Vote!

I got an e-mail yesterday that really made me think, so I'm sharing it. Oh and just so you know, one time John Kasich bailed on a student event at Otterbein with only 30 minutes to spare, leaving us SOL. I've never forgotten that. :)

Progressive Laws passed by Congress and President Obama:

• In spite of Republican claims to the contrary, Obama has reduced taxes for 95%of Americans, by making 25 separate tax cuts.
  
  
• S-Chip Law which provides medical care for poor children.
  
  
• Saved the U.S, and the world, from a depression which would have lead to Unemployment of 25%.
  
  
• Stopped banks from lending money to students at unfairly high interest rates. They had a no-lose situation allowing huge profits because the government would pay off the loans if the student defaulted.
  
  
• Laws to control the banking industry. They give more money for election to members of both parties than any other group.He saved the domestic auto industry, and those companies are now are beginning to pay back the loans.
  
  
• Increased Pell Grants.
  
  
• Gave grants to school which need help, Race to the Top.
  
  
• Instituted the mortgage foreclosure relief program.
  
  
• Provided for the appliance rebate program to save energy and cost.
  
  
• Provided for the program for tax credit for energy saving windows.
  
  
• Homosexuals can visit their domestic partners when they are patients in hospitals.
  
  
• The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
  
  
• Ledbetter Law to give women equal pay for equal work.
  
  
• Extended unemployment benefits.
  
  
• Provided consumer protection by Credit Card Accountability,
  Responsibility and Disclosure Act.
  
  
• Passed the Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
  
  
• Passed a law for conservation of land and resources.
  
  
• Passed laws to prevent unfair sub-prime mortgages and banks from making risky investment leveraged (borrowed money), which endanger the world economy.
  
  
• Spent money to prevent the collapse of the economy, which was started during the end of the Bush administration.
  
  
• Used stimulus money to make jobs, for which he was criticized. FDR spent much more money effectively to help end the depression in the 1930’s.

These laws were passed through April 18, 2010. Many more laws have been passed since then.

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Law, which:

• Will prevent health insurance companies from denying insurance because of preexisting conditions in children, and due to mistakes in application forms.*
  
  
• Prohibits life time limit of care.*
  
  
• Phases out annual limits of care.*
  
  
• Allows you to have any primary care, pediatrician and OB-GYN.*
  
  
• Prevents insurance companies from making patient pay more for medical services outside a plans network*
  
  
• Will prevent insurance companies from dropping patient who have serious diseases or injuries. Will control the premium rates of insurance companies.
  
  
• Wording in the law and his Executive Order prevent any funds from being used to finance abortion.
  
  
• Medicare Part D, it will eventually close the donut hole. However, it will not provide for negotiation for volume discounted prices for drugs, due the law passed by the Republican Congress in 2005. That is why they pay as much as 45% less for drugs in Canada and all other civilized countries.
• 
  Medicare Part C, Advantage will eventually be eliminated.* It will save patents money will save the government $132 billion over the next 10 years. Republicans, lead by Senator McCain, who has always been against Medicare, disingenuously railed against these changes on the floor of the Senate.
  
  
• Although it will require immediate funding, over the first decade, and it will be reduced by $180 billion the first decade and $1.2 trillion during the second decade.
  
  
• Death panels are not in the Law.
  
  
• Requiring businesses to provide health insurance is a mixed bag, but it does allow business with less than 25 employees will get a tax credit and will be able to choose plans with no penalty for preexisting conditions. In 2014, they will be able get insurance from a pool at a lower price.
  
  
• It pays for visits to physicians for disease prevention.

*These provisions take effect this fall.

This law is not perfect, mostly because of the lack of cooperation by the Republicans in Congress. It will be improved if Democrats are reelected.

• It will save many of the 1.5 million who go bankrupt do to large medical bills each year.
  
  
• It causes more transparency in the activity of physicians, and hospitals and the health insurance industry.

· Encourages group practice for fiscal efficiency.

· It ends physician owned hospital bonuses.

· Mandates that only one kind of forms be used in medical insurance.

· Provides $11 billion for health care centers for the poor.

If the Act is government takeover of health insurance, why have health insurance stocks been going up in price significantly?

The Republican propaganda machine has poisoned the voter into being against “Obamacare” in polls, but when asked if they favor the above provisions, they overwhelmingly approve. The propaganda has been provided by the health insurance companies spending $1 million per day to advertize through what they call “grass roots” organizations, Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, the Republican National Committee etc. But when those being polled are asked about the most important items in the Law, they are in favor by averages of 80%.

President Obama is using stimulus money to develop:

• The Minimum Standard of Care will save cost of needles, diagnostic tests, treatment and surgery, and will prevent many law suits.
  
  
• Electronic medical records to reduce redundant medical testing, and to detect fraudulent billing in Medicare and Medicaid.
  
  
• Evaluation of efficacy and cost of comparable generic and patented drugs.