Written by Suzanne Carter

Lots of promises are being made about a replacement for Obamacare (Affordable Care Act). These include sound bites like “care for all” and “less cost”.

Let’s look at a few realities of this extremely complex issue.

• By insuring people with preexisting conditions and expanding family plan coverage to 26-year-olds, we are increasing costs to the insurance companies. It should not come as a surprise that premiums are going to rise.
• For some, the requirement to purchase insurance or pay a penalty may seem like too much government oversight. What do you think happens when these uninsured individuals get sick? They come to hospital emergency rooms who must provide care. This care is paid for mainly by federal, state and local governments; in other words, you and I. This is like someone driving a car without insurance and taxpayers chipping in to pay their car repairs and medical bills.
• No one can promise you that you can keep your doctor. Physicians and/or the health systems that employ them determine which insurance they will accept.
• There are lesser known aspects of the Affordable Care Act. Will they be included in future legislation? These include:
  • Regulations to protect the privacy and security of our health information;
  • Incentives for hospitals and physician offices to implement electronic health records;
  • The requirement for sharing data from these electronic records between health organizations to facilitate care;
  • The creation of patient portals so that we can have access to our vital information such as medication lists, lab results and diagnoses;
  • Use of this data to improve the quality of care and to eventually drive how your doctor is compensated.

We are seeing many recent examples where a rush to implement a campaign promise has resulted in unintended and disastrous consequences. Let’s not let this happen to our healthcare system.

Suzanne Carter

I would add that we have written several prior posts that address healthcare:

1. the expected increase in costs to you, the patient
2. the danger that local hospitals will close, waiting times will increase and availability of care will decrease:  https://resistancesuffolk.blog/2017/02/01/health-of-suffolk-hospitals/
3. Medicare privatization & the effects of Obamacare repeal on funding for hospitals to train house staff (interns and residents): https://resistancesuffolk.blog/2017/01/03/no-to-medicare-privatization/
4. letters from doctors and experts in the NYT https://resistancesuffolk.blog/2017/01/03/no-to-medicare-privatization/
5. Regarding Tom Price, letter in the East Hampton Star Dec 12th:   http://mobile.easthamptonstar.com/Letters-Editor/2017105/Letters-Editor-010517
6. and this one trumps them all: https://resistancesuffolk.blog/2017/01/24/smoking-doesnt-kill-mike-pence/comment-page-1/#comment-67

David Posnett MD

Hi all,

Here is a script that you can copy and paste into emails to all our Democratic Senators. The call to action from Indivisible was for us to thank our senators for what they are doing and to ask them to do even more by resisting. I have included a link to our Senate Democrats. Please circulate to family and friends around the country as Senate offices will only respond to their own constituents.

https://democrats.senate.gov/members/#.WJI3q7czVp8

Thank you!
*************

Hello, my name is __________________ and I am writing from _____________ to share my concerns about President Trump’s odious Executive Order to halt refugee admissions and ban citizens from several Muslim countries from entering the U.S.
I urge you to halt ANY and ALL Senate business until this hateful ban is lifted. That means committing to withhold consent on Senate business, including scheduling votes on nominees, until the ban has been lifted, and committing to filibuster any bill that comes to the floor UNLESS it’s a bill dedicated to ending this ban. This ban is a threat to civil rights, fundamental American values, and is an abominable national crisis. There is no way business can be conducted as usual when Trump is blatantly violating the constitution and ripping families apart.

Please realize that on Long Island alone there are over 25 RESIST groups that have sprung up since the election. This is an all time surge of resistance. We demand that our Dem. leaders don’t let us down on this.

Thank you for your support and for continuing to uphold our shared values. I appreciate everything you have done so far to oppose Trump’s agenda and hope that you choose to withhold consent until the ban is lifted.
Sincerely,

—
Name
Email
Telephone number

As per Max & Tina Plesset and Bob Brody they attended a meeting in Riverhead yesterday with Lee Zeldin’s district manager, Mark Woolley during the heaviest snow of the day. 87 ppl signed in. I counted over 100 ppl there says Tina. Please check out the linked press writeup. There were many heartfelt stories, both personal and professional.

http://riverheadlocal.com/2017/01/31/east-end-constituents-voice-concerns-demand-answers-immigration-ban-meeting-zeldin-aide/

On a cold dark night 150-200 people showed up to demonstrate in Patchogue at the occasion where Zeldin was being honored as Man-of-the-year.  Lots of energy, lots of chants and signs. Watch this video posted about 7 PM Jan 28th.