An open letter to President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid:

I am writing this letter to help you understand the opposition to your healthcare reform, since your statements make it clear that you “just don’t get it.” Allow me to introduce myself.

I am not a right-wing nut case. I believe that you, President Obama, are an American citizen. I do not think you are the anti-Christ. Nor do I think that any of you are evil. You just have very different ideas about what this country should look like and how our government should work – different from mine and a lot of other people’s, that is.

I graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia, so I am not stupid. I taught high school government and economics before I retired last year, so I know a little about how our government works.

I do not believe your reform means that death squads will pull the plug on grandma. I fully understand that the public option in this reform bill is different from a government takeover of health care.

I am not lacking in compassion for the poor. I would like for every person to have access to adequate health care. I realize that there are inequities in our healthcare system that need to be addressed.

What I am is scared – and worried about the future of this country I love so much.

Why am I opposed to this bill? Simple – we cannot afford it. President Obama, you said so yourself; you said that the government has no money. Americans are still reeling from the $780 billion stimulus bill, the bail-out of the auto industry, and the record-breaking 1.2 trillion dollar deficit. Our economy may or may not be recovering from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, housing prices have fallen as much as 20%, and the jobless rate is still in the double digits. We are worried about our jobs and our investments. In the midst of all this, you propose that the government insure over 40 million people. Your suggestion that this could be done in a “budget-neutral” fashion would be laughable if the situation were not so serious. Absolutely nothing in the government’s past or present programs offers any hope of doing such a thing.

Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and the post office are broke or soon will be. With these great examples of government-run entitlements, why on earth should we trust you to run even more of our healthcare system? You are continually asked this question, and you continue to ignore it because you, of course, have no answer.

Given the government’s past performance, we have every reason to fear a bill with over 1000 pages of legalese few people, including our legislators, can read or understand. There’s just too much room for the devil to hide in the details. And we are not getting details. We hear lots of generalizations about what the reform must do, but very little specifics about how it will be paid for or how it will be administered. You expect us to support something when we don’t even know what it is.

We also feel that a bill of this magnitude, one that will affect all of our lives in matters of life and death, should not be rushed. And you are definitely trying to rush it through, because you feel that is the only chance you have of getting it passed. I want to know that experts from every part of the healthcare industry and the insurance industry have sat down together to talk about ways to reduce costs and make sure people receive the care they need. And I want those experts to come from different sides of the political spectrum so all viewpoints will be considered.

I am tired of the back-and-forth arguments that only touch the surface of this debate. You keep telling people they can keep their insurance. I heard you. I KNOW that is what the bill says. The question you do not answer is, will our insurance policies still be available to us after all this reform takes place? Will insurance companies be able to meet your requirements and compete with the public option? And what will happen to our premiums when insurance companies are forced to cover preexisting conditions?

You argue that costs will be brought down by cutting out waste. Well, for crying out loud, if all that waste could be cut so easily, why haven’t we already done that? We all know that Medicare is wrought with fraud, but no one has been able to stop it. More government insurance will just mean more fraud as unscrupulous people rush to take advantage of “free” money.

You say that Medicare can be reduced by “reallocating” money, but you never explain what that means. Can you blame people for thinking that means less care for old people? What else could it mean?

It is very unwise to dismiss me and others like me as “angry mobs” orchestrated by Republican leaders and FOX News. Of course these town hall meetings are organized; aren’t all meetings? No one forces people to attend; they come because they are concerned. The fear and anger people express at these meetings is genuine, and if you don’t know that, you really are living in a bubble up there in Washington. I hear it everywhere I go – stores, restaurants, and doctors’ offices. It comes up at every social gathering. In fact, I have never seen an issue galvanize public opinion the way this one has. You can listen to us now, or listen to us at the polls come the next election.

Here is what I want: Slow down. See if there are other ways to address inequities without so much government control or expense. Work together with the Republicans. This is so important that we truly need a bipartisan plan. Find ways to bring down medical costs, since these rising costs are what will break the system eventually, whether it is public or private. Do everything in your power to take the politics out of this; stop the rhetoric. Tell us the truth; we can handle it. Please listen to our concerns.

Sincerely,
Paula Canup, Hayesville, NC