Personal E-mail From My Congressman

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Below is the full text of an e-mail I recently received from my Representative in the House, Paul Kanjorski: Thank you for contacting me with your support for the health care reform legislation recently considered by Congress. I appreciated hearing from you on this matter. Given your thoughts, you may be pleased to learn that I voted in favor of this important legislation. As you may know, on March 21, 2010, the House of Representatives passed legislation the health care reform legislation, with my support. This was one of the most difficult votes I have ever cast, primarily because there is a great deal of confusion about what this bill will do. Over the last year, many people throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania have taken the time to voice their thoughts on this health care reform bill, and I have taken each voice into consideration. I have heard from people who have been sick and can no longer obtain any insurance and from small business owners who struggle to pay the premiums for their employees. I have also heard from a sizable number of constituents who fear they will lose fundamental freedoms if this bill becomes law or that the legislation will negatively impact the insurance they currently have. This bill does not empower the federal government to take over health care. In fact, this bill preserves the employment-based private insurance delivery system upon which a majority of working Americans relies for insurance coverage. It allows participants to choose the health insurance plan that best fits individual and family needs by creating a marketplace of insurance plans, resembling the Federal Employees Health Program used by all federal workers, including Members of Congress. It also provides assistance to individuals to assist in paying for this insurance. The bill attempts to rein in those private insurers by prohibiting their most egregious abuses: denying coverage for individuals with pre-existing medical conditions, imposing a lifetime cap on medical care, and limiting the ability of individuals to change jobs without the fear of losing insurance coverage. It will also enable dependent young adults to stay on their parents' insurance until age 26. This will be especially helpful to young adults who do not complete college in four years or who pursue an advanced degree. This change goes into effect in six months and more information will be available in the coming weeks. If people currently have health insurance, whether it is through an employer or another means, their coverage will not change. If anything, their premiums are expected to decrease because there will be more people in the insurance pool. But, if people are unsatisfied with their insurance, they will have the capabilities to switch to a plan that best fits their needs. Senior citizens have expressed a great deal of worry that they will be denied services if this bill becomes law. In fact, seniors will experience better coverage for their prescription drug costs and will have no out of pocket costs for preventive care. In addition, this legislation reduces excessive payments to private insurance companies that administer Medicare Advantage Plans and applies those savings to the bill. It also works to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicare program which will help strengthen the program. As a result of this legislation, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the solvency of the Medicare program will be extended by more than nine years. This legislation is not the bill I would have written if it were up to me alone, but it will provide a platform to begin to reducing insurance costs and provide access to millions of uninsured individuals. As implementation of this legislation begins, I will monitor its progress and continue to work to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable health insurance and the security it provides. Again, thank you for contacting me with your thoughts on this matter. Please feel free to continue to contact me on any issue that concerns you. Sincerely, Paul E. Kanjorski Member of Congress I thought it was quite articulate and that it clearly explains some of the main points of the recently passed health care bill. The district in which I live has a very large senior citizen population as well as many, many Catholics so Rep. Kanjorski took his time in deciding how to vote on this bill and was very careful to make sure the bill wouldn't be harmful to the elderly and to make sure the language of the bill was suitable for his anti-choice Catholic constituents. He faces a tough reelection campaign but it won't be the first time! I think he deserves credit for voting his conscience and for what he and others of his party campaigned on. Any comments? Have any of you received a personal letter or e-mail from your Congress person or Senator regarding the health care bill or any other legislation that concerns you? Annie