SLC RL Participant Bill Lee On State vs. Federal and on CHIP

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SLC RL Participant Bill Lee On State vs. Federal and on CHIP

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>61 views before sabotaged on 10/15/2007

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Original Topic That Was Sabotaged 10/15/2007

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SLC RL Participant Bill Lee On State vs. Federal and on CHIP
From: bill s lee <billleetle@XXXX.com>
To: readingliberallyemaillist@johnkarls.com
Cc:
Subject: reading liberally
Date: 07/30/2007
Time: 1:20 PM EDT
Attachments: none


John –

Out of town as usual, but I thought the email summarizing HR 676 that I will forward to you following this might be of use for Thursday. (Ed. Note – the HR 676 summary is posted separately on the READing Liberally Bulletin Board)

As the consummate professional reading liberally host that you are, you have probably already covered the ground. But just in case..............

I would not be adverse to your posting my comments if you think that they have some value.

(Editorial Note: Bill then explains that the two major governmental programs in Utah, in addition to Medicare and Medicaid, are (A) CHIP which is health care for poor children with 4:1 matching funds available nationally from the federal government under a program that needs to be re-authorized by September 30 with both 43 state governors and a veto-proof bi-partisan coalition in both houses pushing for a significant expansion and Pres. Bush threatening a veto if there is any expansion, and (B) the single payer health initiative here in Utah which is called the Utah Health Cooperative.)

Either the coop or HR676 (mentioned in the attached) would go along way toward getting us the universal health care that SICKO advocates, but I personally think there are a number of good reasons why it is much better to do it at the national level. A few of those reasons are:

1. It will probably take the Fed to completely crush the health care insurance industry.

2. There should be far less spent on "bureaucracy", paperwork, and "red tape" in one federal administrative body than there would be in 50 state entities.

3. You would avoid the problem of having people in need of health care and doctors bouncing from state to state in order to take advantage of the options that best suit them.

4. You would avoid having state legislatures inserting their religious and moral convictions into the mix by trying to exclude coverage of
certain medical procedures.

5. I can't say I have studied HR676 in detail. It is my understand though that it would rule out the possibility of some state deciding to
avoid the changes and offer "premium medical care". If the door were left open some small number of the last states to implement "single payer health" might decide not to do it and to offer health care to the elite portion of the U.S. (or world) population that could afford to pay for it at any cost. Thereby siphoning off the best medical facilities and providers.

**********
Lastly CHIP. My problems with CHIP are as follows:

CHPs allow legislators like Hatch to say "look I saved the innocent children", pat themselves on the back, and then tell the rest of the
country to go get a job if they want even the minimal health care that a low paying job MIGHT get them. That allows the conservative element to say they have solved the health care problem while protecting the insurance industry. Many of them think that the only people who deserve health care are children and those who can pay big $$ for. Others wouldn't even include children if their parents couldn't pay for it. But it is pretty politically tough to deny children. So they sign on for CHIP, save the children, and stick their hands out for campaign finance from the insurance industry for having save them from single payer health.

Before this turns into a book. Unfortunately I will not be back for Thursday. Get in a couple of licks for me.

Bill

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