Saturday, June 30, 2012

CONG. ROSKAM SERVES UP SOUR GRAPES ON OBAMACARE CONSTITUTIONALITY

It took but an hour for my Congressman Peter Roskam to fire off an email blast to his IL 6th District constituents lamenting the Supreme Court's upholding the Constitutionality of Obamacare. As GOP House Assistant Deputy Whip, Roskam will be whipping up his caucus to perform a wasteful, symbolic only vote July 11 to overturn Obamacare.

Roskam's reaction can be summed up in two words: sour grapes. Having lost the March, 2010, legislative battle that passed Obamacare, and having lost the June 28, 2012, Supreme Court ruling upholding its Constitutionality, Roskam goes the the well of cruelty and heartlessness toward the 40 million folks shut out of the health care system one more time in his upcoming exercise in futility.

Roskam appears bewildered when he claims the American people hate Obamacare. Maybe his pallin' around the wealthy and well insured 1% for his entire Congressional career his insulated him from the millions of grass roots folks who have been going bankrupt, experiencing catastrophic decline in health and yes, plain ol' dying from lack of health care. It could be he simply isn't informed of the benefits already being enjoyed during the first 27 months of this life improving and life saving law. Therefore, to improve his understanding, he should know the following:

7 million young people between 18 and 25 are now allowed to remain on their parents health insurance

Medicaid drug rebate for name brand drugs is increased to 23.1%

Insurers are prohibited from imposing lifetime dollar limits on essential benefits

Insurers are prohibited from excluding pre-existing conditions for children under 19 years old

Insurers can no longer charge co-payments for preventive care and medical screenings on all new insurance plans

Insurers' ability to impose annual spending caps are restricted (and completely abolished in 2014)

Insurers are prohibited from dropping policyholders when they get sick

Medicare is expanded to small rural hospitals

Insurers must spend a certain percentage of premium dollars on eligible expenses and issue rebates to policyholders if they fail to do so

Adults with pre-existing conditions are now eligible to join a temporary high risk pool which will be superseded by the health care exchange in 2014

I could go on but there is not enough space in this piece to list all the amazing benefits of Obamacare. That is why the law was so big. Congressman Roskam did a photo op during the House debate in 2009 showing him struggling to carry the entire 1,000 page bill up the Capitol steps. He said he opposed Obamacare because he didn't have time to read it. The folks whose lives were ruined or ended waiting for decent health care coverage are the only one who really didn't have time. Our political culture often laments the uninformed voter. What we really should fret about is the uninformed Congressman.

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