YOU KNOW THINGS are getting out of hand when Congresswoman Lois Capps has to resort to scheduling her Town Hall forums on health care in churches to keep tempers from flaring.While I don't doubt for a minute some of these anti-reform folks are genuinely concerned about the future of their health care, I can't help but suspect most of these protests are really just political theater for Republicans. A recent fundraising appeal for the GOP even hinted that Democrats would use reform efforts to deny health benefits to only Republicans. Oh brother.
It's a wedge issue for a party in decline and they have seized upon the media's penchant for covering controversy before substance. Lost in many news stories are the thoughtful discussion at these forums. We instead hear about the finger pointing and hurled insults.
Not that Democrats haven't pulled similar stunts themselves.
BUT THIS IS A DEBATE we really need to have in a reasoned, thoughtful manner. We all know our health care system is broken. The World Health Organization released an enlightening study in 2000 that showed the U.S. has the most expensive health care system in the world yet we rank only 37th in overall performance. What do we get for our money? It has been estimated that 19-24 percent of the total dollars spent are just on administrative costs for our complicated multi-payer system.
The health care system reflects our world of haves and have nots. And in this sort of world if you don't have the money for a Rolls Royce, you don't go out and buy one. But an appendectomy is not a luxury item and you can spend your life savings paying off a medical debt. These bills account for more than 60 percent of all personal bankruptcies.
Even those with good health care plans can be just one step away from panic. It happened to my own family. When my husband lost a good job years ago in the tech crash and became self-employed, we were forced to go out and buy our own insurance. The providers were happy to insure my healthy family, but I was denied coverage for a minor digestive disorder which nearly half of middle-aged adults have. Go out and buy high-risk health insurance from the state at exorbitant premiums, I was told.
I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN THAT. And I am sick at heart over what is happening to one of my dearest friends. A pillar of the community, she and her family are wracked with debt from expensive surgeries and treatments to fight a cancer raging within her body. Battling this disease is trying enough without having to worry about losing your house, too.
There is enough real-life drama out there. It's time to end the political theater and get to work.
The Committee on Energy and Commerce has prepared, for each member of Congress, a district-level analysis of the impact of H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009. For example, in Elton Gallegly's district, there were 1,000 health-care related bankruptcies in 2008. Under the legislation, small businesses with 25 employees or less and average wages of less than $40,000 qualify for tax credits of up to 50 percent of the costs of providing health insurance. There are up to 15,000 small businesses in the district that could qualify for these credits.
You can get the reports by clicking here.
Unlike Gallegly -- who has yet to host a forum -- Congresswoman Lois Capps will co-host a community information session on comprehensive health insurance reform for residents of the 23rd Congressional District on Friday, Sept. 4 from 6 - 7:30 p.m. at the Bethel AME Church, located at 855 South F Street in Oxnard. Joining Capps in co-hosting the event are local faith community members, including Pastor Robert Cox, of the Bethel AME Church. The Ventura County League of Women Voters will assist in administering this event. Capps will discuss comprehensive health insurance reform legislation being considered by Congress and answer audience questions about the legislation.
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