(Jason is the Editor of the Seminal, which is Fire Dog Lakes community blog. - promoted by Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said )
The health reform vote is coming in the House. Representative Betsy Markey (CO-04) needs to listen to us, not the insurance companies.
In Markey's district, the House's improvements to the Senate health reform bill will [pdf]:
Improve coverage for 464,000 residents with health insurance.
Give tax credits and other assistance to up to 170,000 families and 18,900 small businesses to help them afford coverage.
Improve Medicare for 88,000 beneficiaries, including closing the donut hole.
Extend coverage to 69,000 uninsured residents.
Guarantee that 14,100 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage.
Protect 1,400 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.
Allow 70,000 young adults to obtain coverage on their parents' insurance plans.
Provide millions of dollars in new funding for 25 community health centers.
Reduce the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and other health care providers by $60 million annually.
A vote for health reform is a vote to stand with these people. A vote against health reform is a vote for the status quo, where insurance companies make record profits by raising rates by double digits (20% in Colorado in the last few months) and dropping millions of customers from their rolls.
The House may vote on health reform as early as this weekend. When the vote comes, Representative Markey has a chance to show us that she's on our side.
