Perfectly Petersen

I subscribe to Sen. George LeMieux’s newsletters and Twitter stream and must say that I’m actually proud to have him representing my ideas and values while (so far) appearing to always take the high road and not compromise his personal values along the way. Had I known about him before his election, I probably would go as far to say that I would have been a campaign volunteer for him – something I can’t believe I’m actually typing. His communication and understanding of his constituents’ wishes is something to behold.

Before I give you his laundry list after reading the bill as it stands now, let’s review what doctors think about the bill and what they say they will do if the bill goes into law:

An IBD/TIPP poll found the following:

– 45% of doctors polled said they would consider leaving their practice or retiring early if the proposed health care bill was to pass

– 65% or 2 out of 3 practicing physicians polled say they oppose the plan

– 72% of doctors polled disagree with the administration’s claim that the government can cover 47 million more Americans with better quality care and at a lower cost

Click here to read the full article

Here is this morning’s release sent out to his newsletter subscribers:

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator George LeMieux (R-FL) today called attention to a number of myths that have become part of the health care debate as if they were fact. Senator LeMieux made his remarks on the floor of the Senate this evening.
“We know this comprehensive proposal will not reduce costs for Americans, it will not guarantee that you can keep your health care plan if you like it, and it does not truly reduce the deficit,” said LeMieux. “These proposed reforms will take half a trillion dollars from Medicare, they will not reduce the demands on emergency rooms, and they will only go after fraud at the edges.”

BACKGROUND ON BUSTED MYTHS:

MYTH 1: YOU CAN KEEP YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE IF YOU LIKE IT

• As recently as today, President Obama has said, “If you have a plan you like, you can keep it.”
A: Employers will drop coverage
• CBO says, “Between 8 million and 9 million other people who would be covered by an employment based plan under current law would not have an offer of such coverage under the proposal.” Because of the employer mandate some businesses would likely drop existing coverage or fail to offer new coverage.
• Rick Foster, the CMS actuary says this number could be even higher. He concluded that 17 million people will lose their employer-sponsored coverage. Many smaller employers would be, “inclined to terminate their existing coverage” so their workers could qualify for “heavily subsidized coverage” through the exchange.
B: Medicare Advantage will be downgraded
• Foster also says, “Lower benchmarks would reduce Medicare Advantage rebates to plans and thereby result in less generous benefit packages. We estimate that in 2015…enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans would decrease by about 33 percent (from a projected level of 13.7 million under current law to 9.2 million under the proposal).”
C: Mandates will usher in era of one-size-fits all health care system
• Mandates eliminate patient choice and force Americans onto certain plans.

MYTH 2: YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS WILL GO DOWN

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