Health Care Reform - Please Clarify

I wrote the following letter to my senators regrading the health care reform bill. Please feel free to us all or any part of it when writing to your legislators.

They need to answer some questions and be held accountable for their actions.

Its Common Sense!!

Dear Senator

The Health Care Reform Bill was able to pass through the Senate along party lines. In all probability the Senate Democrats and House Democrats will be able to work out a compromise between their two bills and have the votes to present a Congressional bill to the President in a couple of months.
Several things about this bill bother me.
1. The rush - all we have been hearing is how important it is for this legislation to be passed and we have seen the midnight oil burning at the Capital to demonstrate the importance of this legislation. If it is so important why will it go into effect in 2013? Why aren't you taking the time to get all of the details right at the beginning so that when the President signs on the dotted line it can go immediately into effect?
2. Medicare and Medicaid - as I have stated in previous correspondence, I do not believe there can be any effective health care reform until the government proves it can manage Medicare and Medicaid. Currently there are billions of dollars stolen every year from both programs in fraud scams. Recently a news show interviewed members of a special FBI investigation unit in southern Florida, as well as some of the criminals they caught who revealed how easy it was to steal from Medicare and Medicaid.
Before there can be reform, the government has to be properly managing Medicare and Medicaid. If the government can not clean up the fraud in those programs, then the current reform will only generate more fraud, and increase the tax burden on an already over burdened populace.
3. Lack of bi-partisan support - the fact that not one Republican will sign onto to the bill makes me nervous. I know there are ideological differences but if the true goal of this bill is to better things for the American public, then why are no Republicans on board? Is this really a bill for the good of the American public or is this to make President Obama and the Democrats look good for the short term?
4. Cost - who foots the bill? I heard that my premiums will be rising. My fear is that with the 2013 start date insurance companies will be free to raise premiums as high as they want, just like the banks have gone crazy in raising interest rates on credit cards. Congress failed to protect us from the banks - even though our tax money bailed them out - and I fear that the insurance companies will follow the lead of the banks.

What assurances can you offer that my medical premiums will not become unaffordable and that I will be forced into a plan that offers less coverage?

Do you honestly believe that this bill is the best thing for the American people, that it will truly be cost effective and that it will not put our country deeper into debt?

I eagerly await your response.

Happy New Year!

Michael Wolfe