Letter from Ron Wyden
Aug. 22nd, 2007 08:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
plutherusSo I edited this post (very slightly) and emailed it to congress.
Apparently, my own senator, Ron Wyden, is ahead of me. I got the following form letter in response:
Dear Mr. Luther:
Thank you for writing me concerning the need for affordable health
insurance. I appreciate hearing from you on this critical issue.
The skyrocketing costs of health care have hit American communities like a
wrecking ball. We spend more than any other nation in the world on health
care, both in total and per person. At the same time many can't afford it
and many more are on the edge of losing it. Over half of the poorest
working Americans are ineligible for Medicaid and yet too poor to get
health care on their own.
The combination of the huge escalation of costs, the growing numbers of
uninsured, the significant increase in chronic illness, and our rapidly
aging population means the current system is not sustainable. These
problems with our health care system have been ignored for too long, and I
believe it is time for diagnosis and treatment. That is why I have
proposed the Healthy Americans Act, S.334, to provide universal,
affordable, guaranteed coverage that can never be taken away.
Individuals would get benefits just like Members of Congress have now.
Insurance companies would be prohibited from charging you more if you are
sick or older, and no longer would insurance be tied to where you work.
Individuals and families who aren’t able to pay the full cost of health
insurance would be subsidized on a sliding scale to assure health care
would be affordable.
My legislation creates a new ethic of wellness and prevention. There would
be, for the first time, significant new voluntary incentives for all
Americans to stay healthy. For example, parents who enroll children in
wellness programs that show results would be eligible for discounts in
their own premiums.
While ensuring that every American has health care, my proposal also would
slow the rate of health care growth and save nearly $1.5 trillion dollars
over ten years.
If you would like more information about my bill, it is available on my
website at http://wyden.senate.gov
Thank you again for contacting me, and for your interest in this critical
issue.
Sincerely,
Ron Wyden
United States Senator
Apparently, my own senator, Ron Wyden, is ahead of me. I got the following form letter in response:
Dear Mr. Luther:
Thank you for writing me concerning the need for affordable health
insurance. I appreciate hearing from you on this critical issue.
The skyrocketing costs of health care have hit American communities like a
wrecking ball. We spend more than any other nation in the world on health
care, both in total and per person. At the same time many can't afford it
and many more are on the edge of losing it. Over half of the poorest
working Americans are ineligible for Medicaid and yet too poor to get
health care on their own.
The combination of the huge escalation of costs, the growing numbers of
uninsured, the significant increase in chronic illness, and our rapidly
aging population means the current system is not sustainable. These
problems with our health care system have been ignored for too long, and I
believe it is time for diagnosis and treatment. That is why I have
proposed the Healthy Americans Act, S.334, to provide universal,
affordable, guaranteed coverage that can never be taken away.
Individuals would get benefits just like Members of Congress have now.
Insurance companies would be prohibited from charging you more if you are
sick or older, and no longer would insurance be tied to where you work.
Individuals and families who aren’t able to pay the full cost of health
insurance would be subsidized on a sliding scale to assure health care
would be affordable.
My legislation creates a new ethic of wellness and prevention. There would
be, for the first time, significant new voluntary incentives for all
Americans to stay healthy. For example, parents who enroll children in
wellness programs that show results would be eligible for discounts in
their own premiums.
While ensuring that every American has health care, my proposal also would
slow the rate of health care growth and save nearly $1.5 trillion dollars
over ten years.
If you would like more information about my bill, it is available on my
website at http://wyden.senate.gov
Thank you again for contacting me, and for your interest in this critical
issue.
Sincerely,
Ron Wyden
United States Senator
