Senator Barbara Mikulski - What Health Care Reform Means to You!

I just received the following new blurb from Senator Mikulski. I guess I write enough to be on her mailing list.

Read through and see if you agree that this is what Health Care Reform Means to you.

What Health Care Reform Means for You

Passage of health care reform is a very big deal. It's the first time in history that we have committed to ending the abuses of the insurance industry and covering every single American.

I voted for health care reform because I listened to Marylanders as they told me their stories. People told me about the situation of their lives at roundtables and hearings, at diners and grocery stores. Thousands more wrote to me and called. They shared with me their fear of one big health care incident leading them into bankruptcy.

I heard from people like Karen from Kensington, whose father had to quit his job because he suffered from Crohn's Disease. When he was two pennies short on his insurance payment, he lost his coverage. During the six months it took to reinstate his insurance, his health deteriorated. He died a year after his insurance was cancelled. He was just 59 years old when he passed away.

I thought of people like Karen and her father when I was fighting to pass this bill.

This legislation provides long-term health security for all Americans. It saves and strengthens Medicare, extending its life by nearly a decade. It also helps seniors afford their prescription drugs. It establishes a small business health care tax credit to help small businesses cover their workers. It allows young people to stay on their parents' policies until age 26. And it cuts the hassle factor, allowing doctors to spend time with patients instead of paperwork.

This bill also ends the punitive practices of insurance companies by making sure that no American will ever be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition.

This is a very big deal for women. I am particularly proud of the role that I have played in changing the way that insurance companies treat women. For far too long, they have treated simply being a woman as a pre-existing condition. They used every trick in the book to deny women coverage. In seven states and the District of Columbia, being a victim of domestic violence was considered a pre-existing condition. Women were denied coverage because a medically-mandated c-section was considered a pre-existing condition.

That's why when they tried to take our mammograms away, I said, "No!" I introduced an amendment that guarantees women who enroll in new health care plans coverage of preventive care such as mammograms, pap tests and heart disease screenings with no co-pays or deductibles.

These changes are a monumental step in improving the lives and health of people across the state of Maryland and across the United States. This bill is a leap into the future, and it is a leap we can take with confidence. My job as a U.S. Senator is to provide opportunity for the American people, and health care is one of the greatest opportunities we can provide.



Useful Links

Video of Senator Mikulski on Passage of Health Reform

Timeline of Reform

Health Care Reform and Maryland

Summary of Health Care Reform Bill

How Will Reform Help You? Take the Quiz

Information from the White House

Information on Implimentation from HHS


Fast Facts

How does reform help people now?

* Gives seniors who hit the donut hole a $250 rebate

* Provides health insurance for people with pre-existing conditions who used to have insurance

* Stops insurers from denying coverage to children because they have a pre-existing condition

* Stops insurers from dropping coverage when you get sick

* Prohibits lifetime caps on coverage in new insurance plans

* Allows young people to stay on their parents' insurance until age 26

* Gives small businesses tax credits to help them cover employees


How does reform help Marylanders?

* Reform could save Maryland $1 Billion over the next 10 years

* Preventive services with no co-pays for 740,000 Maryland seniors

* Help for 132,000 Maryland seniors when they hit drug coverage gap

* New consumer protections will benefit 5.6 million Marylanders

* New tax credits to help 56,000 small businesses cover their employees

* New help to make health care insurance affordable for 465,000 Marylanders

Afghanistan Drama

Things keep happening in Afghanistan to keep the confusion/chaos alive. Obama sneaks in to visit with the troops and then tell Karzai he's got to get his act together and show some progress if he wants to continue to receive aide. Of course, since Obama has increased the USA's military commitment, the USA isn't getting out anytime soon, which means the aide will continue.

Evidently Karzai's feelings got hurt and the rumor is he has threatened to go over the the Taliban if the outsiders don't stop pressuring him. How long do you think he would last if he went over to the Taliban?

Both presidents need to stop trying to out stage the other and get to the serious business of bringing a workable peace to Afghanistan making all of the compromises necessary to end the killing. Too many lives have been wasted. Now is the time for true leadership, not stagemanship.

Its Common Sense!

Health Care - What Next?

Well much to my surprise, Congress passed the Health Care Bill, twice. First with the Senate Democrat behind closed door deals and the second time, hopefully, with less of the backroom deals.

Now President Obama is out selling the legislation - something he should have been doing right from the start. Maybe if he and the Democrats had been clear and precise during the town hall meetings about the context of the bill there would be a lot less tension.

Of course the Republicans want to repeal/reform the bill. Why they did not work on the reform while the bill was in committee is beyond me. Well maybe not. After all, elections are on the horizon and its better to be a stronger opponent of the other party, rather than seen as a compromiser working for the good of the people.

Today Sarah Palin and the Tea Party descend on Searchlight Nevada to harass the home community of Senator Harry Reid. These people did nothing wrong and should not be punished by an invasion.

Now we can sit back and watch as the campaign rhetoric increases and the TV pundits tell us who is right and wrong.

We will also see how the immediate action parts of the Health Care Bill take effect and if they are everything that is promised.

As I have said in the past - they are all wrong. We need term limits and we definitely need to get rid of the incumbents and start at square one.

Pay careful attention to what is doing on and get ready to vote in November.

Its Common Sense!!

Congressional Accountability and Responsibility

Watching the news during the past week I have to wonder if the following three words can be used together positively in a sentence - Congress, Accountability and Responsibility.

The other day we learned that for the first time Social Security brought in less than was needed to pay monthly benefit checks. Which means the government is going to have to borrow money, because Congress left a bunch of IOUs and raided the Social Security Trust Fund. Where is the responsibility and accountability in that action? Through their greed and stupidity Congress, rather than leaving the Fund alone to gain interest, blew the money on whatever half assed thing got their attention and now they will increase an already out of control debt even higher.

Health Care Reform. People need health care and there has to be a way to do it that will please the majority. Does Congress sit down and try and do what is best for the American people? Of course not. Better split based on party lines and say the hell with the people. My way right or wrong. Compromise is not an option.

Watching some of these pompous baboons on TV infuriates me and makes me marvel that some of these clowns just keep coming back.

Since it is obvious that our government does not want to be accountable or responsible, I think its time we the people take over. God knows we can't do any worse.

During the next weeks I intend to make a proposal to my senators for a bill to limit campaign funding so that not only the rich will be able to run for office in this country. Its time that those of us in the trenches had a chance on Capital Hill to bring back a sense of reality.

Obama made a lot of promises about changing the system and having an open government, but as he pointed out to John McCain during the Health Care Fiasco, that was a campaign promise and no one is campaigning anymore. How's that for a taste of reality?

Anyway, we all need to start thinking of ways to get the common man to DC. Best way to start - vote the incumbents out.

Its Common Sense!

Senator Mikulski on the 28th Amendment

Senator Mikulski's staff must want some time away from health care reform because they already responded to my my question regarding a proposed 28th amendment.

Dear Mr. Wolfe:

Thank you for contacting me about amending the United States Constitution. It's good to hear from you.

I agree with you that Congress is here to represent the people. I believe Members of Congress have a sacred duty to represent those who have elected them with honor and integrity. We should be held to a high standard, and we must be accountable for our actions. The laws that we make apply to everyone in this country, and Members of Congress are expected to follow them or face consequences just like the public we serve.

Again, thank you for getting in touch. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance to you in the future.

Sincerely,
Barbara A. Mikulski
United States Senator