Let's Hose the Poor, Part 18,475,183,475: They Don't Need Health Insurance Anyway

[elbales]

(Warning: long post)

Hey, poor people apparently don't get sick! 'Cause they must not need health insurance, according to Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY) and a majority of the members of our illustrious Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.



See?

Think Medicare Pt. D is bad? Brace Yourself for the Enzi Bill
by Families USA

Tue May 02, 2006 at 12:11:27 PM PDT

From the folks who brought you Medicare Part D(isaster), here's yet another bad idea for health care reform: the so-called Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act (S.1955), known here in the Beltway as the "Enzi Bill." From the bill's intro:

...to expand health care access and reduce costs through the creation of small business health plans and through modernization of the health insurance marketplace.

Sounds harmless enough, right? In reality, this is an extremely dangerous bill that, if passed, could jeopardize the health care of 85 million Americans.

...The Enzi bill would jeopardize the health care of millions of Americans by overriding existing state laws that guarantee coverage of such crucial services as cervical, prostate, and colorectal cancer screenings, as well as mammograms, mental health, and well-child care.

But it gets better. From Families USA's website:

Though the bill’s alleged purpose is to make insurance affordable for small businesses, its reach is far greater than that: States will no longer be able to mandate coverage of benefits, services, or categories of providers for individuals, small groups, or large groups. Premium rating protections, enacted by states to make small group insurance more affordable to older and sicker workers, will be set aside. Insurers will be allowed to sue states that do not comply. The bill sets a ceiling on, but no floor under, what states can do to protect insurance consumers.

If I were a violent person, I would be seriously considering buying a ticket to Washington, DC, there to purchase a truckload of Bic lighters with the aim of lighting lots of Repubs' asses on fire. As it is, it just makes a lovely mental image, to be held in the mind and then set aside. OH TEH ANGST.

But I'm still really damned hacked off. Hey, the Repubs are for states' rights! Except when they're not! Especially when their owners leashholders corporate sponsors snivel and bitch and say it's undercutting their profits! Am I emphatic enough!


They're organizing a national call-in day tomorrow, May 3rd. Please please please take a minute tomorrow to call your Senators, toll free--1-800-828-0498--and tell them to vote NO on the Enzi bill.

Comments

[leethomps.livejournal.com]

Wow... another .. brilliant .. Republican bill...

The really really sad thing... I'm from a ... republican family. *sob*

[elbales]

*hands tissue*

There, there.

[emidala.livejournal.com]

what the FUCK is wrong with these people? can't they THINK!?!

[elbales]

sure they can. they think, "it's all about me and MY money and MY power." because they suck.

[cryptile.livejournal.com]

I gotta Bic.

[leethomps.livejournal.com]

I think he looks like a tired monkey without a brain.

[leethomps.livejournal.com]

I think we need to round up and shoot the republicans (sadly this includes my parents and I'll miss them but... they voted for Dubya... twice *sob*), marketing people and the lawyers...

[elbales]

But do you got plane fare to DC? We could team up.