REASONABLE QUESTIONS TO ASK

The following are questions that should be asked of our elected representatives:
1. Did you vote for or against the proposed amendment that would make members of Congress subject to the same healthcare reform as the general public. How could you ever vote for a bill where members of Congress are exempt from the "reform" that you are forcing on your constituents?

2. The health care reform act proposes to spend roughly 1 trillion dollars over the next 10 years in order to save money. Does anything about that last statement sound wrong to you? Further, based on more objective accounting principles, the Heritage Foundation estimates the cost at just over 2 trillion dollars. Historically, actual costs are about 5 times the estimated costs (eg Medicare). That means that the actual cost will be between 5 and 10 trillion dollars. How do you expect to pay for this? What effect do you expect this will have on the economy?

3. You voted for a bill that includes a public option. The public option is widely recognized as the fastest route to socialized medicine. Is this what you really want? If so,
a) Why? Please give me an example of where socialized medicine works well.
b) Why don't you have the integrity to say that socialized medicine is what you want rather than cloaking it in the guise of the public option?

4. What is your commitment to the Right to Life?

5. Both the House and the Senate bills rely on dramatic expansions of Medicaid benefits. Medicaid is paid for by the states, and is the leading item in most state budgets. Most state taxes are already high, and now they are about to go much higher. Weren't we promised that taxes on the middle class would not go up? what effect do you think higher taxes will have on states' economies which are already hurting?

6. Items of responsible reform you should be fighting for:

1. Tort reform.

2. Increase competition among health insurance companies by eliminating restrictions on sale of insurance across state lines.

3. Make insurance portable - it should not be tied to your job.

4. Give the same tax breaks for health insurance to individuals as you do to employers.

5. Establish state-wide high risk pools for people with preexisting conditions so they can get insurance at reasonable rates.

6. Encourage health saving accounts.

These reforms taken together would not cost a dime and would dramatically improve the healthcare system we have, which happens to be the best healthcare system in the world. Please do not destroy it.