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Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009

Oct. 28 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

You call it ‘rationing,’ the government calls it ‘promoting restraint’

All of you who think the federal government has your best interests in mind and won’t “ration” health care need to read the changes to TRICARE proposed by the Congressional Budget Office.

Under the proposal, we retired service members and dependants would be required to pay the first $525 of medical cost and 50 percent of the next $4,725 for a first-year cost of $2,888 per person. It would be indexed to increase with inflation.

Now, bear in mind that we already pay $96 per month for our Medicare Part B, which is $1,152 per year. Add this to the $2,888 per person and the true cost to us will be $4,040 per year. Their rationale for this increase? “An advantage of this option is that greater cost-sharing would increase TFL beneficiaries’ awareness of the cost of health care and promote a corresponding restraint in their use of medical services.”

They won’t ration our health care. They want to make it so expensive that we can’t afford to use TRICARE for Life or Medicare!

I urge everyone to read the CBO Budget Options, Volume 1: Health Care, Option 96, starting on page 175. Then contact your representatives in Washington and let them know that you do not want them to allow this to go forward.

RICHARD ROESNER

Ocean Springs

Health care system works better for insurance companies than for people

Our health care system works better for insurance companies then it does for the American people. Tens of millions of Americans have no health insurance, living one accident or illness away from total financial disaster.

President Obama’s plan will simply make insurance work better, by holding the insurance industry accountable. Under the president’s plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to:

n Deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions.

n Drop or weaken coverage when you are sick.

n Place a cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime.

For the millions of Americans without insurance, President Obama’s plan will offer quality, affordable choices. It calls for the creation of a new insurance exchange, where individuals and small businesses can compare plans and buy the one that works best for them. The president believes a public option is a way to create more competition and ensure every American has an affordable choice.

We are closer now than ever to enacting comprehensive reform. An unprecedented coalition of doctors and nurses and a vast percentage of the American people are behind President Obama’s plan. It’s time to finish the job and pass real reform.