthanasia for seniors. For seniors who want to consult with their family and physicians about end-of life decisions, reform will help to cover these voluntary, private consultations for those who want help with these personal and difficult family decisions.
4. Vets’ health care is safe and sound: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will affect veterans’ access to the care they get now. To the contrary, the President’s budget significantly expands coverage under the VA, extending care to 500,000 more veterans who were previously excluded. The VA Healthcare system will continue to be available for all eligible veterans.
5. Reform will benefit small business – not burden it: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will hurt small businesses. To the contrary, reform will ease the burdens on small businesses, provide tax credits to help them pay for employee coverage and help level the playing field with big firms who pay much less to cover their employees on average.
6. Your Medicare is safe, and stronger with reform: It’s myth that Health Insurance Reform would be financed by cutting Medicare benefits. To the contrary, reform will improve the long-term financial health of Medicare, ensure better coordination, eliminate waste and unnecessary subsidies to insurance companies, and help to close the Medicare “doughnut” hole to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors.

7. You can keep your own insurance: It’s myth that reform will force you out of your current insurance plan or force you to change doctors. To the contrary, reform will expand your choices, not eliminate them.
8. No, government will not do anything with your bank account: It is an absurd myth that government will be in charge of your bank accounts. Health insurance reform will simplify administration, making it easier and more convenient for you to pay bills in a method that you choose. Just like paying a phone bill or a utility bill, you can pay by traditional check, or by a direct electronic payment. And forms will be standardized so they will be easier to understand. The choice is up to you – and the same rules of privacy will apply as they do for all other electronic payments that people make.

Learn more and get details:

http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck

http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck/faq

8 Reasons We Need Health Insurance Reform Now

1. Coverage Denied to Millions: A recent national survey estimated that 12.6 million non-elderly adults – 36 percent of those who tried to purchase health insurance directly from an insurance company in the individual insurance market – were in fact discriminated against because of a pre-existing condition in the previous three years or dropped from coverage when they became seriously ill. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/denied_coverage/index.html
2. Less Care for More Costs: With each passing year, Americans are paying more for health care coverage. Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have nearly doubled since 2000, a rate three times faster than wages. In 2008, the average premium for a family plan purchased through an employer was $12,680, nearly the annual earnings of a full-time minimum wage job. Americans pay more than ever for health insurance, but get less coverage. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hiddencosts/index.html
3. Roadblocks to Care for Women: Women’s reproductive health requires more regular contact with health care providers, including yearly pap smears, mammograms, and obstetric care. Women are also more likely to report fair or poor health than men (9.5% versus 9.0%). While rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure are similar to men, women are twice as likely to suffer from headaches and are more likely to experience joint, back or neck pain. These chronic conditions often require regular and frequent treatment and follow-up care. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/women/index.html
4. Hard Times in the Heartland: Throughout rural America, there are nearly 50 million people who face challenges in accessing health care. The past several decades have consistently shown higher rates of poverty, mortality, uninsurance, and limited access to a primary health care provider in rural areas. With the recent economic downturn, there is potential for an increase in many of the health disparities and access concerns that are already elevated in rural communities. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hardtimes
5. Small Businesses Struggle to Provide Health Coverage: Nearly one-third of the uninsured – 13 million people – are employees of firms with less than 100 workers. From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell from 66% to 61%. Much of this decline stems from small business. The percentage of small businesses offering coverage dropped from 68% to 59%, while large firms held stable at 99%. About a third of such workers in firms with fewer than 50 employees obtain insurance through a spouse. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/helpbottomline
6. The Tragedies are Personal: Half of all personal bankruptcies are at least partly the result of medical expenses. The typical elderly couple may have to save nearly $300,000 to pay for health costs not covered by Medicare alone. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/inaction
7. Diminishing Access to Care: From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell from 66% to 61%. An estimated 87 million people – one in every three Americans under the age of 65 – were uninsured at some point in 2007 and 2008. More than 80% of the uninsured are in working families. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/inaction/diminishing/index.html
8. The Trends are Troubling: Without reform, health care costs will continue to skyrocket unabated, putting unbearable strain on families, businesses, and state and federal government budgets. Perhaps the most visible sign of the need for health care reform is the 46 million Americans currently without health insurance – projections suggest that this number will rise to about 72 million in 2040 in the absence of reform. Learn more: http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/assets/documents/CEA_Health_Care_Report.pdf

This list is nothing more than the very lies and distortions that it says it is fighting against. In our new  post series: Obama Care Propoganda, we will reveal these lies for what they are.

It is sad that America has gone so far down the road of statism that our President and many of our Congressional leaders are attempting to pass a bill that will nationalize our health care. This is yet another step towards socialism! The bill, H.R. 3200, will cost over $1 trillion. H.R. 3200 is even more costly than the economic stimulus bill passed earlier this year! Those of you who think that the stimulus bill was a good idea, don’t you think that we might be spending just a tad too much? Our national debt has climbed to 11 trillion, and the liberals in Congress haven’t done anything to stop it’s climb. Instead they spend their time and energy passing bills that take away power from the people and give it to the government, and spend so much money that we can’t hope to pay it off any time soon. It is our duty as Americans to make sure that they do not pass this bill. Winston Churchill was one of the great politicians of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Churchill once said that whoever does not learn from history is destined to repeat it. Throughout history, it ha been made clear that printing massive amounts of money to throw at all your problems temporarily solves problems, but in the end causes runaway inflation. But the money being spent is not the most troubling aspect of this new bill. Everything about this new health care system would be regulated by the government. Government would also cut funding for Medicare and mandate “end life” counseling. This health care system would depend on a rationing mechanism, and this rationing would begin with the elderly. No one should have the right to take away your right to life, even if you don’t have much longer to live. This bill is loaded with dangerous and unconstitutional items. Among these are included Government restriction of the enrollment of special needs people in Nationalized health care, as well as the exemption of individual taxes, purchasing mandates, and fines for non resident aliens, that are required of every legal, U.S. citizen. This is simply outrageous.
A recent Rasmussen poll found that the majority of Americans oppose Obama’s plan for government-run health care. Yet these liberals continue to try to shove it down our throats. Certain Republicans who have the guts to fight back against this madness have proposed 31 amendments to H.R. 3200, all of which the Democrats have opposed. One would have allowed states to opt out, another would have prevented taxpayer-funded health benefits from going to illegal immigrants, yet another would have prevented bureaucrats from making personal medical decisions for patients. The list goes on and on. The fact that Democrats said no to all of these amendments makes their purpose clear: To take away more of our individual freedoms, and give it to themselves. We as Americans must stop these bureaucrats from bringing this bill into effect. The consequences of anything less are dire. If your Senators and Representative have not announced plans to vote against this bill, please call or e-mail them and beg them to oppose it.

According to the latest Rasmussen Polling, President Barrack Obama’s approval rating has gone down to 51% among Americans, the lowest that they have ever been. President Obama defeated Senator MCcain in the Presidential race by 52% of the vote. For the first time, Obama has been actually losing support. Only months after his election, Obama’s propoganda is starting to wear thin. More Americans are beginning to see that the Administrations massive spending is not solving our nation’s problems. If this keeps up, the 2012 Republican Party nominee for President will likely not have trouble getting into office. Also, the fact that Senator MCcain was not a very Conservative nominee hurt him in his run for President. If the Republican Party can muster up a good Conservative leader for the run in 2012, they will gather much more support among the people. Let’s hope that more Americans will wake up and reject the propoganda that the liberals try to feed to them.

Calvin Lyman