March 22nd, 2010
Yes to Medical Rights, Lawsuit Reform, Insurance from any State
No to Tax Increases, Job Losses and Cuts that Hurt Seniors on Medicare
After listening to thousands of people across Illinois in dozens of live and telephone town hall meetings, I heard clearly what we need: lower health care costs, lower taxes and more jobs.
Congress can help by enacting modest, centrist health care reforms. That is why I authored the Medical Rights and Reform Act to lower costs, cover pre-existing conditions and protect seniors on Medicare without raising taxes. Our centrist Medical Rights and Reform Act would:
- Enact the Medical Rights Act (H.R. 2516), ensuring that Congress shall make no law interfering with decisions you make with your doctor;
- Save money by reducing expensive defensive medicine with lawsuit reforms;
- Grant Americans the right to buy insurance coverage from any state in the union if they find a plan that is less expensive for their family or small business; and
- Not raise taxes, add to the deficit or hurt seniors who depend on Medicare.
Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi rejected these centrist reforms. Instead, Congressional leaders adopted a new trillion-dollar spending program that will burden our children with tremendous debts while raising taxes, cutting Medicare services and putting thousands of Illinois jobs at risk.
We should lower health insurance bills, not force them higher.
Under the House-passed health care bill, average Illinois citizens will see their monthly individual insurance bill increase between $150 and $325 per month in the individual market – an increase of $1,800 to $3,899 per year.
We should not raise taxes in the teeth of the Great Recession, especially on family retirement savings.
The House bill imposes 12 new federal taxes totaling $569 billion – two of which would tax retirement savings by a combined 4.7%.
We should protect small business owners and promote job creation in Illinois.
Illinois employers will face higher costs and taxes under this bill. The President of the National Federation of Independent Business said the bill will have “devastating consequences” for small business employers – the men and women who oversee most Illinois jobs. One of our state’s top employers, Caterpillar, estimated the bill would increase costs by more than $100 million next year alone. In short, the bill makes Illinois employers less competitive and puts thousands of Illinois jobs at risk.
We should protect seniors who depend on Medicare, not hurt them.
Seniors get hit worst of all. With $523 billion in cuts to Medicare, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services projects a 20% loss of Medicare doctors and nurses. In Illinois, the bill cuts Medicare Advantage coverage for more than 120,000 seniors. The bill cuts Medicare home health, hospital, drug, preventative services, wheelchairs, hospice care and more.
We should lower the deficit, not saddle our children with massive debts that hurt their future.
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office concludes this bill spends $1.2 trillion while increasing health care costs. Once the Social Security Trust Fund, long-term health care and student loan budget gimmicks are removed from the accounting, the legislation adds an additional $1.55 trillion to our children’s deficit.
As the State of Illinois teeters on the edge of bankruptcy, the bill also adds over one billion dollars to the state budget deficit.
If you are worried about our country in a way that you have not been before, then join our campaign today.
We need a new direction in Illinois. Together, we will win this election, add jobs, stop tax increases and prevent huge debts from being transferred to our children.
Tags: 2010, 2010 election, 2010 elections, 2010 Illinois, Alexi, Alexi Giannoulias, campaign, Chicago, election, Giannoulias, Health Care, il-sen, Illinois, ilsen, Kirk, Mark, Mark Kirk, politics, race, senate, senate 2010, senate election, senate race