(9:00AM EST – promoted by Nightprowlkitty)
My wife’s company is one that still has health benefits. They don’t provide health care plans for free, but, they do pay 50% of the premiums. This year, her company spent $16 million dollars in their share of premium costs. Next year, that will figure will double, as will our premium rates under Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
If you read my reply to Rep. Joe “You Lie” Wilson, you know that he is one of the GOP politicians against health care reform that helps Americans. I received a reply to that email. It was blank. Utterly and totally blank.
If you can, go to this link at Firedoglake and help Jane Hamsher by signing her petition.
Now… what is going on with my health care premium…
Currently, my wife’s health care plan has no deductible. We are charged $150 per month for our portion of the premium. We have co-pays for most items. Those items not covered under co-pay are either 90/10 or 80/20 (the percentage ratio of insurance to out-of-pocket expense). Next year, this will totally change. The company has already given its employees a “heads-up” on what is coming, and, it isn’t good.
We get two options:
1) We can keep the same type of plan, but, our premium will double.
2) We can keep the same premium, but, the plan will totally change.
The “new” plan being put out by Blue Cross/Blue Shield?
We will have a $3,000 deductible. That is paid first and upfront before insurance begins paying. That alone means we cannot afford that plan. Simply, we don’t have $3,000 to spend on medical care.
That means that we will be forced to pay double our premium rate in the coming year, and we will still get reduced benefits. That means that we will be charged $300 per month out my wife’s pay check. That is money we can ill afford to lose, as well, but, have no choice. With the pre-existing condition clause, to simply go without health care now would mean I would be not be insurable in the future.
This is the squeeze that insurance companies threatened Congress with if they passed a public option, but, as you see, raising rates by 110% wasn’t merely a threat — they are simply going to do it anyway. This is what the GOP is voting for by voting against a public option.
I understand that the Democratic Party could pass a public option if only they could get all of their Party to vote for it. But, that doesn’t change the fact that the GOP, as a Party, are simply against helping the American citizen.
Families all across America are going bankrupt due to insurance companies and their greed for higher profits. Without a public option, even more American families will go bankrupt, or worse, will simply do without insurance and end up dying because of it.
Rep. Alan Grayson was 100% correct when he stated that the GOP’s idea of health care is simply “die”. Because that is the only option presented by the GOP for those who cannot afford the current premiums, or, who could afford them this year but won’t with the rate hikes that are coming next year. We are being told “just die” or go bankrupt by the GOP, as a Party.
And the GOP is trying to become relevant again by holding “tea bagging” rallies? How about simply voting FOR the American citizen for a change instead of against them.
Rep. Joe Wilson found fundraising gold in yelling “you lie” to President Obama. So did his challenger in 2010, Mr. Miller. When only 20% of America still identifies as Republican, and dropping, a reasonable person would think that the GOP would finally “get it”. They haven’t. Rep. Joe Wilson hasn’t. It will simply take voting out the entire Republican Party from Congress before the American citizen will finally get a voice in our government instead of corporations and lobbyists.
My family simply cannot afford the GOP holding ANY power, ANY say, whatsoever, in our government, whether it be in the state of South Carolina or in our Congress. The GOP is driving my family to ruin.
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